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It's a fair rendition, albeit a needless album. I've listened to the whole thing. It's certainly not bad, but why bother with this when you can get the original soundtrack that sounds better? Maybe just for the hardcore Jaws soundtrack fans.
JAWS is one of the great adventure scores that has transcended its scope in both film and the public conscience. The ominous 2 note motif that develops into the JAWS theme is a shinning example of composer John Williams' unrivaled ingenuity and mastery over film music. It's not surprising that 25 years later at the onset of its anniversary the film and score have become an indelible part of public's subconscious. Just hum the 2 notes of the theme when you are near the sea and you will stir a sudden element of fear. That's because the Jaws theme has been so successfully conditioned in our minds that it has an almost clinical effect on us.
Around the time of the 25th anniversary of the film, Varèse Sarabande announced their plans to release their first expanded recording of John Williams' original 1975 Oscar wining score for JAWS. Previously the only album that existed was the Original 1975 re-recording which Williams had recorded as an abridged version of the score although he had graciously expanded on some of the set pieces and changed the orchestration and pace. There were also various Concert re-recordings of the Main Theme and other cues on Boston Pops recordings But, Varèse's Plans to release their re-recording of Williams Original score were cut short in anticipation when Decca beat them to it by issuing Williams' original 1975 recording session of the complete score in 2000. While there is nothing wrong with Williams original score nor his conducting, the album while conquering the market place only suffered in terms of a dated sound recording. The only disappointment here being that the demand for JAWS was already eclipsed by Decca's version leaving the release of the Varèse issue in the shadows.
So the question is, if one already owns the Decca issue, then is the Varèse re-recording with Joel McNeely leading the Royal Scottish National Orchestra worth a try? Of course it is, especially if you are die hard Williams fan. For this recording sheds a much different appeal to Jaws then its original predecessors. The wonderful 20 bit digital recording is an ear opening Tour de Force! The superb recording perfectly captures the spirit of the original recording with such depth and clarity that cannot be found elsewhere. The score sounds more brutal and ferocious than ever before. It does have the much criticized Concert acoustics but the scope of this score supports it entirely. Actually its one of their better recordings.
The score is presented in more or less chronological manner with a few deviations. From the opening Jaws theme which segues to the The First Victim which highlights a more vicious and violent presentation of the brass. The various Shark Attack cues are extremely brassy and more percussive. Specially notable is the percussive section in Man Against Beast which starts at the 2:35 mark and builds to a tremendous excitement over Williams' jaunty Sea chanty theme. The score on the outset wonderfully captures the sea faring adventure and helps to enrapture the listener in spirit throughout its narrative.
Ben Gardner's Boat showcases a wonderfully homage to Bernard Herrmann's Psycho murder motif and that's not surprising since Spielberg himself alluded to that when comparing Williams' contribution to the classic theme in the original 1975 album's Liner notes. The Great Shark Chase here is better represented by Williams' original film version and the best cue is the unreleased Quint Meets His Death: A jarring ostinato figure punctuated by brass and swirling piccolos which again pay tribute to Herrmann's Psycho. This rendition along with the score throws a different light to Williams' own interpretation of the cue (omitted in the film) as they are both marked different in annotation. Another example is Montage which is more classical in nature. It is interesting to note that Williams altered his original score during the recording sessions because of the limitations of 1975 recording technology. Luckily, McNeely conducts the score as it was originally written. The RSNO performs admirably without any noticeable errors and the tempos are just about perfect.
The packaging is skimpy with some of the most pretentious and non-linear liner notes ever. While, producer Robert Townson pays tribute in an interesting essay. The cover is by Varèse veterans Bob and Matthew Peak. I actually prefer the backside cover than the front cover which features a Tiger shark rather than the Great White.
Overall, this album gets more enjoyable and is a wonderful companion to its original counterpart(s). In comparison to previous recordings, this JAWS packs enough bite. So, pick this up and enjoy JAWS as it was meant to be heard and be blown away by the sound!
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2000
Joel McNeely's presentation with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra can't go wrong inasmuch as it celebrates one of the finest, textured, and most recognized scores in the history of popular film. It is curious that it comes on the heals of another pressing of this music not two months earlier, which was released in conjunction with the DVD and remastered video release of the film. Both of these albumns contain significantly more music than the original motion picture soundtrack which has been available for years. However I think the recent "Special Edition" version which offers Williams' compilation in sequential order is superior, packing more punch than McNeely's. While the music still plumbs the depths of fear, soars in seafaring adventure and brings the characters to life in all their thematic brilliance, true fans of this score will hear a slightly different interpretation of this music. "Montage", which on Williams' collection is called "Tourists on the Menu" seems slower and more hollow, missing the whimsical commentary on summer folk blindly readying themselves for summertime beaching. Indeed, many of the tracks simply sound thinner or a slight bit more heavyhanded, either missing some of the humor of the music or skipping the pathos. McNeely's Superman score had a similar problem, missing some of the richness of the music one may be used to hearing in the film. In that case, however, he was offering cues which had not been previously available to listeners. With very little exception (a sequence dropped from the autopsy scene?) There is little new material here, especially since the new Williams score has added 20 minutes to the old soundtrack release.I am glad, in a way, that he is choosing to give new readings to the scores of these types of popular films, but I would first and foremost recommend a listening to John Williams' own recordings of this music. Oddly, both albumns offer liner notes which malign the original soundtrack for being rearranged to compose a suite of the film's music rather than a telling of the story. In my opinion, the original albumn still delivers the best of the score in the best format. These new releases add many interesting musical cues which may be only notable for folks who want to investigate this score to death.
I'm about to order this version of the soundtrack due to the excellent reviews but being an Australian I have to point out that the shark on the cover of this CD is actually a Grey Nurse shark, which ferocious as it looks is quite harmless, and was wrongly blamed for attacks in Australian waters during the 50's 60's and 70's and was slaughtered in horrific numbers, until people like Ron and Valerie Taylor put all of us straight, not that it's OK to kill Great Whites either, but the cover does put a bit of a damper on it.
There have been many releases of the Jaws score in the past. The first on LP and cassette and then a couple of releases on CD that only lasted about 30 minutes.
But this 2000 release from Varese Sarabande gives us 25 tracks, lasts 52 minutes and is a brand new digital recording (maxing out the excitement if you have big speakers) performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conducted by Joel McNeely. It sounds great and is a more complete package than the other Jaws CDs, especially when you consider then extensive liner notes.
Even brilliant unused cues such as 'Quint Meets His End' are included. The Jaws music is way more than just DUM DUM DUM. There is a very good reason why John Williams took home that Academy Award and this CD is the best proof of that. Must buy.
Als erklärter John Williams Fan muß ich vor dieser Einspielung den Hut ziehen. Kommt ans Orginal, wie kann es anders sein, zwar nicht heran, überzeugt aber auf hohem Niveau! Starke Empfehlung für Williams Fans.
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