Star Wars The Force Awakens Soundtrack

[Lutso]

I'm not here to **** on the new score, but I just want to point something out...

The only time during the movie where I really even noticed the music at all, let alone thought it was good, was a short snippet during the end sequence. I thought, oh man, this sounds amazing!

...it was an edit of "Burning Homestead" from ANH. :facepalm

 

[Wes R]

Disney has it on youtube on a vevo channel if anyone wants to listen before buying, I'm not impressed at all compared to the past scores.

 

[Inquisitor Peregrinus]

I've YouTube'ed some of the music and I'm starting to wonder if it might have felt more cohesive/been more robust if the LSO had done it. I say this especially after comparing the opening fanfare back-to-back-to-back with Star Wars' and Empire's.

--Jonah

 

[Wolfsburg]

Well, I attributed the differences in fanfares to the conductors. Gustavo Dudamel conducted the fanfare for TFA.

 

[Wes R]

You think they could have paid Fox for the rights to use their fanfare for the new trilogy.

 

[Wolfsburg]

I really missed it but I think there's a fat chance that would've ever happened.

 

[Jaitea]

I've YouTube'ed some of the music and I'm starting to wonder if it might have felt more cohesive/been more robust if the LSO had done it. I say this especially after comparing the opening fanfare back-to-back-to-back with Star Wars' and Empire's.

--Jonah

I have some John Williams & Boston Pops CD's & they just don't have that Star Wars sound that the LSO & Abbey Road have,.....The new soundtrack & the BP stuff just don't have the 'punch'

J

 

[modelcitizen]

question: does it mention in the notes the recording medium? was it recorded to tape first or was it digital from the start? going all digital will have it's effect as well....
good oldfashioned tape saturation probably played a part in the sound of that initial blast of horns (aware on the 77 movie the first swell before the "blast" was edited out).

 

[robn1]

It seems the different style was a conscious decision.

Why You Can’t Hum Any of the Tunes From John Williams' 'Star Wars' Soundtrack for ‘The Force Awakens’

John Williams on 'Force Awakens' score: 'I felt a renewed energy, and a vitality'

 

[PoopaPapaPalps]

It may have been "intentional" but I personally don't think it works.

 

[niennumb1]

I'm not going to try and muster up excuses for it and tell everyone to change their minds, but what I take from the music comes with it a sense of mystery and while it doesn't all follow what we have heard in the past works, they feel like "unfinished" hints and probably is intentional. We hear those few notes to signify Kylo Ren ' s presence in the film, but we don't have a clear theme for him, and that's because he hasn't been officially known to be fully crossed over or his place in the grand scheme.

We hear a light-toned suggestion of Rey, but we don't quite know who she is yet, but as that grows perhaps we hear that riff evolve into a more clear musical number as we witness her realization . I think a lot of the music was developed alongside JJ's mystery he is trying to maintain and, perhaps, may be why a lot of people think the musical score suffers some.

Sounds like they did a really great job not letting us make any conclusions to the film's direction with the characters.

I don't think this score ranks extremely high on my list right now, but there is a lot of beautiful things going on worth listening to and trying to understand that I believe begs needing to repeat hear.

I love Williams' stuff and it's not a bad score, it just feels as uncertain as the next part of the story feels and there's some appreciation to be felt there. I'm hoping to hear more evolution in things musically unlocked as we progress into episode 8.

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[astroboy]

The appropriate word is garbage.

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[CessnaDriver]

His magic has been gone a long time.
It was apparent even back on the prequels it was fading.

The OT SW scores were a big part of the whole experience, though ROTJ had some recycled bits here and there which was disappointing.
Hope the guy doing Rogue One has some magic to bring to the table.

 

[modelcitizen]

i think he was better when he was more derivative....

 

[cayman shen]

The score does exactly what it needs to do without drawing attention to itself like the awful TPM score.

 

[dbuck]

When I first listened to it I was disappointed. It contains no hummable themes, sure. It's not going to get much replay value as I keep listening to it in the mornings at work trying to make it grow on me, either.
Certainly not his best work. He didn't even bother to 'borrow' anything this time around.

However, in the context of the movie I feel it works.

 

[astroboy]

I just don't know why Williams and Abrams would want to break the mold. Seriously. Change with the times? Why?

This is a space opera. It's the most successful franchise ever. Making another death star is okay but keeping it as a space opera is not?

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[astroboy]

Think about that introduction of the falcon. Instead of the whole clumsy take off, they used music to give us the awesome moment.

Maybe we don't even see the entire Falcon. They just run up the ramp and into the cockpit. Rey sits in the cockpit. Then the trumpets blare a familiar theme as the engines fire up. Then the camera pulls back through the cockpit glass to show us the entire falcon as familiar music plays (or a new falcon theme).

And instead of a slapstick take off, it's triumphant.

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[laszlo]

'Jedi steps' at the very end once Luke is found is actually quite a beautiful Star Wars moment - listen again.

 

[Wolfsburg]

Agreed. To say it's garbage is ridiculous. Yes, it isn't my favorite but it's far from garbage. It is murky at times and even mysterious but I think that might've been the point. Once I left behind expectations of bombast, I've grown to enjoy it. I really like Jedi Steps too.