Intrada Soundtrack Forum

I have noticed the same thing with "Return of the Jedi" on the RCA/Victor label. The sound quality is atrocious. I only ever listen to the disks from the Star Wars Anthology box set. I'm not entirely certain why the sound problem exists for the new "improved" releases, but I can give a guess. I think the Vinyl releases were recorded specifically for soundtrack purposes (like the old MCA "Jaws" or "E.T.") They're better listens for a couple reasons. One, the sound quality is dynamic and clear. And two, the tracks are remixed in terms of their intended film-order for a more enjoyable listening experience. Sometimes archiving every note doesn't seem to work very well, especially in the case of the original Star Wars scores. So probably the "remastered" "Return of the Jedi" was pulled from original reels recorded specifically for the film and in their original sequence, which is why they sound muddy. In any case, I'm perfectly satisfied to ignore all the new Star Wars releases in favor of the superior 20th Century Fox Film Scores release of the Star Wars anthology.