Williams' Albums Mostly Ignored

crwdfwtx · **Posted:** Tue Jun 08, 2010 3:00 pm

All of these mentioned are dear to me, for one reason or another. But my absolute go-to JW soundtrack is Jaws 2. It really has a little of everything that I love about his music, whether it's the incredibly supple scherzando pieces, an embarrassment of gorgeous long-lined melodies, engaging and musically interesting suspense cues, etc. The overall level of craftsmanship in this score, and the performance as well, are just crazy.

I first came to love JW because of Close Encounters, and promptly thereafter I bought Jaws 2 and The Fury on LP. Silly me, I thought film music was all as good as the scores of 1978 (the same year of so many incredible Goldsmith scores, too).

I love all of Williams' scores from this period, especially The Fury and Dracula (plus, of course, the blockbusters), but the one that is closest to my heart will always be Jaws 2.

Yavar Moradi · **Posted:** Tue Jun 08, 2010 3:07 pm

Yeah, Jaws 2 is incredibly overlooked. I enjoy it better than the first (album or film recording) as a listening experience and would love a complete release.

And hell I think John Goldfarb is a ton of fun!

Yavar

crwdfwtx · **Posted:** Tue Jun 08, 2010 3:16 pm

Mercy, I just took a spin through my collection and several other standouts that don't get nearly enough love:

- Angela's Ashes (a huge favorite of mine, especially the Oscar promo which omits the film narration)
- Seven Years in Tibet (this is just a monumental score that absolutely does not get enough respect)
- Born on the Fourth of July (amazing string writing)
- Catch Me If You Can (awesome for the title sequence alone!)
- Hook (this isn't really ignored, but I still think it's undervalued)
- The Lost World (in some ways I like this score better than Jurassic Park, maybe because it just sounds more grown up)
- War of the Worlds (although if it weren't for "Epilogue", it wouldn't have been nearly as memorable for me)
- 1941 (a really, really good record, although I like "Swing, Swing, Swing" even more than the symphonic score)

Now for the flip side... how about some John Williams scores that are ignored, and maybe it's easier to understand why? There are several that simply never caught my imagination:

- Amistad
- Rosewood
- Far and Away (always seemed like he was recycling Hook and JFK to me)
- The Patriot (simply never caught fire with me, I really couldn't say why)

There is always something to admire in Williams' writing, but those last several scores seemed to be to be more coasting than innovating.

Roger Feigelson · **Joined:** Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:47 pm **Posts:** 3415

SchiffyM · **Joined:** Sat Dec 17, 2005 8:35 pm **Posts:** 253

Azella · **Posted:** Tue Jun 08, 2010 5:51 pm

crwdfwtx · **Posted:** Tue Jun 08, 2010 6:07 pm

There are some moments in Saving Private Ryan that I really love, mostly the quieter statements of the main "theme".

"Empire of the Sun" is another one that has a handful of really nice moments but overall isn't something I go back to very often.

Roger Feigelson · **Joined:** Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:47 pm **Posts:** 3415

crwdfwtx · **Posted:** Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:29 pm

Wow, time for another listen to "Empire of the Sun" then!

cvermeylen · **Joined:** Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:54 pm **Posts:** 46

I always liked "The Reivers". Partly because I liked the movie so much as a kid. This is no large orchestra piece either, but it has very enjoyable themes, and it's a real feelgood score.

Anakin McFly · **Posted:** Wed Jun 09, 2010 2:56 am

I really like ROSEWOOD. It's a dramatic, spiritual dark score that completely works on me. Very far from what Williams has accustomed us to, but its ambiance is something very special !

I also like The PATRIOT very much. I like to call it a subtly patriotic score. Williams has found the perfect balance beetween heroic patriotism and powerful drama. I like the dark theme associated with the events in Fort Wilderness. The cue Martin Vs Tavington has a very moving reprise of this theme and is a brillant "final confontation cue" for a an overall magnificent score.

bruce marshall · **Joined:** Wed Mar 15, 2006 8:16 pm **Posts:** 775

NIXON
WOTW

Douglass Fake · **Joined:** Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:48 pm **Posts:** 2773

Yeah, Roger is right. My favorite score of the entire 1980's decade is EMPIRE OF THE SUN. I once mentioned that to Williams on a phone call and he replied: "Really? It's your favorite? It's mine, too." So I'm not the only one who likes it.

Back to the forgotten ones, I'm in Ford Thaxton's camp. No one talks about MISSOURI BREAKS but it's such a refreshing, open-air score. It's so easy to listen to.
--Doug

crwdfwtx · **Posted:** Thu Jun 10, 2010 11:47 am

Ford A. Thaxton · **Posted:** Thu Jun 10, 2010 9:47 pm

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Williams' Albums Mostly Ignored

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