Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Coming from two much inferior sequels to the the original Jaws (I consider Jaws 3 a good idea/story that was poorly made and Jaws The Revenge a bad idea from the start, but with some effective sequences) I do love both these scores.

I prefer the score to Jaws The Revenge for having the best shark theme variations and some really beautiful music from Michael Small. It has been a grail of mine since I saw the movie in the theater in 1987.
The promo relased in 2000 was great for including the main highlights of this short score, but the hissy sound quality and missing music stil demand for a complete release from the proper masters.

Jaws 3 is also a fantastic score, and although the album program is good it is missing a lot of music (and the film version of most of the tracks - that are different to the album versions as the movie was reedited just prior to release and Alan Parker had to rerecord more than 30 min. of the score). There's also some very good "source cues" for the park composed by Parker based on the themes used in the underscore.

I really hope all 4 Jaws scores are revisited by Intrada (being Universal pictures) some day.

The music to Jaws the Revenge by M.Small was the only great thing from that movie (OK the banana boat sequence too ) and I hope to see a release of this coming in the future.
The Main Title sequence with the Shark P.O.W from the surface in that freezing cold water is awsome with that haunting maintheme, but as soon as Sean Brody has been fishfood the whole movie goes bananas and the only saving grace is the music which continues beeing great...
I do have the movieposter from Jaws 4 and it do have a cool looking poster but would trade it anyday for the Jaws 2 artworkwhich is topnotch

No when LLLR is coming out with Friday the 13th (yummie), Intrada should front with a Jaws boxset
THAT would be amazing, and something coming from the leftfield (one can dream, can´t I?)

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I think, considering how the four movies literally went downwards from top drawer (JAWS) to bottom drawer (JAWS THE REVENGE), the music kept pretty high standards throughout.
--Doug

I don't think Michael Small could write a bad score if he tried.

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Randy Wilson
Dallas, TX

Agreed with Doug. They went down pretty fast but the scores were very solid.

An interesting note.. I was a projectionist at a local theater when the 4th film was released. One evening I decided to finally watch the movie and see how bad I was afraid it would be.... yeah, it was pretty dreadful. The audience was laughing all the way through and the only thing we were missing were the Mystery Science Theater 3000 characters in the front row. HOWEVER, Lorraine Gary and Michael Caine did their very best to make it believable so kudos to them for staking their names on the film. (Gary had no choice because she was married to the head of MCA at the time.)

The one thing I could have sworn while watching the film.... it sounded like there were several tracked in cues from the Jaws and Jaws 2. Can anyone confirm that for me? I really don't want to go back and watch it again to find out.....

Both 3 and 4 were time-fillers... nothing more. The 3d effects in 3 were pretty good at the time... And, I have always had a soft spot for Bess Armstrong. The story was interesting, but the handling of it was pretty lame. What it did have was an excellent score by Alan Parker.

4 seemed to be a butchered in the editing room mess. To me, the power of the the main titles was never matched in the rest of the movie. The night-time photography, the p.o.v. shots, Michael Small's superb adaptation of John Williams classic theme and the slick editing gave the impression we were in for a treat. Instead... what followed had some interesting moments, but the film was nearly incoherent. Director Joseph Sargent usually is at the top of his game.

I have to agree with another poster... Michael Small always turned in excellent music. So stylish. Evocative. He could do no wrong.

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Another awesome year with Intrada... 2012

Now that both these scores are finally out in complete form, thanks to Intrada, which of the two do you prefer?

Jaws 3-d is more varied and has lots of themes, it is certaily the more 'fun' score.

I stil prefer Jaws The Revenge for its exciting action music and some beautiful (but very short) pasages such as "Saying Goodnight" and "Ellen Goes Out To Sea".

On album, my preference is with Jaws 4. Both scores have great energy and attractive themes, but Small's suspense, exceptionally hard-hitting treatments of Williams' shark motif and main theme, and smartly decorative synths pull me in more.

It certainly is easier to judge when both are complete, isn't it?

I prefer Small's treatment of the shark theme, but enjoy Parker's complete work better as the 80s kitsch it is. In comparison Small's score is a bit too late-80s generic. But still pretty great with some wonderful music.

I'd have to go with Jaws 3-D on this one, although none of the Jaws movies have received anything less than a first rate score.

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Most Wanted: Moonraker - complete; Inside Moves (John Barry), Volunteers; The Hand; Brainstorm - complete (James Horner); MacArthur; Supergirl -expanded (Jerry Goldsmith).