Phantom Fever 2

Compiled by Lukas Kendall

Yup -- there's more! Go here for yesterday's letters.

From: Donny Gilbert <bflatm@concentric.net>

I purchased the CD at 8:01 am on Tuesday and spent all day listening to it. I am satisfied. Folks, this is only a movie. I admit I am excited to see and hear it. But people running over other people to get action figures that will give them 10 minutes of joy? Come on!!! Most of the people buying this stuff grew up with the first three movies. #2: Folks, it has been 16 years since the last Star Wars movie, and many movies in between, and you still have the conceit to put John Williams in the same sentence as James Horner? James Horner has been plagarsing people for his whole damn career.

To the people who knock the Phantom Menace score I give you a challenge: COME UP WITH SOMETHING BETTER!!!

People bitch and moan saying it sounds like this, it sounds like that. People, this man has been doing this stuff for nearly 35 years! Stravinsky still sounded like Stravinsky over that period of time, and he was still trying to find something new! Prokofiev sounded like Prokofiev over that period of time as well, so did Shostakovich, Wagner,Tchaichovsky, Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Bach, etc. The point is, how many times can you score the same thing and still be original? So the Phantom Menace score isn't full of leit motifs with each character being drowned by a theme everytime they come on the screen (my big problem with the Empire score).

You people who have already made up your minds about the movie are obviously spending too much time dwelling on it. Go home, pull out some Shostakovich or Prokofiev or some other Williams and compare. Each one's style has evolved, and they sound the way they are supposed to sound. Write something better. Be the creative type and you will find out is is hard damn work trying to create an atmosphere and reflect the emotional underpinnings of a movie, and trying to be original about it!

People bitch all you want, but John Williams is the one scoring this movie. If you argue that this score sounds like a lot of others, your barking up the wrong tree. All composers sound similar. There are only 12 notes you can use (or perhaps many others if your Ravi Shankar). Try to write a cohesive novel using only 12 words.

From: Brian Martell <01270767@3web.net>

Absolutely correct. Then again STAR WARS and THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK are also just movies, but they burnt through all the walls and garbage and touched my soul, and my creativity. So I know that they are just movies, but my gorge raises when I hear it, becuase to me, who I was, and am, they were, and still are, sooo much more.

All this hype over EPISODE 1 is really trying. The CD is enjoyable, but not "the same" as EMPIRE and STAR WARS, but then again, I'm not the same either. The hype comes from the modern Hollywood promo machine working overtime and out-of-control; also it comes from us "oldies" who were kids when this series first touched us. We want this film to take us back to that time, that innocence, that "feeling." It's what we all hope for inside, either publically, or secretly. Well, in a word, it wont--we're not who or where we were for that to happen. Jeff Bond's words, "can't go home again, but can go to the back yard" sum it up. It's as close as we'll get; the best we can hope for.

I'm hoping for a film that entertains me for two hours. Your final summation is proof that either a) you can time travel, or (more likely)b) you can see the forest through the trees. If we would all just relax and taked a look, we would all enjoy the damn film more, and these next two weeks would be much more enjoyable.

In closing, don't insult the hype; but remember it's your slave, not the other way around. If the reverse is the case...you really need a life.

By the way, my personal "hype" for the score was based on the fact that I love John Williams' music (hell, I'm "hyped" for any Williams score), and was looking forward to new music from a venue he excelled in 20 years ago. I still wish it was a two CD set though. I find that his newer scores often work better in the context, and order, of the film than in his "concert/musical" arrangements on CD (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN works brilliantly in the film, but that CD is one of the most boring by Williams in a long time--works for the film, but not alone. I think this will also apply to PHANTOM MENACE as well. We'll see in a few weeks).

From: "Brian McVickar" <Brian.McVickar@alltel.com>

Tuesday the 4th was not only day in which "Duel of the Fates" would be revealed to my ears for the first time, but it was also a day in which a clash of the titans would occur within my stereo - that of an unheard Williams and an unheard Goldsmith score battling head to head. And the winner is.... Goldsmith and THE MUMMY! Admittedly, I played PHANTOM MENACE first and I will share my opinion on that shortly, but it's THE MUMMY that left me grinning and invigorated. It amazes me that even though I have collected 80 albums of Goldsmith's scores, he almost never fails to surprise and entertain me. His score THE MUMMY is marvelous, full of bellicose brass and kinetic rhythms, menacing choral and electronic textures, and several infectious motifs. And to boot, it's a 60 minute disc! God bless you Stephen Sommers for not only letting Goldsmith play fully to his strengths and inspiration, but for also producing the album yourself and obviously deciding that you wanted to give listeners a generous helping of this rapturous score.

And as for PHANTOM MENACE, Williams's two new themes for the film, "Duel of the Fates" and "Anakin's Theme", are wonderful, really exceptional compositions. My main complaint is that he doesn't reference them often enough within the context of the score, so the internal cues have an untethered feel to them. They lack a strong anchor. In the first trilogy, he would lean heavily on either Luke's theme, the Force theme, Vader's theme, and many others, so that he always one of them going most of the time. With MENACE, it seems like the music often lacks focus. Now don't get me wrong, the album is 74 minutes long and there's some great stuff in there (elegant woodwind and choral textures, exciting fanfares for the Tatooine sequences), but some of it could easily have been dropped into JURASSIC PARK or LOST WORLD. And I'm not even going to dignify "Augie's Municipal Band" with an insult.

So, Goldmsith has once again proven why he's always my chameleonic composer of choice and Williams has given us a decent fantasy-adventure score which sounds like he could've written it 16 years ago.

From: "Ross Amico" <gnawyouremu@hotmail.com>

Is the "Phantom Menace" soundtrack any good? Let me preface my remarks by telling you that I have not read any of the track titles. (Thanks, guys, for the spoiler alert.) I want to know as little as possible about the film before I see it, and I think I've been doing fairly well in that regard, save for a few unavoidable clips and stills. So I cannot marry the music to any of the images, save those I have created in my own mind. Also, I have only been able to play the thing through three times, and with distractions.

So is it any good?

I have to say there is much to admire in it, and I'm bound to appreciate more with repeated listenings. Of course, my hair immediately stood on end with the spectacular fortissimo that opens the Main Title music. It was like 1977 all over again, with the London Symphony Orchestra in full stride. And yes, there are some familiar themes, but not as many as one might think. "Phantom Menace" is not merely a rehash of earlier material. (It would have been so easy!) There are quotations that will be immediately recognizable to aficionados: the Force/Jedi/Obi-Wan motif, Yoda's theme, the Emperor's music and -- most cleverly -- Vader's Imperial March, in an understated manner, dovetailing with new material, presumably presenting the young Anakin. This is the most haunting music in the score, and what I keep hearing again and again in my head. It lacks the power of the Main Title and the Imperial March from the earlier films, but it has a sweeping wistfulness that I find enthralling, a distant and more mature relation to Leia, Yoda, and Luke & Leia's themes.

The most powerful, in-your-face material is what I presume to be "Duel of the Fates." (Remember, I haven't looked at the titles.) This was released as a single last week, and apparently there is a revealing video being shown incessantly on MTV. The effect can best be described as "Alexander Nevsky" meets "Carmina Burana," with perhaps just a touch of Williams' Olympic music tossed in there, for good measure.

An English sound is in evidence at various points, with brass timbres lifted right of William Walton, Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, and so forth. Prokofiev typically rears his head, as he has in the past (the March of the Villains from "Superman," the Parade of the Ewoks from "Jedi," even some of the music from "Hook"). The Emperor's theme is pure "Peter and the Wolf," Duel of the Fates is the Battle on the Ice from "Nevsky," and, as Jeff Bond already pointed out, the grotesqueries that illustrate the comic characters also seem to stem from this source. There are plenty of impressionistic passages -- perhaps too many; although that atmospheric stuff tends to grow on me with repeated listenings. The battle music all starts to sound fairly generic -- lots of cymbal crashes and kettle drums, with swooping winds, heroic strings, and brass punctuations. None of it seems as innocent or structured as similar passages in the earlier films (in particular, the TIE-fighter Attack from "Star Wars," and the Asteroid Field from "Empire," which was downright balletic).

In general, that would be my biggest complaint about the new score -- an apparent loss of innocence. Williams has developed as a composer, and I'm sure the dark undertones of this new trilogy dictate a more complex idiom, but a lot of the simplicity and immediate memorability of the earlier scores is sacrificed. I remember I felt the same way about the Battle in the Snow the first time I heard "Empire," so I may be completely wrong. "Jedi" was a little bit of a letdown, musically speaking, in part because a large portion of the fight on Jabba's barge was cobbled together from earlier cues in the trilogy and then released on the soundtrack album, wasting valuable space. (After the jumbo "Star Wars" and "Empire" packages, "Jedi" was issued on a single LP, as I'm sure you all remember.)

Anyway, back to "Phantom Menace" -- there is some sort of celebration music which isn't quite as embarassing as that Ewok crap at the end of "Jedi." It is the one part of the score that seems to conform with the Eastern motif that dominates the production design, from Liam Neeson's hairdo and kimono, to the dresses of Queen What's-her-face, to the very name "Obi-Wan."

In sum, I'd say it was worth laying out the bucks -- at least to me. I doubt the album as a whole will sink into the collective conscious the way the music from the initial trilogy has, but it is hard to forget Anakin's theme, with it's innocence swooping suddenly into shadow and the subtle Vader quotation; and "Duel of the Fates" could take on the popularity of a latter-day "Omen." Repeated listenings and an actual viewing of the film are bound to deepen my appreciation. I can't wait to experience that chorus incessantly chanting throughout Liam and Ewen's Kurosawa-inspired antics.

Thanks to Jeff Bond for his eagerly-awaited review. (When did you finally post it, anyway? I didn't see it until late last night.) I too noticed the nod to Rozsa, but it wasn't until I listened again this morning that I heard Waxman's "Prince Valiant." Bill Harnsberger's letter was a welcome reality-check -- although, like everyone else, I hope against hope that this picture is going to be an instant classic. And to Andy Dursin: it just so happens that I hold "Far and Away" and "Hook" in the same high regard. If only Williams had saved some of those melodies he threw away on "Hook" for a worthier project -- like "Phantom Menace"!

From: "Erdy, Bryan (NBC)" <Bryan.Erdy@nbc.com>

I too thought of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" upon hearing the first eight or nine cuts of the CD. What I'[ve heard, I've liked, particuarllty the "Duel of the Fates". Man that's powerfull. I like the Imperial March nugget at the end of Annakin's theme as well. The rest is loud, well crafted but somewhat unmemorable. I think it will work best in the film, as it's intended. I think that my expectations for the score were so high, I could not help but be a little let down after hearing it. I'm sure that this will be true of the movie as well. I'll have better respect for my feelings about both in about six months, when the "honeymoon" is over.

...and what? Only one cover for the CD?!? Someone get marketing on the phone!

From: "Steven Kennedy" <stev4uth@hotmail.com>

One thing overall I have noticed about FSM fans is there "addiction" to action film scores (i.e., there is a higher level of discussion regarding this genre of film music than any other). So, I suspect TPM will provide the most debate.

I'd like to point out a few things about this score. First there is the musical language which informs TPM. This score is representative of a composer well-established in technique. The orchestration is fascinating throughout. There are nods to some fantastic music of the 20th century in this score as well, especially the "Neo-Classicists" of the mid-century. I do not hear the Orff references at all. I do think one can turn most to Prokofiev for any similarities for some of this score. The "Fifth Symphony" is perhaps a great companion to this score more so than even when its scherzo was undoubtedly a reference point for "The Asteroid Field" in "Empire". Those familiar with Prokofiev's score for "Alexander Nevsky" will also appreciate the "similarities". The Hoth battle scenes from "Empire", for example, are immediately comparable to the ice battle scenes from "AN". ALso, one can hear references to Shostakovich's "Symphony No. 7, Leningrad". Is it any wonder that perhaps this does imply some plot points that we will soon know?

Herein lies the appeal, I believe, of Lucas' space opera...the ability to transform the sights and sounds of prior myths into something different yet somehow familiar. That is the chord which is struck most often when viewing the previous SW films.

TPM also continues the filmic musical language of Williams. I also hear "IJ & Last Crusade" in this score, but taken even further than that score. There is also music reminiscent of "Seven Years in Tibet", again something that will make more sense when we see the film. But it suggests that the new films mythos may be partially derived from Asian culture, with the Chinese/Japanese court perhaps being a source of inspiration.

The most enjoyable aspect of the score is its musical humor. Carefull listen provides one with the realization that there are bits and pieces of thematic material that we already know hidden in the fabric of the texture of the orchestra. I expect we will here many recordings of "Anakin's Theme". This beautiful long flowing melody grabs a hold of you and then the little melodic twists and harmonic changes make you realize that you are listening to the germ of what will become the darker Darth Vader music. No small feat!

Jeff Bond may have found, or looked, at some of the musical quotations or "stealings" as a bad thing, but again I find this more a part of the style that Lucas uses for his films. I loved hearing the "Parade of the Charioteers" reference! What an amazing way to take a scene and infuse it with the historical reference it likely needed.

The 74 minutes went by way too fast for me. This is indeed a film score that will stand out in a long list of outstanding works.

One final comment regarding the recording. It is clear that the performances here are perhaps the finest one could expect. It is so hard to believe that the orchestra had lived with this music for perhaps less than a week before they started recording! It is also a mark of Williams maturity as a conductor that the orchestra performs as well as it does...there were some rough moments back in some of those 80s scores with the LSO.

This score will no doubt provide FSM with many letters fighting back and forth over the merits of this piece, but the truth of the matter is that a whole new generation of kids will be running to buy this soundtrack and will have a new world of music opened up to them, just like so many of the readers had over 20 years ago.

From: BMikeJ@aol.com

Hi, guys. Ben Joffe here. I picked up the album yesterday and haven't listened to it. And I have no intention of listening to it until I've seen the film. Why? Because I'm using all of my Jedi training to go into this film knowing as little about it as possible. I don't want my impressions of the music to color my reaction to the film. I just want to sit there and be amazed. What amazes me is all the armchair quarterbacks already complaining about the music, which doesn't make sense to me. What's the point complaining about the music to a film we haven't seen yet? These people need to realize that John Williams didn't write the score for us to listen to at home. First and foremost, he wrote music for the express purpose of using it in this film. All we can hope for as fans of film music is that the music can stand on it's own as a listen. I, for one, am not going to listen to anyone's opinion on this score until I see the picture.

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