I was going through a closet and came across some old cd's and rediscovered this star wars soundtrack box set from 1993... wow, after going through it again I think I prefer these discs over the 2 cd sets that came out a couple years ago... mainly because the best cues are represented "truncated"... meaning I don't have to wade through 9 minutes to finally enjoy the "Fight in the Dungeon" from Jedi, or hear the burst of the "First Ewok Battle/Fight with Tie Fighters" over the overly lengthy 12 minutes on the 2 cd set. I remember when I first found this set, before getting release info from the internet. I hadn't even known about this set. It was like finding a holy grail back then... I do miss those feelings. Anyone else care to chime in about this set or whatever?
I prefer it's presentation of RETURN OF THE JEDI. I listen to the two set STAR WARS and EMPIRE.
I do prefer the shorter cue presentations, but when the two disc sets came out, I believe the producers stated somewhere that since the shorter cues were on the box set they presented them differently (figuring most fans would already have the box set anyway).
That box set is still one of "the best releases ever!" in my life - and was played over and over again until the two disc sets came a few years later.
...As for the sound (which many bitch about), I find the two disc STAR WARS the best of that score. Empire is well presented in both sets, while Jedi sounds better (and is better presented in highlight form) in the box. ...Well, to my ears anyway.
My discovery of Star Wars music was with the 97 releases so I'm gonna stick with those. Bought the 93 anthology later for a nice 70 min listening to each, but in the end I've always felt something's missing. So in the end I think its what ones used to.
The selections, notes and artwork for the '93 set are unparalleled. The enthusiasm and analysis in the enclosed booklet is priceless. The sound quality on Empire and Jedi is markedly better on the Arista set than the Sony/RCA Special Editions, particularly in the case of Jedi, the '97 edition of which sounds godawful.
To my memory, the only music on the Arista set that doesn't appear on the Special Edition sets:
• The film version of the "Empire" end credits • "Lapti Nek" (replaced by "Jedi Rocks") • Both album and film versions of "Ewok Celebration" (replaced by "Victory Celebration") • "Leia Breaks the News" alternate version (although both versions of "Funeral Pyre for a Jedi" are included in "The Light of the Force")
To me, it has never been a question of RE-discovering this. It's my first and only STAR WARS music set. I had the three 2CD sets up to recently, but realized I never listen to them, so I sold them off just a few weeks ago. If I want the musical STAR WARS experience, I'll go for the box CD's anyway.
I think you'll find practically everyone here perfers the boxed set you just found. I know I do.
I find myself listening to the extended '97 discs a lot more than the '93 set (or indeed, the original 80s CD releases). I think I'm just used to listening to the longish cues in their entirety than the shortened versions.
I remember when I first found this set, before getting release info from the internet. I hadn't even known about this set. It was like finding a holy grail back then... I do miss those feelings.
I found it in a Costco in 1994 and felt exactly the same way. It was like finding a holy grail when you weren't even looking for it! I prefer the two-disc releases, though. I still have the 4-disc Anthology, but haven't listened to it since getting the two-disc versions in the late-90s.
I think I'm just used to listening to the longish cues in their entirety than the shortened versions.
I don't mind the long cues with 2-3 tracks combined. I mostly listen to my film scores at night when I'm not distracted by phones, the TV, etc., so the long tracks like that don't bother me at all.
Man, I have such nostalgia for this set. Got it for Christmas that year.
My brother and I sat down for the first listen together. Hearing the (until then) unreleased tracks for the first time... was chill inducing. The Cantina Band #2. The Mos Eisley Spaceport cue. The destruction of Alderaan. The "Standing By" cue. Carbon Freeze and the Cloud City cues. The Rancor Pit. The Choral cue for Luke's attack on Vader.
That was just an amazing release. It's a gorgeous set, and I like that there's a de-emphasis on the whole Episode IV, V, and VI thing. This was the set for old timers like me who knew them as "Star Wars", "Empire", and "Jedi".
Does anybody have a chronological track listing for the Box Set?
I'd like to load these into my mp3 player and want to do the work to sequence them properly.
That's kind of a tall order. There are many cues that are combined ("Inner City," "The Last Battle," "City in the Clouds" etc.) which would make it a pretty labor intensive job. This was done either because that was the way the album was originally assembled (Lukas mentioned in the relevant article in FSM that they didn't want to mess with the original Star Wars LP too much because it was indeed one of the best-selling soundtrack albums of all time) or because of the limited space on the four discs.
Like so many others this release was a stunning find for me too, and I still get much listening enjoyment from it now.
I know the glass master for a 5th disc was actually manufactured for the anthology (wish I could find the page where I found this out... might even have been somewhere on here). I'm imagining this would have been some kind of send off for bonus disc at cost, rather than sold in shops?
Does anybody have the tracklist for the cancelled 5th disc? Sooo irritating that somewhere there likely still exists many Jedi cues on this disc in far better sound the the botched Jedi 2-CD edition.
If only it had been released...... it exists as my ultimate 'non obtainable' soundtrack Holy Grail.
Personally I prefer the 2 disc RCA albums, but I still have the Anthology.
I remember seeing the announcement in the USA Today. The entertainment section had a small preview with the release date a few months before it became available. However, ifmy memory is correct, the USA Today did not say if they were going to be expanded.
I believe it just mentioned a box set of all three Star Wars scores. I thought it might just be the original CDs repackaged.
When the release day came around my heart skipped a beat when I picked it up in store and saw all the extra music, especially Jedi. Plus I got it for a very good price, I think it was only $29.95.
Interestingly, reading the liner notes of this set was my first introduction to the writing of one Lukas Kendall, and lead to the startling realization that there was actually a magazine devoted to film music.
...after going through it again I think I prefer these discs over the 2 cd sets that came out a couple years ago... mainly because the best cues are represented "truncated"... meaning I don't have to wade through 9 minutes to finally enjoy the "Fight in the Dungeon" from Jedi, or hear the burst of the "First Ewok Battle/Fight with Tie Fighters" over the overly lengthy 12 minutes on the 2 cd set.
...after going through it again I think I prefer these discs over the 2 cd sets that came out a couple years ago... mainly because the best cues are represented "truncated"... meaning I don't have to wade through 9 minutes to finally enjoy the "Fight in the Dungeon" from Jedi, or hear the burst of the "First Ewok Battle/Fight with Tie Fighters" over the overly lengthy 12 minutes on the 2 cd set.
You've been hanging around Thor too long.
And you've been hanging around Avie Hern too long.
I always noticed a glitch in the New Hope Throne Room / End Titles track. When it goes to the end theme, there's a slight glitch before the main Star Wars theme kicks in. Like it skips a 1/2 second. Listened to it today & always wondered how that happened. Could just be my set I guess.
It isn't. There are a couple of minor dropouts here and there that happens throughout. Overall, I find the box set has more pleasing sound quality otherwise than the two-disc sets (Star Wars sounds fine but different in the two-disc set, while the two sequels sound significantly better in the box set).
I always noticed a glitch in the New Hope Throne Room / End Titles track. When it goes to the end theme, there's a slight glitch before the main Star Wars theme kicks in. Like it skips a 1/2 second. Listened to it today & always wondered how that happened. Could just be my set I guess.
