Since there is not really a single thread dealing with the music from 1941 as presented on the new double CD I thought of starting one.
I am listening to it right now, it is brillant! In a fantastic way sandwiched between Raiders, Empire strikes back, Superman, Close Encounters, having facets of all pf those.
And with a really stunning orchestral performance, very bold. What a vibrating score.
Enjoying it as well - really the last score to have this "sound" (similar in approach to CE3K and earlier), as his next score EMPIRE produced that "Williams' sound" we all love.
Very interesting to hear the film score, and then revisit the album presentation and experience how they used to edit down to the vinyl format.
I'm listening to my copy too and it is nothing short of fantastic. This was, IMHO, the golden era of John Williams. Literally every score he was composing between 1972 and 1990 was epic and 1941 falls nearly in the middle of this period where his style was blending into other films such as CE3K, Dracula and Empire. Great fun and highly recommended if you haven't bought it yet.
I have not seen this film in ages. I have listened to the release 3Xs now and I am trying to remember why Williams includes the 5 Note theme from CE3K in track 17 - Encounters. Can anyone please refresh my mind? Thanks.
It was a Spielberg self-referential gag that must not have gotten any laughs from preview audiences.
When the submarine surfaces off the coast, and Ned Beatty first notices it through his binoculars, there's a cut back and forth between him and a Japanese crewman looking back at him. They "Encounter" each other, get it?
Track 22 (Stand Off)...40 seconds onwards. I can't stop playin' it! Becoming quite obsessed by it. Yet another reason why I consider Williams the numero uno in film score history. Love the Encounters track too. Great fun.
My only gripe with the whole thing (which is otherwise perfect) is my booklet, which is cut a bit too big, so it's jammed into the CD case cover and ain't easy to slide in or out. No probs though, I'll just ask the MV guys to send me an extra booklet when I next order from them, so it's all good in the hood
Did I say this is an astounding release! More Williams please.
This release is absolutely fantastic!!! I can't stop listening to it and I can't stop humming the Ammunition motif. This is the reason why I love Williams. His music gets into my brain and I can't nor do I want to get it out!!!
Looking forward to Midway and hopefully soon Dracula!
This is one of the most exciting releases of the year (and decade) and it sounds phenomenal. It could not possibly have been done any better. I bow to LLL...
This is a wonderful, wonderful, awesome, wonderful pair of CDs.
Even if our labels never tackle another Spielberg/Williams project (knock on wood), I'll be happy to have this lavish and excellently-assembled set. This is the gold standard for archival releases - everything is topnotch, nothing is missing, the sound quality is a dream and the liners are endlessly rereadable.
Thanks to MV and mxmx (and of course, Spielberg/Williams) for making it happen!
Re-relesed by LaLa on 24th February 2015. Another 1000 copies.
Although I have the original LLL release, I think it`s great that the labels start rereleasing their popular oop CDs. It gives all those folks who missed out the first time a chance to finally get a copy and with the additional money the labels make, they can release further interesting scores. A win win situation overall.
Btw, 1941 is a masterpiece and the LLL release is perfect.
Was Steven Spielberg’s 1941 an elaborate prank to see how far he could go with making movies, or did he really set out to make a genuine comedy? It appears to be the latter, though there are not many laughs to be had in this disjointed film set one week after the Pearl Harbor bombing. Spielberg was not the only culprit for this misaligned film. Host Jeff Commings gives a little history on the collaboration between screenwriters Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and gives a possible reason why Spielberg made this his follow-up to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. John Williams came along for the ride as well, and came out largely unscathed thanks to a march-style theme for John Belushi’s character that has become more popular than the film. But the numerous re-edits meant a major butchering of Williams’ score to the point that parts are disjointed.
