John Williams reteamed with Irwin Allen for the 1972 action film The Poseidon Adventure, a risk-taker of a movie that worked out well for everyone involved and officially created the disaster-film genre. Williams does well in creating a strong opening but keeps his orchestra subdued throughout the film to keep the atmosphere of doom and gloom always present, with little sense of hope. Host Jeff Commings is on hand to detail the highlights from the score and how the film set a few precedents. Take a journey through hell—though we promise you'll enjoy every minute of it!

Very few John Williams fans put Earthquake in equal regard as The Towering Inferno, the other disaster movie that Williams scored in 1974. The Earthquake score feels very much like The Towering Inferno in sound and feel, with little bombast and an opening title that suggest doom and an epic scale. There isn't much thematic material in the film, but host Jeff Commings found a quasi-motif with the villainous Jody, and looks at the poignant music composed for the end credits. There's no Sensurround in this episode, but strap in for an exciting listen to a fine entry into John Williams’ disaster genre period.

John Williams closed out his stint in the disaster movie genre with a bold and effective score to The Towering Inferno. Williams starts us off with urgent opening music, then settles down as the fire begins to spread through the 138-story title building. What also stands out is the lack of music in a 30-minute sequence where music would not have been out of place, but its omission is welcome as a setup to a powerful climax to the film. Host Jeff Commings talks about the accusations of cut-and-paste work by Williams just one month after writing the score to Earthquake, as well as an interesting side project that has largely gone unnoticed by Williams fans.