Me...? For starters... That he got me into this whole shebang in the first place, via JAWS, almost imperceptibly*, and then Full On, with STAR WARS, CE3K and SUPERMAN THE MOVIE. I also love the way he does that little trademark 'up the scale' thing, at the end of many of his cues. Also, that he's written the music to many of my All Time Favourite Films (THE COWBOYS, THE REIVERS, JAWS, SW, SUPERMAN, CE3K, SW-TESB, E.T, RAIDERS/TEMPLE OF DOOM, EMPIRE OF THE SUN). And that he's managed to stay on top, for over 5 DECADES!!! While trends come, and trends go, and styles change, he just carried on writing Top Notch Film Music. Let's hear yours!
*I was only 10, and thought Marc Bolan/T-REX was IT!!
That he got me into this whole shebang in the first place, via JAWS, almost imperceptibly*, and then Full On, with STAR WARS, CE3K and SUPERMAN THE MOVIE.
This is probably the same for me: it was his score for STAR WARS that had me seriously thinking about film music and wanting to hear more of it.
I had tickled the periphery of soundtracks with compilation TV and film themes (e.g., Geoff Love's LPs) so I knew that there were great themes out there. And there were the occasional times when there was a piece of music in the middle of a film that was great to listen to (and record off the TV).
But, it wasn't until I heard Williams' STAR WARS that I appreciated I could buy these albums to keep and listen to over and over again. And then I started looking out for (and listening out for) music that I would want to acquire as part of a collection.
Cool! My latest 'Fave Rave', is getting to know music by him, that I had previously absorbed into my very core, in a whole new way. Hearing these new edition 'the actual film score' versions, such as JAWS, EARTHQUAKE, THE EIGER SANCTION and THE RIVER is just a tremendous rush. To be able to re-experience these compositions, that I know EVERY NOTE and SOUND of, in a new/alternate way, is just THE BEST!!
1) He's still among the living 2) He is a very humble, soft spoken and appreciative man who seems to love his fans 3) His almost ESP-like ability to land high quality projects on a consistent basis. Not to say he hasn't scored a few turkeys in his career because he has but those are in the minority. 4) Love his kinder, gentler scores of the late 80s and early 90s such as Accidental Tourist, Always, Presumed Innocent and Stanley & Iris.
The question is: was there another film score in place of STAR WARS that could have done the job of changing it all?[...] John Williams' STAR WARS will remain, whether we like it or not, the most influential score of the last 45 years. But who's the genius in this affair; only John Wiliams or also George Lucas who gave him the assignement?
I think the score for STAR WARS is really good and very expertly created by someone who was deeply steeped in all of the classical and film music that he drew inspiration from. While the film's success was largely catalyzed by the score itself, I think the score also matched the film's tremendous amount of vision and creativity. DAMNATION ALLEY was nowhere near STAR WARS and so without George Lucas and all the people around him, I don't think the opportunity for a groundbreaking score to occur would have existed.
I think Williams' temperament was better suited for STAR WARS than Goldsmith's - and I think you can look at the influence of scores prior to STAR WARS to get a pretty good idea of the alternate universes you ponder. I don't think any other score would have been as wildly popular since it didn't really happen before.
2) He is a very humble, soft spoken and appreciative man who seems to love his fans
This.
This level of generosity is very meaningful to me as well, and can be found all throughout his career as heard in anecdotes shared in Mauricio Caschetto's interviews. He has a tremendous respect for music, the history of music, musicians, and their skills. He puts a tremendous amount of work into composing and constantly searching for ways to give musicians opportunities to shine.
Which ties into one of the great things I admire about Williams is that he is very dedicated to learning, and it's a mutual, collaborative process. A lot of interviews with musicians he has worked with circle around similar stories of Williams working to give them opportunities to let their instruments shine, for which Williams puts a tremendous amount of effort into learning about the instrument so that he can actually write for them. In some cases, this process may take years, which also ties into Williams' humbleness, which I really respect.
His dedication to classical music, practicing constantly at home, writing concert pieces, attending Tanglewood - all of these are very admirable because it is a level of deep commitment that is so rare in a time when so many aspects of culture are disposable. That he is so dedicated to keeping an art form that has constantly been under threat of extinction is quite admirable.
