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I love it too. Here’s hoping for a complete release some day.
Yavar
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But...I didn't expect "this" is what I'm saying...something so vibrant, alive, marvelous and perfect. From a promise to a promise delivered...and then he just soared from there.
What was it like to watch John Williams' career unfold, from arranger to disaster spectacles to Jaws, then Star Wars, Superman, the Pops, and finally Hollywood's most sought-after composer?
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I'm listening to it for the first time all the way through and it's really great.
Frankly, the main title is off-putting with rather kitschy guitar, harmonica, banjo and a whole parade of cheesy Copland-esque Westernisms...
but then you get into it and the brilliance shines through. It starts small with the intro to "Family Funeral / Lucius' First Drive", which contains utterly unique opening chords with the most beautiful interplay of harp, strings, and horns:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-kqjBy1rEc
Just when you think you're back to goofy banjo music again, you get hit with the eerie, dreamlike music for "Corrie's Entrance / The Picture":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwbowpMRRg0
Then the noble intimacy of "Reflections" with absolutely beautiful writing for french horn, flute, harp, and even a hint of the seeds of the Indiana Jones theme in there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7DWuYGp_8w
The magical, swirling tenderness of "Prayers at Bedtime" that reminds of what would come in E.T. or even the quieter moments of Jurassic Park:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50k-YR8-R68
The contrapuntal drama of "Lucius Runs to Corrie / Back Home":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDW-npT4kWU
So many gems scattered throughout and you really get a clear sense of a very skilled composer striking out on their own and trying a lot of different concepts that he would expand later in his career. All the little details, even simple things like "The Road To Memphis" being given a proper ending or mixing the banjo with chimes in "The People Protest".
You know you're in the hands of an expert. Really great to listen to 
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Posted: |
Nov 25, 2021 - 6:23 AM
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By: |
Ron Pulliam
(Member)
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But...I didn't expect "this" is what I'm saying...something so vibrant, alive, marvelous and perfect. From a promise to a promise delivered...and then he just soared from there.
What was it like to watch John Williams' career unfold, from arranger to disaster spectacles to Jaws, then Star Wars, Superman, the Pops, and finally Hollywood's most sought-after composer?
It was quite wonderful, actually.
My interest in film music began in the early 1960s, and it may have started even earlier because I had seen a lot of films on TV since the late 1950s and always noticed the music credits for some reason.
When I learned that this music was often released on LP (that's long-playing records to those unfamiliar!) I began going into record stores and browsing. I had a small allowance, so browsing is what I mostly did at the time, but there were birthdays and Christmas when I would make a list of things I would like. My very first soundtrack recording was for Ernest Gold's "Exodus". I think it was bought for me as a gift. At Christmas 1962, my presents included Bronislau Kaper's "Mutiny on the Bounty". The next three I bought myself - "To Kill A Mockingbird', "The Robe" and "The Egyptian".
All of that said, I was also going to the movies every weekend and enjoying discovering new music from mostly established names.
"Diamond Head" is the first movie I saw that credited Williams as composer. I knew his name from TV so I didn't wonder who he was. I really enjoyed the location work, the photography and the music. Don't remember much but angst in the story.
I don't think I saw another film with Williams' music until "The Valley of the Dolls". Of course, the songs were by Andre Previn and Dory Langdon. But it was Williams who arranged and conducted it all. It was probably the first time I was consciously aware of what Williams had done -- taken basic themes and woven them into wonderful underscore. From then on, I made it a point to catch any move that credited Johnny Williams for its music, although many of those films were a bit lightweight. "How to Steal A Million" made a nice impression. Mancini usually scored such films, especially if Audrey Hepburn was in them. But it was a nice score and remains a happy memory.
Williams entered "heavyweight" status for me when "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" came out. Leslie Bricusse wrote the songs, yes...but the entire presentation was reliant upon Williams' skills as an arranger/conductor and the film was musically magical for me.
And then..."The Reivers'. HUH? WHAT? He wrote all that music? Nobody else contributed a theme? Say...is this guy for REAL? it was that kind of thing for me at the time. I loved the musical approach, from folksy to soaringly beautiful.
My next memory is over what he did with "Fiddler on the Roof". It was amazing...and then some. From then on, no one did musicals better than Williams, and I wondered where it would go from there.
It went to "The Poseidon Adventure"...and "The Towering Inferno"..."The Cowboys"..."Cinderella Liberty" --.each unique and perfect for their films.
I did not imagine at that time, that Willliams would vault into superstardom. But he did just that. "Jaws", then "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters..."...and then "The Fury" ...and then "Superman". Williams was at the top,
That is a very broad, generalized overview of how Williams' career taking off seemed to me.
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I love this score--along with Jane Eyre, Images, The Long Goodbye, The Fury, CEOTTK, Superman, and Dracula. I wish we could get an expansion of this along with Lalo Schifrin's rejected score.
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I love this score--along with Jane Eyre, Images, The Long Goodbye, The Fury, CEOTTK, Superman, and Dracula. I wish we could get an expansion of this along with Lalo Schifrin's rejected score.
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I'm not a great John Williams fan, and, I can relate very little to Americana music à la Copeland. That's why I never got into Reivers either.
However, I'd love to hear what Lalo Schifrin had composed for the film. Cool Hand Luke is a marvellous score of his, that I like very much.
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I think Cool Hand Luke--plus Mark Rydell being a bit of a jazz pianist himself--was the score that landed Schifrin this assignment. I would really love to hear what Schifrin composed.
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