Soundtrack lovers, rejoice! Sony Classical announced that it has reissued some the most important OSTs composed by John Williams, the scores of the first Star Wars episodes, in newly restored audio collections.
As Nice Peter and epicLLOYD pointed out in the Steven Spielberg vs Alfred Hitchcock episode of Epic Rap Battles of History (which btw, is not only one of my favorite episodes, but also one their best ever), half of Spielberg’s billions should go to John Williams, and while this isn’t a valid point in the case of George Lucas (Star Wars Episodes I-VI being the only movies directed by Lucas that the American composer has scored), it stands to show how great Williams really is. After all, his name was attached to more than 100 film scores, for five of which he even received the Academy Award (hint: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is one of those five).
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is full of nods to the episodes that were directed by Lucas. Some say that there are a tad too many references to the previous films, while others think that this has been a strategy all along to create a bridge between what was and what will be. We’ve seen familiar faces (Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker), and we even got to hear a soundtrack that sounded like it was tailored for the film. The feeling of familiarity is caused by the fact that the composer of Episode VII’s score is the very same John Williams.
Since the launch of the newly restored audio collections comes after the theatrical release of Episode VII, some might wonder why that one hasn’t been included. My guess is that Sony Classical wanted to reissue only the ones that are tied to George Lucas, even though many claim that J.J. Abrams’ Episode VII is far better than the prequels (some even claim than all of them combined).
Sony Classical offers the six soundtracks in three editions: Star Wars: The Ultimate Vinyl Collection (11 LPs), Star Wars: The Ultimate Soundtrack Collection (10 CDs plus DVD) and Star Wars: The Ultimate Digital Collection (hi-resolution download). The physical editions feature the posters of the movies on the covers, and the CD version even comes with a bonus CD that includes a new audio interview with Harrison Ford, plus an interview with the master himself, John Williams. The DVD features Star Wars: A Musical Journey, a one hour special hosted by actor Ian McDiarmid (Chancellor Palpatine).
Star Wars: The Ultimate Vinyl Collection is already available on Amazon as of yesterday, and it can be yours for $199. On the other hand, Star Wars: The Ultimate Soundtrack Collection is less than a third of that, as it only costs $63.98. Depending on the audio equipment that you use and on the medium that you prefer, you can go for one or the other. Regardless of your choice, one thing is certain: the reissues are worth being in the collection of every Star Wars fan out there!
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