They're re-releasing the movie, so why not re-release the soundtrack too? That is the theory behind the re-release of "Star Wars (A New Hope) Special Edition Original Soundtrack Recording." If they can drum up enough hype to sell the 1977 masterpiece once again, then they can do the same with the soundtrack.
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Star Wars (A New Hope) Special Edition Original Soundtrack Recording RCA Victor |
First time out, the "Star Wars" soundtrack was great. It won three Grammys: Two for the album in the categories of "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" and "Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture," while the main title was named "Best Instrumental Composition."
While the remastering may help the sound quality a little, hearing the album on two compact discs as opposed to its original vinyl makes the biggest difference of all. Composed and conducted by John Williams and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, the new edition makes the triumphant music sound as beautiful as ever.
And this time around, there is more music to enjoy. The new edition contains hidden tracks of all five raw takes of the "'Star Wars' Main Title" and more previously unreleased music including a recently discovered outtake.
The biggest improvement in the album is the packaging. The discs come in a fancy black case with an emblazoned gold seal on the cover. There's also the 30-plus page book and the very cool discs with a laser engraving of the Death Star.
But the best part of the album isn't the actual music, but the memories it evokes. The tracks on the discs are all presented in chronological order, making it easy to imagine what happens in the movie when the pieces are playing. Some of the fanfares are easy to pick out: The "20th Century Fox Fanfare" and the "Main Title" aren't a challenge. But after a good portion of the album, it becomes somewhat of a game to guess the lesser-known pieces. A memorable one is when Luke returns from rescuing the droids on Tattooine and finds his aunt and uncle murdered and the moisture farm destroyed.
The Mos Eisley Cantina's theme, "Cantina Band" is another one of the great tracks that brings back vivid memories of strange aliens sitting around having a drink. The liner notes quote George Lucas on his selection of the music: "Can you imagine several creatures in a future century finding some 1930's Benny Goodman swing band music in a time capsule or under a rock someplace - and how they might attempt to interpret it?"
Williams brought nine jazz musicians and wrote two pieces for trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, Fender Rhodes piano, steel drum, synthesizer and various other percussion instruments, and the result was one of the most memorable pieces on the soundtrack.
The new soundtrack is great. The music sounds spectacular remastered onto CD and the packaging is impressive too. The album was fine the first time around, but even more impressive 20 years later.
The re-release of the soundtrack to Star Wars: A New Hope was composed and conducted by venerable John Williams.