# Favorite Star Wars Soundtrack?



## DeadlyKomplexx

Which one is your favorite? I really don't know which to choose,I'll make my pick after I see some other choices.


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## SalieriIsInnocent

Empire Strikes Back. basically for it's darkness


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## Methodistgirl

I liked the one to the first movie that came out.
judy tooley


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## SalieriIsInnocent

Yeah that was pretty good. I think it was obviously influenced by the Planets, Stavinsky's work and a few others especiall mars the bringer of war you get a hint of it in the scene where the star destroyer first appears


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## Edward Elgar

Episode IV is my favorite soundtrack. Listen to "Dune Sea" and then Stravinsky's Rite "The Sacrifice". Very similar.

My second favourite is Episode VI, especially the "Battle of Endor II" Really good!

My least favourite has to be Episode II, pureley because of the tiresome main theme "Across the Stars". I think Williams was having a bad day when he wrote that!


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## Yagan Kiely

Episode three because of the motivic development climaxes in this movie.


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## Rondo

I was also pleasantly surprised by the score of Episode 3.


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## Rondo

Salieri=Innocent said:


> ... especiall mars the bringer of war you get a hint of it in the scene where the star destroyer first appears


If you want to hear an even more blatant inspiration, you should hear parts of Silvestri's score for _The Quick and the Dead_. In some cases, the music is much better than the movie...that is an example of that.


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## SuDeo

For a novice like me almost all soundtracks of the Star War saga are fascinatingm and I love all of them.

SuDeo


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## Edward Elgar

Rondo said:


> I was also pleasantly surprised by the score of Episode 3.


So was I. I especially like that demonic waltz halfway through "Battle of the Heroes".


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## evillspell

Episode I The Phantom Menace, because of that magical composition Duel of the fates


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## Edward Elgar

evillspell said:


> Episode I The Phantom Menace, because of that magical composition Duel of the fates


Get a load of the lyrics - their something to do with trees coming to life and fighting each other. The language is sanskrit - so cool!


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## Yagan Kiely

The orchestration is better in the last three.


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## Edward Elgar

Yagan Kiely said:


> The orchestration is better in the last three.


I do hope you mean IV, V and VI and not I, II and III!

Otherwise I might have to get medieval!


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## Yagan Kiely

The orchestration in IV V and VI is much simpler. Uses less extended techniques, is duller, blander, and had less variation.


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## Rondo

I liked the orchestration in the Episode II and III scores. However, the inclusion of the electric guitar in the "Chase" sequence music in Episode II (track 2) didn't impress me at all.


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## arathornion

episode III or V, but I have and love them all.


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## Yagan Kiely

> However, the inclusion of the electric guitar in the "Chase" sequence music in Episode II (track 2) didn't impress me at all.


I believe it worked in Pirates 3.


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## JoeGreen

For me of all the music for the films, It's got to be "The Asteroid Field", that piece never fails to get me pumped.


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## Tapkaara

The sountrack for EMPIRE is my favorite, probably because that is my favorite of the trilogy.

Actually, this film's LACK fo music during Luke's battle with Darth Vader is quite impressive.

The Asteroid Field is awesome, I agree. Plus, this is the first film to use the famous Imperial March.


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## billy-bob-beck

Yagan Kiely said:


> The orchestration in IV V and VI is much simpler. Uses less extended techniques......


... and is arguably all the better for it. Given that in 1977 George Lucas was creating the ultimate western-cum-30's- scifi-serial, the music reflects that beautifully - for all that folks are hearing snippets of Holst and Stravinsky in these scores, to my ears eps 4, 5 & 6 are a clear distillation of everything John Williams loved about possibly his greatest influence, Korngold.

For me, the music in eps 1, 2 & 3 is (by comparison to 4, 5 & 6) as moribund as the films themselves; in 4, 5 and 6 the scripts have clear objectives, the storylines are simple, direct and easy to follow and this is reflected in the music. Eps 1, 2 and 3? Half the time it's a feat of mental strength to follow any kind of thread in the narrative and so I feel the music has that much harder a time trying to communicate anything worthwhile to the listener.

In a nutshell, eps 1, 2, & 3 sound like a job of work. Eps 4, 5,& 6 sound like a composer enjoying himself.


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## Rondo

Yagan Kiely said:


> I believe it worked in Pirates 3.


I'll stick with my original statement.


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## anephric

All of them are strong for various reasons. I'd argue that Return Of The Jedi is the weakest of the six - the climax to the material just seems to be Williams running on autopilot.

I'm happy to see a lack of slander for the prequel scores here. While the album presentations may not be perfect or the musical ideas as fresh, theres an overwhelming quality to them not heard often in todays films. This is particularly true for Revenge Of The Sith.


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## Yagan Kiely

> I feel the music has that much harder a time trying to communicate anything worthwhile to the listener.
> 
> In a nutshell, eps 1, 2, & 3 sound like a job of work. Eps 4, 5,& 6 sound like a composer enjoying himself.


I disagree, the music of 4, 5, and 6 may be more attuned to the movies, but 1, 3, and 3 work better as abstract works. And plus, he'd already written some of the melodies, he didn't need to work on them, maybe that is why you are getting confused.

He has done a marvellous job of making the melodies of 123 find there way into melodies of 456.


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## anephric

Yagan Kiely said:


> I disagree, the music of 4, 5, and 6 may be more attuned to the movies, but 1, 3, and 3 work better as abstract works.


In many ways, Episode II may have the best score, since its the most experimental and least like the rest of the scores. I've always wondered what George Lucas said to Williams that made him write the speeder chase in Episode II the way that he did.


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## billy-bob-beck

Yagan Kiely said:


> I disagree, the music of 4, 5, and 6 may be more attuned to the movies, but 1, 3, and 3 work better as abstract works. And plus, he'd already written some of the melodies, he didn't need to work on them, maybe that is why you are getting confused.
> 
> He has done a marvellous job of making the melodies of 123 find there way into melodies of 456.


The confusion appears to reside entirely in your own mind - episodes 4, 5 and 6 (made in roughly 1977 - 81) had music composed for them long before episodes 1, 2 and 3. John Williams may be godlike in many respects, but for him to take melodies for films made in the late 90's / early 00's and to include them in films he composed for in the mid to late 70's would involve time travel. Call me cynical, but I'm guessing that's beyond him.


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## Yagan Kiely

> The confusion appears to reside entirely in your own mind - episodes 4, 5 and 6 (made in roughly 1977 - 81) had music composed for them long before episodes 1, 2 and 3. John Williams may be godlike in many respects, but for him to take melodies for films made in the late 90's / early 00's and to include them in films he composed for in the mid to late 70's would involve time travel. Call me cynical, but I'm guessing that's beyond him.


I meant musically/compositionally...

?duh?


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## spradlig

I liked the music in Episodes IV-VI but not I-III. I did not hear any new themes in Episodes I-III except for the Duel of the Fates in Episode I.


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## googlebordello

JoeGreen said:


> For me of all the music for the films, It's got to be "The Asteroid Field", that piece never fails to get me pumped.


Right on! I think JW can be held partially responsible for my becoming a musician.


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## Arsakes

I just love most of them. let me check them fast and list my favorites ... 

Episode IV:

The Walls Converge
The Princess Appears
The Desert And The Robot Auction
Princess Leia's Theme
Mouse Robot And Blasting Off
Inner City
Imperial Attack
Cantina Band
Ben's Death And Tie Fighter Attack

Episode V:

The Battle In The Snow
The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)
Luke's Rescue
Luke's First Crash
Luke's Escape
Hyperspace
City In The Clouds

Episode VI: 

The Forest Battle
Through The Flames
Funeral Pyre For A Jedi
Into The Trap
Han Solo Returns
Final Duel (so epic!) + The Emperor's Death

Episode I:

Anakin's Theme
Duel Of The Fates
Panaka And The Queen's Protectors
Qui-Gon's Noble End
The Arrival At Tatooine And The Flag Parade
The Droid Invasion And The Appearance Of Darth Maul
Qui-Gon's Funeral
The Sith Spacecraft And The Droid Battle

Episode II:
Bounty Hunters Hot Pursuit
Departing Coruscant
Love Pledge And The Arena

Episode III:
A New Hope And End Credits (Selected/mixed of its best soundtracks)
Anakin's Betrayal
Anakin's Dark Deeds
Grievous Speaks To Lord Sidious


Before I listen to classic music I was only a fan of Star Wars music! Actually it guided me toward classic music 
These soundtracks are must have.


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## dieglhix

John Williams - His film music and their mind-blowing similarities with "classical" music.


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## Guest

I like John Williams' scores - but there is no doubting that his talents included the magpie approach to borrowing from other sources and welding them into something fit for the film. What is also shows is that there are certain sounds and rhythms that have a clear identity, whether in the hands of Holst, Wagner, Zimmer or Williams.

The link given by dieglhix was amusing, but missed out Debussy - listen to his second Nocturne Fetes, around 0.30 - which appears in the first space battle in the Milennium falcon (I think).






I must say that I can't really recall much of the soundtrack from the movies except the first (when it really was the first!) George Lucas made a great swashbuckler which I paid to see 6 times on first release. It was all downhill from there as he took his soap/saga rather too seriously - though there is no arguing with the technical skills on display (and Natalie Portman looked divine!)


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