UK Mall 1 - Return Of The Jedi [1983]

This double-CD pack contains the entire soundtrack recording to the climax of one of the greatest stories ever told on screen. Let's not make any mistake here - it packs one hell of a punch, right from the word "GO!". The familiar (THAT fanfare...witness also the return of the Imperial March in the first track) mixes with the unfamiliar (The strangely hypnotic Ewok drumming and the Emperor's etherial and downright nasty theme...) in a beautifully packaged "Ram-it-down-your-throat" style...

The Sleeve-notes aren't, I don't think, as comprehensive as the previous entries in the series, however Michael Matessino's analysis of the music is spot on and well worth having a read of as you listen - you will get so much more out of this.

So, I have praised it constantly - so why the odd title to my review and only 4 stars?

I'm afraid that this is down to the quality of the recording...it just isn't as good as it should be...poor mixing in places (What's that Trumpet up to on the very first darn note?!?!?), some sloppy playing by the usually-flawless LSO, poor tuning in several places, mis-pitches all detract from the experience. Were they all having a bad day?

Don't let the above paragraph stop you buying this record - it is still a great album and an absolute essential for any Williams fan - it's just a shame that a little more care wasn't taken at the time of recording...but hindsight is an easy thing to look at,isn't it?

I'm not one to say to people "Listen to this track" as I think it can result in things being bought which then become disappointing, but "The Battle Of Endor III" is an absolute barnstormer!!!!!!

Cheers, and happy listening...

The world-renowned composer manages to tie together every musical 'loose-end' from "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Star Wars": "Luke and Leia" reminds one of the Princess' own graceful, moving theme, yet has the highly charged emotion of the sweeping love theme from "Empire" simmering just beneath the surface; the famous 'Force Theme' is used to great effect throughout, but mostly in a much softer, more pensive way than before, remeniscent of the "Binary Sunset" cue from the first "Star Wars". Then there are the new themes: the vile Jabba the Hutt's music, played with mischievous glee on a solo french-horn; the Ewok's tribal-sounding parade, which is incorporated into the large battle pieces with ease; the Emperor's theme, which would come to represent Darth Maul also in 1999's prequel "The Phantom Menace", sung by an all male choir; the Forest Battle music, driven relentlessly by a four-figure string motif. "Jedi", whilst not perhaps as original or well-balanced as "Empire", certainly maintains the exciting, exotic and romantic feeling that the original "Star Wars" brought back to action/adventure movies in 1977.

In this Special Edition release of the soundtrack, the tracks have been arranged in chronological order from the film, with concert arrangements and alternate bonus versions placed at the end of each disc. This makes for an interesting listen, although you may find yourself skipping certain tracks to get to the meat of the soundtrack. Still, for those of us very familiar with the score as it appears in the movie, this is a dream come true. Also included are the tracks written specially for the 1997 Special Edition of the movie, including the synth/jazz track embarassingly titled "Jedi Rocks" (although this is far and above the cue used in the original release of the film), and an entirely new celebration piece which offers a much more satisfying end to the saga than Williams' previous effort ("Yub-nub", anybody! ). For the inquisitive amongst you, the CD also comes with a handy booklet that describes each cue in relation to the film.

In short, this CD is an exercise in how all soundtracks should be presented. An engaging and satisfying listen, "Return of the Jedi" should please even the most hardcore "Star Wars"/Williams devotee. For those who have (heaven forbid!) never shaken hands with the excellent fantasy/sci-fi score, there has never been a better time.

Use the force....buy this soundtrack!