It is fair to say that the so-called “new” episodes of Star Wars released during the period 1999-2005 were not well received. After Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was the equivalent of the Oasis Be Here Now (1997) album of movies during the late 1990s, being the most pre-hyped film of all time at that point, the two films released in that series fared even worse, being even bigger disappointments than that 1999 movie release. Sadly, it seemed that the Star Wars franchise became a cash cow enterprise for the Star Wars creator George Lucas himself. Having said that, composer John Williams made the music that brings these films to life, expressing his genius for composition to films throughout. If anything, his music made these films more iconic than people came to recognise over time. Conducted and performed, as always, by the London Symphony Orchestra along with additional input from others, such as London Voices and a smorgasbord of others to assist this, the album was produced by John Williams himself and was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road studios. The album was released under Sony Classical records. Let’s take a listen to this album and we shall hear where it takes us.

Star Wars Main Title and Ambush on Coruscant begins with the eternally famous Star Wars theme. Again, this sounds magically wonderful and glorious throughout. This tune is unbeatable in cinematic terms and will be loved by generations of movie lovers, music fans and cultural know-hows for decades to come. A really great listen, all the same. It quickly segues into the second section in the second half, which has some dramatic and eerily dark melodies to hear. However, it suits the opening scene perfectly well. A really quite suspenseful tune to hear, and something that sounds very disturbing. Nonetheless, this is a very good listen with rich orchestration and sounds. Although this film is rather forgettable in the long run, the soundtrack is perfect for it. Towards the end are some deep, dark melodies that sound freaky. A good listen, although it sounds psychologically disturbing. Very, very good, however. It ends softly.

Across The Stars (Love Theme from “Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones”) sounds very mournful at the start. This piece of music is integral to the film itself, although it is about one of the most embarrassing and laughable love stories in the history of film. Still, it sounds lovely, tinged with sadness and despair throughout. The melodies here in the string section are lovely and rich in sound. John Williams is certainly a genius in writing melodies and pieces of music that make perfect sense in film. This is no different. All in all, this is a really good listen for those of you who are Star Wars fans. It does sound iconic and excellent throughout. There are elements of darkness throughout this listening experience, which only makes this segment even more memorable for those of you who liked the films. The second half of the tune has some dramatic and interesting melodies throughout, sounding very interesting and well-crafted for such a piece of music. A memorable piece of music from this film, and the Star Wars series in general. This is the key track from this soundtrack album, and it does sound really quite great. It winds down subtly towards the end, with softer melodies and harp, which sounds sweet. Right at the end, the orchestral melodies gradually conclude softly. Excellent.

Zam the Assassin and the Chase Through Coruscant is for the main section of the film. This tune begins with pounding percussion and an atonal orchestral section. It quickly halts with some twinkling melodies playing away and continues to build up into a weird-sounding but dark melodic frenzy. The string and other orchestration then give way to horns and other melodies that sound urgent and frenetic. This is a really great listen, and it makes one think back to the film itself, even if the film wasn’t the best ever made. Still, John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra bring this all to life. Some tribal drums enter the scene and a drum solo plays away nicely, before the orchestration returns. This is some of the most dramatic and interesting film music that you will hear. Nonetheless, this retains a sense of urgency throughout and still sounds as amazing today as it did back in 2002. There is also some screaming guitar in this, which adds a strange flavour to the music at hand. Nonetheless, this is mostly orchestral music for the main part. Interesting, exciting and captivating music, John Williams is a musical genius. Period. In the midsection are rolling tribal drums that sound really excellent. This adds a unique and pseudo-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon soundtrack feel to it all. All the same, this is really legendary music to hear. The guitars and rolling drums return soon enough, alongside some dark and punchy instrumentation to listen to. A really good listening experience, this sounds very amazing. The frenzy of melodies and playing makes this a really great film score. A top-notch tune, this has many elements of sounds and playing to retain one’s interest throughout. Obviously a good listen that makes this fairly forgettable film come alive. The addition of tribal drums makes this extra tasty, and there are solo sections throughout that sound incredibly good for this sort of thing. Some violin playing is present, alongside other melodies as this tune gradually approaches its ending. The music sounds incredibly dark and suspenseful right towards the end, slowing the musical tempo to a crawl. This sounds dark, eerie and heavily dramatic as we reach towards the end of this track. It builds up to an extremely freaky conclusion before this track ends with some melancholy melodies and finishes with a loud and interesting conclusion. Very good.

Yoda and the Younglings begins with some soft and sweet melodies, showcasing the unique and awesome character of Yoda from the Star Wars films. This sounds very natural and gorgeous, to be very honest. It has some pretty and lovely melodies that sound absolutely sweet and classy. Horns are present throughout this tune, but not in a harsh, Jazzy sort of way. Indeed, this is a relaxing-sounding piece of music. The mixture of decent, downtempo and rich orchestration sounds really cool here. Some ghostly backing vocals by London Voices are here, singing wordless melodies in a Gospel Music style, set to a Star Wars instrumental. Nonetheless, another really good listen. This has some rather sad and dark melodies towards the end, which sound very moving. A rich string section concludes this tune, and it ends after four minutes. Great.

Departing Coruscant is a quick piece under two minutes long that details the important film section of leaving the fictional planet. It sounds moody and dramatic and is a short snippet of the musical genius of John Williams. A reoccurring Star Wars melody is played throughout this piece. A great listen, it builds up to a climax of orchestration to conclude with. Decent.

Anakin and Padmé is another music segment of the film based on the romance of these two characters. It sounds sweet, lovely and dramatic for what it is. There are lovely flute and other orchestral-based melodies, including strings, that make this section sound super sweet and dramatic. There is a Star Wars melody played on a xylophone-sounding instrument as well. This adds some extra flavour to the romance, with some dark melodies played in between. A very interesting instrumental, this articulates with no words exactly the nature of the relationship between the characters of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala. It has some dark clarinet playing towards the end before a very dark string section and orchestration follow. Very sad and moody at the end of this piece, it builds up to a crescendo of volume before concluding.

Jango’s Escape begins dramatically from the start, and it has some unique horns and rushing melodies from the orchestra that sound really interesting and excellent. This reminds one of the nature of the section of this film, even if it has been many years since one has viewed it in its entirety. A really good listen, all the same, this musically articulates the loud and chaotic nature of the turn of events. An awesome musical piece, this sounds loud, interesting and full of frenzied energy throughout. A really good listen, this is proof that regardless of the forgettable nature of the film, the music still sounds really excellent today. Towards the end are some pseudo-Indian Music sounds including Tabla Drums thrown in at the end. Decent.

The Meadow Picnic is the section of music that is written for a rather forgettable and laughable segment of this film. Regardless, even so, the music is the point here. It sounds sweet, orchestrally excellent and well-structured. A very mellow and interesting section of music, this sounds stunning as a tune on its own. All in all, a really excellent and different listen. There is a brief dark undertone of music before this launches into a gorgeous piece of orchestral film music that does not disappoint, unlike the film itself. In the second half are more wonderful sections of sound which vary from light to dark. This is a very schizophrenic listening experience throughout. Nonetheless, this does sound really quite good for what this is. The plotline of the film is enhanced with this music. It ends with some dark instrumentation and launches into another frenzied section of music, before returning to the bliss at hand, before concluding.

Bounty Hunter’s Pursuit is another piece that is for a critical section of the film. Of course, film fans will remember the section well. This has some more dramatic and fast-paced instrumentation throughout. The string sections become prominent towards the midsection, with some call-and-response parts throughout. A very interesting and different-sounding piece for this film. The second half of the track has some brooding and dark melodies throughout, which sound really eerie. This casts back one’s mind to the character at hand. Towards the end, some more suspenseful instrumentation builds up nicely, before some dark and pounding orchestration returns to finish this track off.

Return to Tatooine is a reminder of the planet central to the plot of Star Wars. This begins with some interesting instrumentation and sounds, which are quite good. The melodies throughout are again, a good blend of light and shade, this time mostly light all the same. A quintessential reminder of not just the music and the film itself, but where Star Wars originally began back in 1977. A good listen of dynamic and variable orchestration, this is yet another winner of a listen. Really very cool to hear. The melodies are some of the best that you will hear in a film score, even if the film is borderline junk for many movie fans out there. There are many layers of instrumentation present in this tune which sound really quite good. A decent and intellectually satisfying tune. In the second half are some melodies that were originally on Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Soon enough, this launches back into some earlier Star Wars melodies and vocal harmonies by the London Voices. That quickly ends and resumes back into the reality of things, leading to some dream-like melodies. This isn’t all daisies in terms of mood, as there are darker sounds and melodies, including some soft clock sounds here after the lighter sounds. A dramatic listen, once again. This music eventually progresses along well, right to the end with some dark and moody sounds that reflect that section of the film. It wraps up with some odd-sounding strings and horns. Very good, once again.

The Tusken Camp and the Homestead begins with some stick-styled percussion and some interesting horn melodies, progressing into a tune that sounds suspenseful and dark. All the same, this is a very wonderful listen. Wordless harmonies and other different elements of orchestral instrumentation appear, and this piece gradually progresses into a moody and sad-sounding track. This is quintessential to the film at hand and reflects the darker nature of the plot of the film throughout. In the midsection, things build up to a rather scary-sounding momentum and this leads into the second half. Frenetic strings and horns lift this tune to a very climactic stage of the film at hand. Clarinet playing that is uptempo follows, and the theme of Darth Vader returns for us to hear, albeit briefly. This music is a great glimpse into the fight between the light side of the force and the dark side of the force. Excellent to hear, this is one of the darkest Star Wars soundtracks out there. In any case, this does sound very descriptive and emotional. Towards the end, this gets rather loud with the brass sections and has some wordless harmonies to match the logical conclusion. A good listen.

Love Pledge and the Arena is for the section near the end of the film. It sounds rather frightening at the start, with undertones of romantic melodies throughout. This fits the film very well, no doubt. It reveals the conflicting nature of the human condition, put into a Star Wars film. Calming flute follows, and this is matched by stunning instrumentation that sounds extremely good. It leads up into a super sweet and moving musical section that is important for this particular Star Wars section. Soon into it, it leads into a section of music that sounds really deep and dark. Marching drums enter, alongside horn melodies as this piece reaches towards the midsection. A very suspenseful musical moment, this sounds like the Star Wars version of what one would hear on the calling of Judgement Day. There are also some piano and other sounds to match the brassy and percussive nature of this music. It does sound extremely interesting throughout and is a good reminder of the necessity of human nature and the need to survive. Regardless, Star Wars is a great film series and has some interesting musical moments throughout it all. This is one of them. A great instrumental from the film that underlines the urgency and need for the force to be a power to be reckoned with. In any case, this is a good instrumental that highlights the section towards the end of the film that is suspenseful and dramatic (no spoilers here, the film itself must be seen for that). All in all, this is very excellent. The melodic structure changes dramatically towards the end, with a section of different melodies and tempo changes to conclude this situation gradually. If anything, Star Wars encapsulates the power within the human soul. This wraps up with some loud and fast-paced instrumentation, before concluding with some moody sounds. Different.

Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale is the final section of the film, where the villain Count Dooku meets his match. This sounds, as before, a very dark listening experience that is evoking what happens at the conclusion of this movie. It sounds very bitter and twisted, just like the dark side of the force would if set to music. Some gorgeous wordless vocals enter here, courtesy of London Voices and they sound pretty and strikingly memorable. This leads into a calm musical section that sounds really soothing, but not without hints of the dark side of the force. This continues along for some time, with layers of orchestration that match quite nicely. This builds up to a good and memorable listening experience, with Darth Vader’s theme song melody returning to the soundtrack. This sounds very, very cool and reflects the film and storyline at hand. Eventually, it leads into the romantic melodies from earlier on in the film near the halfway point. This sounds very heroic, in its own way. The second half of this piece launches back into the final film music section of the credits, as is per each Star Wars film. This sums up the listening experience of the album very nicely and sounds extremely good for what it is. Indeed, if you have made it this far, it is time for you to dig out the Star Wars films and give them a watch again. The force will be with you on this one. Anyway, the film credit music sounds pretty, enjoyable and wonderfully lovely throughout. A real gem of a listening experience to be had, and for film soundtracks, this sounds particularly good. The credit music is a little different in this film, as it summarises a changing of the winds about the plot at hand. The string section melodies, in particular, are strikingly wonderful and emotional. A very pleasant listen throughout. All in all, John Williams is a genius composer who knows music much better than your average guitarist or studio producer ever would. This end film music progresses nicely, and sounds very quiet, with some keyboard melodies played out right towards the end. This is completely different to the other Star Wars film soundtrack music pieces. This music progresses nicely, right to the very end. Flute and other instrumentation take hold, and this ends very softly. Good work.

This film soundtrack is a good one. Although it is not exactly the greatest film ever (in fact, it is an awful and cringeworthy watch for the most part), John Williams is a masterful genius at creating pieces of legendary music that make you want to watch all the Star Wars films repeatedly as a hobby. Yes, this might be a bit much for people to listen to this on its own. However, don’t be fooled by that perspective, the music on this soundtrack is a rich and rewarding listen. Should you listen to this album? Yes, any self-respecting Star Wars fan must do so. However, those of you who aren’t a fan of Classical Music based film scores should look elsewhere.

May the force be with you. Always.

8/10