John Williams - John Williams - Greatest Hits 1969 - 1999
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Free Music Notes for John Williams - Greatest Hits 1969 - 1999
Free Music Review: Not enough !
Hit: 5 Stars
Oh don't get me wrong -- this is a great collection and definitely value for money. Congratulations to Sony Classical for pulling it together.In one sense it's a very satisfying purchase: even though the second of the two discs in this set goes a little bit astray in including some selections that are less compelling to the listener or even as musically interesting, it's a broadly representative sweep of Mr William's scoring career -- a little biased towards his more recent scores, perhaps, but even that's OK, 'coz that's when he's been writing with more conviction and authority. (Or, perhaps more pertinently, that's when Sony started having a market interest in films and soundtracks.)
But in another sense, this set has the paradoxical drawback of all good compilations: it leaves you wanting more.
And at the risk of disagreeing with Jason Verlinde, Amazon.com's reviewer, I did not find all the soundtrack moments I'd expect! There are so many moments of great passion and musical lyricism that have flowed from John William's pencil (or his music compositional software, for all I know) that they definitely can't all be done justice in a single two-disc collection.
Where, for instance, are the themes from his disaster-movie epics, The Towering Inferno, Earthquake and the Poseidon Adventure ? His early TV-based sci-fi stuff, like The Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants or Lost in Space ? His all-but-forgotten romanticisms, like his awesome score for Dracula, or for Sugarland Express, Cinderella Liberty, Always, and Stanley & Iris ? His westerns, among them The Cowboys, the River and The Missouri Breaks ? His other fantasy pieces, among them The Fury, The Witches of Eastwick, and Articial Intelligence: AI ?And his historical pieces, like Midway, Nixon, Amistad, Angela's Ashes or The Patriot ?
OK. My point is made, I believe. There is just so much John Williams has written that is worth hearing. And while Mr Verlinde is correct in saying that (for many of these films) full OST releases are also available on CD, for those of us who enjoy John Williams' Tchaikovsky-like ability to produce an unending supply of rich, evocative musical themes, compilations are really the best answer. His music, as so many film-makers have commented, is so dramatic and versatile that it quickly becomes like an unscripted character in most movies in which it participates, to the degree that, broadly, to separate most of his tracks from the scene in which they appear is to discard much of their power and musical value. We can only be grateful that Mr Williams has developed the habit of creating musical cues in most of his movies where his themes and motifs are clearly, powerfully stated. And it's these cues, often, that make for the best listening, outside watching the entire film itself.
So, Sony, it's over to you. There's plenty of room, plenty of material, for volumes two, three, four ... Even most of the films that have been represented in this current set have plenty more musical cues that could also appear in a compilation of this caliber.
In the meantime, this highly-recommended set is a great place to start listening to John Williams' extraordinary film music. I don't think there's a dud track in the entire collection.
Free Music Review: This man is a magician
Hit: 5 Stars
Hi....John Williams deserves a place in every CD collection around the world. Beautiful songs going directly to your memories....star wars, indiana jones, E.T, olympic theme, superman, return of the jedi. As the songs my mother sang to make me sleep, his songs are part of my chilhood.Free Music Review: John Williams' first 30 years' celebration
Hit: 5 Stars
John Williams -- The Greatest Hits 1969-1999, as its title proclaims, is a two-disc anthology of one of Hollywood's most famous and prolific composers. Starting from 1969's "The Reivers" and ending with 1999's "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace," its 28 tracks cover most of Williams' film scoring career, with two Summer Olympics' (1984 and 1996) fanfares thrown in for good measure.Disc One covers the period between 1969 and 1989, even though the tracks are not arranged in chronological order. Instead, the fun begins with Williams' most famous (and maybe most popular) piece, "Main Title from Star Wars." It's in this disc that works from his most prolific period appear, including themes from Sugarland Express, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, E.T., Empire of the Sun, and the Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies.
Although most of these tracks appear in other John Williams albums, I discovered one new gem in the Main Title from The Reivers (1969). I've never seen the film or read the Steinbeck novel of the same name, but I was captivated by John Williams' way of introducing a melodic idea with a solo instrument (a guitar), then adding an Aaron Copland-like flourish of brass and strings, followed by a series of variations on a theme evoking open spaces and fun hijinks out in the countryside (indicated by the use of banjos and horns).
Another surprise on Disc One is the new arrangement of the 1984 Olympic Fanfare, commissioned for the Los Angeles Summer Games. This reworking of the fanfare adds the familiar "Bugler's Dream" everyone associates with the Olympics to Williams' vibrant march.
Disc Two covers the 1990s (with the peculiar appearance of Williams' "March from 1941," Steven Spielberg's 1979 comedy dud). Although Spielberg is the director whose movies have more representation with five of 14 tracks on this disc -- 1941, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, and Saving Private Ryan -- there is plenty of variety, both musically and genre-wise. Two Oliver Stone films (Born on the Fourth of July and JFK) have themes presented here, and such diverse movie themes as "The Days Between" from Stepmom, "Somewhere in My Memory" from Home Alone, and the album's final track "Duel of the Fates" from 1999's "The Phantom Menace" are a testament to Williams' talent, audience appeal, and versatility.
With over two hours' of music, this is a fine addition to any fan of film or orchestral music's CD collection.
Free Music Review: unexpected
Hit: 3 Stars
Excellent sound quality, great composer, BUT...***On what other "greatest hits" cd do the artists re-record the material? The music is faster,
has less emotional impact, and actually has emphasis on different notes and phrases.
This has the same impact of a child whistling the tunes, just running through it.
The really bad thing about all of this is that the tunes you bought this for
sound the worst, because you're expecting something totally different.
********************
Sometimes sounds counterfeit. Still, this has excerpts from some great music scores and can still be enjoyed. Sounds better the second time around.
Free Music Review: Very disappointed....
Hit: 2 Stars
I was highly anticipating the arrival of my John Williams Greatest Hits CD, and boy was I in for a letdown. WARNING: MOST TRACKS ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL RECORDING, AND DO NOT EVEN ATTEMPT TO COME CLOSE. IN FACT, THEY WERE PROBABLY INTENTIONALLY DOING IT THAT WAY. The way too fast tempos for the themes of Schindler's List and Jurassic Park (the only ones I bought the CD for...) really ruin the purpose of me buying this CD. I wouldn't have minded re-recording tracks, but geez, MAKE IT SOUND LIKE IT'S THE SAME SONG. I don't even know what the other tracks were supposed to sound like, but, I'm sure they don't sound like they're supposed to. The only tracks that actually use the original recording are the Superman theme, the main title from the Reivers, Hymn to the Fallen, Seven Years in Tibet (apparently, same year...), JFK's Prologue, The Days Between from Stepmom (again, apparently), the Main Title from Home Alone, Summon the Heroes, the Rosewood music, and the Star Wars Episode 1 music. If I would've known this, I would have rather bought each individual soundtrack from a record exchange. But what can you expect from the Recording Industry Association of America? A compilation that has what the customer wants? Original (at least sounding) recordings at the same volume level? (Ace of Base Greatest Hits...) Don't think you're getting that with this. Although the sound volume level and quality are good, which is why this gets a two from me...