Should Star Wars Episode 7 Soundtrack have good vocal musicians?

I think, if you listen to Catching Fire's new soundtrack. It is very Awesome! A tons of good musicians on there.

In the Prequels we got orchestra vocals for "Duel of The Fates" and "Battle of the Heroes" and they sound so awesome with vocals!

Should Episode 7 take it further and hire big respectable name artists like U2, Lindsey Stirling, Beyoncé, Leona Lewis, Coldplay, Evanescence (Just nothing like Miley Cyrus, or Soulja Boy type of crap ) to provide some good songs with John William's music?

 

Why is this thread moved? It pertains to Episode 7!

 

Ok, my whole intent was to talk about Episode 7 music with vocal singers. Not sure how that wasn't obvious.

 

No. The appeal of Star Wars music was that John Williams created a timeless, classical sound. While the Star Wars soundtrack packs the same punch it did in 1977, who knows what effect a contemporary artist will have on Episode VII years down the line. It's a similar situation to the soundtrack of Batman (1989). Danny Elfman's score is considered to be definitive by many, but the songs put in there by Prince really make the film seem dated.

 

Only if it's in-universe source music, and with no recognizable singers. Choral vocals are another matter though, and I'm all for that.

 

No dude... just no....
John Williams is the man... you can't change that...
He is timeless, I agree with SlashMan. I don't think they would do that in a billion years.

 

If I discovered pop singers on my SW Ep 7 soundtrack, I'd toss it. Violently. Across the room. I'd buy it on CD just so I could throw it.

But to be fair, I think the inclusion of the type of vocalists like you suggest actually worked really well on things like LOTR and a lot of the works of James Horner. It just doesn't belong in SW.

 

There's another problem right there. Even if bringing in a well-known singer would work (which it wouldn't, for the reasons already stated), there'll be plenty who'll object based on personal taste, and given our fanbase, the reactions will be far beyond over the top. You mightn't like Miley Cyrus, others mightn't like Coldplay.
Remember the furore over that rumour that N'Sync would be appearing in AOTC?

The music in SW is there to serve the film, not draw attention to itself, anyway, including the 'contemporary' music that occasionally features.

 

In universe, music should always be in the background. The cantina band was amazing background music; just about everybody loved that in 77. But when the focus of the scene is on the music, then we get RotJ's Jedi Rocks. Ugh. And also, blech and yuck.

 

No just no. None of the big singers of today. Singers in universe are fine.

 

Jefferson Starship or bust.

 

Lol, also have the Main Title/crawl have Bill Murray's "Star Wars, nothing but Star Wars..." song.

But yeah, I agree with most, to not having any singers on the soundtrack.

 

Now you're talking business

 

I say they shouldn't. There will be people who dislike the music based on personal taste, and the music will seem dated in the future. Music like John William's soundtrack has remained pretty timeless.

 

To me Coldplay is the Star Wars of music, but I'd still say no. I'll stick with their fan made Star Wars music videos.

 

Please no, not even with my favorite bands. Star Wars is an alien world of epic-in-the-original-sense adventure, and the music reflects that through timelessness. Sure there are things like Duel of the fates, but that's a fragment of a welsh poem spoken in Sanskrit, it's very ceremonial and done to create a temple feel, not to have lyrics. That and maybe a song with alien gibberish lyrics that's diagetic (as in aliens are literally singing it in the movie). But that's as far as i can handle lyrics in star wars, and that only if there's only one in the film.

Also, there are so many things casually mentioned in songs that don't exist in the star wars universe. This was actually bugging me in Grand Theft Auto 5, in that the game takes place in a fictionalized Los Angeles called Los Santos. And the songs written for the game mention LS, but then songs on the game radio that are older will mention LA, and it just confuses that whole world. Is Los Santos a city exactly like an exaggerated LA (complete with copy-cat landmarks, like the Vinewood sign instead of the Hollywood sign) right next to LA in southern California? I know that's a far different situation, but the problem is similar in that real music won't adhere to fictional guidelines.

 

If Coldplay was in it, that'd just be a statement from Disney saying that U2 turned it down, so they had to go with a cover band.

Dumb idea either way.

 

Yes it should no doubt about it.

 

I'm hoping the only vocalists we hear are the London Voices accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro John Williams.

 

Yeah, I definitely prefer only choral voices. Not going to say that popular music hasn't defined many genre films, but it's just not the Star Was style.

Unless it's Carrie Fisher singing the Life Day song. In that case.......

 

Oh...well, yeah!

 

Where's the emoticon with blood spurting out of its ears?

 

No.

But what I could see working is something like Hans Zimmer did with Lisa Gerrard (from Dead Can Dance) on the "Gladiator" score, with Gerrard doing her usual wordless chanting thing that she also does on the DCD albums. Something like that could work. But then, I really like Dead Can Dance so I'm a bit biased.

 

Coldplay? PMSL! In the words of Dihann Carroll's porn intro in the Holiday Special... "My, you are excited!"

Why fix or change a thematic approach to SW when what has already been there for 37 years isn't broke? Doing something like that would be the same as comparing Williams' score to Superman: The Movie to Ken Thorne's Superman II & III. Awful contrast and comparison. Last thing we need is somebody like Bono or Chris "I sing like an alcoholic outside a pub at closing time with Auto-tune" Martin vocally ruining a good opportunity to re-utilise the Classic Trilogy themes and new ones. The London Voice Choir did a great job on Episode I-III and VI along with the LSO.

I suppose Bieber could sing a Jawa lullaby???