What's your favourite John Williams/Steven Spielberg soundtrack?

Jaws.

 

I would have to say my favourite is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. As I mentioned in another thread, I love the way he has gotten away from leaning on the main themes every time something happens, using instead more excellent non-thematic material. I pick Last Crusade over Raiders because while Raiders is great, it leans on the Raider's March a little too much. And I cannot get enough of the Grail Knight theme and the other religious sounding themes of Last Crusade... WHEN will they release an ultimate edition of THIS score?

Schindler's List and Jurassic Park are close seconds though... amazing.

And to throw another in... John Williams' most underrated Spielberg collaboration? Saving Private Ryan.

 

"John Williams' most underrated Spielberg collaboration? Saving Private Ryan."

Personally, I think that honor would have to go to Amistad and The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Like I said in another thread, I think the Saving Private Ryan score is actually overrated. "Hymn to the Fallen" is an amazing cue and the rest of the score fits well with the film, but when listened to on CD, the majority of the score sounds rather plain.

But I do agree with you on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. "Belly of the Steel Beast" has to be one of the best action cues ever composed.

 

My personal favorite is Hook. Not my favorite Spielberg film by any means, but I adore JW's work on the score. I think it's one of his best efforts.

 

I agree, Hook, exceeds even Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. Many soundtrack afficionados deem Hook to be one of JW's best.


1. Hook

2. Jurassic Park

3. Schindler's List

4. Raider's of the Lost Ark

 

"Personally, I think that honor would have to go to Amistad and The Lost World: Jurassic Park."

Someone tried to say that The Lost World is a bad score???? God that score is GREAT!!!!!! I am surprised to see that as a pick for underrated score, I liked it from the get go.

You comments about other than Hymn of the Fallen, the score is boring are exactly why I think SPR is underrated. People think that just because the score is mellow and quiet, it is boring. Man it is so packed with emotion under the surface. The entire Omaha Beach cue is simply amazing. And Wade's Death is so tense but subtle. I think it took a great deal of work for John Williams to get a score so packed with emotion and power to BE so subtle a contributor to the film.

 

I'm just saying that the somber, quiet mood of the score doesn't work that well as a stand-alone experience. It works perfectly in the film (which is one of my favorites, btw), but on CD it lacks the power of, say, Schindler's List.

I do agree that the "Omaha Beach" cue is very good. That's probably the best part of the score next to "Hymn to the Fallen".

 

No one has voted for Always yet. I wonder why.


I think the soundtrack for Empire of the Sun is underrated. Well, the film in itself is underrated, but I think the soundtrack is very powerful, and emotional. But then again, what do I know about music? Only how to spell it, that's what.

 

I think his work on A.I. was underrated, because it was similar to SPR in the sense that it isn't like his usual uplifting Raiders-esque themes.

 

That's something I seriously disagree with. Not that the Raiders theme isn't uplifting, but that it's Williams' usual approach. I guess one could say his huge, bombastic scores are more well known, but I disagree with them being his "usual" score.

 

I love Raiders of the lost ark track desert chase.

 

I've finally seen A.I, and bought the soundtrack and it's amazing! It's definitely not as grand as Jaws, or any of the Indiana Jones soundtracks, but it's definitely up there with Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I wonder what type of score he'll cook up for Minority Report?

 

Jurasik Park