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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

The Rise of Skywalker soundtrack discussion

Discussion in 'Star Wars And Film Music' started by Seagoat, Mar 2, 2018.

  1. TIE Mechanic

    TIE Mechanic Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Sep 1, 2019
    I just purchased it on iTunes.
     
  2. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    I only listen to the Main Titles, the concert arrangements and the End Titles for new Star Wars films before I see them. My thoughts after a few listens of those 4 tracks:

    1. Fanfare and Prologue - Stupid name, why can't we be consistent? To my ears, a very nice rendition of the main titles, followed by good, somewhat involved segue into the "prologue" section I guess. Also, love the use of
    the Emperor's Theme
    at the end.

    2. The Rise of Skywalker - Nice new theme. Mellow. I think it will grow on me.

    3. Anthem of Evil - Also a nice, sparse new theme. Darker, hints at evil for sure. I think it will also grow on me.

    4. Finale - Absolutely the worst track of the four. There's no flow to the end titles! It's like they mashed together the themes without a nice transitional flow between them. The
    Imperial March
    seems totally spliced in. Then the last 4 minutes or so is just all rehash, and again something is just spliced in and feels like it doesn't flow. Very disappointed. Expected more from the very last Star Wars Saga end titles ever.
     
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2019
  3. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    Also just noticed:
    Palpatine's Seduction motif from ROTS
    at 2:42 on the Fanfare and Prologue track.
     
  4. Qui-Riv-Brid

    Qui-Riv-Brid Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 18, 2013
    They were never going to beat this:

     
  5. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    Is that the full thing with all the tacked on themes? That's not the real end credits. And frankly, ROTS isn't even the best end credits of the PT, let alone the whole saga. That goes to TESB in my opinion.
     
    DarthHass likes this.
  6. DarthBray

    DarthBray Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Sep 9, 2019
    Sure; no one expected those. But Duel of the Fates? Battle of the Heroes?

    I mean, what is the point of even saying "the score will include every theme you've ever heard" if it's just those recurring themes that are totally expected, like Rey's, Binary Sunset, the Emperor's etc.?

    They may as well have said "Ep IX will include AN EPIC LIGHTSABER DUEL WITH 100 JEDIS" and then it's just Rey vs Kylo. But it was an hyperbole, so it's okay.
     
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  7. Anakin's Daddy

    Anakin's Daddy Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 13, 2002
    I’m disappointed with this soundtrack. I thought we were promised duel of the fates and more. I hate it when trailers are misleading.

    ... and I haven’t heard a single memorable new track.
     
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  8. Dagobahsystem

    Dagobahsystem Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 25, 2015
    Listened to the soundtrack once all the way through. Enjoyed it, but want to give it several more listens before I say much more. There are some interesting things going on thematically though.
     
  9. Seagoat

    Seagoat Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 25, 2013
    Any of you eagle-eared folks hear that rearrangement of "Return to Tatooine"? Of all the PT themes, that was one of the.... most unexpected to make a return, but I enjoyed hearing it again. Don't know if it fit the tone as well as when AOTC used it, but I find it worked great

    If there's one complain I have about the music at all, it's
    the fade to end credits reusing TFA's

    Though I suspect I'll have to give it some more time. Still so damn much to absorb
     
    Tho Yor and Bacon164 like this.
  10. sethg

    sethg Manager Emeritus star 2 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    Agreed with those who dislike the end credits -- it's 99% music we've already heard, and not even arranged well. Sigh. I knew we'd end up with another binary sunset orchestration to end the saga.
     
    11-4D, DarthBray and cwustudent like this.
  11. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    I am almost okay with the Binary Sunset/Force Theme ending for this one... It just reinforces that we should not have had it for every other film too. TLJ and Rogue One especially should not have used it. And I would even be fine with TLJ using the Force theme cuz of the little kid using the Force, but do a different arrangement. Anything but the same solo french horn swelling to the full orchestra thing.
     
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  12. oierem

    oierem Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2009
    Yeah, but honestly, it's hard to imagine how the endings of TFA and TLJ could've been scored avoiding the Binary Sunset version of the Force theme....

    There's a clear difference between the three similar endings of the ST (which lead to three similar versions of Binary Sunset), and way every film had a different kind of ending in both the OT and the PT.
     
  13. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    I think it's quite easy to imagine a different version of the Force theme for the ending of TLJ. Something more innocent and child-like. Perhaps a solo recorder? A violin solo? An English horn? A solo piano? And then a different swell into the full orchestra to match the "outtro" of the End Titles? Think about the Force theme in TPM when Anakin is saying goodbye to Shmi and walks away as the Force theme swells. Totally different than Binary Sunset.
     
    11-4D, sethg and Sarge like this.
  14. Darth_Accipiter

    Darth_Accipiter Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 2, 2015
    There was a lot more in the film than what was on the soundtrack. Definitely references and even quotes from each trilogy.
     
  15. JayDubya

    JayDubya Jedi Master

    Registered:
    Dec 30, 2006
    Does anyone know if the UK will get the digipak version of this on CD? I've got the first 2 like this and really want to complete the set but the only version my local HMV had in stock was the standard jewel case.
     
  16. General Kenobi

    General Kenobi Administrator Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Dec 31, 1998
    Damn it, I want complete scores officially released for everything since TPM!
     
  17. Howard Hand

    Howard Hand Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Feb 11, 2015
    I thought the score was great! A surprising amount of new material, especially after the disjointed and temp-track heavy TLJ (the director was solely to blame there). There are so many great one-off motifs.

    The "friendship theme" heard in "The Rise of Skywalker" is a great addition to the Star Wars pantheon - a bittersweet goodbye to the franchise and a celebration of its core themes.

    There are also some really fantastic renditions of the old themes, particularly Leia's theme and Star Wars.

    The choral work is fantastic too. The choral element was hinted at in the last two scores and this is the payoff. Fantastic choral backing all throughout for the old and new themes.

    I'd still say TFA is still the best ST score on the whole but TRoS has vibranter highlights and more in-film chills.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2019
    Master_Rebado likes this.
  18. Gabriel Oaks

    Gabriel Oaks Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2018
    I was just about to ask the same thing. I was actually really disappointed this morning when a jewel case arrived. My last two were digi-pack and so much nicer.
    I haven't heard it all the way through yet, but aside from the TROS track there's no new themes that jump out yet.
     
  19. Zdarlight

    Zdarlight Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2016
    In all honesty, I was a bit disappointed with the score to TROS. Most of it was the standard satisfying John Williams fare: a lot of signposting, some interesting work done with the themes... but it lacked the emotional punch for me that the TLJ score had.
    One of my absolute favourite parts of all the Star Wars scores is the accompaniment to Luke's return at the end of TLJ. The bittersweet Luke/Leia theme as he shows up in the control room on Crait, the march-like accompaniment as he walks out to meet Kylo and the glorious, broad strings and choir as it's revealed that he's nothing but a Force Projection and is still sitting on Ahch-To. It's terrifying and huge and beautiful and just an emotional gut-punch. I've not heard John Williams incorporate such weight non-thematic parts of his Star Wars scores before. It's an absolute masterpiece.

    I was expecting something similar, or even grander at the end of TROS, and ultimately the score just fell flat for me. I'd go so far as to say that certain emotional parts of the film (Kylo's conversation with Han, Leia's death, the final confrontation with Palpatine, Ben's death) would have made me a lot more emotional had the score only been stronger.

    But at the end of the day, we're tremendously lucky to have JW still around to score the end of the Skywalker saga. I'm so grateful. What a masterwork.

    This film has also given me a few things to think about and a few things in the score to pick apart so yeah, not gonna grumble too much :)
     
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  20. j-jawa3

    j-jawa3 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 4, 2004
    My first time here, here is a challenge, I do this in the shower of all places, I hum the theme music from the OT, but... can anyone hum along with a main theme in RoS? or any of the "new music" from the movie? maybe, incorporating the old themes? I cannot go through any of the music from any of the Sequel movies. I find it choppy.
     
  21. The Raddinator

    The Raddinator Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Dec 18, 2017
    No doubt that TFA has the strongest score in terms of new themes in the ST; Rey's theme alone is a stone cold classic with the peak of Williams' SW work; but Kylo's motif, March of the Resistance, Poe's (sadly underused) theme.... lots of other great ones too. Many of which are developed and used in great new ways here of course; I particularly love the more melancholy Kylo motif and some epic versions of Rey's theme.
     
  22. Strilo

    Strilo Manager Emeritus star 8 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    I can already hum the new evil theme. Was doing it yesterday whilst shopping.
     
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  23. 11-4D

    11-4D Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 6, 2015
    Oh right, Poe had a theme... That wasn't in TLJ and TROS was it.
     
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  24. The Raddinator

    The Raddinator Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Dec 18, 2017
    It is very briefly in TLJ at the very very start (and possibly in a more understated form at the very end IIRC?) but I don't think it's in TROS, no.
     
  25. RandySolo

    RandySolo Jedi Knight

    Registered:
    Jun 12, 2018
    Yeah. That would be nice.