Album Review: Star Wars Soundtack

Recently, I found myself arguing with a friend over the merits of John Williams, the composer of numerous film soundtracks including the upcoming Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. My friend was accusing Williams of being a shameless sell-out, a hack who borrows from a hundred other works, including his own soundtracks on occasion. The Star Wars soundtracks steal voluminously from Holst and Wagner, as well as Stravinsky; the soundtrack for JAWS is an amalgam of numerous traditional sea themes from dozens of sources. But while I attempted to make a comparison of Williams' use of so many different sources to that of Milton's insertion of classical references in Paradise Lost, it occurred to me that both of us were missing the point: these soundtracks weren't meant to be, as my friend stated, "the outward expression of the artists themselves." They were just soundtracks to films. Would a typical soundtrack of pop or rock songs be preferable to Williams' work in a film like Raiders of the Lost Ark? Of course not. But more than that, Williams consciously chooses themes that have a precedent people's minds of evoking certain imagery.

In the case of Star Wars, Holst's "The Planets" had been used in film, television, and even radio as soundtracks to space-related media; Williams knew that, and composed accordingly. As George Lucas was filming the original Star Wars, he used the work of Wagner and Holst as a makeshift soundtrack. When the time came for the creation of an original track, he asked Williams to create something similar.

Originality aside, Star Wars, JAWS, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and dozens of other films simply wouldn't be the same without Williams' in the background, heightening the drama of every scene. Compare that to the occasional wisp of flute music reminiscent of "My Heart Will Go On" in Titanic, heralding the blast of the top-40 hit as the credits roll.

John Williams' soundtracks were my first passion in music as a child. My first cd's were of JAWS and Return of the Jedi; Mr. Williams now has an entire section devoted to his works on my shelf. And while composers like Alan Silvestri and James Horner have vied for the soundtrack crown, John Williams is still the A-list composer in Hollywood.

So what is the Star Wars: The Phantom Menace soundtrack like? Quite dissimilar from its predecessors, actually, though it does share a few things in common with other John Williams soundtracks.

Before going on, I should note that the soundtrack apparently has huge spoilers in the track listing; that is, the titles of the tracks give away key parts of the plot. I say apparently because I have avoided them assiduously, and listing them here would only, of course, tempt the reader to spoil it for him/herself as well. So while I will discuss the few pieces that won't give anything away (such as "Anakin's Theme"), you'll have to buy the soundtrack (or glance at the back in Newbury Comics) to find out what the rest are.

Of course, the traditional Star Wars main title opens the soundtrack. And after the opening fanfare, there's the traditional subsiding into a more subdued theme. In this case, its not the sound of a threatening attack of a Star Destroyer on a tiny vessel or the thumping triad notes of Darth Vader's theme but a grand, sweeping piece that is reminiscent of the Indiana Jones films. Mark my words: the opening scene of the film, judging simply from the music, will have some sort of advancing army or caravan, be it droid, human or beast, across a plain or desert (or maybe through a city). Following the main title track is the surprising appearance of a chorus, something that will maintain a constant presence throughout the soundtrack. The second track is a riotous piece that I can only assume accompanies some sort of chase or battle; the anxious sound of the chorus matches the frantic horns perfectly.

The third track, "Anakin's Theme," is one of the finest examples of Williams' genius in film music. Anakin Skywalker, of course, will become the Darth Vader of the original films (if that's a spoiler for you, then you probably don't care anyway). Having to work backward from the other three Star Wars soundtracks, Williams has embedded the familiar notes of "Darth Vader's Theme" (also known as the "Imperial March") within the slow, thoughtful piece. One can easily imagine the notes solidifying more and more over the next two films and into the familiar, thundering music of Darth Vader in the original trilogy.

However, the soundtrack of The Phantom Menace is somewhat disappointing in its lack of energy. Quirky, dainty and mysterious themes abound, but there is little of the excitement of a "Battle of Yavin" from the original film or the track titled "Return of the Jedi" from that film's soundtrack. There is something that sounds suspiciously similar to "The Emperor's Theme" from Return of the Jedi, but I can't be entirely sure. Of course, the familiar Obi-Wan Kenobi/The Force theme is present from time to time; but they are mere gestures that haunt the soundtrack, which actually turns out being far more reminiscent of the music from the Indiana Jones films than anything from the previous Star Wars films (I'm taking this to mean that a lot of the action takes place planet-side). Williams is obviously teasing us with little tidbits of the familiar themes, which I can only assume will grow more prominent as the series progresses. That may account for some of the subdued tone; the music is arising from a kind of void to coalesce into the themes in the classic trilogy.

Each of the Star Wars soundtracks has its own character. Star Wars: A New Hope draws most strongly from Wagner, with a big, bursting, inspiring soundtrack that keeps the energy and lift all the way through to the climactic elimination of the Death Star in the "Battle of Yavin." The soundtrack of The Empire Strikes Back is a beautiful work, with powerful, poignant themes and the extremely memorable end title, as Luke and Leia watch Lando and Chewbacca fly into space to find Han and the music swells in the background. The Return of the Jedi is almost entirely action-oriented, with the brilliant exception of the dark choral work that accompanies the scenes of the Emperor.

The soundtrack for the first of the Star Wars prequels is a more subdued work than its predecessors but is nevertheless a fun and interesting piece of music. It is one of the few essentials of Star Wars collecting, and while it may be somewhat derivative, it is also creatively inspiring and interesting. John Williams creates some of the best film soundtracks today, and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is one of them.