The Force Awakens John Williams scoring all three new Star Wars films!!

[Clamsoup 1]

Hi guys, first post.

I was at this concert, but I couldn't really hear what Mr. Williams was saying due to stereo speaker delay (I was mid stage left, guess things are weird there). Can anyone provide a transcript of his comments? I really wish I knew what else he was saying about the music.

He seemed to be really enjoying himself, just having a good time, so I would tend to agree with the people here who suggest that he was more declaring an openness to the possibility than grabbing it.

Anyways I was looking at the movies Giacchino's done (never heard of him before) and while I'd seen and loved a good number of them, I never found the scores to be melodically memorable in the same way as Mr. Williams'. They were very well done, but never rose above simple enhancement of pacing and layering of background atmosphere.

[KK 3,308]

Comparing Giacchino to the maestro is a futile and needless exercise. No one's going to write as good a Star Wars score as Williams has. But having said that, I think there are better alternatives than Giacchino.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

You can't really say that for sure if no one else is given an opportunity to write a Star Wars score.

Giacchino is ranking above Williams for me these days.

[Clamsoup 1]

Comparing Giacchino to the maestro is a futile and needless exercise. No one's going to write as good a Star Wars score as Williams has. But having said that, I think there are better alternatives than Giacchino.

Not disagreeing there. However, I don't have a huge opinion of Giacchino, and if there's a possibility of him doing the next three SW films, I've gotta wonder what it's going to be like. Would he try to emulate the previous idiom as much as possible or relegate the thematic leitmotifs to the background as it seems he's done with the scores to the movies I've seen? In other words, would it be unmemorable but effective?

[BloodBoal 7,541]

You can't really say that for sure if no one else is given an opportunity to write a Star Wars score.

Thank you for speaking on my behalf.

[Salacius 7]

.

[Luke Skywalker 1,941]

The Force.net made echo of this news posted in here

[Sandor 846]

Salacius: well said man.

[Quintus 5,454]

Sigh, just let the thread fucking diiiiiiieeeee

[KK 3,308]

You can't really say that for sure if no one else is given an opportunity to write a Star Wars score.

Giacchino is ranking above Williams for me these days.

Fair enough, but my point is, expecting Giacchino (if he gets the gig) or any other composer for that matter (including Williams) to write another Star Wars or Empire Strikes back score is unreasonable.

[BloodBoal 7,541]

[Brónach 1,306]

Funnily enough I don't remember Koray being particularly enthusiastic about the John Carter score.

If the basis for Giacchino scoring Star Wars is Lost, then it's an odd choice.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

Funnily enough I don't remember Koray being particularly enthusiastic about the John Carter score.

If the basis for Giacchino scoring Star Wars is Lost, then it's an odd choice.

Giacchino's last few scores have really disappointed... John Carter, Cars 2, Monte Carlo, and Super 8 on album. Why is John Carter the only score of his that should be the basis of what we should expect with Star Wars?

[BloodBoal 7,541]

[Koray Savas 2,254]

So Star Trek is out of the question?

[karelm 3,093]

Hi guys, first post.

I was at this concert, but I couldn't really hear what Mr. Williams was saying due to stereo speaker delay (I was mid stage left, guess things are weird there). Can anyone provide a transcript of his comments? I really wish I knew what else he was saying about the music.

He seemed to be really enjoying himself, just having a good time, so I would tend to agree with the people here who suggest that he was more declaring an openness to the possibility than grabbing it.

Anyways I was looking at the movies Giacchino's done (never heard of him before) and while I'd seen and loved a good number of them, I never found the scores to be melodically memorable in the same way as Mr. Williams'. They were very well done, but never rose above simple enhancement of pacing and layering of background atmosphere.

Yes, exactly, the comment made at the concert was JW indicating "an openness" to the possibility and a hope to be able (healthy, available, stamina, etc.) to compose it and not the bizarre power grabbing interpretation from someone on this thread. The news to me was that he was open and hopeful to doing it where I thought he had no interest. He knows fans adore this music (as you heard how much applause was given when he said they were about to play Star Wars) and was almost indulging us fans. I felt it was a gift that he would drop a mention of the new films the way he did in concert.

... I never found the scores to be melodically memorable in the same way as Mr. Williams'. They were very well done, but never rose above simple enhancement of pacing and layering of background atmosphere.

Really, no living composer has the memorable melodies of JW. It's just not there these days. I believe Giacchino has the desire, just not the chops. And welcome to this board.

[Wojo 2,456]

Williams is probably giddy at the thought of scoring Star Wars without meddlesome George around to get in the way and bastardize his music. I can't blame him for wanting to show keen interest at this early point.

[Brónach 1,306]

So Star Trek is out of the question?

Not exactly. I like it, and I'm among the ones who defended it back then, but John Carter is a superior score, as Giacchino would likely admit, and so are some of his action videogame scores.

In any case, neither of these and his action videogame scores indicate he might pull it off. Who knows.

I'd put The Phantom Menace as the ideal guide of how to approach the sound of an Star Wars score.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

Star Trek is far from my favorite Giacchino. I just don't understand why there needs to be a specific genre score that can showcase his capabilities to tackle Star Wars. If he does something like the lyrical beauty of LOST, or say Ratatouille and Up, I'll be ecstatic.

[gkgyver 1,647]

Williams is probably giddy at the thought of scoring Star Wars without meddlesome George around to get in the way and bastardize his music. I can't blame him for wanting to show keen interest at this early point.

That is a good point actually.

[Uni 306]

Hell, John's probably giddy (like the rest of us) at the thought that meddlesome George isn't around to bastardize the movies any more.

- Uni

[Brónach 1,306]

Williams is probably giddy at the thought of scoring Star Wars without meddlesome George around to get in the way and bastardize his music. I can't blame him for wanting to show keen interest at this early point.

That is a good point actually.

Me too. We might have overlooked the idea that JW might actually like scoring Star Wars, or movies for that matter. It's probably not as if JW did these things just because he was talked into it.

Star Trek is far from my favorite Giacchino. I just don't understand why there needs to be a specific genre score that can showcase his capabilities to tackle Star Wars. If he does something like the lyrical beauty of LOST, or say Ratatouille and Up, I'll be ecstatic.

I remember you said you didn't quite get the Star Wars scores? That might be why you're saying that.

I don't think SW should have only one specific set of styles and signature sounds, but if we suddenly jumped into LOST I would find it extremely weird and underwhelming. This coming from a massive fan of the LOST scores. But Gia is more likely to see it as a somewhat JWized form of his John Carter approach.

Moments like Sab Than pursues the Princess and the opening of Carter's theme with the celtic harp come to mind as something that despicts the type of story that the original Star Wars or John Carter aim to be, and quite well, even though it isn't like the music JW was originally emulating. That would be a cool variation reaching a similar destination through different means. And he still manages to sound like LOST anyway. I think it's less "LOST" and more like "some of these things Giacchino typically does".

Chaac - who would put folkloric Welsh music in a hard science fiction film, for the lulz.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,081]

So what if we proposed a curious alternative:

A new musical direction/style for the series, with John Williams at the musical helm?

Arguably, RotS was such a departure, it's the least Star Wars sounding of the Star Wars scores. But it was still strongly rooted in the romantic Star Wars traditions.

I for one would love to hear more Goldsmithian synths in a John Williams Star Wars score! The new trilogy would be moving into the future of the Star Wars galaxy after all.

[Brónach 1,306]

That'd be great.

I wouldn't mind some A.I. type music like The Mecha World or Replicas. I actually think that when you listen to the SW scores in order you can hear JW departing a bit from his original SW music concept into breaking more and more into his sci-fi sounds. This might even have been more noticeable without Lucas meddling. Does anyone else feel like this?

Honestly I think this is a lose-lose situation. If JW scored the first one we'll lament he didn't do the others. If JW doesn't, which will probaboly happen, we'll wonder what it would have been.

[karelm 3,093]

So what if we proposed a curious alternative:

A new musical direction/style for the series, with John Williams at the musical helm?

Arguably, RotS was such a departure, it's the least Star Wars sounding of the Star Wars scores. But it was still strongly rooted in the romantic Star Wars traditions.

I for one would love to hear more Goldsmithian synths in a John Williams Star Wars score! The new trilogy would be moving into the future of the Star Wars galaxy after all.

That's a very cool idea. Sort of a reboot of the score with the same composer at the helm. It would be cool to hear a more Goldsmithian approach or at least a synthesis between these two titans.

[KK 3,308]

That'd be great.

I wouldn't mind some A.I. type music like The Mecha World or Replicas. I actually think that when you listen to the SW scores in order you can hear JW departing a bit from his original SW music concept into breaking more and more into his sci-fi sounds. This might even have been more noticeable without Lucas meddling. Does anyone else feel like this?

I concur. You could hear his some of his more modern, almost-minimalistic sounding structures seeping in to the prequels, especially in AotC. I believe it was a stylistic phase for him, but perhaps it might be something he'd have built upon given more time.

But then again, Star Wars might be a bit too fantasy-oriented for the A.I. approach in cues like "The Mecha World".

[Chris ChrusherComix 47]

WOW! John is open and wanting to compose the new Star Wars films?! What great news! A few things:

- Star Wars would be dead to me without Williams. Sure, I'd watch them eventually... but... they'd be dead. Williams' music is the lifeblood of the series. The heart and soul. Without Williams, then what we know to be Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and the prequels would not have existed. Star Wars would have come and gone, forgotten outside of a few small pockets of avid sci-fi cult classic followers (aka virginal nerds in their forties playing dress-up). Without Williams' music, the first two prequels would have been almost completely horrid trash outside of a good lightsaber fight in I and seeing Padme in a tight suit in II, and the relentless latter half of Revenge of the Sith would have been far less impactful and moving. I am one who enjoyed the prequel scores as much as the original Trilogy scores. All six are masterpieces to me. To consider another composer with Williams alive and willing to do them would be blasphemous. I never was a big Harry Potter fan, but I stopped watching the Potter movies after Williams stopped composing for them. I may get around to them some day, but I lost a great deal of interest. Sure, some other composer could come in and do an adequate job - but Star wars would eventually become as meaningless as any other multi-film franchise that has multiple writers, directors, composers and stars. Just another movie series.

- Uni?! Is that you? I haven't seen that name in ages! How great to see!

- Wait... wha?! Since when did rude-@$$, ignorant-@$$ anti-Williams posters take over this board? They can't be trolls, because they aren't very funny or clever. Or is it just being an ignorant dick attempting to be "postmodern" funny? Hmm. Oh well... my interest has come and gone with that.

[Marian Schedenig 9,105]

That's a very cool idea. Sort of a reboot of the score with the same composer at the helm.

Like HPPOA you mean?

[Uni 306]

CRUSHER! What's up? It's been, like, half of forever, dude! I'm on one of the "on" phases of my on-again, off-again membership here. (Passed 1,000 posts this time. Only took ten years.)

Whereya been? How's the graphic design world?

- Uni

[indy4 155]

So what if we proposed a curious alternative:

A new musical direction/style for the series, with John Williams at the musical helm?

Arguably, RotS was such a departure, it's the least Star Wars sounding of the Star Wars scores. But it was still strongly rooted in the romantic Star Wars traditions.

I for one would love to hear more Goldsmithian synths in a John Williams Star Wars score! The new trilogy would be moving into the future of the Star Wars galaxy after all.

That's a very cool idea. Sort of a reboot of the score with the same composer at the helm. It would be cool to hear a more Goldsmithian approach or at least a synthesis between these two titans.

That would be very cool. Honestly, I think JW already did that with the prequel trilogy, but I would be fine with him taking it a new direction again.

[gkgyver 1,647]

WOW! John is open and wanting to compose the new Star Wars films?! What great news! A few things: - Star Wars would be dead to me without Williams. Sure, I'd watch them eventually... but... they'd be dead. Williams' music is the lifeblood of the series. The heart and soul. Without Williams, then what we know to be Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and the prequels would not have existed. Star Wars would have come and gone, forgotten outside of a few small pockets of avid sci-fi cult classic followers (aka virginal nerds in their forties playing dress-up). Without Williams' music, the first two prequels would have been almost completely horrid trash outside of a good lightsaber fight in I and seeing Padme in a tight suit in II, and the relentless latter half of Revenge of the Sith would have been far less impactful and moving. I am one who enjoyed the prequel scores as much as the original Trilogy scores. All six are masterpieces to me. To consider another composer with Williams alive and willing to do them would be blasphemous. I never was a big Harry Potter fan, but I stopped watching the Potter movies after Williams stopped composing for them. I may get around to them some day, but I lost a great deal of interest. Sure, some other composer could come in and do an adequate job - but Star wars would eventually become as meaningless as any other multi-film franchise that has multiple writers, directors, composers and stars. Just another movie series. - Uni?! Is that you? I haven't seen that name in ages! How great to see! - Wait... wha?! Since when did rude-@$$, ignorant-@$$ anti-Williams posters take over this board? They can't be trolls, because they aren't very funny or clever. Or is it just being an ignorant dick attempting to be "postmodern" funny? Hmm. Oh well... my interest has come and gone with that.

This must be the clearest fanboy rant in the past two years.

I hate to tell you, but even with Williams, the prequels suck.

[BloodBoal 7,541]

[gkgyver 1,647]

You have better.

[Joni Wiljami 1,212]

Shut up, Gyver!

BloodBoal - Not being funny.

[Augie 1]

John Williams killed Patrick Doyle.

[Luke Skywalker 1,941]

John Williams killed Patrick Doyle.

Are you sure it wasnt Angela Morley doing Williams' dirty work again?

[Ollie 1,140]

[Augie 1]

Extremely unlikely. There is actually little chance that Angela Morley helped Williams in arranging his assassination plot to kill Patrick Doyle, in order to take over Stepmom. As mahler3 wrote elsewhere, in the summer of '98, Doyle was already out of the hospital when he started to compose for Stepmom. Williams must have poisoned Doyle as early as October 1997. I assume it was a case of Arsenic poisoning. In those days, Angela Morley was busy founding the Chorale of the Alliance Francaise of Greater Phoenix, as well as writing and rehearsing over 30 arrangements of French traditional songs, in Scottsdale, Maricopa county, Arizona.

He didn't succeed, anyway.

[Clamsoup 1]

Extremely unlikely. There is actually little chance that Angela Morley helped Williams in arranging his assassination plot to kill Patrick Doyle, in order to take over Stepmom. As mahler3 wrote elsewhere, in the summer of '98, Doyle was already out of the hospital when he started to compose for Stepmom. Williams must have poisoned Doyle as early as October 1997. I assume it was a case of Arsenic poisoning. In those days, Angela Morley was busy founding the Chorale of the Alliance Francaise of Greater Phoenix, as well as writing and rehearsing over 30 arrangements of French traditional songs, in Scottsdale, Maricopa county, Arizona.

He didn't succeed, anyway.

What is this about?

[Uni 306]

This must be the clearest fanboy rant in the past two years.

Yeah . . . I can just imagine your confusion, signing on to a site called "JWFan" and finding a John Williams fan who expressed his fanship of John Williams. (What the hell's the world coming to?)

Or, perhaps more pertinently: what are you coming here for? What exactly do you expect to find?

Extremely unlikely. There is actually little chance that Angela Morley helped Williams in arranging his assassination plot to kill Patrick Doyle, in order to take over Stepmom. As mahler3 wrote elsewhere, in the summer of '98, Doyle was already out of the hospital when he started to compose for Stepmom. Williams must have poisoned Doyle as early as October 1997. I assume it was a case of Arsenic poisoning. In those days, Angela Morley was busy founding the Chorale of the Alliance Francaise of Greater Phoenix, as well as writing and rehearsing over 30 arrangements of French traditional songs, in Scottsdale, Maricopa county, Arizona.

He didn't succeed, anyway.

You're way off here, buddy. Arsenic leaves traces. Williams is much too clever for that.

- Uni

[Anthony 623]

This is what Michael had to say in a recent interview with Empire.

"I'm a huge Star Wars Fan, but one of the things that excites me most about it coming back is the chance to hear new John Williams music, not new Michael Giacchino music based on John Williams music. I'm excited to hear what he would do, so however it shakes out, it would be great."

[Once 691]

What? Really?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,422]

so he is saying he would not adopt any of the Williams themes?

[Marian Schedenig 9,105]

He's saying he'd rather hear a new Williams score than write the score himself. As I predicted. Giacchino is a fanboy through and through.

[Koray Savas 2,254]

This is what Michael had to say in a recent interview with Empire.

"I'm a huge Star Wars Fan, but one of the things that excites me most about it coming back is the chance to hear new John Williams music, not new Michael Giacchino music based on John Williams music. I'm excited to hear what he would do, so however it shakes out, it would be great."

Link?

[Anthony 623]

It's in the magazine.

[Quintus 5,454]

Wait until KM reads that!

[Datameister 2,282]

Doesn't especially surprise me, although it's still good to hear him say it. Naturally, this isn't a guarantee that Williams will do it - but it's good to be reminded that the only other candidate wants a Williams score, too.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,422]

It is hardly a surprise though.

No way in hell you would hear Gia state that he hopes JW doesn't return so he can have a crack at it.

Even if he wanted JW to step down, (which I doubt) he is diplomatic enough not never say such a thing in an interview....

[Ollie 1,140]

Some video from Trek.movie of the live performance including some comments from Mr. Giacchino that is sure to make some people around here breathe a sigh of relief.

http://trekmovie.com/2013/04/12/pix-video-from-star-trek-live-to-projection-concert-giacchino-say-williams-should-score-star-wars-vii/