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EDITOR’s RECOMMENDATION August 2000
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John WILLIAMS
Jaws (The Collector’s Edition Soundtrack)
Conducted by John Williams
DECCA 467 045-2
[51:20]
Crotchet
Amazon
US
There are only a few film scores whose titles are like powerful magical
incantations. Say Psycho, and everyone hears the shower murder strings.
Say Star Wars, and everyone hears the bombastic opening crashing chord.
And what do they hear if you say Jaws? Those 2 oh-so-simple notes
– but that’s it. While regarded as one of the greatest scores ever
written, Jaws suffers like any music accorded such universal praise in that
95% of the audience couldn’t tell you what else makes it so special.
It is a testament to how fantastically iconic that theme has become, and
says much about Williams’ intelligence as a writer. Yet to have the
remainder of so remarkable a score overlooked is frankly criminal.
Williams has hardly helped the situation. His concert repertoire delights
in presenting an extended arrangement of the theme, and his very specific
hands-on approach to compiling an album has meant it’s been the theme
and little else available. Until now. It’s taken a milestone birthday,
advancements in technology, and the tenacity of a Producer / fan to make
an attempt to do this music justice.
The result is an album that makes MCA’s original pale embarrassingly.
There’s 20 minutes of additional music here. It’s sequenced reasonably
chronologically. The sound is crisp. And the packaging is exceptional.
As of writing there’s no sign of Varese Sarabande’s re-recording
of the score, but it’s got a lot to do to eclipse this long-awaited
gem.
Reviewer
Paul Tonks
