1. Opening Titles (2:44)
2. Street Shanty / Finding Palmes (1:25)
3. Abigail (1:36)
4. Tarred & Feathered (2:20)
5. Leaving For Philadelphia (2:20)
6. Facing Defeat (2:56)
7. The Militia Passes By (2:48)
8. The Declaration Of Independence (6:05)
9. John and Abigail (1:12)
10. John Says Goodbye (3:26)
11. Battle at Sea (5:30)
12. No Letters (1:32)
13. Abigail in Paris (1:55)
14. The Villa (3:43)
15. Dressed for the Opera (1:09)
16. Hot Air Balloon (:51)
17. Meeting with the King (1:49)
18. The Oath (1:21)
19. First President (1:07)
20. Adams In The Cold (2:51)
21. Dissatisfaction (2:45)
22. Adams Resigns (2:08)
23. Wall of Strength (1:43)
24. Searching for Charles (1:44)
25. Abigail Leaves Farm (1:03)
26. Our Son Is Dead (3:20)
27. The White House (3:04)
28. Abigail Dies (5:00)
29. Letter To Jefferson (3:52)
30. Farewell to Adams (5:11)
Amazon.com
HBO's lavish, sprawling John Adams epic was given vital emotional wallop by the soundtrack. Two composers created music which was needed to convey the fervor of a newly emerging nation, and the quiet moments of a proud man who lived a long life shot through with sadness--losing his first a child, and then later, in his twilight years, his beloved wife Abigail. The orchestral sweep is clearly of the Twentieth Century, undulating like American landscapes. However both Rob Lane and Joseph Vitarelli are adept at drawing on our shared cultural sensibilities. They evoke the period of the Revolutionary War without stilted mannerisms. While the script, actors and the director portray history, the soundtrack resonates emotionally with the modern world. --David Greenberger
Album Description
Starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, executive produced by Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and directed by Emmy®-winner Tom Hooper, JOHN ADAMS is a seven-part epic miniseries event that explores American history through the eyes of one of the greatest of the founding fathers, John Adams (Giamatti), a fiercely independent spirit whose unwavering vision steered America through a tumultuous period. Based on David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, the miniseries is produced for HBO Films by Playtone.
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John Adams
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2008-04-22)
- Publisher: Varese Sarabande
- Label: Varese Sarabande
- Format: Soundtrack
- Studio: Varese Sarabande
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 21 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #2423
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: stylized early american music 2009-01-04
Comment: If you enjoyed the music on this series you will certainly enjoy the cd. Each piece is titled pursuant to the scene for which it was written, as is common for soundtrack music made into stand-alone compositions, but you do not have to relate the pieces to the segment in the television program to enjoy them. They stand on their own as modern stylized versions of early american music. Good technical quality.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: one for the textbooks 2008-12-27
Comment: Rob Lane and Joseph Vitarelli have not only written a reflective and shimmering work of music. They have provided a textbook example of how to write film music.
The thirty tracks of this HBO Series soundtrack strike notes that are alternately noble, daring, pensive, and troubled. All of it is stirring in the way that one's soul is moved in proximity to great literature or the finest musical art. Yet, as is the nature of the case with a genre of music meant to frame a visual depiction rather than to publish its own grandeur, most viewers of JOHN ADAMS will fail to realize the degree to which the series' success has depended upon Lane's and Vitarelli's work in the shadows.
The Hollywood Studio Symphony performs its 20th/21st century score with the panache of a great ensemble. The score references rather than revolves around period sounds from the American Revolution. Its gestures are knowing, sophisticated and nuanced. They successfully anchor the sound of this film series at a point more than two centuries ago, then develop it according to the aural canons of our own day.
The result is not less than stunning. The score never turns mawkish, yet connects with the deepest emotions. I hope the next generation of film music writers learn their craft by listening over and over, as I will, to Lane's and Vitarelli's JOHN ADAMS.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: I bought this for the opening score for the series 2008-12-20
Comment: I bought this CD strickly for the opening score for the beginning of the series. It just puts goosebumps on me. I play it over and over on my car's CD player.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: John Adams Soundtrack 2008-10-17
Comment: I watched a few of these episodes on HBO and couldn't get the theme song out of my head so I bought the soundtrack. Great ambient music, especially during patriotic events (eg. 4th of July, elections, etc.). Best tracks are 1, 2, and 5.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Stirring, Emotional Score 2008-09-30
Comment: After watching the excellent miniseries JOHN ADAMS on DVD, I knew I had to purchase the soundtrack. Rob Lane and Joseph Vitarelli have crafted a musical score for the film that packs the emotional power that was so much a part of David McCullough's book. From the patriotic "Opening Titles," a martial piece that somehow manages to convey that the drama it introduces is one of flesh and blood human beings, not wooden soldiers led by marble statues, to the soulful "Farewell to Adams," played in the film as John Adams and Thomas Jefferson lay dying on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the music proves itself as important a part of the overall quality of the film as the fine performances of the cast. Also notable are "John Says Goodbye" and "The Villa," which evoke the music of the period. I often listen to this disc in my workshop, which is perhaps the highest compliment I can pay to any piece of music.
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John Adams
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