The Empire Strikes Back: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Edition)

With the phenomenal success of the Star Wars soundtrack album in the late 1970s, John Williams had a tough task ahead: how to compose a score that would not only build upon the existing musical material, but also create new material that would stand on its own? Both George Lucas and Williams had this burden -- the film had to fulfill fans' expectations and be good on its own, lest it fall into the " pale carbon copy of the first film" category (a fate which the Jaws franchise could not avoid) common in Hollywood.

As it turned out, both the movie and score were excellent. Episode V (as the movie is now part of a six-chapter series) is considered to be the best chapter in the Classic Trilogy...some fans even say it is the best of the series. And of course, the score introduced several major new themes, the most popular being The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme).

The 1997 Special Edition version of the musical score is the definitive soundtrack album. Like the other two 2-disc...Read more

The Empire Strikes Back. As many people know, Star Wars has been known as one of the most successful soundtracks ever made. The Star Wars trilogy would not be the same if it weren't for the incredible efforts John Williams put into writing music that would bring out the movie so well. Of all the Star Wars movies made, the Empire Strikes Back probably has the best soundtrack of them all. John Williams shows his genius in writing complex music in tracks such as the well-known "Asteroid field" and the "ImperialMarch." The music from this soundtrack will often have you listening in awe, wondering how composers can write such awesomeand inspiring music. Every Star Wars soundtrack that has been made starts with the main theme, which is accurate to the opening of the movies. The first real exciting track, "the Battle of Hoth" has you standing on your toes, never ceasing to bring a suprise around the corner. Although the music starts quietly, it is...Read more

John Williams is a one of a kind genius. His "Star Wars" music is as good as film scoring gets, and "The Empire Strikes Back" score is the most memorable in the trilogy. Like the film itself it takes the audience all over the galaxy. Yoda's theme is a piece that pesonifided the charater. It starts off slowly with a mystical quality, which reflects Yoda's appearence, then it erupts into a large, full orchestra piece that reflects Yoda's beliefs and abilities. The theme that is immediately recognizable is the "Imperial march". With the exception of the main "Star Wars" theme it is the most memorable in the trilogy, mainly because it symbolized the dark mood of the film. That film wasn't too easy on the good guys, and that music did a great job of expressing the insurmountable evil that they were up against. The music of John Williams gives a contemporary film a nostalgic feel. Not only are his scores unforgettable, but in many...Read more