The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration Classic Scores for the films of Steven Spielberg (Film Score Anthology)

 (10 customer reviews)

For almost 30 years, since 1974's The Sugarland Express, John Williams' music has been associated with director Steven Spielberg's films. With the notable exception of The Color Purple (scored by Quincy Jones), Williams has composed the scores to all of Spielberg's films, including 2002's Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can.The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration predates the bulk of Spielberg's post-1980s works. It covers 15 years (1974-89), or half of their collaborative years. Although some of the films represented in this 13-track compilation were not successful (1941, Always), Williams' music has proved to be well-received, both by concert audiences and music-store customers alike.The album starts off with the rousing "Raiders March" from 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark. This unforgettable signature theme came about when Williams presented Spielberg with two musical motifs for adventurer/archaeologist Indiana Jones. The director listened to them, and instead of choosing...Read more

This "sampler" demonstrates why the Spielberg/Williams collaboration is the best since the days of Hitchcock/Herrmann. Although the collection only has selections from their association prior to 1990, it still has the essentials. The "Raiders" Films, "Empire of the Sun," "E.T.," "Jaws," "The Sugarland Express," and Williams' most evocative creation, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" are all briefly rendered here under the baton of Williams and the supremely talented Boston Pops Orchestra.Two thumbs and two big toes up on this one!

This is a good overview of the Williams/Spielberg music up to 1990, but the performances are often a bit different from the various soundtrack album versions. If like me, you've heard those so many times that they're a part of you, you may find these performances jarring. They may even be better, some feel so, but they're just not the same. Stil, the album is worth having if only because it contains the only commercially available music from The Sugarland Express.