Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... on the 1998 Arista album with reservations, because despite being the best presentation of the score, it features far more of the atonal ambience that John Williams wrote for the first half of the film. Avoid it... on any of the releases of the original score before 1998, for their sound quality is significantly inferior (and they might contain a horrendous disco version of the title theme). Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: (John Williams) If not for the misfortune of being released later in the same year as George Lucas' Star Wars, Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind may have resonated with the same kind of appeal in memory. While both films feature science fiction stories at their best, as well as wide-ranging Oscar nominations that both recognized John Williams' music, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is by far a more contemplative and, at times, quite scary alternative to alien introductions. The Spielberg story combined fears of alien kidnapping with the uncertainty of facing and communicating with a far superior species. While the suspense of the story dominates its first half, the actual military encounter with the aliens at the end is conducted successfully with the help of communication through lights, colors, and music. As such, Spielberg needed to identify a short musical motif early enough that he could use it during the production of the film's final half hour. While already yielding an Oscar win for the composer, the collaboration between Williams and Spielberg was still in its infancy, and Williams had to convince studio executives that he was far enough along with Star Wars to contribute his best to Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He sat down with Spielberg several times for the specific purpose of conjuring and agreeing upon the five-note greeting that humans would use to solicit a response from the aliens. Williams had the theme to "When You Wish Upon a Star" in mind from the start, and he would eventually weave that tune into the last minutes of his score, but despite Williams' request to be able to use seven or eight notes to form the greeting, Spielberg was steadfast in placing the five-note limit. After all, greetings are meant to be succinct and it's no coincidence that the word "hello" is five letters long. Williams ran through hundreds of permutations and neither man was satisfied with the results. After several sessions, Spielberg chose one out of frustration and, ironically, it was the successful and famous motif known to the world today. Although almost all of the attention given to the music for Close Encounters of the Third Kind involves that five-note motif (and to some degree, rightfully so... It makes such a dramatic impact in the story of the film), Williams' score for the picture is far more complex than that. While Star Wars was a straight forward space opera from start to finish, Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a score with three distinct parts. The first act of the story offers lengthy sequences of atonal and dissonant passages that accompany the kidnapping and mysterious hints of an alien presence. The middle portions of the score alternate between this restrained sound and explosive action cues that would foreshadow rhythmic, orchestral harmony to come in Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. The final third of the score, opened by the famous communication sequence, is where the familiar harmonic melodies of Williams career flourish. The five-note communication motif isn't actually the title theme for the picture. Williams allows the wonder of the aliens to inspire the true title theme, and that idea takes quite some time to announce itself. Alternately representing Devil's Tower (the majestic mountain at which the aliens are to be received), this theme first forms cohesion with the help of a choir in "Forming the Mountain" and especially "TV Reveals." As Richard Dreyfuss' character (Roy) sculpts the peak from memory and finally learns of the name and location of the mountain, Williams unleashes a grand crescendo of harmony with the choir in the latter cue. The lush romanticism that defines this theme is first provided in "The Mountain," as the film switches to its final location. Audiences will most likely recall this theme's lengthy, flowing performances after the alien exchange, for the theme and its concert arrangement occupies the finale and closing titles. While the arrangement that Williams' takes with him on concert tours gives a distinct nod to the five-note communication motif, most of its running time is devoted to the primary theme. The government cover-up and military presence is provided with rhythmic flurries and slightly more coherent suspense before the final confrontation. The "Navy Planes" and "Lost Squadron" cues are somewhat understated (to match the surrounding material), though the material in "Roy and Gillian on the Road," the latter half of "The Mountain," and "The Escape" is a precursor to the tumultuous brass movements of Jurassic Park and, more interestingly, The Witches of Eastwick. The military motif in "Stars and Trucks" and "Who Are You People?" is a precursor to the chase music in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Two versions of "The Escape" exist, with the version not used in the film offering the better action material while the final version actually used has a short statement of the title theme with an upbeat spirit and xylophone accompaniment that reminds of the opening to The Towering Inferno. The two-note theme of wonder that precedes the title theme in "Forming the Mountain" is the score's only other major recurring idea. The mass of the atonal material early in the score is difficult to enjoy, and it's frankly why the score is often forgotten in relation to Star Wars and Superman on either side of it. The opening cue is the one exception; Williams allows the orchestra to stew with atonal noise for thirty seconds before unleashing one, grand harmonic hit from the full ensemble to coincide with the title. Like the crashing start to Bernard Herrmann's Cape Fear, this smart tactic definitely gets a crowd's attention. For color in the early cues, Williams also employs the choir to produce inconsistent noise, as well as the low tuba blasts that the alien ship communicates with at the end. Parts also feature synthetic elements that mimic the sound effects that accompany the smaller alien ships that pass overhead earlier in the film. The conservative approach to the score's early sections has a surprisingly strong hold on the score well into the Devil's Tower scenes, with the actual landing of the mothership treated with musical caution. As such, the vast majority of the music for Close Encounters of the Third Kind remains turbulent and unsure. Overall, most casual film score collectors will be best served by one of the numerous, lengthy suites that Williams has himself recorded for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The score simply contains too much atonal, ambient material to be a full-length listening experience for the vast majority of mainstream fans (and even, perhaps, for a moderate Williams collector). A notable aspect of the score's history on album is the 21 minutes available via a Charles Gerhardt re-recording with the National Philharmonic Orchestra. For years, Gerhardt and the NPO had recorded famous film scores from mostly the Golden Age of Hollywood, but as a few of their final collaborations, Gerhardt recorded the three classic Star Wars scores near the times of their release. Included with the December 1977 recording of Star Wars, five major cues from late in Close Encounters of the Third Kind were offered as well ("Barnstorming," "Arrival of the Mother Ship," "The Pilot's Return," "The Visitors," and "Final Scene"). Released on LP at the time, a CD version of the recording was remastered and released in 1989. The outstanding quality of this Gerhardt recording, mixed into Dolby Surround for the CD, remains among the best available sources of music from the score. In its original form, the score has seen several releases through the years. Its first CD release came from Arista in 1986 and offered 40 minutes of music that included a variety of material heard badly merged together and, in some cases, arranged specifically for the album. Four years later, Varèse Sarabande released essentially the same album but added a disco version of the theme at the end; this disgraceful variant of Williams' themes is, like others that came before and after, an insufferable reminder of the worst of 1970's pop culture. Sound quality on the two early releases is identical. A 1997 bootleg added eighteen minutes of material, but at the expense of sound quality; at times, it's unlistenable. In 1998, to coincide with the film's "Collector's Edition" release in video stores (and on laser disc... Remember those cumbersome beasts?), Arista returned to the score and assembled a definitive 77-minute collection of original and complete cues, arranged them in film order, and remastered each one from the source tapes. It also has alternate, un-used cues for multiple scenes, and features only three tracks that were available in their entirety before (on commercial releases). The original conversation between the human keyboard operator and the mothership is included as well, and although it's fun to listen to once, it can get on the nerves after about a minute. Use it on that pesky roommate of yours early in the morning when he or she is just entering the prime phase of a hangover. Luckily, Arista dumped the disco track. Some incidental cues didn't make the cut either, but realistically, there's nothing more a fan of the score and composer could ask for. The sound quality is distinctly improved and a lengthy interview with Williams conducted at the time of the film's resurrection is transcribed for the colorful booklet. In short, the other three releases of the score can't compare. To avoid confusion, it should be mentioned that Arista did press two variants of their 1998 album; the first 50,000 copies of these were called a "Collector's Edition" to coincide with the film's relaunch and they feature chromium-printed packaging with the insert notes glued to the back of the front cover (which is, in reality, a bit irritating). In the end, Close Encounters of the Third Kind may have been overshadowed by Star Wars and Superman in an incredible 18-month time span for Williams, but the score still stands on its own as one of Williams better known. When the United States government included the five-note communication motif as one of the welcoming messages it transmits in the direction of distant worlds, the score's status was confirmed.
1986 Arista release: *** 1990 Varèse Sarabande release: *** 1997 Lacombe bootleg: * 1998 Arista release: ***** Overall: **** Track Listings (1986 Arista Album):
Total Time: 40:53
Track Listings (1989 RCA Gerhardt Album):
Total Time: 54:18
Track Listings (1990 Varèse Sarabande Album):
Total Time: 44:02
Track Listings (1997 Lacombe Bootleg):
Total Time: 58:29
Track Listings (1998 Arista Album):
Total Time: 77:21
* previously unreleased ** contains previously unreleased music *** not used in the film All artwork and sound clips from Close Encounters of the Third Kind are Copyright © 1986, 1989, 1990, 1997, 1998, Arista Records, RCA Victor (Gerhardt), Varèse Sarabande, Lacombe (Bootleg), Arista Records. The reviews and notes contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Filmtracks Publications. Audio clips can be heard using RealPlayer but cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 5/11/98, updated 4/15/08. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 1998-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
1986 Arista
