Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you, like most fans of the Star Wars series, just can't get enough of the consistently robust music from (and associated to) the franchise. Avoid it... if hearing a tad too many styles of John Williams come from someone other than the maestro (especially for this saga) just doesn't cut it for you. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire: (Joel McNeely) There was a time in the early 1990's when die-hard Star Wars fans had gotten wind of a second trilogy of films in the franchise, and enough time had passed since Return of the Jedi that they were practically frothing at the mouth in anticipation. With The Phantom Menace still several years away, fans were treated at the time to the first novels authorized to take place in the Star Wars universe, and as their popularity continued to grow, Lucas and his creative teams decided on an unprecedented event to take place in 1996. They chose one of the novels to adapt into a video game and commissioned a fully orchestral score to accompany the former. Their choice was Shadows of the Empire, a story that takes place in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, with the rebels on the run, Han Solo lost, and Luke attempting to come to grips with his newfound family member. As readers and players, we encounter the Imperial City on Coruscant for the first time and come face to face with Xizor, a new villain hoping to dethrone Lord Vader as the Emperor's right hand man. So, while being based very strongly in the Star Wars universe, Shadows of the Empire offers a fresh new look at events that we would not otherwise see directly on screen. The soundtrack release was a much hyped part of the media blitz for the combination of Shadows of the Empire products, though it had a largely unfamiliar name attached to it. Composer Joel McNeely had already made a name for himself as a possible successor someday for John Williams (apart from this project even), with his work for "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" serving notice of his arrival to the mainstream. Some have mentioned that John Williams forwarded McNeely's name to the production team, while others claim that Williams was never offered a chance to score Shadows of the Empire. In either case, McNeely was both capable of providing an appropriate score and was given the rights (obviously) to use Williams' material for reference. A vibrant performance by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and accompanying chorus would give McNeely a shot at matching the saga's established sound. At the very least, Shadows of the Empire is an immensely interesting piece of work. Consensus between John Williams' Star Wars fans seems to be that McNeely's take on the music for the saga ranges from commendable to outstanding. At the very worst, criticism against McNeely comes in the form of a blanket "...but it isn't John Williams" statement, which does an injustice to McNeely's worthy interpretation. The soundtrack really contains only two tracks of material containing Williams' themes, including the opening cue, which is a straight arrangement of the title theme and the carbon freezing chamber cue from The Empire Strikes Back. The only cue to contain significant adaptations of Williams' themes is "Night Skies," which not only intrigues in its usage of the Imperial March and Force Themes, but also shows that McNeely is very capable at skillfully interpreting those themes. The only universal shame with Shadows of the Empire is that McNeely didn't make more subtle incorporations of those established themes into his original material, as we hear in the latter portions of the final cue. That said, McNeely's own action material is often very strong, opting out of Williams' tactic of producing frenzied dissonance mixed with his highly dense structures. Instead, McNeely maintains the same instrumental palette but presents a more straight forward action style that, combined with a decent sized choir, provides some very attractive pieces (highlighted by "The Battle of Gall," a cue worthy of any Star Wars scene). One praised aspect of Shadows of the Empire that comes under some scrutiny is the dominant percussion-laced theme for the reptilian Xizor, which is well incorporated throughout the score by McNeely, but offers harsh dissonance at lengths that the Star Wars universe isn't accustomed to. But aside from this complaint, as well as a wish that McNeely had included more thematic interpretation along with his strong use of Williams' styles (some Indiana Jones mannerisms have carried over in early cues), McNeely's overall work here is much stronger than anyone could have expected. While Shadows of the Empire did not launch McNeely's career as many would have hoped, the score remains a hidden gem for Star Wars fans to discover and enjoy. **** Track Listings:
Total Time: 51:26
All artwork and sound clips from Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire are Copyright © 1996, Varèse Sarabande. 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 10/2/96, updated 2/12/06. Review Version 4.1 - PHP (Filmtracks Publications). Copyright © 1996-2013, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. |
