Dear Filmtrax,
Thanks for posting this little review of all of the releases of "Jaws," my favorite film score, but I have to take one quote out of context:
"Jaws is not something you can sit and listen to for any great length of time. For fans of Williams' work on CD, you may be better served by avoiding Jaws altogether and seeking a more thematically pleasant score..."
I cannot express how utterly, whole-heartedly, passionately and violently I DISAGREE with this assessment! For me, "Jaws" is the score that kindled a lifetime's love of music. I have been listening to this music since it was released in 1975 and have all the versions. I have listened to it in context, out of context, repeatedly, occasionally, ardently, casually, in part, from beginning to end, used it in work, in play, can hum you phrases, tend to sing along under my breath when the movie is playing and to this day have never tired of this most vibrant, vital, exhilerating, inspiring and atmospheric work.
"Jaws" deserves none of these sniping, piddling and baffling epithets and it galls me that the reviewer saw fit to add them to this appraisal.
If you are new to film music and are just dipping your toe into the genre, "Jaws" has endured for good reason and you could not start your own journey in a better place. It is a work of genius (I can at least agree with that final remark).
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