Filmtracks: Thoughts on 2024 releases: La-La Land The Sugarland Express (Williams)

Thoughts on 2024 releases: La-La Land The Sugarland Express (Williams)

Thoughts on 2024 releases: La-La Land The Sugarland Express (Williams)

(c-76-141-151-147.hsd1.il.comcast.
net)

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 (10:29 a.m.)

Give credit where credit is due - Steven beat me to the punch on this one by almost four months! https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=135719

Heck, so did Christian. https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/sugarland_express.html

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Let’s be honest…most of us thought we were never going to get the first score to unite John Williams and Steven Spielberg on any album. Save for the main theme appearing on a handful of records, the only way until this summer to hear the score had been to see the film - and as Spielberg ended up not using some of it, arguably no one had heard the score in full since the original recording sessions. Still, while La-La Land’s album release is an astonishing achievement, I don’t know that one could say that about the music, Williams deliberately choosing to keep the material smaller-scale and country fried for most of its runtime rather than a clone of The Reivers which Spielberg (a massive fan of that earlier score) likely would’ve loved but also almost assuredly would’ve overwhelmed the proceedings. Occasional moments of suspense have Williams coming the closest he ever did to crafting the kind of jagged, nervy action music Jerry Goldsmith wrote a lot of this decade. Only near the end does Williams unleash the more dramatic orchestral sound he's generally known for today.

It’s an essential album purchase for any Williams fan though, even if it’s for a disparate score that’ll probably only get *** from most listeners. The liner notes are as impressively detailed as any recent Williams release from the label, though as it’s a less substantial score don’t be surprised if the writing seems to emphasize the making of the score rather than what it ended up sounding like.

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Re: Thoughts on 2024 releases: La-La Land The Sugarland Express (Williams)

Jonesy
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Wednesday, December 11, 2024 (11:23 a.m.)

Can confirm, this was a "woah." announcement! Its status as a historically notable unreleased Williams score is guaranteed to outshine the actual quality, but as the first collaboration between these two, it's certainly merited. I can still hear that harmonica riff lol.

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Re: Thoughts on 2024 releases: La-La Land The Sugarland Express (Williams)

Steven P.

(syn-050-089-024-100.res.spectrum.
com)

Wednesday, December 11, 2024 (3:06 p.m.)

Now Playing: Jingle All the Way - D. Newman

> Give credit where credit is due - Steven beat me to the punch on this one
> by almost four months!
> https://www.filmtracks.com/scoreboard/forum.cgi?read=135719

Thanks for that, sir! I enjoyed reading all the thoughts you posted today. Spider-man 2, Godfather II, and Jurassic Park III are all high on my post-holiday spending list in the new year.

> Heck, so did Christian.
> https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/sugarland_express.html

> -----------------

> Let’s be honest…most of us thought we were never going to get the first
> score to unite John Williams and Steven Spielberg on any album. Save for
> the main theme appearing on a handful of records, the only way until this
> summer to hear the score had been to see the film - and as Spielberg ended
> up not using some of it, arguably no one had heard the score in full since
> the original recording sessions. Still, while La-La Land’s album release
> is an astonishing achievement, I don’t know that one could say that about
> the music, Williams deliberately choosing to keep the material
> smaller-scale and country fried for most of its runtime rather than a
> clone of The Reivers which Spielberg (a massive fan of that earlier
> score) likely would’ve loved but also almost assuredly would’ve
> overwhelmed the proceedings. Occasional moments of suspense have Williams
> coming the closest he ever did to crafting the kind of jagged, nervy
> action music Jerry Goldsmith wrote a lot of this decade. Only near the end
> does Williams unleash the more dramatic orchestral sound he's generally
> known for today.

> It’s an essential album purchase for any Williams fan though, even if it’s
> for a disparate score that’ll probably only get *** from most listeners.
> The liner notes are as impressively detailed as any recent Williams
> release from the label, though as it’s a less substantial score don’t be
> surprised if the writing seems to emphasize the making of the score rather
> than what it ended up sounding like.

> -----------------

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↑ JBlough
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↓ Steven P.

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