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Close Encounters of the Third Kind
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Composed, Conducted, and Produced by:
Orchestrated by:
Herbert Spencer
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LABELS & RELEASE DATES
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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The original 1986 Arista and 1990 Varèse Sarabande albums are both
out of print and difficult to obtain, however they are virtually identical in content.
The only difference is that the Varèse album includes the horrible disco version
of the theme. (It appears at the end and makes up the entire total-time difference between
the two).
The 1989 RCA Gerhardt album was long available used for about $5 to $7. The 1997 Lacombe release
with very poor sound quality was a bootleg despite the fact that it claimed to be promotional.
The 1998 Arista release with 20-bit digital mastering was called a "Collector's Edition." The
first 50,000 copies feature chromium-printed packaging with the insert notes glued to the back
of the front cover. That album is now also out of print and fetched as much as $50.
The 2017 La-La Land set is limited to 5,000 copies and available initially for $30 through soundtrack
specialty outlets.
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AWARDS
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Winner of a Grammy Award. Nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a
Golden Globe.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... on the 1998 Arista or 2017 La-La Land albums with
reservations, because such expansive presentations of the intellectually
fascinating score fully reveal the challenging atonal ambience that John
Williams wrote for the first half of the film.
Avoid it... on any of the albums for this score before 1998, for
the sound quality of these products is significantly inferior and they
might contain a horrendous disco version of the main theme that is best
left forgotten.
BUY IT
 | | Williams |
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: (John Williams)
If not for the misfortune of being released later in the same year as
George Lucas' massively epic Star Wars: A New Hope, 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 creative communication
through lights, colors, and music. As such, Spielberg needed to identify
a short musical motif early enough in production that he could use it
during the preparation 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
classic Pinocchio melody to "When You Wish Upon a Star" in mind
from the start as well, 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 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 just that iconic phrase. 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 discordant
passages that accompany the kidnapping and mysterious hints of an alien
presence, inspired clearly by the avant-garde musical techniques applied
to films involving otherworldliness in the prior decade. The middle
portions of the score alternate between this restrained sound and
explosive action cues that foreshadowed 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 tonal melodies of
Williams career flourish. The five-note communication motif isn't
actually the main theme for the picture. Williams allows the wonder of
the aliens to inspire the true primary identity, and that idea takes
quite some time to announce itself. Alternately representing Devil's
Tower (the majestic mountain in Wyoming 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 satisfaction 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. It receives an exuberant expression near
the end of "The Escape." 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 this primary theme.
The government cover-up and military presence in Close
Encounters of the Third Kind is provided rhythmic flurries and a
slightly more coherent suspense motif 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 the
aforementioned statement of the main 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 main theme
in "Forming the Mountain" and several other cues is the score's only
other major recurring idea. The mass of the atonal material early in the
score is difficult to appreciate out of context, and it's frankly why
the score is often forgotten in relation to Star Wars and
Superman on either side of it for Williams. The opening cue is
the one exception; Williams allows the orchestra to stew with atonal
noise for thirty seconds before unleashing one grand, tonal, major-key
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").
Available on LP at the time of its initial debut, 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. The sound
quality on the two early releases is identical. A 1997 bootleg added
eighteen minutes of material, but it did so at the expense of sound
quality; at times, this presentation was 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 additional cues, arranged them in film order, and
remastered each one from the best-available source tapes.
The 1998 Arista product also has alternate, un-used
cues for multiple scenes, and it featured only three tracks that were
available in their entirety before on commercial releases. The original
conversation between the human keyboard operator and the mothership, a
keen mathematical study for oboe and tuba, 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. 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. To
avoid confusion, it should be mentioned that Arista did press two
variants of their 1998 album; the first 50,000 copies (yes, CDs used to
really sell!) 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 2017, La-La Land Records issued a 2-CD
set limited to 5,000 copies that contains the Arista product's contents
and roughly the same sound quality, but the full film presentation is
joined by an additional 74 minutes on the second CD with an even greater
selection of alternates and unused cues. Many of the newly released cues
are not dissimilar to other material in the score, but there are
exceptions, including the narrative intrigue of "The Approach" and the
fascinating "Inside" cue that Williams wrote in 1980 for an extended
version of the film. The composer's source cues are led by the awesome
Golden Age romanticism of "Eleventh Commandment," and fans will
appreciate the several early renditions of the five-note greeting for
the alien dialogue. Those satisfied with the 1998 Arista album may not
find enough fresh material of interest on the 2017 La-La Land product to
merit the latter, but the score certainly deserves such a comprehensive
option, albeit one that also drops the disco mix. 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 the composer's
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. @Amazon.com: CD or
Download
- Score as Written for Film: ****
- Music as Heard on the 1986 Arista and 1990 Varèse Sarabande Albums: ***
- Music as Heard on the 1997 Lacombe Bootleg: *
- Music as Heard on the 1998 Arista and 2017 La-La Land Albums: ****
- Overall: ****
| Bias Check: |
For John Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.8
(in 75 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.66
(in 348,433 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
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New 2-CD set Expand >>
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| 1986 Arista Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 40:53 |
• 1. Main Title and Mountain Visions (3:13)
• 2. Nocturnal Pursuits (2:31)
• 3. The Abduction of Barry (4:28)
• 4. I Can't Believe it's Real (3:18)
• 5. Climbing Devil's Tower (2:05)
• 6. The Arrival of Sky Harbor (4:27)
• 7. Night Siege (6:18)
• 8. The Conversation (2:19)
• 9. The Appearance of the Visitors (4:49)
• 10. Resolution and End Title (6:51)
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| 1989 RCA Gerhardt Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 54:18 |
Star Wars:
• 1. Main Title (5:43)
• 2. The Little People Work (4:55)
• 3. Here They Come! (2:07)
• 4. Princess Leia (5:07)
• 5. The Final Battle (7:18)
• 6. The Throne Room and End Title (8:03)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind:
• 7. Barnstorming/Arrival of the Mother Ship/The Pilot's Return/The Visitors/Final Scene (21:04)
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| 1990 Varèse Sarabande Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 44:02 |
• 1. Main Title and Mountain Visions (3:13)
• 2. Nocturnal Pursuits (2:31)
• 3. The Abduction of Barry (4:28)
• 4. I Can't Believe it's Real (3:18)
• 5. Climbing Devil's Tower (2:05)
• 6. The Arrival of Sky Harbor (4:27)
• 7. Night Siege (6:18)
• 8. The Conversation (2:19)
• 9. The Appearance of the Visitors (4:49)
• 10. Resolution and End Title (6:51)
• 11. "Theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (3:09)
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| 1997 Lacombe Bootleg Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 58:29 |
• 1. The Police Chase the U.F.O.'s (1:49)
• 2. Cosmic Kidnapping/Secret Preparations (2:52)
• 3. Fake U.F.O.'s (4:06)
• 4. Breaking Road Barriers (1:24)
• 5. I Can't Believe it's Real/Dead Animals (3:10)
• 6. Abandoned Planes in the Desert (4:09)
• 7. More Forces Arrive/The Helicopter/Escape! (2:12)
• 8. Up the Mountain - Cropdusting (2:25)
• 9. Over the Mountain (3:04)
• 10. The Stars Move! (3:45)
• 11. Night Siege (6:16)
• 12. Arrival of the Mother Ship (4:24)
• 13. The Conversation (2:51)
• 14. Return of the Captives/Return of Barry (3:38)
• 15. The Aliens Appear/The Head Alien/Original Finale (11:34)
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| 1998 Arista Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 77:21 |
• 1. Opening: Let There Be Light (0:48)
• 2. Navy Planes * (2:07)
• 3. Lost Squadron * (2:23)
• 4. Roy's First Encounter * (2:41)
• 5. Encounter at Crescento Summit */*** (1:21)
• 6. Chasing UFOs ** (1:18)
• 7. False Alarm * (1:42)
• 8. Barry's Kidnapping ** (6:19)
• 9. The Cover-Up * (2:26)
• 10. Stars and Trucks ** (0:44)
• 11. Forming the Mountain * (1:50)
• 12. TV Reveals * (1:50)
• 13. Roy and Gillian on the Road (1:10)
• 14. The Mountain ** (3:31)
• 15. Who Are You People? * (1:35)
• 16. The Escape * (2:18)
• 17. The Escape (Alternate Cue) */*** (2:40)
• 18. Trucking **/*** (2:01)
• 19. Climbing the Mountain ** (2:32)
• 20. Outstretched Hands * (2:48)
• 21. Lightshow * (3:43)
• 22. Barnstorming ** (4:26)
• 23. The Mothership ** (4:34)
• 24. Wild Signals ** (4:12)
• 25. The Returnees ** (3:45)
• 26. The Visitors */***/Bye/End Title: The Special Edition **/*** (12:31)
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* previously unreleased
** contains previously unreleased music
*** not used in the film |
| 2017 La-La Land Album Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 153:02 |
CD1: (78:39)
• 1. Main Title and the Vision** (1:29)
• 2. Navy Planes (2:15)
• 3. Lost Squadron (2:34)
• 4. Trucking (2:09)
• 5. Into the Tunnel and Chasing UFOs (3:56)
• 6. Crescendo Summit (1:25)
• 7. False Alarm and the Helicopter (4:20)
• 8. Barry's Kidnapping (6:22)
• 9. Forming the Mountain (1:58)
• 10. TV Reveals/Across Country (2:53)
• 11. The Mountain (3:36)
• 12. The Cover-up and Base Camp (3:56)
• 13. The Escape (2:20)
• 14. Climbing the Mountain (2:36)
• 15. Outstretched Hands (2:50)
• 16. The Light Show (3:47)
• 17. Barnstorming (4:31)
• 18. The Mothership (4:35)
• 19. The Dialogue (4:28)
• 20. The Returnees (3:58)
• 21. The Appearance of the Visitors# (4:56)
• 22. Contact (3:22)
• 23. End Titles# (4:27)
CD2: (74:23)
Alternates and Additional Music:
• 1. Main Title** (1:18)
• 2. Roy's First Encounter (2:44)
• 3. Encounter at Crescendo Summit (1:25)
• 4. Chasing UFOs (1:22)
• 5. Watching the Skies* (1:20)
• 6. Vision Takes Shape* (0:42)
• 7. Another Vision* (0:42)
• 8. False Alarm (1:45)
• 9. The Abduction of Barry (4:36)
• 10. The Cover-up (2:31)
• 11. TV Reveals (1:52)
• 12. Roy and Jillian on the Road (1:20)
• 13. I Can't Believe It's Real (3:25)
• 14. Across the Fields (1:20)
• 15. Stars and Trucks (0:49)
• 16. Who Are You People? (1:38)
• 17. The Escape (Alternate) (2:41)
• 18. Climbing Devils Tower (2:11)
• 19. Dark Side of the Moon* (1:34)
• 20. The Approach* (4:32)
• 21. Night Siege (6:27)
• 22. The Conversation (2:23)
• 23. Inside*/# (2:34)
• 24. Contact (Alternate)* (2:51)
• 25. Eleventh Commandment* (2:00)
• 26. TV Western* (1:06)
• 27. Lava Flow* (1:47)
• 28. The Five Tones* (2:25)
• 29. Advance Scout Greeting* (2:58)
• 30. The Dialogue (Early Version)* (3:12)
• 31. Resolution and End Title (6:55)
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* previously unreleased
** contains previously unreleased material
# contains interpolations of "When You Wish Upon a Star" by Ned Washington and Leigh Harline |
John Williams with Steven Spielberg, 1977.
The 1986, 1990, 1998, and 2017 albums contain extensive notes about the score and film. Those from the
first two albums are included below. The 1989 RCA Gerhardt album contains no information about the film,
score, or recording. The 1998 Arista album includes an interview conducted with Williams at the time of
its release.
The following is an early statement from Steven Spielberg:
"One day John Williams told me something I never would have imagined...
that creating a musical score for a nearly compeleted motion picture is
far and away more frustrating than creating an original symphonic
composition that never has to conform to the beats, measures, and
boundary layers of a screen story, but instead flows freely from the
composer's imagination as he tells his own story from start to finish.
This is perhaps why much of John's music for Close Encounters of the
Third Kind is so airborne and awe inspiring. He actually started work
on musical ideas two years before Close Encounters was finalized, basing
his impressions on the unfinished script and dinner conversations we
would have twice a week.
In many instances, John wrote his music first, while I put the scenes to
it much later. Because of the complicated special effects that adorn the
final 35 minutes of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, John found
himself composing to blank leader months before the effects were finished
and cut in. This was a challenge to both of us, but it liberated John to
score freely -sans coitus interruptus- and inspired me in reconstructing
certain visuals to the final music.
John became more than just a composer for hire. He was a creative
collaborator in all phases of post production, spending every day for
fifteen weeks in the mixing studio and editing rooms. He taught me about
underrated Russian composers and good German wines, and I taught him how
to pace the hallways and how to eat junkfoods.
John's freedom of choice is evident in every selection on this album.
Once again John Williams has taken a motion picture and interwoven his
own musical story - telling skills to create higher levels of beauty and
suspense His music for Close Encounters goes beyond simply allowing the
listener to recall his favorite scenes but stands on its own as a serious
symphonic achievement - timeless and without restraints."
The following is a note from Kevin Mulhall in the 1990 album:
"In 1977, John Williams singlehandedly revived popular interest in
symphonic film music. His scores for George Lucas' Star Wars and
Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind were both
commercial and critical successes, and introduced the sounds of a
symphony orchestra to a new generation of filmgoers. For Close
Encounters, Williams discarded the lietmotif approach that worked so well
in Star Wars, opting instead for a developmental score that progresses
from the pure atonality of the "Main Title" to the breathtaking
romanticism of the "Resolution and End Title." In between the composer
offers a myriad of textures, motifs, and themes that illuminate
Spielberg's visionary magic and childlike spirit while proceedingwith
fluid logic. Whether it be the driving B-note motif in "Mountain
Visions," the haunting theme in "I Can't Believe It's Real," or the
orchestral turbulence of "Night Seige" and "The Abduction of Barry," the
portrait painted by Williams' complex score is mysterious and
inspiring.
For "The Conversation," Williams developed a musical language that
enabled the mother ship and ground crew to communicate. Williams and
Spielberg listened to 150 permutations of the central 5-note motif before
deciding upon the one finally used. As the pace of the conversation
quickens so does the music - perhaps the most memorable case of
"overlapping dialogue" in film history, and a telling instance of
Williams' art.
By now it is well known that Spielberg edited the final act of the film
to williams' music, a rare case where the editing of the visual image was
dictated by the musical structure. As a result, the music achieves a form
of considerable substance. Indeed, Williams has said that the best
directors are musical: "I think part of what they do is musical. The art
of editing film is a musical art. At the base of both these entities is
rhythm." The end of the film is a perfect marriage of sound and visuals -
at no time is there an image unsuitable for sale in a signed, limited
edition. Williams' dramatic submersion is so complete the finished score
stands on its own as a complete symphonic work, one of the finest
composed in the 1970s.
John Williams has worked with Steven Spielberg on no less than 11
occasions, in films that wouldn't have been the same without his unseen
presence. Their association includes The Sugarland Express (1974),
Jaws (1975), 1941 (1979), The Indiana Jones Trilogy
('81/'84/'89), E.T. (1982), Empire of the Sun (1987), and,
most recently, Always (1989). By allowing Williams to become an
integral and equal partner in his creative planning, Steven Spielberg has
proven that he is one of the few directors who instinctively comprehends
the function and emotive impact of music in films. Although Williams
admits we don't know much about how music affects ourreactions in a
clinical or scientific sense, his music has influenced the psychological
responses of audiences throughout the world, in these and dozens of other
films since he began scoring features in 1960. Williams' music has helped
elevate Close Encounters to a classic example of the affective power of
the cinema. In doing so, the composerhas also affirmed the value of film
as an important vehicle for serious musical expression."
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