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•	2000 Varèse Album

•	2000 Decca Album

•	1992 MCA Album

•	2015 Intrada Album

•	2000 Varèse Album

•	2000 Decca Album

•	1992 MCA Album

One can truly understand Spielberg's surprise when Williams produced a title theme for Jaws consisting of a repeating two-note phrase. On the piano, it sounded silly, but when performed by the string section of an orchestra, both men were surprised by the monstrous thematic creation they had stumbled upon. There is no serious debate about the functionality of the music in the film. Part of the film's dominant success was due, directly, to its relatively deceptive use of music, however. The ingenious idea of using the mindless two-note progression to represent the shark is effectively applied to the score by its tempo or even by its absence. The two-note progression was meant to match the blood pressure of the shark, not that of the audience. Many people mistakenly believe that the theme was intended to reflect the horror level of the audience. In fact, the idea represents the internalized zeal of the shark itself, a flow that Williams and Spielberg allowed the audience to listen in on. The theme increases its pace as the shark gets excited, and it is absent from scenes in which the shark isn't anywhere near the present locale, most notably in the false alarm scenes of mistaken identity. The shark's primitive and brutal hunting instincts make the structurally simplistic two-note theme into the embodiment of the shark that Spielberg had struggled to obtain with the actual, physical beast that he had built for the film. Even if you see a fin in the water, if Williams' theme isn't heard, then there's no reason to worry or panic. A deep tuba and horn motif that actually serves as the primary theme for the film is usually presented on top of this simple ostinato, though this idea is truly overshadowed by its underlying rhythm. The theme's concert version and the cue "Man Against Beast" both build to a wondrous crescendo of melodramatic movie music fantasy on strings that is pure Williams in other-worldly style. Accompanying the title theme is a pleasant, if not jubilant theme for the cozy beach town of Amity, one which provides a handful of thematic bursts that serve as early evidence of Williams' talent for capturing the Americana spirit. The most enjoyable theme in the film is that for the Orca, the boat optimistically sailing off to dispatch the shark. It is here that Williams offers his swashbuckling spirit of adventure that is destined for a very dark turn as the animal eventually prevails over the craft.

The enjoyable statements of adventure music in Jaws accompany the Orca as it sets off and initially shows some success against the shark, highlighted in "Man Against Beast." This cue prompted Williams to define the lengthy duel as having a "pirate spirit" that necessitated music that rolls along with jovial sport. Williams slowly takes that uplifting spirit and transfers it into one of increasing panic and desperation as the Orca comes under life-threatening attack, a back-and-forth of motif struggles until the ultimate timpani roll declares relief as the decapitated shark's blood fills the ocean waters. The narrative of Williams' approach to Jaws is absolutely superb, a tighter-woven progression through the emotional realms than heard in his sequel score a few years later. Despite the awesome power and effectiveness of the score as heard in the film, however, the mass majority of the music doesn't make for one of Williams' better album experiences. For most listeners, Jaws is a work of fine craftsmanship to appreciate intellectually on album rather than enjoy with casual ease. The sense of flighty adventure on the high seas during the chase sequence offers the only really accessibly listenable material on album. Who really wants to listen to the shark's theme on snowy day in Montana? Many people have suggested correctly that Williams' Jaws 2 is a better and more consistent listening experience on album. Despite this fact, the first film's score understandably exists on a variety CD albums. The original LP and 1992 MCA CD feature about half an hour of music that Williams rearranged and re-recorded for the sole purposes of the album, and this was for a long time the only available music from the picture. Given public acceptance of the "re-recording for album" practice through the years, this album was considered satisfactory by most. In 2000, a sudden flurry of activity included the announcement by Varèse Sarabande that composer/conductor Joel McNeely would be conducting the Royal Scottish Orchestra in a performance of the entire Jaws score, scheduled for release later that year. Before that could be recorded, however, Universal decided to hasten the project of releasing 51 original minutes of Jaws music (not the re-recordings done in 1975 for the LP) on an album to coincide with the much hyped collector's DVD release celebrating the 25th anniversary of the film.

For the most casual fans of Williams' music, the best bet on album was long the 2000 remastered release of the original Jaws score, though there are those who regularly prefer Williams' typically strong rearrangements for his albums (The Fury is a good example of such disparity). If sound quality is your concern, then the RSO re-recording might be preferred, though the intimate sense of danger experienced during the original recordings of the Jaws themes is lost a bit by the echoing sound of the large, dynamic performance. That re-recording does feature some different tempi and instrumentation during key sequences, and this may bother listeners who are very familiar with the original. Williams had a direct say in how the music was presented on the 1992 and 2000 releases of the two original Jaws recordings, so the cues are rearranged and renamed in parts of those albums to suit his wishes. In 2015, Intrada Records sought to finally produce the most definitive release of the score, revisiting both the film and album recordings with the intent of providing a complete presentation of the work and clean up its sound quality using newer digital mastering technologies. The score's original film version has always suffered from issues with clicking, hiss, and other artifacts on its studio tapes, and its three-channel spread was made in such a way as to really prohibit a true stereo experience. At times, alternate takes had to be used on the 2000 album rather than those heard in the film. The 2015 album finally uses technology to salvage those tapes with better results, though don't expect a vibrant stereo soundscape to result. The Intrada album, especially in the film recording on its first CD, does sound noticeably improved in its clarity of instrumental spread. The many alternate takes presented on the set are a pleasure to study, mainly to hear the composer and director struggle to find the right tone of malice in the score's later cues. That album also features, after the 1975 re-recording on the second CD, a wealth of source material recorded by Williams for the film's on-shore sequences. Overall, outside of two or three cues led by the phenomenal "Man Against Beast," Jaws is not something you can sit and listen to for any great length of time. Study and admire its constructs and intelligent application, but don't expect it to freely entertain without forcing you into a more contemplative analysis of its purpose. Regardless of its arrangement for the albums, the score's application in context is a stroke of genius, one that endures as a singular triumph in the history of film music.   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

• Music as Written for the Film:  *****
• Score as Heard on the 1992 MCA Records Album:  ****
• Score as Heard on the 2000 Decca Records Album:  *****
• Score as Heard on the 2000 Varèse Sarabande Re-Recording:  ****
• Score as Heard on the 2015 Intrada Set:  *****
• Overall:  *****

Bias Check:

For John Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.68 (in 91 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.54 (in 363,581 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.