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Review of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Joel McNeely)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you appreciate Joel McNeely's now-proven talents and
are willing to explore his occasionally impressive and consistently
robust venture into the Star Wars universe.
Avoid it... if you approach this video game score expecting McNeely to make extensive use of John Williams' established themes, their applications frustratingly infrequent.
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
enthusiasts had gotten wind of a second trilogy of films in the
franchise, and enough time had passed since Star Wars: Return of the
Jedi that they were practically frothing at the mouth in
anticipation. With Star Wars: 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 upon 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 it. Their choice was "Shadows of the Empire," a story that
takes place in between Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and
Star Wars: 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 the
central planet of Coruscant for the first time and come face to face
with Prince Xizor, a new villain hoping to dethrone Lord Vader as the
Emperor's right hand man and lures Luke by kidnapping Leia. Being based
very strongly in the Star Wars universe, "Shadows of the Empire"
offers a fresh new look at events that devotees 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 its composer was largely unfamiliar to mainstream movie-goers at
the time. Apart from this project, Composer Joel McNeely had already
made a name for himself as a possible successor someday for John
Williams, with his work for "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" serving
notice of his arrival to the industry. It was reported at the time that
John Williams forwarded McNeely's name to the production team, while
others claim that Williams was never consulted about or offered a chance
to score "Shadows of the Empire." Regardless, McNeely was both capable
of providing an appropriate score and was given the right to use
Williams' existing original trilogy material for reference. A vibrant
performance by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and accompanying
chorus gave McNeely a fighting shot at matching the saga's established
sound.
At the very least, "Shadows of the Empire" is an immensely interesting piece of music. McNeely's take on the music for the saga ranges from commendable to outstanding, his emulation capabilities well exercised. On the other hand, criticism aimed at the score 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 contains only two tracks with substantial references to 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 other 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 universal shame of the composer's approach to "Shadows of the Empire" is that he didn't make more frequent and subtle incorporations of those established themes into his original material, as applied 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 familiar instrumental palette but presents a more conventional 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 work by McNeely but offers harsh atonality at lengths that the Star Wars musical universe isn't accustomed to. But aside from this point of potential 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 achievement here is much stronger than anyone could have expected. Long after the 1996 album went out of print, Varèse Sarabande returned to re-issue the same product on CD and vinyl in 2020. While "Shadows of the Empire" did not launch McNeely's career as many would have hoped, Michael Giacchino instead taking the role of extending Williams' style in famed franchises, the score remains a hidden gem for Star Wars fans to discover and enjoy. ****
TRACK LISTINGS:
All Albums:
Total Time: 51:26
NOTES & QUOTES:
The inserts of both albums include detailed information about the project.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire are Copyright © 1996, 2020, Varèse Sarabande, Varèse Sarabande and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 10/2/96 and last updated 4/16/21. |
