John Williams' soundtracks for the first sixStar Warsmovies have been remastered and are getting re-released this year on May 4, akaStar WarsDay. Williams work as a composer can’t be understated, but it will always be his work on theStar Warsfranchise that he is most associated with. Now, it’s been announced that his classic scores have been given a new polish and will be making their way to stores this May.
Disney Music Group announced thatStar WarsDay will see the re-release of John Williams' original sixStar Wars soundtrackson CD. Unfortunately, for now, the remastered versions of the soundtracks won’t be getting a vinyl release. But that could always be announced later, so don’t give up hope just yet. These new versions of theStar Warssoundtracks are all remastered, complete with new artwork and a collectible mini-poster. This includesA New Hope(1977),The Empire Strikes Back(1980),Return of the Jedi(1983),The Phantom Menace(1999),Attack of the Clones(2002), andRevenge of the Sith(2005), which feature some of Williams' most memorable compositions, including theStar Warsmain theme,Imperial MarchandDuel of the Fates.
These versions of theStar Warssoundtracks were reconstructed from new hi-resolution transfers supervised by Shawn Murphy andSkywalker Sound. If you’re a die hard fan of all things related to a galaxy far, far away, picking up these new copies of the soundtracks may make for a nice addition to your collection. Not only will they have what sounds like an improved sound quality, but all of the covers for the albums, which you can see for yourself below, have a consistent look. Plus, they’ll include the previously mentioned mini-posters, which could serve as a nice little bonus.
Unfortunately, the soundtracks forStar Wars: The Force AwakensandStar Wars: The Last Jediaren’t included here. Since those were composed much more recently, they aren’t likely in need of a remaster. On the flipside, nobody is necessarily clamoring for much when it comes toStar Wars: The Phantom Menace, but if there’s one element of that movie that is worthy of including in a collection, it’s John Williams' score. And a remastered version ofDuel of the Fatescould make that worth the price alone. Strangely, what is arguably Williams' finest moment came during what is widely considered to be the worst movie in theStar Warsfranchise.
It was recently announced thatEpisode 9is likelygoing to be the lastmovie in the series forJohn Williams, but he’s had a tremendous run. These newly remastered versions of the first sixStar Warssoundtracks are currently available for pre-order on Amazon. They’re listed for $12.99 each, but the CDs will surely be released at retailers as well on May 4, just ahead of the release ofSolo: A Star Wars Storyon May 25. That movie doesn’t feature a score from John Williams, but he did contribute a Han Solo theme. This news comes to us courtesy ofStarWars.com.
