Jaws

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

This classic has a lot to offer, but when it comes to pure film music magic, I would recommend the Jaws Anniversary Collector's Edition to many over this one. The main material is present but the effectiveness of the orchestra is better, the sound is purer and the result is really bigger in the recent deluxe edition. But Jaws has indeed some style. After all, Williams' key score has been the soundtrack of all time and it's still a real treat to hear, if you understand what it represents in musical terms. The main theme is known all over the world but the power of the music is missing in every track, it's like listening to an LP if you have a CD in your collection. That's how I feel but trust me, the charm is still here. The best tracks are 'Sea Attack Number One' (the fanfare of Williams) and 'Preparing the Cage', performed differently on the collector's edition. But when it comes to pure orchestral power it's lacking a serious doses of flair.

But anyway you look at it, Jaws is the score to have. It has to sound scary but this is not total carnage from begin to end. No, because John Williams hasn't become the best to simply make music that sounds horrendous on CD but effective on scene. So it is still enjoyable. The fanfares, the themes and the moments are all very good but the main negative aspect is the sound of the recording. And if you compare the faults of the deluxe edition, it is there the lack of a couple of more highlights. Both soundtracks are worth the money but it is a dilemma: you want to hear the main material and you find that the length is enough, then this will be a nice purchase. But the sound is of course much better in Jaws Anniversary Collector's Edition. I'm not saying that the sound is awful here, but the purity is missing. After all, we want to hear the shark's crunching teeth when it attacks a victim right?

Jaws "Anniversary Collector's Edition"

The key theme for John Williams' undisputed career began with a collaboration between infamous John Williams and unknown Steven Spielberg. Their status now is unquestionable but those two never thought one film could bring that success story on the move. Jaws became a phenomenal horror movie and the theme is instantly recognized by its two notes today. That theme represents imminent danger, of course in the movie presented as the big white ruler of the water. It was the chilling fear, the upcoming threat and the great white shark itself that made this film such a classic. Finally after many years they also decided to bring the classic back to life with the DVD version and the expanded score, filled with new tracks, re scored moments and purer sound quality. In other words Jaws got the treatment any classic deserves. Williams' Oscar winning score isn't the most profound listening experience but it's the dark and shocking nature of the film that made this such an effective score, and Williams' key talents became already then classic trademarks. The theme that is known all over the world starts the album in a different way. The begin to many percussion moments filled with quiet underscore. Jaws Anniversary Collector's Edition sounds more horrific and shocking then the original release. There are more shark attacks on this score and a lot of unreleased material was brought to create that scary environment.

This score stays in many ways the same as the original score but the fanfares sound different in movement and sound, the attacking sequences become more shocking to hear and all that Williams magic is portrayed with more power and finesse. All together they make this a much more frightening experience. Still there are some fantastic moments, those are when Williams composes a true orchestral cue, like in 'Man Against Beast' (Sea Attack Number One in original), 'The Shark Cage Fugue' (Preparing The Cage theme) and 'Blown to Bits' (Hand To Hand Combat in original). Like in many complete scores, these sound more effective and brilliant then in the original releases, they also improved in length. In the end it is easy to see that Jaws Anniversary Collector's Edition is better in sound, quality and has simply more material to portray than the original Jaws. Though I find it a classic, it remains much harder to enjoy this score than any other Williams classic. I believe that a fabulous classic must create this perfect mood but also has to stay an interesting listen on the CD, meaning that I prefer for instance a Star Wars soundtrack over this one. Jaws Anniversary Collector's Edition is the true release for any die hard Williams fan but those who never were so fond of the frightening effective nature should pick the original release, it they don't care about the length, the quality and the missing material.

Jaws: ***
Jaws "Anniversary Collector's Edition": ****

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title (Theme From "Jaws") (2.18)

2. Chrissie's Death (1.40)

3. Promenade (Tourists On The Menu) (2.46)

4. Out To Sea (2.26)

5. The Indianapolis Story (2.25)

6. Sea Attack Number One (5.24) Excellent Track

7. One Barrel Chase (3.04)

8. Preparing The Cage (3.23)

9. Night Search (3.30)

10. The Underwater Siege (2.32)

11. Hand To Hand Combat (2.32)

12. End Title (Theme From "Jaws") (2.24)

Total Length: 34.56

Jaws "Anniversary Collector's Edition"

1. Main Title / First Victim ** (3.26)

2. The Empty Raft * (1.21)

3. The Pier Incident * (2.22)

4. The Shark Cage Fugue (1.58)

5. Shark Attack *+ (1.16)

6. Ben Gardner's Boat (3.29)

7. Montage (1.28)

8. Father And Son *+ (3.41)

9. Into The Estuary * (2.49)

10. Out To Sea (2.58)

11. Man Against Beast (5.32) Excellent Track

12. Quint's Tale (2.39)

13. Brody Panics * (1.09)

14. Barrel Off Starboard * (1.29)

15. The Great Shark Chase **+ (3.27) Excellent Track

16. Three Barrels Under *+ (2.03)

17. Between Attacks *+ (2.05)

18. The Shark Approaches ** (2.39)

19. Blown To Bits (3.02) Excellent Track

20. End Titles (1.52)

* Previously Unreleased

** Includes Unreleased Music

+ Includes Music Not Used In The Film

Total Length: 51.20

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: John Williams ===