The Witches of Eastwick (Bootleg)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

After two years of non Spielberg efforts, '87 at least offered more then the Spielberg project Empire of the Sun. The Witches of Eastwick was a highly enjoyable film and has Jack Nicholson doing what Jack Nicholson is perfect at, giving us a performance of pleasure and fun. Now, speaking of the score this had to be it, meaning it had to be fun. Still, on the other end it also had to be different, like deviant, playful, scary, mistrusting and full of deceit. If ever, the score of Williams is that. Still, one thing is missing on my list and that is a touch of romance. We are speaking about the devil who seduces three women to give him descendants on earth. So, we get some romance and luckily nothing of the schmaltzy crap of today. But the ticket of this score is still the occasional highlight which unremarkably asks for attention. There aren't many but several are fun and just plain good not to hear. And if that is what you are looking for in a score, at least The Witches of Eastwick will satisfy you. To bad it is a hard to get score, or in my case bootleg.

Yes, again Williams has a bootleg and it seems that non Spielberg efforts are easier not to get a release, since they don't warrant a lot of attention with the mainstream crowd. It did see a release but that one is extinct to a degree and since I had an opportunity to get the full release or common word for it bootleg, I didn't hesitate one bit. And the question is now, is it worth it? Well, I would have to say Yes, even if a shorter score would be more fun overall to hear common. The theme of the score is as deviant as they come and was used with great effect in the trailer of Hook (here separated in the three tracks 24, 17 and 22). The theme receives a lot of time but more in so many versions it it not like you will get bored of it after a minute. The more rambunctious moments are of course the best, moments like 'The Ride Home' are simply pure fun. No matter what you like of style, these moments will intrigue from the start. But other moments are equally noticed, the rather fun attitude in 'The Tennis Game' which is perfectly summarized by Williams in two words, magically playful. It is one of those fun little themes Williams can write every so often. Still, the finest moment and most unexpected surprise is 'The Ballroom Scene', a love theme reminiscent of styles such as E.T., SpaceCamp and Close Encounters of the Third Kind blesses this moment with unbelievable brilliance. It actually surpasses a lot of themes to become one of my favorites in the list, even overshadowing highly acclaimed themes of late.

For the rest we have mostly the tracks that could have been forgotten and will not be found on the original release. Tracks that have a meaning to fulfill in the movie but aren't quite special on the disc. And there are some moments of dissonance such as 'Have Another Cherry!' and 'Maleficio'. And last to mention are the three seduction pieces, each covering a different style and theme, especially 'The Seduction of Jane' has classical fanfares, well chosen since she plays a classical music teacher in the film. Anyway, The Witches of Eastwick is fun on the occasions when the music really counts but also doesn't do much when the rest is heard. It is not boring and it all makes sense but a 72 minutes release isn't worth searching if you have got the best moments on the original fifty minute release. Such is the case with alternate versions which are nice to have but not that important to me, however I must quote that the alternate version of 'The Ballroom Scene' beats the original by far. I can enjoy a portion and several pieces are classic Williams which feel better then some things he even writes today, just because it is the style we all fell in love with. So, The Witches of Eastwick is recommended if you either find it cheap, available or just in good sound quality in what order. At least the fans of the movie and the composer should try to obtain it.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. The Township Of Eastwick (2.55)

2. Daryl Arrives (2.52)

3. Forgotten Name (0.37)

4. Daryl Van Horne (2.03)

5. The Seduction Of Alex (2.45)

6. Insane Felicia (3.05)

7. The Seduction Of Jane (0.44)

8. The Tennis Game (2.56)

9. The Seduction Of Sukie (3.02)

10. The Ballroom Scene (4.08) Excellent Track

11. Scandal In The Church (0.57)

12. Have A Cherry! (0.54)

13. Have Another Cherry! (3.29)

14. The Witches Quarrel (0.47)

15. Devil's Call (0.45)

16. Daryl Rejected (3.08)

17. Maleficio (3.26)

18. Alex And Daryl (1.39)

19. Voodoo Witches (0.28)

20. Daryl's Secrets (3.00)

21. Spitting Cherries (0.46)

22. The Ride Home (3.37)

23. The Destruction Of Daryl (movie version) (3.40)

24. The Children's Carousel (1.58)

25. The Dance Of The Witches / End Credits (4.51)

26. The Ballroom Scene (alternate version) (5.01) Excellent Track

27. The Destruction Of Daryl (alternate version) (3.43)

28. The Dance Of The Witches (alternate version) (5.47)

Total Length: 72.31

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