I'm not sure how far into A Game of Thrones you are, Commodore, but I didn't really hooked until around the last three episodes of the season. I by no means thought it was bad, but wasn't at the point of enjoyment or anticipation that I am now.

I'm a little surprised at how many people are unfamiliar with John Williams as well. When I think about it though, perhaps they're unfamiliar with his name, but I think it's impossible to be unfamiliar with his work.

As a child one of my favorite movies was Superman. My vote has to go for the score to this movie. When I think of Superman, I also think of this score, I hear the song that starts the movie with the credit roll almost instantly when anything to do with Superman comes to mind. Even things that are not movie related. While some of the movies he did unquestionably had awesome scores, they may not have necessarily been associated with that movie at first thought, while Superman in my mind is, and not just the movie, but the character himself.

I can easily recall the more iconic scores, as I'm sure most people can, from all the movies so it's really hard to pick just one. Star Wars and Jurassic Park would have to follow Superman for me.

Wow... what an amazing repertoire John Williams has. He's without a doubt one of the greatest composers of the modern era.

It's tough to pick something, because everything is so good. But for me, the emotion evoked by the music is what counts. With that criteria, I've got to go with Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Indiana Jones theme always raises my spirits no matter what my mood, and instantly brings to mind the feeling of great, swashbuckling adventure. And then there's the Well of Souls theme. Just amazing. Raiders was first (and best), so it gets the advantage over the other Indy movies.

...Were you right outside an airport, Commodore?? There sure were a lot of planes flying over you! It didn't get that much in the way of the video though, so don't worry about that! I also love that the audio sounds great and not really changed despite being outside! Sometimes being outside can change that, but not here!

For this week's question, I'm going to be predictable, and say probably overall A New Hope. I think generally, it's just overall the best I can think of from Williams. The thing about Williams is that his music is mostly remembered and recognized because of the many, many themes he has done. However, sometimes you hear a theme, and you know what it is and what it's from, but you may not remember what the rest of the movie's score sounds like. Not because the rest of the score he did for a movie was 'bad,' but he is excellent at composing striking, memorable themes that really stand out and stick with you, and can really overarch the rest of the score he did, sometimes! With ANH, I find that not to be the case. I suppose part of is because I've seen the movie so many times, like a lot of us have, but I just think there's so much truly memorable music in there, other than the main theme; the Skywalker theme, the Modal Nodes (Cantina band) music, the Death Star trench battle. It's all memorable, and it stays with you, and it's all great. I think ANH's score also comes together in ways that music in other Star Wars movies doesn't. True, The Empire Strikes Back has its signature track, The Imperial March, and it's another of Williams's classic, signature themes, but I think there's just  something about the way more of the music for ANH came together.

If you want to go with particular song, that honor goes to the Superman theme.

However, Williams' best soundtrack was probably Schindler's List.   Because the question was about whole sountracks, it has to be this one because of the overall feel this movie had. The subject matter was incredibly serious. If not approached properly, it wouldn't have been respectful to the Shoah. As a whole, this is by far his best work.
 

Star Wars is easily the first theme that comes to mind. I think the theme from Jurassic Park was much more wonderous and expansive. Super Man and the Star Wars theme both have this heroic anthem sound to them while JP is wandering and open. And certainly while themes should play a factor, the overall score should be taken into account.

There is an emotional impact to music which should be complimentary to a film. John Williams is a wonderful composer and his scores were made to elevate the scenes his music was set to. I don't think it's a stretch to say that his music elevated Star Wars (which was, at the time, on a shoestring budget) into the classic we all remember, new trilogy not withstanding. To the point that even if you didn't like the new trilogy, you had to admire the compositions. In the case of the original 3, the music helped theme it, in the new trilogy the music was better than the content that came with it.

After much consideration, I'm going to give it to Star Wars, my intial thought was that it has the catchiest sound track. Certainly in his best and most noted credits are going to  be Jaws, Indiana Jones and Star Wars, as well as Super Man and Jurassic Park. Oh and let's not forget Terminator so he is an absolute powerhouse of great scoring. As a note, a score should NEVER be over the film it's contained in - a music score should support and add emotional emphasis. The problem with the new SW Trilogy for me is that the Music is distracting more than complimentary, not that it's bad, but that it is the best part. Perhap's that's enough said.

An Honorable mention should be given to movies like Harry Potter which prove he can still make a memorable theme. It and his work on Home Alone though remind me a bit of Danny Elfman's work on Nightmare Before Christmas.

I also like his soundtrack for Memoirs of a Geisha. I've never watched it but I can see rivers of emotion in it, of hard choices to make and uncomfortable situations. It also has enough use of strings, drums and rhythm to give it an Asian flavor but without leaving classical sensibilities. I see streams and meadows when I close my eyes listening to the more uplifting tracks.

Best score. Well, that can be tricky. What is a score supposed to do?

From Wikipedia - "A film score (also sometimes called background music or incidental music) is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental or choral pieces called cues which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to enhance the dramatic narrative and the emotional impact of the scene in question."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_score

I love listening to the soundtracks of Star Wars, and Jurassic Park, and many other movies, but as far as one that instantly gets to the point of the film, and when you hear it, even today, decades later, it makes you think of that film, it's two simple notes.

Da-dum.

Jaws. Two notes, and you're instantly terrified of the water. It may not be the nicest music to listen to, but it so perfectly evokes the film that I would call this probably one of the greatest film scores of all time. It almost acts on a primal level, in that it's so basic, but can convey such a range of anxiety and emotion. You don't even have to have seen the movie, and you can still tell something bad is on its way when you hear it.

Perhaps it's not as versitile as other scores, so can't be corrupted as fast. They've used the Imperial March in car commercials, for pete's sake. You hear it everywhere. It no longer means the ultimate bad guy is approaching. Jaws theme, that only shows up when you need a bigger boat.

Smile, you sonofabitch.

The first things that come to my mind when I think about John William's best scores are of course the Star Wars films, as well as Jurassic Park and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I think I'm going to have to be unoriginal though, and just go with Star Wars, though I would be hard pressed to choose which one of the movies has the best score, since they all have certain songs that I love. The Jurrasic Park theme song, as well as the Harry Potter theme are two of my favorite movie songs of all time though....

Er, sorry, Sonicrose, but Williams didn't do any music on any of the Terminator movies. Brian Feidal did the first two, then Marco Beltrami handled the third, and Danny Elfman did the fourth. :/

I remember finding the Memoirs of a Geisha score sounding interesting and definitely different for Williams, at the time I saw the movie. I haven't heard the score in a long time though, so I don't remember much about it anymore. It may possibly be a hidden gem of his, but I'd say not one of his top works.

I disagree, Drastic; I still find The Imperial March powerful, in 'Empire itself, if no where else, and I definitely find it to be the 'ultimate bad guys are here' music! I still feel that way today! But I know what you mean about it being everywhere, and it may lose some of its edge, depending on where it's used. To me though, nah, it's still just as great as ever in 'Empire!

Alright, i'm going to have to do my all to ususal thing of weaseling out of the question by breaking it up slightly, because I like to talk.

His BEST? I would have to say his best was Jurasic Park. 

But I'm also going to say that it's not my favourite of his. In terms of favourite it's a 3 way tie for me, and while good, and award nominated ( like a good portion of his stuff) I wouldn't call any of them his best.

Hook
Close Encounters
and
The Witches of Eastwick

Yes He's most well known for Jurasic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jaws. and those are what I'd rate as his BEST 4 (I'd say grab a d4, but that's not my schtick). As much as I enjoy these pieces, and as much as they do move me, and elicite imagery and memories. I can't say they're my favourite.

Ahh sorry about the goof there, I think it was that I was listening to one of the themes and Terminator was in the sidebar on Youtube, confused me XD

I gotta go with Saving Private Ryan. That movie is among my favorites of all time, and the score (while sometimes looked over due to great action scenes) just makes the movie that much better.

I also want to mention Catch Me If You Can too. Really fun movie, and some of the scenes with Leo getting away with the music playing in the background (again) made the movie that much better.

To be honest, i always view music as a way to enhance the movie and its story, not to hear my favorite songs in a movie.

With all the planes flying over didn't you guys think you would hear one crash and then see a Smoke Monster come out of the woods behind Commodore. Also thank you for the welcome Commodore, I think my name is pretty awsome too, I actually think its quite rad XD.

Now for me its very hard to pick the best John Willams score. I was looking threw the list on Wikipedia and just remembering all these epic scores to the movies. From Star Wars to Catch Me If You Can all great. I also noticed that almost all of the scores he did he was also nominated for some type of award. So if I have to pick a best John Willams score it would be from the frist few Harry Potter movies. To think of the Harry Potter without the opening title being the way it is just doesn't seem possible. It really makes the books come to life on screen, although I do think the books are better.  

His soundtrack to Empire of the Sun is breathtakingly stunning.

On film soundtracks in general, I just have to say that I think Michael Nyman's The Draughstman's Contract and Ryuichi Sakamoto's The Sheltering Sky are two of the best ever.

Empire of the Sun was great, but the choral song at the beginning, and showing up later, is a traditional song, so it loses some points from me going towards a John Williams score.

Sure, half of the job is picking the right songs to use, but he didn't write that one, and that's the only piece of music most people remember from the film.

First up, to clear the pronunciation issue up, Prangeraide sounds similar to bangerang, or at least that's how the "rang" sounds (PS. I'm Chris from Armchair Thinkers, glad to have an excuse to interact with you guys again).

And interestingly, while I want to tie things in and give the nod to Hook, frick, Williams did the score to the 1984 Olympics. The Olympics. I...can't relate that to a movie, but damn do I want to.

No, if we're going his best... know what? I'm calling Catch Me If You Can. Why? Because it doesn't sound like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, or E.T. What this proves is range. Sure, we can all hum the themes to the biggest movies like Superman and Harry Potter, but with Catch Me If You Can things are much smoother and more subtle. You don't even know that he's the composer, and I think that's the goal: to be so iconic but still capable of flying under the radar. Calling it: Catch Me If You Can.

There are so many good choices it's really difficult to say.  Jaws has such an iconic soundtrack it's very difficult to pick something other than that.  It's an example where the soundtrack added to the menance of the shark and really played an important role in the movie.  I don't thnk Jaws would be as important as it is to the film industry without the soundtrack.

His contributions to movies is really staggering.  If you were going to do a case study on how music plays a role in movies, John Williams holds all the best examples.

I first saw Dracula at a local cinema when I was very young. It was actually the first horror movie I had ever seen and even though it was compared to other movies pretty harmless and Frank Langella never reached Bela Lugosi`s level of acting I was impressed by this movie! When I went to bed that night I still could see Draculas face lurking in the shadows and it probably kept me awake the whole night until the sun was rising again.

It wasn`t so much about the violence or the shocking moments, it was mostly the way Dracula was portrayed that was catching my imagination. He wasn`t the all gruesome murdering monster that I was expecting! He appeared to be an intelligent, well-spoken gentleman catching his victims with his aura and not his fangs.
I just didn`t expect that when I was a kid.

John Williams did a great job at creating a score that not only supported the visuals but alsocreated images of it`s own in my young mind. Bringing up tension and fear in one second as well as the needed reliefe only moments later. It just made the movie so much more enjoyable, helping to transport the feelings from the big screen to the audience. Even though today I prefere the older version of Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, the music has lost none of it`s impact on me and I still get goose bumps just listening to it.

~Bob

I hope it is readable, my english isn`t that good!

WOW It's been a long time since I've commented on a wringer.

My picks are E.T. for the emotion factor, (the piano version of the main theme during the credits is great)

and Catch Me if You Can. I watched it again fairly recently and was surprised by how good the music is. It's sublte and maybe not something you think of when you think of the movie, but it always fits well and moves the mood along without getting in the way.

oh and speaking of John Williams, have you seen this Commadore? It's AWESOME.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk5_OSsawz4

With a career as acclaimed as John Williams' I honestly cannot see how someone could not have heard of him. That truly shocked me. Its another sad commentary on the state of pop culture I suppose but what can you do. As far as the best score that John Williams as ever done, I have to say that while my choice may not be original, it is true to who I am and what I am about. My personal choice has to be "The Empire Strikes Back". To me it is truly the best work he has done and while many scores of his are personal favorites of mine (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Arc, Superman etc.) there is just something about that score in particular that speaks to me. I vote for Empire!

    This is another really tough question.  Looking over the comments so far, the community is having trouble picking just one score.  A film's score is something I learned to appreciate while taking a film study class back in college.  The professor screened Beetljuice with and without the score in order to demonstrate the difference music can make in a film.  Like Danny Elfman,  when John Williams scores a film, he adds enormous energy and emotion to the viewing experience.

    I'm with the community in having trouble choosing my favorite.  That Jurassic Park theme is so good, but the rest of the score is somewhat forgettable.  My pick is Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  Any of the Star Wars films would be a great choice, but the Phantom Menace has Duel of the Fates.  That slice of audible glory paired with the Darth Maul lightsaber battle is so exciting especially in the theater with booming speakers.

    Also thank you John Williams for inspiring this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNlWa_GWhn0&feature=related

    On a side note, I was peeping the Clan of the Gray Wolf store (go there now and buy a shirt) checking out the coolest gear on the net, but there are no mouse pads.  What the heck?  Everyone has mouse pads.  I want a Clan of the Gray Wolf logo mouse pad.  I yearn for a Clan of the Gray Wolf logo mouse pad.  I need a Clan of the Gray Wolf logo mouse pad.  My Duke Nukem 3D mouse pad is about to die after 15 years.  Please make it happen (everyone else buy a mug).

Just found your site this saterday and love the content here.  I've watched all your weekly wringer videos, 16-bit gems, painful memories, and how games work videos from then to now.  Yes I know it's only been 4 days and it really sounds like I have no life watching all that in this small amount of time.  I have a very good reason for that.  I have been bed ridden for 7 months now with 2 ruptured discs in my back and watching videos on the internent and playing games on my computer that I can use my Logitech controller with is all I can do.

I wish I had found your site earlier.  You have so many topics that have been on this series that I would of loved to be a part of, but still enjoyed watching your thoughts and reading other peoples thoughts on them.  I have learned some things I didn't know about some subjects that I am glad I have had the chance to hear about.

I hope to be a part of this comunnity and want to participate in your conversations.  You seem to welcome new people and read all comments along with many others in here reading other people thoughts.  And really with the lonelyness that comes with being stuck in bed for so long will probally help me in that regard.  I am married and my wifes company is great but she is not a geek like us and people with alot of the same interest to get involved with will just give me a bit of that life back.

On the subject of today's questions.  I'm not that familure with all of his work but did look on his wiki page.  The only thing that I really knew was him was Star Wars saga music.  After looking at what else he did and have seen most of the movies I will have to say that I think it's a close one between Star Wars and Jurassic Park.  Both really good movies with great music in them and I don't think I would be able to choose between the two.  Not really a topic that I can give best opionion on seeing I'm still under knowledge about the subject and havn't seen alot of the movies I saw there in a long time and don't have access to them to watch agian.  If I did I would watch them agian before commenting seeing all I have is time.

Thank you all that decided to read my novel of a comment and hope to have a good, and long stay here in this community.

Looking over the comments so far, the community is having trouble picking just one score.

The goal is not for all of us to pick the same one, but express our own opinions on the subject.

I'm going to go with the Star Wars musical scores, the main reason being that it is his most well known, and most recognizable work.....

Well, ok, the Jaws theme is probably his most recognizable work, but the entire Star Wars soundtrack seemed to be more recognizable, from the opening narritive scrolling down, to the imperial death march, to may the force be with you, even the  music playing in the X-wing dogfights.

If you play any 10 seconds of the Star Wars soundtrack, just about anyone can tell you it's from Star Wars, while most people only recognize the iconic two-note theme from JAWS, awsum as it may be........

First I would like to mention to the Commodore that you should read at least the first book of Game of Thrones.  You mentioned you dislike the part of the sexual content in the show.  Even thought that is something that happens or is part of the books it's not so out and explicit as the TV show, I acutally think HBO over did it a bit to get better ratings or something.

About the John Williams score, well it's quite difficult to pick just one.   There are so many memorable ones to mention.   But I would have to say my favorite one is "Empire Strikes Back"  but I would have to say the "Indiana Jones" theme is probably the most catchy and fun.

I agree completely with the first comment on why people are unfamiliar with John Williams because I fit that category. I know the major Star Wars, Jaws, Jurrasic Park, etc. songs, but didn't know the name of they guy who did them. Sorry, I just don't pay attention to the credits. So in an effort to educate myself, I did a quick search on IMDB.

Wow!

That's all really need be said. Just wow! He has one hell of a resume in movies, tv, and video games. Too many to look at each one individually, but if you scan down the list you're guarenteed to recognize something.

To answer the question, I think it would clearly have to be his work in Star Wars. The music is so iconic that even people who have never seen any Star Wars movie (yes, I do know a few) will know some of the theme songs to the series. Walk in to any random group of people and start humming it, and you will have people joining in.

My favorite would be the theme for Vader. The music alone is like a demonstration of power. When you hear it, you know you are about to meet the most powerful force (no pun intended, but it's kind of funny) in the universe and it will kick your butt if you don't get out of the way.

So when I was first typing this I was installing java or some shit like that and when it was done it decided to close my browser without asking me, so my paragraph about how I don't know much about movie cast or creators, or about the music, although I do know like to pay attention to the tone of the music to get the mood of the scene and blah blah, I've probably heard this guys stuff but I wouldn't know. I'll be coming in next week to hope I learn something about a movie I love. Then I brought up how I thought this new schedule would be better for me with the weekend allowing me to post earlier but instead last week I was busy with work I missed from being absent 3 days of last week. So here I am friday, having completely forgotten. I watched on tuesday and planned to post sooner. I'll have more free time this weekend so if I don't post before Monday one of you find a way to punish me. So yep, I'll be watching next week for sure, hugs and shit.

There is always going to be someone who doesn´t know who someone is, even if that person has created some of the best orchestrated themes, I love the themes that John Williams have created and remember back when I was watching movies like E.T, Indiana Jones and all the others thinking wow this is a really nice track, I have an iPhone and I always have some tracks from John Williams on it. There is just always going to be someone who doesn’t know it´s sad but that just how it is.

Someday I would like to sit down with my future girlfriend and watch all the movies that John Williams have done themes for, he is an amazing person with a very long music repertoire and I cannot deny his contribution to the movie industry, and honestly who can?

I had a hard time finding the best theme, really he has done some really nice themes, overall though I must side with Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark, a second would be The Star Wars theme, and while I must admit I didn’t like Star Wars as much as many others have I still to this day consider the music of the movie to be epic.

Here is to John Williams, you have done so much to the movie industry, may you live to be a hundred years old, and still created a few themes for us to love!