Music CD Box Set Review: 'The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition'

On November 7, 2007, Sony Classical's Masterworks label released The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition, an eight-CD box set that reissued the three Special Edition soundtracks from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi in their full glory. In addition, the collection includes Star Wars: The Corellian Edition, a 2005 compilation of Star Wars' greatest hits from the six movies then in existence. (Lucasfilm was still an independent company and the Sequel Trilogy was something that existed only in the imaginations of a few hopeful fans.)

And to complement the 434 minutes of composer-conductor John Williams' scores for the Original Trilogy, Sony also packed a CD-ROM which contains "digital files of the original LP packaging, poster, and inserts."

The Box Set

When I first saw this set for sale at Amazon, I assumed that Sony Classical had created a Collector's Edition set with the complete scores from the six Star Wars movies then in existence. (Lucasfilm, you may remember, was still an independent company when Sony released The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition in 2007 and George Lucas had said many times that the saga was complete, so this box set was created before the Sequel Trilogy was announced in 2012.)

My initial reaction was "Great! Sony and John Williams finally decided to follow up the success of their various reissues of the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition albums and are offering us the complete scores from both trilogies!"

When I read the original product listing (which has now been removed since this box set is now only available through third-party sellers), I saw that my assumption was incorrect.

Okay, yes. The box set does celebrate the first three decades of Maestro John Williams' amazing symphonic scores since it presents music from the Prequel Trilogy and the beloved Classic Trilogy.

But instead of doing so by releasing the six soundtrack albums in a single collection, Sony did something else: Through its Masterworks label, it reissued the 1997/2004 2-CD soundtracks from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi in small replicas of the original LP album covers and decorated the discs themselves to give them the look of the 1977, 1980, and 1983 records.

As for the Prequel Trilogy?

The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith are not as popular in Star Wars fandom as the Classic Trilogy, but the scores were nothing short of brilliant and introduced new themes to the Star Wars canon. Maybe the Prequels' less-favored child status explains why Sony decided to hold off on releasing a comprehensive CD set with all six soundtracks till 2016, or maybe the marketing division figured it would make The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition too expensive.

Whatever the reason was, the producers of The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition decided to not include the 1999, 2002, and 2005 albums from the Prequels. Instead, they enclosed Star Wars: The Corellian Edition, a 2005 CD that was initially included with some versions of the Revenge of the Sith soundtrack as a promotional gimmick. (Other editions of the Episode III album came with a DVD called Star Wars: A Musical Journey.)

Star Wars: The Corellian Edition is billed as "featuring music from all six episodes." That much is true, but though the quality of the music itself is good, the selection of cues is rather lackluster, especially when it concerns the Prequels. None of the fan favorite tracks, such as Anakin's Theme or Across the Stars is presented in Star Wars: The Corellian Edition. Instead, we get "minor" action cues along the lines of The Flag Parade and Yoda and the Younglings. That's why, Dear Reader, I didn't buy it when Sony released it on its own as a compilation album.

The box set contains:

Discs 1 & 2: Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope
Discs 3 & 4: Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Discs 5 & 6: Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Disc 7: Star Wars: The Corellian Edition (A collection of themes from all six movies on one CD)
Disc 8: CD-ROM with digital files of the original LP packaging, poster, and inserts

My Take

The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition was released over 10 years ago. It probably sold well initially; it was designed to appeal to older fans who were nostalgic for the Original Trilogy or new ones that didn't have any of the soundtracks. I had several sets with the original recordings (including the 1993 Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology and the RCA Victor/Sony Classical Special Edition sets from 1997 and 2004), so technically I did not need The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition.

Nostalgia, it seems, often overrides common sense, at least when it comes to Star Wars fans like me.

From a purely musical perspective, the best discs of The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition are the six "Special Edition" discs that contain the complete scores from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. First released by RCA Victor in 1997 and reissued by Sony Classical in 2004 with DSD technology, these CDs present Maestro Williams' score as they were heard in the films (except, of course, for the concert hall arrangements of several themes from the trilogy; see track listings below for details), as well as outtakes and other bonus tracks.

Sony Classical did not, as I mentioned earlier, tweak with the musical content. It did, however, redesign the CD packaging and the CD art on the discs.

This is what one of the Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope CDs looks like. Note that its label duplicates the look of the 1977 LP by 20th Century Records. The illusion is marred by the modern logos for Sony Classical, Lucasfilm, the DSD recording format, and the "Compact Disc" format. (C) 2007 Sony Classical and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)

Finally, we get a look at the facsimile of 1983's Return of the Jedi single LP release. Again, the art is almost perfect, except for the required modern-day Sony Classical and Lucasfilm logos. (C) 2007 Sony Classical and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)

In addition to the seven audio CDs, The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition comes with a data-only CD-ROM. This disc contains images of the album covers, their "centerfolds," liner notes, and other art.

This CD-ROM is old in computer tech terms and works better with older operating systems - such as Windows XP or Windows Vista, but happily the files are still accessible through any Windows-based photo viewing program or even MS Paint.

The Verdict

As I mentioned earlier, The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition is over 10 years old. I have not done extensive research on how well it sold at its prime (between 2007 and 2012), but judging by the reviews on Amazon, the general consensus seems to be:

The first six CDs of the Classic (or Original) Trilogy are the best, especially if you are a first-time purchaser of Maestro Williams' scores for A New Hope (aka Star Wars), The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi
If you already own the CDs from the 1997 Special Edition of the Star Wars Trilogy or their 2004 reissue (a tie-in to the then-new DVD set), there's no new musical territory to explore here
The Corellian Edition is okay for newbies, but a set with the Prequel Trilogy albums would have been better
When this was a new set the price ($34.99) was reasonable. Now it's $85.99 (used) and as pricey as $499.08 (new and before shipping costs are factored in) from third-party sellers
In 2016, Sony Classical released Star Wars: The Ultimate Soundtrack Collection, an 11-disc collection of 9 music-only CDs, a bonus disc of interviews with John Williams and Harrison Ford, and a DVD titled Star Wars: A Musical Journey

The more complete 2016 set is still available at Amazon, but only through (ugh) third-party sellers. It's more affordable ($45.05) if you're willing to buy a used set, but even brand new (at a somewhat hefty $185.15) it's still cheaper than trying to get the $499.08 30th Anniversary set.

Track Listing

Disc: 1 (Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope)

1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare - London Symphony Orchestra

2. Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner - London Symphony Orchestra

3. Imperial Attack - London Symphony Orchestra

4. The Dune Sea of Tatooine/Jawa Sandcrawler - London Symphony Orchestra

5. The Moisture Farm - London Symphony Orchestra

6. The Hologram/Binary Sunset - London Symphony Orchestra

7. Landspeeder Search/Attack of the Sand People - London Symphony Orchestra

8. Tales of a Jedi Knight/Learn About the Force - London Symphony Orchestra

9. Burning Homestead - London Symphony Orchestra

10. Mos Eisley Spaceport - London Symphony Orchestra

11. Cantina Band - London Symphony Orchestra

12. Cantina Band #2 - London Symphony Orchestra

13. Binary Sunset (Alternate) - London Symphony Orchestra

Disc: 2 (Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope)

1. Princess Leia's Theme - London Symphony Orchestra

2. The Millennium Falcon/Imperial Cruiser Pursuit - London Symphony Orchestra

3. Destruction of Alderaan - London Symphony Orchestra

4. The Death Star/The Stormtroopers - London Symphony Orchestra

5. Wookie Prisoner/Detention Block Ambush - London Symphony Orchestra

6. Shootout in the Cell Bay/Dianoga - London Symphony Orchestra

7. The Trash Compactor - London Symphony Orchestra

8. The Tractor Beam/Chasm Crossfire - London Symphony Orchestra

9. Ben Kenobi's Death / Tie Fighter Attack - London Symphony Orchestra

10. The Battle of Yavin (Launch from the Fourth Moon/ X-Wings Draw Fire/ Use the Force) - London Symphony Orchestra

11. The Throne Room/End Title - London Symphony Orchestra

Disc: 3 (Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)

1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare - Alfred Newman/John Williams

2. Main Title/The Ice Planet Hoth - John Williams

3. The Wampa's Lair/Vision of Obi-Wan/Snowspeeders Take Flight - John Williams

4. The Imperial Probe/Aboard the Executor - John Williams

5. The Battle of Hoth - John Williams

6. The Asteroid Field - John Williams

7. Arrival on Dagobah - John Williams

8. Luke's Nocturnal Visitor - John Williams

9. Han Solo and the Princess - John Williams

10. Jedi Master Revealed/Mynock Cave - John Williams

11. The Training of a Jedi Knight/The Magic Tree - John Williams

Disc: 4 (Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back)

1. The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) - John Williams

2. Yoda's Theme - John Williams

3. Attacking a Star Destroyer - John Williams

4. Yoda and the Force - John Williams

5. Imperial Starfleet Deployed/City in the Clouds - John Williams

6. Lando's Palace - John Williams

7. Betrayal at Bespin - John Williams

8. Deal with Dark Lord - John Williams

9. Carbon Freeze/Darth Vader's Trap /Departure of Boba Fett - John Williams

10. The Clash of Lightsabers - John Williams

11. Rescue from Cloud City/Hyperspace - John Williams

12. The Rebel Fleet/End Title - John Williams

Disc: 5 (Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)

1. 20th Century Fox Fanfare - Alfred Newman/John Williams

2. Main Title/Approaching The Death Star/Tatooine Rendezvous - John Williams

3. The Droids Are Captured - John Williams

4. Bounty for a Wookiee - John Williams

5. Han Solo Returns - John Williams

6. Luke Confronts Jabba/Den Of The Rancor/Sarlacc Sentence - John Williams

7. The Pit of Carkoon/Sail Barge Assault - John Williams

8. The Emperor Arrives/The Death of Yoda/Obi-Wan's Revelation - John Williams

9. Alliance Assembly - John Williams

10. Shuttle Tydirium Approaches Endor - John Williams

11. Speeder Bike Chase/Land of the Ewoks - John Williams

12. The Levitation/Threepio's Bedtime Story - John Williams

13. Jabba's Baroque Recital - John Williams

14. Jedi Rocks - John Williams

15. Sail Barge Assault (Alternate) - John Williams

Disc: 6 (Star Wars - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi)

1. Parade of the Ewoks - John Williams

2. Luke and Leia - John Williams

3. Brother and Sister/Father and Son/The Fleet Enters Hyperspace/Heroic Ewok - John Williams

4. Emperor's Throne Room - John Williams

5. The Battle Of Endor I - John Williams

6. The Lightsaber/The Ewok Battle - John Williams

7. The Battle Of Endor II - John Williams

8. The Battle Of Endor III - John Williams

9. Leia's News/Light of the Force - John Williams

10. Victory Celebration/End Title - John Williams

11. Ewok Feast/Part of the Tribe - John Williams

12. The Forest Battle (Concert Suite) - John Williams

Disc: 7 (Star Wars: The Corellian Edition)

1. Episode I - Star Wars Main Title and the Arrival at Naboo - London Voices

2. The Flag Parade - London Symphony Orchestra

3. Episode I - Qui-Gon's Noble End - London Voices

4. Jango's Escape - London Symphony Orchestra

5. Yoda and the Younglings - London Symphony Orchestra

6. General Grievous - London Voices

7. Anakin's Dark Deeds - London Voices

8. Imperial Attack - London Symphony Orchestra

9. Ben Kenobi's Death / Tie Fighter Attack - London Symphony Orchestra

10. Yoda and the Force - John Williams

11. The Clash of Lightsabers - John Williams

12. Sail Barge Assault - London Symphony Orchestra

13. End Title from "Star Wars Episode VI" - London Symphony Orchestra

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