Still John Williams’ most towering musical accomplishment bar none, the score from The Empire Strikes Back has long existed in various stages of incompleteness – until now. One of the few truly good things to come out of the special edition releases it this comprehensive two-disc remastered version of the soundtrack. Correcting all of the gaps and curious omissions of previous releases, it’s also the soundtrack (and the film) that was screwed with the least of the classic trilogy. (If I recall correctly, Empire‘s big revisions were a major cleanup of the Hoth battle special effects, the Wampa got a facelift, lots of new windows were installed in Cloud City, and a single non-sequitur scene with
Darth Vader was added.)
I’ve already waxed rhapsodic about this one in the past. Do get it. I know some purists have avoided anything to do with the special editions, but this version of the Empire soundtrack proves that some good can come out of the least likely things.
Disc one:
- 20th Century Fox Fanfare (0:22)
- Main Title / The Ice Planet Hoth (8:09)
- Wampa’s Lair / Vision Obi-Wan / Snowspeeders Take Flight (8:44)
- The Imperial Probe / Aboard The Executor (4:24)
- The Battle Of Hoth (14:48)
- The Asteroid Field (4:15)
- Arrival On Dagobah (4:54)
- Luke’s Nocturnal Visitor (2:35)
- Han Solo and the Princess (3:26)
- Jedi Master Revealed / Mynock Cave (5:44)
- The Training Of A Jedi Knight / The Magic Tree (5:16)
Disc two:
- The Imperial March: Darth Vader’s Theme (3:02)
- Yoda’s Theme (3:30)
- Attacking A Star Destroyer (3:04)
- Yoda And The Force (4:02)
- Imperial Starfleet Deployed / City In The Clouds (6:04)
- Lando’s Palace (3:53)
- Betrayal At Bespin (3:46)
- Deal With The Dark Lord (2:37)
- Carbon Freeze / Darth Vader’s Trap / Departure of Boba Fett (11:50)
- The Clash Of Lightsabers (4:18)
- Rescue of Cloud City / Hyperspace (9:10)
- The Rebel Fleet / End Title (6:28)
Released by: RCA/Victor
Release date: 1997
Disc one total running time: 62:43
Disc two total running time: 61:44