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FILMTRACKS.COM
PRINTER-FRIENDLY VIEW 
Review of Solo: A Star Wars Story (John Powell/John Williams)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you seek proof that "Star Wars" music can thrive
brilliantly after the exit of John Williams from the stage, John Powell
providing an extremely satisfying career highlight that successfully
blends the undeniable Williams' legacy with his own best mannerisms.
Avoid it... if you expect this score to cure your toenail fungus, because there's no rational reason for any film music collector to shun this magnificent work.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Solo: A Star Wars Story: (John Powell/John
Williams/Various) While the Marvel Cinematic Universe proved itself
immune to the fatigue of over-saturation in the 2010's, the vaunted
"Star Wars" saga was not so lucky. Since Walt Disney Studios' takeover
of the concept from George Lucas, an anthology of "Star Wars Stories"
appeared in short order, and fans made it clear through unexpectedly
poor box office returns that the saga was perhaps too sacred to plunder
so frequently. There is an overarching problem with the "Star Wars"
universe that 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story perpetuates, one of
pessimism and loss that has robbed much of the spirited, buoyant
enthusiasm of the original trilogy. Like its contemporaries in the
franchise, the Han Solo film is a downer, once again conveying that
galaxy far, far away in a frighteningly troubled light. Not once in this
franchise's feature films has there ever been a successful romance
between two beings. Think about that for a moment. While Solo: A Star
Wars Story contains fewer unsatisfying deaths of major characters
than its predecessor, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the 2018
entry sees all three of its major male characters lose their leading
ladies in its plot, projecting an already gloomy set of narratives into
yet another brief snippet of "Star Wars" chronology. These films have
become surprisingly depressing from the romantic perspective of a space
opera, and Solo: A Star Wars Story was poised to lose Disney
significant amounts of money as a result. The film was another
production nightmare in the franchise, director Ron Howard stepping in
for Disney (and Lucas, who remains involved) to reshoot most of the film
after the studio realized the product had major problems. Howard does
reasonably well with the material, providing several absolutely riotous
action scenes led by a monumentally entertaining train heist sequence.
The film also contains the requisite nuggets referencing the larger
"Star Wars" universe, including a couple of characters from Star
Wars: The Phantom Menace. (The appearance of Warwick Davis in a
cameo speaking role here is highly redemptive.)
Questionable acting performances, including Alden Ehrenreich inevitably failing as a young Harrison Ford, oddly paced sequences of character interactions, the infusion of civil rights concerns involving droids, and the aforementioned depressing overall demeanor of the affair dampen the movie's promise. Fortunately, the ills of Solo: A Star Wars Story did not stop composer John Powell from delivering a masterpiece of a score for the film. If you had generated several dozen possible outcomes for this score, perhaps the best available option prevailed, with the franchise maestro, John Williams, returning to write two themes for Han Solo and Powell then enthusiastically adapting them into his original score. Powell, whose output waned in the decade as he could carefully choose his involvements at this point in his career, was drawn to the assignment in part because of Williams' agreement to provide the film's main identity, admitting that it would be an honor to work with a man who he deemed the "Yoda of film music." (It also helped that Hans Zimmer, when approached by Howard when he took the helm, encouraged the director to stick with Powell.) Of course, with Powell often comes an army of ghostwriters, and there are three additional crew members credited with writing or adapting music for the film. It's fascinating to hear Powell channel his lifelong passion for the "Star Wars" concept into his own methodology without losing the key tenants of the franchise's music. Michael Giacchino took an extremely conservative approach to handling the adaptation of Williams' mannerisms in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, writing music that emulated the maestro (as Giacchino has done throughout his career) to such a degree that the resulting score was caught in the "sounds like Williams but isn't" category of sufficiency but deficiency. Powell better manages to adapt Williams sound firmly into his own confort zone, producing an overall musical voice that is a third Williams, a third Powell's X-Men-inspired action, and a third Powell's romanticism from the memorable How to Train Your Dragon scores. The combination works brilliantly, the reverence to Williams highly effective without ever sounding awkward. The music for Solo: A Star Wars Story is evidence of a composer at the top of his game, Powell's themes impressively developed and his adaptations cleverly executed in most instances. There is writing in this score that is simply divine in its complexity yet fluid, tonal accessibility. Powell didn't write the standalone thematic suites that Giacchino did in his assignment; rather, he concentrated on supplying a really powerful musical narrative that often makes the most of each scene's capabilities. The tone of the recording is key to this success; electronic embellishment and manipulation is held to a minimum, the symphony gorgeously breathing life into a wet, live mix that is infinitely more engaging than Giacchino's comparatively stale recordings. The impact of the mix of Powell's recording for Solo: A Star Wars Story cannot be understated. It's often tricky to emphasize individual performers, especially on woodwinds, when a score is supplied a vibrantly live ambience. But that slightly echoing fantasy tone is perfectly captured in this score, one begging for a surround sound listening experience on its own. (Note that Powell did adjust the mix of the score for his "Deluxe Edition" album release, occasionally diminishing some elements.) The standard Powell reliance on percussion is the most glaring difference between the composer's own style and the Williams/Giacchino methodology despite Williams' incorporation of them in the prequels to a greater degree. The rowdy percussion section in Solo: A Star Wars Story confirms this as a solidly Powell effort from start to finish. It's intriguing to compare the Powell crew's London recording of the Han Solo thematic material with Williams' actual concert arrangement of those themes with a Los Angeles ensemble. The Williams composition, conducted by the 86-year-old maestro himself, reflects his usual precision of orchestration and style, clearly extending his stately rebel material from Star Wars: The Last Jedi into a pair of identities for the beloved scoundrel that culminate in yet another suite with a false crescendo conclusion at the end, a Williams trademark. Powell takes that inspiration and maintains Williams' flourishes on woodwinds, triplets on trumpets, and frantic figures on celli while expressing the themes amongst his own preferred mix of ingredients. The learned ear can hear the legacy of Williams' phrasing and orchestrations all over the score for Solo: A Star Wars Story despite its clear classification in the Powell realm, and it wouldn't be surprising if many listeners gravitate towards Powell's treatment of the Han themes more often than Williams' formal arrangements. The instrumental pallet for Powell ranges wildly in its accents throughout the work, abrasive choral tones for one set of characters, a loungey, almost retro ambience for another, and strikingly brutal and dissonant explosions of action at the height of one chase scene. The choral element is judiciously applied, though there is an over-the-top expression of glorious grandeur by the singers for the introduction of the famed Millennium Falcon. Two highlight cues utilize the deep male choral tones of Williams' prequel scores. Together, these contributors supply the perfect tone for each of the score's many themes, most of which new for this story. Powell's ability to swing seemingly effortlessly between his own themes and classic identities from decades ago is owed to his keen ability to maintain uninterrupted momentum and consistent instrumentation while jumping from motif to motif. Before diving into the great depth of themes for Solo: A Star Wars Story, it needs to be recognized that this film is the first "Star Wars" feature not to reference Williams' theme for the Force, a lasting identity that come to represent the franchise just as much as the title fanfare. Since there was arguably no place for it in this narrative, the absence of that theme, which some will argue became overused by Star Wars: The Last Jedi, is a relief. No need to force it in there without reason. Instead, since Han Solo and Chewbacca never had themes of their own from Williams prior to this entry, the major holdover from the earlier scores is the rebel motif that is a secondary portion of the main "Star Wars" theme. This application makes sense given that Williams himself eventually came to associate this identity with the famous spaceships of the franchise; it thus becomes pervasive in many guises as Powell supplies the idea for the Falcon. Listen for Powell's flirtation with the idea as Han and Lando face off twice in cards over ownership of the vessel; the subtle woodwind allusions to the rebel fanfare here for the Falcon are nothing less than sublime. The main "Star Wars" theme also makes a number of appearances in Solo: A Star Wars Story as well, culminating in the customary end credits fanfare introduction. Three motifs for the Galactic Empire return as well, including two significant appearances by the Imperial March (neither on the initial album) and a combination of the two Imperial motifs from Star Wars: A New Hope; Powell follows Giacchino's lead in using both the film's Death Star/Star Destroyer motif (applied to a Star Destroyer here, which may be a rare misstep because it was always matched better with the Death Star) and the proper stormtrooper motif in various guises throughout. These latter themes are included on the initial album. Powell also utilizes several TIE-fighter, chasing, and asteroid-related fragments from A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in the aptly titled "Reminiscence Therapy" cue for the Falcon's escape from the Empire during the heralded "Kessel Run." The Imperial March is of interest because of a major-key adaptation of the idea in "Empire Recruitment" for a propaganda film that Han witnesses at a spaceport. Not long after, he finds himself in the trenches on behalf of those villains, with a fuller, more traditional, transitional statement of the idea expressed in "Mimban Battle." Listeners have commented that it would have been nice to hear some brief nod to Lando's theme from The Empire Strikes Back somewhere in these proceedings; it does not happen. Lando's cowardly escape alone in the Falcon in "Savareen Stand-Off" is treated to a deflated rebel fanfare fragment that is perhaps the funniest moment in the score. The new themes in Solo: A Star Wars Story are highlighted by the two written by Williams for the titular character. One is your standard heroic fare, tentatively developed early on before maturing understandably at the end. The other is something of a "Han in motion" chasing identity (described by Powell as "yearning") that accompanies his antics while escaping. Both are expressed consecutively a few times in "The Adventures of Han" before Powell explores Han's chasing theme in "Meet Han" and the heroic primary theme in "Corellia Chase." How Powell decided to divide the usage of these two themes doesn't always make sense, for he seems to interchange them in ways that could have been switched easily. The new heroic theme for Han in Solo: A Star Wars Story is adequate, but it ironically isn't anywhere near as memorable as Han's propulsive, chasing alternative. Williams had originally intended to utilize only one of the two themes for the character, and he was tentative about which one to choose; Powell fortunately encouraged him to keep both. The heroic theme is expressed more frequently than any other in the score, and it contains notably "Williamsesque" secondary phrasing that highlights a few scenes. Powell makes certain to supply each theme in the score with at least one, full and uninterrupted statement for the entire ensemble, and in the case of Han's heroic theme, that moment comes at 0:27 into "Corellia Chase." The idea is introduced early in "Meet Han" over the opening logos on ominous bass strings before its run of performances throughout "Corellia Chase." Powell adjusts the chords behind Williams' theme liberally, yielding satisfying results, and the performance at 1:34 into that cue contains frenzied exploration of the idea that fully utilizes percussion and density reminiscent of the How to Train Your Dragon action cues. Solid bass brass accompaniment and Williams-like plucked strings bring robust optimism to the theme at 1:35 into "Flying With Chewie." The tempo is accelerated at 4:11 into "Train Heist" and 1:28 into "Marauders Arrive" as Han truly begins to prove his flying chops. Woodwinds slyly dance through the theme several times in conjunction with the rebel fanfare in "Is This Seat Taken?" as Powell kicks up the sleaze factor using a slide and acoustic guitar with tingling percussion for the card play scenes. As Han gets swept up in another plot to steal a precious energy commodity, his heroic theme diminishes in prominence for a while, with two brief references in "Mine Mission" leading to a rendition at 1:24 into "Break Out" over the main fanfare's supporting phrasing with excellent results. By 3:14 into that cue, Powell draws out the theme to melodramatic string tones of agony and suspense. Urgent interjections by the theme break up the nostalgia three times in "Reminiscence Therapy" before another three applications in "Into the Maw," the last of which at 3:57 aided by roaring snare rhythms. The theme is subdued in the film's final confrontation scenes, barely registering once each in "Savareen Stand-Off" and "The Good Guy," both in defeated, secondary positions to other identities. The two appearances of the heroic theme for Han in "Testing Allegiance" bring it back to life, the stomping of the idea at 1:46 into the cue particularly memorable. Of course, Powell sends Han off in the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story with a rousing performance of his heroic theme at 1:32 into "Dice & Roll." In the Williams concert arrangement, "The Adventures of Han," the theme is heard first at 0:16 and matures as the upbeat, xylophone-running, heroic identity it's meant to be at 1:40. Williams closes it out at 2:49 in his suite with a trumpet pronouncement heavy in the treble region. The other, chasing theme for Han is ironically a more memorable identity because of its repeating structures and droning base chord on key for its first two phrases. This identity is reminiscent of the repetition of figures that Williams used for the government forces in E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and is thus the more "Williamsesque" of the two Han themes. There is classic Williams tumult heard in the theme's timpani-aided and bass-woodwind performance at 0:37 (Williams still bests Powell in his bassoon applications), and the identity returns at 2:24 with lighter intensity. The maestro interestingly infuses some more recent rebel material at 1:58, specifically the Holdo-related string figures from The Last Jedi. At the end of his suite, Williams follows a false conclusion with a crescendo of brass and timpani-pounding blasts owing much to his two Jurassic Park scores. Powell's incorporation of this theme into the score doesn't always make as much sense as the heroic alternative, but given how attractive the chase theme can be when multiple phrases are conveyed, it's difficult to argue with its placements. The main Powell rendition of this theme comes almost immediately, at 0:48 into "Meet Han," at which point the composer expands upon Williams' new A.I. Artificial Intelligence string undulations with the chase theme that simultaneously exposes Powell's intent to layer this score with his trademark, aggressive beds of percussion. The solo piano version of this theme at 1:51 is an elegant interlude before "Corellia Chase" returns the idea to brighter shades at 0:47. Similar lofty treatment extends at 1:57 and 2:44 in that same cue. The "Spaceport" cue makes extensive use of Han's chasing theme in its first minute, turning it towards worrisome emotional territory as needed. The A.I. undulations once again preface the theme just after the third minute mark for a truly remarkable and impactful full performance of the theme. After reaching its emotional pinnacle in "Spaceport," the chasing theme for Han only exists in lesser duties thereafter over the course of Solo: A Star Wars Story. These references include a very brief fragment at 3:49 into "Train Heist" and a lost phrase at 4:42 into "Marauders Arrive" before the idea returns to glory on strings at 2:13 into "Break Out." Likewise, two very brief fragments of the theme pop up in "Into the Maw" before Powell affords the melody one last hurrah with cheery glaze at 1:19 into "Dice & Roll." Powell concocts six major secondary themes for Solo: A Star Wars Story to supplement the two Han themes, and these identities are often intertwined and overlapped extensively as needed by the characters' various deceitful intentions. The most frequently referenced original theme by Powell and his team is for the Tobias Beckett character and his gang of outlaws. The introduction to the Beckett theme, heard as Han witnesses his gun-slinging greatness for the first time, explodes with glory in "Mimban Battle," a cue unfortunately not contained on the initial album; instead, you receive it in various guises in the first minute of "Flying With Chewie." Its spry, march-like form transitions into an almost James Bond-like expression of total coolness at 1:47 into "Train Heist," the gang's height of prowess. This is where Powell's percussion and force of tonality really hit their mark, producing a highlight of both the score and the film. The theme continues its dominance in the cue before turning tragic at 3:12 into "Marauders Arrive" with the death of two characters. Thereafter, including a few times later in "Marauders Arrive," the theme is offered only as a hint of Beckett's persona, including a keen flute reference at 0:36 into "Is This Seat Taken?" and an affable follow-up at 2:26 into "L3 & Millennium Falcon." The melody returns to various action forms at 2:32 and 3:49 into "Break Out" and becomes fragmented for the character's endeavors to aid in the escape at three or four junctures in "Into the Maw." An intriguing reduction of the theme to a harp solo at 1:50 into "The Good Guy" is an interesting, if not deceptive precursor for the inevitable conclusion to the theme early in "Testing Allegiance." Often mingling with this theme is that for Chewbacca, a long overdue musical motif for the popular Wookiee hinted initially in "The Beast" but formally throughout "Flying With Chewie." After the escape material in the first two-minutes of that cue, Powell allows a contemplative and romantic rendition of the theme in true How to Train Your Dragon mode. Powell's handling of the Wookie's theme in "Flying With Chewie" and throughout Solo: A Star Wars Story suggests that Chewie, despite occasional bursts of anger and tearing a few arms out of sockets, is ultimately a peaceful and lovable character. (The actor's portrayal of Chewbacca in this film is actually quite expressive despite the concealing costume.) Following the remarkably pretty expression of Chewbacca's theme in "Flying With Chewie," Powell extends its soothing tones against Beckett's identity early in "Train Heist." Like Beckett's motif, however, the Wookiee's theme is reduced to precise spot treatments thereafter. These moments most notably include his encounter with other Wookiees during "Mine Mission" (2:05) and "Break Out" (0:44), the latter a fully triumphant, heroic translation of the idea that sets it up for a bubbly version at 2:53 into "Reminiscence Therapy." A sad conclusion to the theme is heard at 1:44 into "Good Thing You Were Listening." From an intellectual standpoint, the thematic highlight of Solo: A Star Wars Story may be the interplay between its main love theme and overarching conspiracy theme. In the narrative, the two are hopelessly intertwined, and some viewers may mistake the conspiracy theme for the love theme (or Han's love interest, Qi'ra) by the end of the film. Powell sometimes mingles the two knowingly, suggesting that Han's not-so-innocent target of affections is part of a larger plot of nefarious intent. The love theme is expressed several times during the pivotal "Spaceport" cue of desperation, subtly presented in the background at 1:56 and 2:07 before its agonizing trauma of separation at 2:44. It returns at its fullest throughout "Han & Qi'Ra Reunite" and "Lando's Closet," the performance at 1:27 into the latter cue a throwback to the Golden Age in its flowing string layers and carefree attitude. The theme understandably struggles to survive during the bulk of the film's action, returning faintly at 3:47 into "Savareen Stand-Off" before returning to prominence in the third minute of "Testing Allegiance," where Powell transfers the idea to extremely elegant piano tones in fleeting hopes of a better conclusion. This is a traditional Williams technique of optimism, and Powell nails audiences with it here; he likewise fools Han into a false sense of romance throughout "The Good Guy," starting at 0:21 with a noble French horn and extending to 1:11 on solo trumpet. The theme's struggle to complete its phrases in these minutes is extremely smart by Powell, its battle with the conspiracy theme eventually lost completely. The agony of Powel's love theme in Solo: A Star Wars Story is milked to its greatest at 1:17 into "Good Thing You Were Listening," where Qi'ra leaves the story for her destiny, Powell offering melodrama so palpable that you can't help but wonder how Han could simply stand there watching it happen. The composer manages to achieve exactly the right balance between the love theme and its darker, conspiracy-laden counterpart, and it is in this latter theme's presence that many of the score's highlights dwell. The conspiracy theme arguably represents everything bad in the galaxy, including the Crimson Dawn syndicate, the Sith, the smugglers associated with them, and, most importantly, Qi'ra herself by association. As such, it's the nemesis of Han that he doesn't really recognize working against him because of his haphazard attitude. Powell provides that sly recognition for audiences, however, using the conspiracy theme as an extremely potent identity with which so many scenes connect via the score. This motif is a simple series of the same ominous, three-note phrases repeated with shifting chords underneath, a clever musical recognition of a constant force of evil in the universe with different players maneuvering around in that game below. It's the first thing you hear in the film, immediately opening "Meet Han." The idea fully reveals itself as the leads are separated at 3:39 into "Spaceport," a direct foreshadowing of future divergence. The motif's direct interference with the love theme is beautifully interpolated in two cues, "Lando's Closet" using the motif as an interlude at 1:06 before the love theme literally overwhelms its structure. Later, Powell revisits this masterful interplay throughout "The Good Guy," providing many hints to the trouble ahead by using the love theme's instrumentation to convey the conspiracy theme each time until the tortured strings reclaim the identity around the 4-minute mark. The dissolution of the love theme to its conspiracy counterpart at 3:45 into "Testing Allegiance" is the final nail in the coffin, Powell building to a momentous crescendo with brass as Qi'ra takes her former master's place. The two most intriguing uses of the conspiracy theme come as the identity spreads to the other "villains" of the tale. As Han realizes Beckett's final intentions in "Good Thing You Were Listening," Powell supplies the theme to note the latter's lack of loyalty to the cause of good. More potent, however, is the conspiracy theme's most major application in the score, supplied with incredible impact at the plot's major twist revelation at 3:19 into "Savareen Stand-Off," exposing the secrets behind the galaxy's power players in one gripping, mask-removing moment. The repetitive nature of the conspiracy theme's three-note phrases in Solo: A Star Wars Story allows Powell immense latitude in shaping the emotional scope of any of these applications of the theme, and this versatility allows it to effectively take over the entire final act of the story. To hear the theme suddenly supplant the marauders' identity in "Savareen Stand-Off" is a monumental success in the spotting of this score. The marauding pirates portrayed as the villains for much of Solo: A Star Wars Story are Cloud Riders led by their young commander, Enfys Nest. Both the full group and their leader receive motifs from Powell and company, though these identities share common stylized vocals in such a way that some listeners may simply consider one motif to be an interlude of the other. Instantly recognizable by the abrasive children's vocals associated with them, the idea may offend some listeners for how different the rendering sounds from the remainder of the themes. It may also remind listeners of James Horner's Avatar because of the child-like inflection of these vocals. The theme explodes to the forefront as the pirates interrupt the train heist in "Marauders Arrive," and their hit and run tactics prevail with equal force at the end of "L3 & Millennium Falcon." A fantastic reference to the theme suggests the presence of the Cloud Riders at 0:45 into "Is This Seat Taken?," pitting their identity against Beckett's in an unexpected but completely understandable context at Lando's card table. It's not until "Savareen Stand-Off" that Nest's theme really clarifies its purpose, the standard shock value of her arrival interrupting a humming bullroarer effect and ominous throat singing tones under intelligent, softer tones thereafter. At the same time, Powell also supplies churning bass string rhythms with the menacing tone that Williams had applied to the Sith in the prequel scores, a remarkable red herring here. It may be no coincidence that the Nest motif's progressions are a somewhat inverted form of the conspiracy theme's, both respective figures repeated multiple times with persistent presence. While Nest herself receives the main pirate fanfare of sorts, the same choral tones supply the theme for her Cloud Riders group, and this theme is superior to that of their leader in its rolling action capabilities. Heard at 0:24 and 2:16 into "Marauders Arrive" and later at 4:55 into "The Good Guy," this identity is frightening but espouses more of a major-key personality to perhaps hint at the future friendliness of these pirates. These performances also feature the best performance inflection from the singers as well, despite their somewhat derivative exoticism. The final major new theme of Solo: A Star Wars Story belongs to Lando's lovingly obnoxious droid partner, L3. Introduced at the beginning of "L3 & Millennium Falcon," this theme is the weakest of the lot, and it's intriguing to note that Powell assigns her a tuba solo when Williams had specifically targeted that instrument at obese or foolish entities prior. The glory of this theme comes in "Mine Mission" and "Break Out," as L3 leads a droid rebellion. Her theme opens on trumpet in the former and then develops into a long, stately fugue that is pure Williams in its handling of a chaotic action scene with such noble musical structure. Though the fugue in "Mine Mission" may seem trivial in the larger musical narrative of Solo: A Star Wars Story, it's a remarkable cue in that it emulates Williams' technique of supplying a few completely unique explorations of theme and style for individual scenes in his "Star Wars" scores. By 4:54 into "Break Out," Powell transfers the idea to pure mush as the droid suffers its demise, and the trumpet solo late in that cue is not to be missed. As the droid literally bonds with the Falcon, the subsequent escape cues do reference the L3 theme three or four times as navigational references are made. There are a few lesser motifs sprinkled throughout Powell's score, the most consistent of which representing the Coaxium energy that everyone is attempting to steal throughout the film. This descending motif of alarm is heard as the Coaxium is first seen at 2:46 into "Train Heist" and returns as a rhythmic motif at 3:27 into "Mine Mission," 5:40 into "Break Out," and opening "Double-Double Cross." Fragments of this motif get lost in the subsequent Falcon chase sequence. More obvious in these passages are the references to Williams' classic themes, an exercise executed expertly and with passion by Powell and his team. The "Here They Come!" and "The Asteroid Field" references pointing back to the franchise's two first scores in "Reminiscence Therapy" are astoundingly well integrated into the flow of Powell's own material. (Powell recalls marveling at the composer's original compositions upon seeing them for the first time.) So, too, is the main Imperial motif from A New Hope, heard best in a few places in "Train Heist" but existing all over the place in the secondary layers of this score. And while Powell chose to apply Williams' "larger than life hardware" motif most commonly associated with the Death Star in A New Hope to the Star Destroyer at the beginning of "Reminiscence Therapy," he does immediately transition to a series of subsequent minor-third alternations that do suggest the Imperial March on a gut level. No discussion of the classic Williams themes reprised in Solo: A Star Wars Story can pass without a special shout out to the main theme's translation into choral grandeur at 1:38 into "L3 & Millennium Falcon" as the Falcon is seen, shiny and white (and surprisingly complete), for the first time. Powell spends so much time building up to this moment in "Is This Seat Taken?" that the payoff is well deserved. Also not to be forgotten is a reference to Williams' "Duel of the Fates" for an entire minute in "Maul's Call," a revelatory scene near the end of the picture. This cue, which makes solid use of Williams' memorable deep choir and brass lines from "Duel of the Fates," is absent from the initial album release. Listeners do receive a cameo by a portion of the primary phrase of the main How to Train Your Dragon theme at 1:11 into "Marauders Arrive," perhaps coincidental but given that the scene involves flying with masked riders, one can only imagine a composer's sense of humor at work. Overall, Solo: A Star Wars Story is not only a masterpiece equal to or exceeding the first two How to Train Your Dragon scores, but it could rank highly on some lists of the best all-time "Star Wars" scores. Fans often lament that composers entering franchises like this one always have difficulty finding the right balance between emulation of the existing musical identity and the infusion of that new composer's own styles. So often, those composers fail because they either disregard their predecessors or copy them shamelessly without attempting to extend the concept musically. Powell proves here that finding the right balance is not a lost cause. This is both a great "Star Wars" score and a highlight of Powell's own style, regardless of his ghostwriters' involvement. The amount of density in this music is astounding, its detailed counterpoint lines, expert orchestration, and outstanding mix all contributing to an immensely entertaining result. There are simply too many fine touches in this score to do it justice in any review, leaving the music as a top recommendation on album for all film music enthusiasts. The initial album from Disney, despite its 77-minute length, has some detriments. It's not in chronological order, with the drama-inclined cues, "The Good Guy," "Good Thing You Were Listening," and "Testing Allegiance," presented out of place with the story. The album also misses some necessary tracks, including the "End Credits" edit that opens with the usual "Star Wars" theme and rotates nicely between many of the score's themes in a solid presentation even if it is simply cobbled together from parts of the remainder of the score. Powell never did record an end credits cue or any other suite, sadly. Also missing from the initial 2018 album are the aforementioned Imperial March and "Duel of the Fates" cues, as is the impressive arrival music for Lady Proxima early. Instead, listeners get the obnoxious, light pop song appropriately titled "Chicken in the Pot," a regrettable source piece in the fictional language of the Hutts that at least augments the tone of Powell's love theme through its dreamy string counterpoint lines. The "Star Wars" franchise has a long history of disappointing film score collectors, and Solo: A Star Wars Story clearly deserved a fuller album option outright. If Disney could offer expanded soundtracks as a lossless download option for its other franchise properties, how could it drop the ball so consistently on the "Star Wars" music? With no small amount of effort from Powell, the studio did finally allow a download-only "Deluxe Edition" of the score in 2020 (and pressed as a 2-CD set by Intrada in 2023), expanding the listening experience to over two hours and restoring the chronological ordering of the tracks. The original 2018 album required approval from Williams, who refused, for instance, to approve the inclusion of the "Empire Recruitment" cue as a bonus track on that product. That album was also pressed prior to several last-minute edits to the score for the film, including the addition of a second vocal line for "Chicken in the Pot." For the 2020 product, the Williams suite was not included, but it was restored on the 2023 CD set. On both, Powell's studio remixed almost the entire score proper as heard in the film. Aside from the Williams suite, there remain portions of "Marauders Arrive" and "Good Thing You Were Listening" that are unique to the 2018 album, as they utilize earlier takes. While all the major cues and source pieces are featured on the 2020 album, there remain a few dozen inserts and overlays that were not selected for inclusion, along with a standalone recording of the Imperial March. Criticism may be merited for combining cues into longer tracks where separation would have been preferable; several of the cues would have been nice to appreciate without crossfades. The new mix is not necessarily an improvement, though. While Nest's abrasive vocals are moved back and outstanding flute figures moved forward in "Deluxe Train Heist," the remainder of the changes are questionable. Great percussion is moved further back early in "Deluxe Train Heist," slapping percussion is too prominent during the "Here They Come" snippet in "Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs," and the flutes are totally lost at the big reveal in "Enfys' Stand-Off." Generally, the bass is too loud in some cues, "Maul's Call" causing distortion from woofers at even moderate volumes. In terms of the musical narrative of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the expanded albums are an excellent representation of what's heard in the film, with some overlays included that improve the experience. With the new mix, all of the cues may seem a bit different for those closely familiar with the 2018 album. Some of the additional cues are not as remarkable as the core material already released, but, amazingly, many are, and they reinforce the superiority of the work's intelligence. The "Bunk/Proxima" cue opens with an urgent interplay of the conspiracy and love themes, building to a lovely transitional cue interrupted by a sudden Imperial motif. The grand entrance to "Proxima" at 1:10 is the standard Williams gong-banging revelation technique that yields to dissonant suspense for Han's main theme. The next previously unreleased cue, "Gonna Be a Pilot," is a brief and troubled expression of that theme for Han. The full "Empire Recruitment" source cue, originally titled "Edwardian Style" by the composer, is a magnificent treat, reportedly a fun, last-minute arrangement of the march for the moment by Powell and his team. The following "Mimban Battle" cue is the first of the absolutely tremendous additions to the album, offering the score's one serious statement of the Imperial March on tonally oppressive low brass at the outset and transitioning with brilliance into original action thereafter. After some frantic expressions of the main Han theme, the introduction of the Beckett theme at 0:38 is a godsend, obscured in the film but conveyed with an additional male choral layer here that is outrageously impressive. The latter half of "Mimban Battle" stews on Beckett's theme in light suspense, rolling into subtle rhythmic hints of the Imperial March at 1:18. The immediately following "Blackmail" opens with a longing performance of the main "Star Wars" theme on solo trumpet before stewing in fragments of Han's primary theme and concluding with a burst of Beckett confidence. Of intrigue is the challenging "The Beast," the initial encounter between Han and Chewbacca that uses menacing rhythmic tones appropriate for a "Godzilla" flick before Chewie's theme asserts itself in action mode at 1:01. The tentative origins of the "Star Wars" theme's applications for the Falcon emerge on woodwinds at 1:52 as the characters comically come to grips with one another. In "Surveying Conveyex," hints of the forthcoming Nest theme are quietly stated with mystery. The "Deluxe Train Heist" track combines all the music from the heist scene together and swaps in an 18-second insert for the conclusion. This track is perhaps the most noticeably different in its new mix, especially the emphasis of brass alongside the vocals for Nest's arrival. Beckett's theme receives soft harp treatment to open "Walk to Dryden's" on the expanded albums for Solo: A Star Wars Story, the moment of lament developing into optimism for Han's theme before a massive statement of the conspiracy theme on brass is heralded, complete with one inverted phrase in the middle that is seemingly inspired by Williams' Sith material. This cue is another major and important addition to the listening experience. The "Chicken in the Pot" version on the deluxe album includes the late addition of a lower voice to make the source piece a duet. The love theme returns lushly in spurts throughout "Han & Qi'Ra Reunite," a strong companion to the "Lando's Closet" cue. Powell himself offers vocals to the Latin-inspired source music in "Stormtrooper JP-054 Karaoke," and it's amusing if not highly annoying; it's the type of ridiculous fluff that would have been at home in the Rio franchise. A lengthy conversational cue, "Dryden's Patience is Tested," features the conspiracy theme in quiet battle with fragments of Han's theme and the love theme. A few slightly melodramatic crescendos in the cue lead to clever statements of the Beckett identity and a more redemptive swell of Han's main theme. The Nest material returns over strumming guitars with an electronic tilt in "Card Room," a cue that doesn't sound much like the rest of the score in its tone. Powell rotates between character themes in the sweet "Family Stories," beginning with Han's ideas and switching to L3's. A flourishing return of Han's chasing theme anchors the cue's middle, building to a monumental rendition of his main theme, complete with cheery sleigh bells. The lead-up to the mine heist is finally included on the expanded albums, starting with "Trust No One," transitioning from the conspiracy theme to Williams' rebel fanfare and then back to Han's material. An almost David Arnold, James Bond-like feel opens with the Beckett theme in "Oksana Floren, Yadda Yadda Yadda," the mine sequence opening with a highly Williams-like burst of tortured melodrama at 0:40 laced with continued Beckett progressions. The electronic bass and guitar ambience persists in the cue with hints of L3's material. A slight chime interjection of the main "Star Wars" theme at 2:36 is a nice touch. The end of the cue begins the action in earnest with brazen snare and brass rhythms previewing the slower fugue to follow. The "Extra Deluxe Mine Mission" track combines the "Mine Mission" and "Break Out" tracks from the 2018 album, and "Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs" does the same for "Reminiscence Therapy" and "Into the Maw." Aside from crossfades, these major cues are all presented as before. Significant differences in the albums' presentations start at this point in the narrative. The first two minutes of "The Good Guy" from the 2018 album for Solo: A Star Wars Story is separated into "Savareen Tent," followed properly by the renamed "Enfys' Stand-Off." The middle two minutes of "The Good Guy" is then offered as "Qi'ra Knows A Bit More Than Han" while the end of "The Good Guy" is expanded greatly in "Double-Double Cross" to include more than three additional minutes. The cyclical Coaxium motif dominates two minutes of new material in "Double-Double Cross," both somber and frightful fragments of Beckett's theme accompanying timpani-thumping moments of revelation. Among the weakest new material on the expanded albums are a 30-second passage added to the formerly named "Testing Allegiance," the opening's generic atmospheric suspense devolving into a rather obnoxious percussion-only face-off. The guilty-pleasure highlight of the longer presentation is the "Maul's Call/Parting Ways" track consisting of three cues, the Maul sequence's cue originally titled cutely as "Skype Showdown" by Powell. The deep male choir and faithful but fresh rendition of "Duel of the Fates" a fantastic moment even if the bass in this cue is too overwhelming in the mix compared to surrounding material. Powell's "Beckett Departs" cue, reducing the character's theme to barely audible strings, is nestled into the middle of "Maul's Call/Parting Ways," and part of this music was heard at the end of "Good Thing You Were Listening" on the prior album. The film version of Qi'Ra's departure follows; the 2018 album offered an alternate take that wasn't used, and the expanded albums restore the proper trio of conspiracy theme, Han's theme, and love theme that emulate the score's opening as she flies off. Chewie's theme immediately thereafter remains intact, however. The Parting Ways" portion of the track, starting at 3:39, is a point of much interest, for it is the best of the surviving demo cues that Williams recorded for the film that survived largely intact in Powell's score. Williams recorded six demo cues with a full orchestra for Solo: A Star Wars Story as means of fleshing out his two themes for Han prior to Powell's work. These included "Meet Han," "Gonna Be a Pilot," "Family Stories," and the first six minutes of "Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs," ("Reminiscence Therapy") as well. While Williams' crescendo in "Gonna Be a Pilot" also survived intact in Powell's work, the only other cue to do so is "Parting Ways." Williams collectors can definitely hear the maestro's voice in this passage, from the solo horn, ensemble swell, and soft woodwinds, to hints of Far and Away in the arrangements of the main Han theme and, for a few brief moments, the chasing interlude. The cue is gorgeous in context and remains another absolute highlight of the expanded albums. The lone remaining new Powell music from Solo: A Star Wars Story on the expanded presentation is the forgettable "Lando's Jungle Room" source recording; this material, along with "Card Room," is so inferior to the score's actual Sabacc game music that one wonders why the source was needed at all. For the "Super Extra Deluxe End Credits Suite," there is no indication that Powell re-recorded the franchise's fanfare, more likely utilizing a recording of one the Williams scores' versions instead. The inclusion of the assembled suite for the ten-minute end credits crawl sequence is nice for casual listeners, but it offers nothing new for the collector. Again, it's disappointing that Powell didn't write a distinct arrangement of his themes for this placement as had been tradition in the franchise, even if it meant concocting inserts as transitions to piece together passages from the score. The "Deluxe Edition" albums are, on the whole, an exemplary presentation that provides the full score as a faithful representation of what's heard in the film, even if a few overlays of embellishment remain. The four source-like tracks may have been better placed in a bonus section at the end, but Powell seemed intent on preserving the exact chronological presentation. Several of the longer combinations of cues should have been split into separate tracks, most notably "Parting Ways" at the end; at times, the combinations feature a second of silence in between them anyway, so there was no point to inconveniently merging them. The 2020 presentation wasn't like the typical offerings of the soundtrack specialty labels in that it did not contain alternate takes and was missing, quite obviously, the Williams suite that appeared on the original album. (You can likely thank the Los Angeles recording and its union rules for that omission; Powell recorded in London.) High-resolution downloads were available of the 2020 mix, and Intrada's 2023 2-CD set with that presentation plus the Williams suite at the start further satisfied collectors. More than most, this score deserves a 5.1 or other surround sound option, and fans can also hope for a further expansion with several mix variants, alternates, and demo recordings. Until then, devotees to the score may wish to hold on to their 2018 albums should they prefer that product's mix of the highlight cues. For casual collectors, either album is a sure recommendation, though this score in particular defies the quality of its film to such an extraordinary extent that the expanded treatment is required. From there, you can edit your playlist down to 90 minutes of top material. This highly satisfying Williams and Powell collaboration annihilated the competition in the film music community's awards of 2018, as music like this reaffirms even the most tired and cynical film music collector's passion for the genre. *****
TRACK LISTINGS:
2018 Disney Album:
Total Time: 77:22
* composed and conducted by John Williams ** performed by Baraka May 2020 Disney Album: Total Time: 123:25
* performed by Baraka May and Reid Bruton ** performed by John Powell *** composed and conducted by John Williams 2023 Intrada Album: Total Time: 127:12
* composed and conducted by John Williams ** performed by Baraka May and Reid Bruton *** performed by John Powell
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert of 2018 album includes a note from Powell about the score and
lists of performers for both the Powell and Williams recordings. There exists no
official packaging for the 2020 "Deluxe Edition." Powell's studio released
an unofficial booklet for the album but it was soon removed. The insert of the
2023 Intrada album contains a list of choral performers and new interview with
the composer.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Solo: A Star Wars Story are Copyright © 2018, 2020, 2023, Walt Disney Records, Walt Disney Records (Deluxe), Intrada Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 6/14/18 and last updated 11/27/23. |
