Raiders of the Lost Ark

DCC Compact Classics

Music Composed & Conducted by John Williams

Orchestrations by Herbert W. Spencer 

Produced by John Williams and Nick Redman

Release Date: 1995

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     When George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and John Williams get together, you KNOW the result is going to be good. Such is the case with Raiders of the Lost Ark. A very good movie with an EXCELLENT score. Unless you've lived under a rock for the past twenty years, you've heard the Indiana Jones theme. Though the theme surfaces throughout the album, it is not overused like in the Back to the Future scores. Williams composed many other good themes as well. Indy's theme is heroic (of course), while Marion's theme is slow and delicate (and close to William's Han and Leia love theme from The Empire Strikes Back). The Ark motif is very eerie and underscores the artifact's tremendous power. The music for the Nazis is harsh and militaristic.

     There are many good tracks on this CD. Flight from Peru has, in my opinion, the best rendition of the main theme as Indy escapes from the highly agitated natives. It is an exciting moment in the album. The Basket Game is a humorous piece as Indy and Marion find themselves running from a band of thugs. A non-stop thrill ride, Desert Chase has Indy chasing after the Ark which is being whisked away by the Nazis. In The Miracle of the Ark, the Ark motif plays softly at first as Belloq opens the ancient object and then begins to go mad as the Nazis are destroyed by the supernatural power found within. Williams wraps it all up nicely at the end with End Credits which, like many of his scores, incorporates most, if not all, of the main themes.

     I really enjoy this album and heartily recommend it to any soundtrack aficionados. This is one of John William's best and that is really saying something. Pick this one up as soon as possible. *****

Track Listing

1 - The Raiders March (2:50)

2 - Main Title: South America, 1936 (4:10)

3 - In the Idol's Temple (5:26)

4 - Flight from Peru (2:20)

5 - Journey to Nepal (2:11)

6 - The Medallion (2:55)

7 - To Cairo (1:29)

8 - The Basket Game (5:04)

9 - The Map Room: Dawn (3:52)

10 - Reunion and The Dig Begins (4:10)

11 - The Well of the Souls (5:28)

12 - Airplane Fight (4:37)

13 - Desert Chase (8:15)

14 - Marion's Theme (2:08)

15 - The German Sub / To the Nazi Hideout (4:32)

16 - Ark Trek (1:33)

17 - The Miracle of the Ark (6:05)

18 - The Warehouse (0:56)

19 - End Credits (5:20)

Total Running Time: 73:22