John Williams has written most of his best themes for either George Lucas or Steven Spielberg's films. In the case of Raiders he has written it for the both of them. The march in Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the most famous and memorable pieces (aside from Star Wars and Jaws) that Williams has ever composed. Originally released in 1981 on low quality tapes and records, the soundtrack contained only a fraction of the total music of the film. This left listeners happy, but somewhat unfulfilled. Then in 1995, the DCC Compact Classics released not only a digitally remastered copy of Williams's original recordings, but music left out of the first soundtrack and from the movie itself. This soundtrack contains virtually all of the music from the film and punches the CD's length up over 70 minutes. Another plus is the booklet. It comes filled with photos, descriptions of the track and how they changed from the original release, as well as William's thoughts on various topics about the movie. This makes it a 'must-get' CD that any fan of movie music will love.
Aside from The Raiders March, Williams has written one of the best action scores out there. When watching the movie and hearing the soundtrack in the background, you can see how Williams labored to make his music compliment the action on the screen. The music almost seems to be making Indiana Jones move, duck, punch, or jump. Two of the best tracks to see this in 'action' (excuse the pun) is in Airplane Fight and Desert Chase. They are two of the best on the soundtrack. Also included is the real main title music which was not originally released. This also adds to the feeling that you can experience the movie in your mind while listening to the music. I do. All in all, if you have the opportunity to get this soundtrack, you'd be a fool not to, you can't get a more definitive version of the music and it's one of the best of all time so what are you waiting for?
Total time: 73:32
1: The Raiders March (2:50)
2: Main Title: South America, 1936 (4:10) *
3: In the Idol's Temple (5:26)
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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 (:56) *
19: End Credits (5:20)