Besides Star Wars, one of the first soundtracks I ever had a copy of was Superman. Needless to say that made me one of John Williams's lifelong fans. The original copy I had was missing several tracks but I still listened to it whenever I was in the mood for some pure John Williams. As with all of his works, Williams establishes themes for all of the main characters, heroes and villains. If you are unfamiliar with the main theme from Superman, you obiviously have been under a rock for quite some time. It is one of the most recognizeable themes from Williams in the last two decades. And heard here in it's concert arrangement, it is played to perfection.
Over the next two tracks, Williams introduces us to the Krypton theme which is played whenever there is a reference to Superman's origins. One of my favorite tracks is The Trip To Earth. Heard during Superman's journey to our planet, it is fast-paced and when heard in conjunction with the visuals on the screen, the trip is all the more exciting. But still, even by itself, the track is worth listening to. The Love Theme From Superman is a soft and wonderful orchestral arrangement of Can You Read My Mind.
For the music representing Superman performing his super-deeds, the music is justifiably heroic and as previously stated, Williams uses the previously established Superman theme to help convey the moods of the various rescues and captures performed by Superman. Like The Imperial March in The Empire Strikes Back, this soundtrack is not without its March of the Villains. Not quite as effective as its Imperial counterpart, this march starts of softly and slowly builds into it's tremendous finale. All in all, an unforgetable score worth investing in. If you can find it, and can afford it, it is well worth investing in the rare Japanese version of the soundtrack which contains all of the tracks originally issued on the original records and cassettes.
Total time: 55:01
1: Theme from Superman (Main Title) (4:24)
2: The Planet Krypton (4:45)
3: Destruction of Krypton (5:58)
4: The Trip To Earth (2:23)
5: Love Theme From Superman (5:00)
6: Leaving Home (4:48)
7: The Fortress Of Solitude (8:29)
8: The Flying Sequence & Can You Read My Mind (8:08)
9: Super Rescues (3:24)
10: Superfeats (5:00)
11: The March of The Villains (3:33)
12: Chasing Rockets (7:33)
13: Turning Back The World (2:01)
14: End Title (6:24)