Sony Classical honors legendary composer John Williams with a historic 3-volume set, featuring iconic soundtracks from the first three Star Wars films. Pre-order now, available May 4! 🎶✨ #JohnWilliams #StarWars #SonyClassical

 Sony Classical Celebrates Composer John Williams

 

With a Historic 3-Volume Set to be Released Throughout 2025 in Celebration of his Extraordinary Career

John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990

First Volume of this 3-Part Anthology Showcasing Williams’ Acclaimed Film Scores from 1969 to 1990

 

Available July 18, 2025

 

PREORDER HERE

 

The 22-Disc First Volume Includes Original Soundtrack Recordings of the First Three Star Wars Films, Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the First Two Indiana JonesAdventures, Superman, and 18 Other Films

 

(MAY 4 – NEW YORK, NY) Sony Classical embarks on a definitive, one-of-a-kind celebration of the music of five-time-Oscar®-winning composer John Williams, with the release of John Williams: The Anthology. The three-volume comprehensive collection will be released as three individual box sets throughout 2025. It will encompass the seven-decade career of the most popular and admired composer of his time, plus feature many of the maestro’s original soundtrack recordings and concert music recordings.  

 

John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 is set for release on July 18^th and available now preorder. The 22 discs in Volume 1 showcase Williams’ music for 27 films that established him as one of the most influential and imaginative composers in the history of film music. They include his unforgettable scores for the first three Star Wars films, Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the first two Indiana Jones adventures, Supermanand a range of others from The Reivers (1969) to Home Alone (1990). 

 

Three of the scores included in this first volume – Jaws(1975), Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – won Williams the Academy Award® for Best Original Score. Fifteen more Oscar® nominations were accorded to other scores in Volume 1, as well as five BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes and 14 Grammy® Awards.

 

“I have often said that without John Williams, bicycles do not fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches or heroes in red capes. Dinosaurs do not walk the earth. Sharks do not terrorize idyllic summer beaches. And Jedi do not return,” the director Steven Spielberg, the composer’s most frequent collaborator, writes in the foreword for this collection. 

 

“Without the magic of John Williams, audiences do not wonder, or weep, or believe. Whether in an elegant concert hall or a darkened cinema, John’s music is instantly recognizable both for its emotional power and its ability to tap into our collective unconscious… to inspire us, to captivate us, and to illuminate our shared journey through the human experience.”

 

This historic box set retrospective will be completed later this year with the releases of John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 2 1991-2008 and John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 3 2011-2022.  All three volumes combined will comprise a magnificent 75-disc collection celebrating the most beloved composer of our time.

 

JOHN WILLIAMS: THE ANTHOLOGY – VOL. 1 1969-1990

SET CONTENTS:

DISC 1: THE REIVERS 

DISC 2: THE COWBOYS 

DISC 3: EARTHQUAKE + THE TOWERING INFERNO 

DISC 4: JAWS + JAWS 2 

DISC 5: STAR WARS (EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE) 

DISC 6: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 

DISC 7: THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS + 1941 

DISC 8: THE FURY 

DISC 9: SUPERMAN 

DISC 10: DRACULA + MONSIGNOR 

DISC 11: STAR WARS (EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK) 

DISC 12: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 

DISC 13: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 

DISC 14: STAR WARS (EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI) 

DISC 15: INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM 

DISC 16: SPACECAMP 

DISC 17: THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK 

DISC 18: EMPIRE OF THE SUN 

DISC 19: THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST 

DISC 20: INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE

DISC 21: BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY + Always 

DISC 22: HOME ALONE 

 

ABOUT JOHN WILLIAMS

 

John Williams began his career in Hollywood in the 1950s, as a studio musician as well as a composer, while also writing music for television. In the mid-1960s, he began scoring major Hollywood films. His rise coincided with that of Steven Spielberg, and the partnership of the two is unique in film history – all but three of the feature films Spielberg has directed since 1974 have had scores by Williams.

 

The composer is the second-most nominated person (after Walt Disney) in the 97-year history of the Academy Awards. In addition to his five Oscars – out of 54 career nominations – he has won 26 Grammy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, five Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. When he was 91 years of age, Williams became oldest nominee in Oscar history with his nomination for Best Original Score for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

 

John Williams is also a recipient the Kennedy Center Honor (2004), the National Medal of the Arts (2009) and was the only composer to receive the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award (2016). Among his many other honors, he was named by Queen Elizabeth II an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for “services to film music.”

 

Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, Milan Records, XXIM Records, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit  www.sonymusicmasterworks.com

 

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Book Review: Brothers by Alex Van Halen

PURCHASE

Alex Van Halen’s memoir Brothers is a raw, heartfelt tribute to his late brother, Eddie Van Halen, and a vivid recounting of their journey as the backbone of one of rock’s most iconic bands. As a Van Halen fan, I found myself deeply moved by Alex’s candidness, his thoughtful inclusion of interview quotes, his balanced perspective on David Lee Roth, and, above all, the profound love for his brother that permeates every page. This book is not just a rock memoir it’s a soul baring reflection on family, music, and loss that left me inspired and emotional.

What sets Brothers apart from typical rock autobiographies is Alex’s unflinching honesty. He doesn’t shy away from the messy reality of Van Halen’s rise to fame or the personal struggles that shaped their lives. His candidness about the brothers’ battle with alcoholism, inherited from their father, is both heartbreaking and enlightening. “Our father gave us the genes for it, and handed us the bottle,” although he refuses to cast blame, instead crediting his dad Jan as a musical inspiration whose work ethic shaped their legendary “brown sound”. This openness extends to his own health struggles, like the neuropathy that halted a planned reunion tour, and his grief over Eddie’s death in 2020, which he admits he’ll grapple with “until my dying day”. Alex’s willingness to write about these vulnerabilities makes Brothers feel like a conversation with a trusted friend rather than a polished rock star narrative.

I loved the inclusion of interview quotes from Eddie and others which really adds a layer of authenticity to the memoir. Rather than relying on his own recollections, Alex adds in excerpts from previously published interviews, letting Eddie’s voice shine through. This approach honors his brother’s perspective but also provides fans with a deeper understanding of Eddie’s creative process and sensitive nature.

One of the most compelling aspects of Brothers is Alex’s nuanced treatment of David Lee Roth. While he calls out Roth’s ego describing him as a “pseudointellectual” and “”egomaniac ” who “knew a lot about one thing: himself”—he also acknowledges Roth’s indispensable role in Van Halen’s success. Alex credits Roth’s showmanship and vision for propelling the band from  backyard parties to stardom, noting that “Van Halen wouldn’t have been as great without him”. This balance is refreshing and shows wisdom with age and experience.

Brothers is a love letter to Eddie, and Alex’s love for his younger brother is the heartbeat of the book. His grief is palpable, yet hopeful, teasing future releases of unreleased tracks like to keep Eddie’s legacy alive. This love, tender and fierce, makes Brothers a profoundly moving read.

The only disappointment for me was the omission of the Sammy Hagar era. I am a Sammy not a Dave fan with my favorite song being Right Now which I listened to at least 30 times in the past four days since starting the book. This is a must-read for Van Halen fans and anyone who values stories of family and resilience. I loved Brothers for its honesty, it’s celebration of Eddie’s genius, and reminder that even rock gods are human.