Star Wars Soundtrack – The Empire Strikes Back

Four record sides, one tape: the case proudly says “Entire 2-Record Set”, and RSO meant it. All 17 pieces of the double album for The Empire Strikes Back run across two sides of 35:36 and 38:19 minutes – the complete 1980 soundtrack in a jacket-pocket format.

There was plenty of material. John Williams composed and conducted, the London Symphony Orchestra played in English studios around the turn of 1979/80, with up to 104 musicians at once. Williams first performed the Imperial March, Darth Vader’s theme, in public three weeks before the film opened, at his debut concert as conductor of the Boston Pops.

The red cow on the case gives away the sender: RSO, Robert Stigwood’s label, which Saturday Night Fever and Grease had made one of the most successful of the seventies. The double album came with an illustrated booklet; the cassette card advertises a “Special Full Color Booklet Offer Inside!”.

In our view this is the nicest way to hear the Empire: one flip instead of three. We reckon it appeals to collectors of the original trilogy who want the formats of the day too, and to anyone filling their cassette shelves with pieces from back then.

Tape and case are each graded vg+, i.e. very good.

Label

RSO

Catalogue number

CT-2-4201

Format

Cassette, Dolby mark on the shell; case print “Entire 2-Record Set”

Title

The Original Soundtrack From The Motion Picture – Star Wars / The Empire Strikes Back

Copyright notice

© ℗ 1980 Lucasfilm Ltd.

Origin

US edition

Side 1

(35:36) “Star Wars (Main Theme)” / “Yoda’s Theme” / “The Training Of A Jedi Knight” / “The Heroics Of Luke And Han” / “The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” / “Departure Of Boba Fett” / “Han Solo And The Princess” / “Hyperspace” / “The Battle In The Snow”

Side 2

(38:19) “The Asteroid Field” / “The City In The Clouds” / “Rebels At Bay” / “Yoda And The Force” / “The Duel” / “The Magic Tree” / “Lando’s Palace” / “Finale”

Case

“Special Full Color Booklet Offer Inside!”