Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace.

Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace. Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. John Williams, London Voices, New London Children's Choir, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Sony SK 61816.

I usually don't care for movie soundtracks. Film music is meant largely to augment specific sequences in a story line, not usually to be presented on its own. But with a movie of this magnitude, one that promises to be the most popular film of all time, I could hardly do otherwise than listen. In its favor, John Williams again composed the music for Phantom Menace, and again conducts the London Symphony Orchestra. This time out, however, the music is often accompanied by chorus -- the London Voices and the New London Children's Choir -- and by extensive percussion. Also to its advantage, the disc holds a generous 74 minutes, and the sound is less loud, dynamic, and bright than you can expect to hear it in a THX-equipped theater. There is also a good variety of subject matter on hand, not entirely battle music and marches, although there is nothing to match the original Star Wars theme, which, by the way, again opens the new film, or the "Cantina" music from the first motion picture.

On the debit side, the new material isn't exactly revolutionary in its freshness or creativity, even if it does probably do an appropriate job illustrating the scenes for which it was written. Having listened to all three previous albums of Star Wars music, I was not overly impressed with this new release, nor did I feel it ventured into uncharted territory beyond the addition of voice. Of course, Star Wars fans will have to have it on any count, if only as a reminder of their film experience, and I am sure they will enjoy the memories it evokes. Sony's sound reaches down to floor-shaking lows, but overall it's on the thick, flat, one-dimensional side, perhaps toned down a shade too much for home listening.