On November 24, boutique label La-La Land Records announced their traditional end-of-the-year slate of archival soundtrack releases, a moment always eagerly anticipated by all film score lovers around the world. Among the titles announced, one is a very special treat for fans of John Williams: Hook – The Ultimate Edition, a 3-CD collection with a newly restored and expanded presentation of the magnificent score composed by John Williams for the 1991 film directed by Steven Spielberg. Assembled, mastered and produced by Mike Matessino in full cooperation with the composer, the new release finally gives this seminal Williams’ work the truly definitive and loving treatment it always deserved, with the complete score presented in the film’s narrative order on disc 1 and 2 (including cues dialed out from the film’s final dub), followed by a selection of alternate cues. But the real surprise of this new Ultimate Edition is the third disc, a program presenting for the very first time all the songs written by John Williams and lyricist Leslie Bricusse when Hook was supposed to be a full-on movie musical, interjected by additional alternate score cues and source music pieces, thus creating a fascinating experience that offers the listener a chance to connect with this music in a new and unexpected way.
Soaring and majestic, brimming with lyricism and exuberance, the score by John Williams for Hook is one of the most cherished of the composer’s esteemed career and certainly a masterwork within the distinguished 50-year collaboration with Steven Spielberg. One of the many reasons why Williams’ music connects intimately with the listener is the ability of the composer to evoke child-like feelings of awe and wonder, especially when coupled with the fantastic imagery concocted by Spielberg’s visual talent. The music of Hook is replete with a sense of joy and adventure, but at the same time enhances the delicacy and even the profound melancholy of what it means to grow up and leave childhood behind. Williams does all this with his innate sense as a musical storyteller, both through symphonic-like thematic development and a masterful treatment of the orchestral resources, thus giving the score of Hook a unique character that puts together balletic grace and swashbuckling brilliance with the grand gestures of musical theatre. The new Ultimate Edition of the soundtrack is the perfect aural portrait of such qualities, and even more.
In Part 1 of this Hook – The Ultimate Edition podcast special, soundtrack producer Mike Matessino sits down to talk about the genesis of Steven Spielberg’s 1991 fantasy epic, its place within the director’s filmography and the long history of how it almost became a musical, while also addressing how Hook sits in the canon of the Steven Spielberg/John Williams collaboration; Matessino also talks about his friendship with lyricist Leslie Bricusse, the years-in-the-making process of assembling and producing the new set and his own personal journey to bring it to life with the utmost level of care and detail that such music always deserved.
LISTEN TO PART 1
In Part 2 of the Hook – The Ultimate Edition podcast special, producer Mike Matessino returns to discuss more of the musical contents of La-La Land Records’ magnificent release, together with associate producers and co-writers of the liner notes John Takis and Jason LeBlanc. During the conversation, the special guests dissect all the riches found in the treasure chest of this John Williams’ score, analyzing the score’s main themes, how the songs’ melodies were reworked into the thematic fabric of the piece and offering their own thoughts and reflections on the film and its score.
LISTEN TO PART 2
HOOK – THE ULTIMATE EDITION
Music Composed and Conducted by John Williams
Limited Edition of 5000 Units
RETAIL PRICE: $39.98
Now Available at La-La Land Records
DISC 1
SCORE PRESENTATION
01. Hook Prologue (Extended Version) 1:33
02. We Don’t Wanna Grow Up (Extended Version) *2:57
03. Banning Back Home (Film Version) 3:21
04. Wendy’s Entrance 2:12
05. The Bedroom 1 :08
06. The Nursery Scene 1:40
07. Saying Goodnight :57
08. Hook Returns To Kensington 2:00
09. Hook Is Back 2:09
10. Forgotten How To Fly :56
11. The Stories Are True 2:24
12. The Arrival Of Tink 3:33
13. The Flight To Neverland 2:40
14. Pirate Town And Presenting The Hook 5:09
15. Hook’s Entrance 2:42
16. Draw Your Sword! 2:14
17. Peter’s Challenge 5:42
18. From Mermaids To Lost Boys (Film Version) 4:26
19. Enter Rufio 1:19
20. The Lost Boy Chase 3:35
21. The Face Of Pan 2:42
22. Hook’s Epiphany 2:16
23. Smee’s Plan 1:46
24. Pick ’Em Up * 2:56
25. Hook’s Lesson 3:08
26. The Banquet 3:14
27. The Never-Feast (Film Version) 4:41
28. When You’re Alone * 3:17
29. Goodnight Neverland 1:45
Total Time Disc One: 78:54
DISC 2
SCORE PRESENTATION (Continued)
01. Stop That Clock! 4:05
02. Home Run And Follow That Shadow 5:24
03. Peter Remembers (The Flying Sequence) 8:23
04. You Are The Pan (Film Version) 1:26
05. Tink Grows Up 2:21
06. The Ultimate War (Film Version) 8:02
07. Death Of Rufio 4:23
08. The Sword Fight And The End Of Hook 7:07
09. Farewell Neverland 10:18
10. Hook End Credits And Exit Music 5:52
Total Score Time: 2:16:23
ADDITIONAL MUSIC
11. Hook Prologue 1:25
12. Banning Back Home (Extended Version) 4:24
13. From Mermaids To Lost Boys 4:26
14. The Face Of Pan (Choral Version) 2:43
15. The Ultimate War 7:54
Total Additional Music: 21:00
Total Time Disc Two: 78:32
DISC 3
SONGS, ALTERNATES AND SOURCE MUSIC
01. We Don’t Wanna Grow Up * 1:52
02. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen 1:10
03. Childhood * 3:54
04. When You’re Alone – Moira’s Lullaby * :46
05. The Stories Are True (Alternate) 2:24
06. The Arrival Of Tink (Alternate) 3:35
07. The Flight To Neverland (Alternate) 2:33
08. Low Below – Pirate Sequence * 4:58
09. Hook’s Entrance (Alternate) 2:42
10. The Lost Boy Chase (Alternate) 3:34
11. The Never Song * 2:04
12. The Never-Band 1:20
13. The Never-Feast 4:42
14. When You’re Alone (Instrumental) 3:19
15. Mothers * 2:26
16. Stick With Me * 2:00
17. Take Me Out To The Ball Game 2:18
18. Remembering Childhood 1:06
19. Believe * 3:01
20. Farewell Neverland (Short Version / Alternate) 6:54
21. Hook Exit Music (Alternate) 1:48
BONUS TRACKS
22. Pirate Sequence (Instrumental) 3:59
23. Smee’s Concertina Medley 4:50
24. Presenting The Hook (Vocal Version Segment) * 1:38
Total Time Disc Three: 79:17
Three-Disc Total Time: 3:56:43
*Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
The Legacy of John Williams 