I really shouldn’t be helping to kick off this thread by NOT giving love to Yub Nub, but so sue me, I have never liked it. It always felt annoying and strangely anti-climactic for me, the closing feeling for a film I really love. Victory Celebration, on the other hand… I love bittersweet-sounding music, and the piece is that and so much more. For me, it feels joyful, relieved, hopeful, all the rest. I would gladly do without the SE changes and watch the original version of ROTJ, if it weren’t for Victory Celebration. For that track alone, I choose the 2004 version every single time.
I agree completely with you. Growing up i remember Victory Celebration would make me feel sad, it felt like the very end. Yub Nub doesn’t make you feel like we reached the summit of the story. Throughout star wars we’re given music filled with beautiful strings and range, but this song doesn’t even have a feeling of star wars until the last 15 seconds or so.