Jumping in on the score discussion a bit late. I bought it early and listen to it several times a week. I agree with the bulk of the thoughts here. It’s less melodic that some of his other work and in some cases a bit less grand. I’m fine with that. I don’t need an Imperial March every time out - or the one that seems to come up constantly as his pièce de résistance - Duel Of The Fates *genuflect*. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lucas picked that name.

Far and away, the pieces that speak to me are Rey’s Theme, The Scavenger (where it’s first heard), and The Jedi Steps. I’d put those three pieces up against anything Williams has ever done as far as depth and emotion. The simple but deep Rey’s Theme reminds me of his score for Memoirs Of A Geisha, which I still think is his best work.

I also really like the brief call-backs to the OT scores. There are a few that are quite subtle, but they strike just the right emotional chord. They don’t hang on the moment or take it over. They’re just enough to hint at events long ago. There are a few in The Falcon. Most of them just a few seconds. Nicely done.

The rest of the score seems very much in line with his Indiana Jones work, to the point of sounding interchangeable. This fits right in with the thoughts of eiyosus and Dominic on it being a more percussive and rhythmic score. Aside from the three pieces I mentioned, the score is more geared to accompanying the action as opposed to long introspective shots. I prefer those types of shots, so it only makes sense that I prefer the music that gives them depth. As an indicator of my thoughts on the score, I only copied 11 of the pieces over to my car CD\iPod\work computer, etc.