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This Sunday, June 12, marks the 30th anniversary of one of the best films of all time: Raiders of the Lost Ark. For three decades, Harrison Ford's iconic, fedora-clad hero, Indiana Jones, has become a touchstone of film heroism for the whole world. The brilliant visionaries who created Jones, producer/directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, reinvented blockbuster cinema on their own time; together, they created what may be the perfect Saturday afternoon flick, one that pushes all the right buttons to make you laugh, scream and cheer in the perfect order.

Like so many of Lucas and Spielberg's own projects, the music of composer John Williams greatly added to the mystique of Raiders and its three sequels. The iconic "Raiders March" can be hummed by kids and adults across the globe, and it's become musical shorthand for adventure. There's no better time or place than in this week's Friday Feature to honor the musical magic of Indiana Jones.

Like so many other Spielberg-Williams collaborations, the march began as a series of piano sketches that the composer played for his director. Interestingly enough, Williams had two separate themes in mind for the character, and proceeded to play them for Spielberg: first, the familiar, melodic march - then, a rollicking, repetitive counterpoint. Intrigued, Spielberg suggested he use both, and they became the "A" and "B" sections of the march.

There's really only so much anyone can say about the impact of the music that hasn't already been said. (As always, though, I turn to my friends at Popdose for some great work; Jeff Johnson's piece on Raiders brings up some excellent points about the film's music and its presentation both in the film and on disc.) Hit the jump, though, for more musical tales from the Indiana Jones series, including the long, bumpy road to (almost) CD perfection.

As per usual, the Indy soundtracks were originally released as single, abridged LPs - although unlike Williams' work for films like JAWS and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the soundtracks were drawn from original recordings, not re-recorded suites.

The themes of Raiders - the classic march, the romantic love theme for Indy's flame Marion Ravenwood (played to perfection by the gorgeous Karen Allen) and a triad-based motif for the mystical Ark of the Covenant - were given full-bodied performances by The London Symphony Orchestra (which greatly enhanced Williams' already stellar work for Star Wars (1977), Superman: The Movie (1978) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980)).

John Williams and The London Symphony Orchestra, Raiders of the Lost Ark: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Columbia JS-37373, 1981)

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Flight from Peru
3. The Map Room: Dawn
4. The Basket Game
5. The Well of the Souls
6. Desert Chase
7. Marion's Theme
8. The Miracle of the Ark
9. The Raiders March

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For the first sequel, 1984's Temple of Doom, Indy journeyed from Shanghai to India to retrieve a village's sacred Sankara stone from a murderous cult intent on using its power to rule the world. Spielberg and Lucas went a decidedly different route - more gross-out scenes, a darker tone and different sidekicks, including ditzy nightclub singer Willie Scott (played by Spielberg's future wife, Kate Capshaw) and plucky pre-adolescent Short Round (Ke Huy Quan). The iconic march was back, but the action cues were of a decidedly different structure, co-opting Asian rhythms for Shorty and some tightly packed action cues throughout the last third of the film. (Temple is one of Williams' most densely-built scores, building themes and variations and never letting up on them for nearly the last hour of the picture. It's no surprise, then, that Williams' fan base considers Temple an underrated gem.)

Again, the shortened LP - including a Cantonese version of Cole Porter's "Anything Goes" to kick off the film - was all fans had to make do with originally.

John Williams, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Polydor 821 592-1 Y-1, 1984)

1. Anything Goes
2. Fast Streets of Shanghai
3. Nocturnal Activities
4. Short Round's Theme
5. Children in Chains
6. Slalom on Mt. Humol
7. The Temple of Doom
8. Bug Tunnel and Death Trap
9. Slave Children's Crusade
10. The Mine Car Chase
11. Finale and End Credits

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Temple was considered a disappointment by some critics (and many parents - the rather violent PG-rated film directly led to the creation of the PG-13 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America a year after its release). So The Last Crusade, released in 1989, was a back-to-basics affair, adding some familiar faces from Raiders (John Rhys-Davies as loyal, Faustian digger Sallah, Denholm Elliot as Indy's proper but charming mentor, museum curator Marcus Brody) and drawing the story concepts closer to the original (another biblical artifact is the goal - this time, it's the Holy Grail - and Indy again fights Nazis to retrieve it). But the slightly lighter tone sat well with fans...and so did the other ace in the film's sleeve: Sean Connery. The onetime James Bond had been cast as Indy's father (how apropos!), and gave one of the most delightful performances toward the end of his illustrious career.

Williams' music followed suit to the regal overtones of the father-son relationships in the film, but also gave fans another killer assortment of cues for action scenes, particularly the scherzo accompanying the Joneses' escape from a Nazi stronghold on the German-Austrian border.

John Williams, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Warner Bros. 25883-1, 1989)

1. Indy's Very First Adventure
2. X Marks the Spot
3. Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra
4. Ah, Rats!!!
5. Escape from Venice
6. No Ticket
7. The Keeper of the Grail
8. Keeping Up with the Joneses
9. Brother of the Cruciform Sword
10. Belly of the Steel Beast
11. The Canyon of the Crescent Moon
12. The Penitent Man Will Pass
13. End Credits (Raiders March)

All three LPs were given CD releases on their respective labels (except for Raiders, later released on CD as Polydor 821 583-2). The Raiders and Temple CDs were deleted in the mid-1990s, but lived on as Japanese imports.

Then in 1995, even as the world wondered if Indy would ever strap on his whip for another adventure, the expanded CD soundtrack market was taking hold, and Raiders was licensed for expansion by DCC Compact Classics. With mastering from none other than Steve Hoffman and a greatly expanded CD presentation (that took advantage of not only the disc's length but the fact that the score was recorded outside of America and thus not subject to the usual reuse fees that keep soundtracks an expensive production), this version of Raiders is arguably the most definitive.

John Williams and The London Symphony Orchestra, Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (DCC Compact Classics DZS-090, 1995)

1. The Raiders March
2. Main Title: South America, 1936 *
3. In the Idol's Temple **
4. Flight from Peru
5. Journey to Nepal *
6. The Medallion *
7. To Cairo
8. The Basket Game **
9. The Map Room: Dawn
10. Reunion and The Dig Begins *
11. The Well of the Souls **
12. Airplane Fight *
13. Desert Chase **
14. Marion's Theme
15. The German Sub/To the Nazi Hideout *
16. Ark Trek *
17. The Miracle of the Ark
18. The Warehouse *
19. End Credits

In addition to the CD, a double-vinyl version of this set (DCC Compact Classics LPZ(2)-2009) included another six minutes of material within the track "The Well of the Souls." Most of it would not be released on CD until 2008.

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While Raiders was one of many John Williams scores to receive a deluxe treatment in the 1990s and 2000s (alongside Star Wars, JAWS, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Superman), none of the others followed suit. Rumors floated in the early 2000s of an expanded Temple presentation, but nothing ever came to fruition. Meanwhile, the world continued to hold their breath for a fourth Indiana Jones film - and just when it seemed like we were all about to pass out, Spielberg, Lucas, Ford and company came back. The fourth film had an older Indy fighting Soviets in the 1950s for possession of a mysterious crystal skull in the lost city of Akator in South America (known in some cultures as El Dorado, the city of gold).

Although fans were not uniformly pleased with the fourth go-round - blame the ill will spread by Lucas' Star Wars prequels between 1999 and 2005 - Williams was again in fine form, composing a sultry theme for the villainous Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) and an adventurous countertheme for Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), Indy's sidekick who eventually ends up changing his life. The soundtrack was also very lengthy - nearly the entire CD was filled - but crucial action pieces (many of which brought the familiar march front and center) were left off the program.

John Williams, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Concord CRE-30825-02, 2008)

1. The Raiders March
2. Call of the Crystal
3. The Adventures of Mutt
4. Irina's Theme
5. The Snake Pit
6. The Spell of the Skull
7. The Journey to Akator
8. A Whirl Through Academe
9. "Return"
10. The Jungle Chase
11. Orellana's Cradle
12. Grave Robbers
13. Hidden Treasure and The City of Gold
14. Secret Doors and Scorpions
15. Oxley's Dilemma
16. Ants!
17. Temple Ruins and The Secret Revealed
18. The Departure
19. Finale

Shortly after releasing the Crystal Skull soundtrack, Concord Records revealed that their licensing deal also covered the soundtracks to the original films as well. Speculation quickly ran rampant as to how expanded the sets would be, and poorly-worded press releases were endlessly scrutinized. Ultimately, when fans got the soundtrack box set that Concord released, it was a mixed blessing.

All the scores (except Crystal Skull) were greatly expanded, and further complemented by a bonus disc of material from the original trilogy. But the sets were far from complete - in fact, some bizarre editing choices were made that shortened at least one great cue (Raiders' "Desert Chase," presented in its original LP edit) and left others out. (This author still mourns the loss of the original end credits to Temple of Doom, which featured a beautiful interplay of Indy and Short Round's themes that have yet to bow on CD.)

Immediately, fans went after the producer of the set, longtime Spielberg documentarian Laurent Bouzereau (whose expanded reissues of the JAWS and E.T. scores for Universal Music Group were considered only almost perfect by some fans). After all, it was he who wasted 20 minutes of the bonus disc with interviews previously presented on DVD - precious real estate for more music. And his selection of some alternate cues was considered questionable (particularly when a pre-release leak of Raiders featured unheard alternate cues that ultimately never made it on the actual disc).

But Bouzereau is actually not the one to lay blame on; in an interview with Film Score Monthly (accessible only on the subscribers' page), the producer attributed the shortcomings of the box to a number of factors. The label only hired him late in the game, initially suggesting to reissue the original LPs on CD with a handful of bonus tracks tacked on to the end. He pushed hard for the bonus disc, figuratively and literally - the disc was nearly crammed into each box set, a result of its last-minute inclusion. And the questionable edits of "Desert Chase" from Raiders? That was Williams' decision. (The man may be a living legend - and certainly was robbed of an Oscar for Raiders - but he's not always the best in soundtrack assembly.)

Still, the box is a must have for anyone who wants to relive the musical adventures of Indiana Jones - although its' falling out of print at the end of last year will surely leave fans wondering if another musical adventure is to follow.

John Williams, Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection (Concord CRE-31000, 2008)

Disc 1: Raiders of the Lost Ark

1. In the Jungle
2. The Idol Temple
3. Escape from the Temple
4. Flight from Peru
5. Washington Men/Indy's Home *
6. A Thought for Marion/To Nepal
7. The Medallion
8. Flight to Cairo
9. The Basket Game
10. Bad Dates *
11. The Map Room: Dawn
12. Reunion in the Tent/Searching for the Well
13. The Well of the Souls
14. Indy Rides the Statue *
15. The Fist Fight/The Flying Wing
16. Desert Chase +
17. Marion's Theme/The Crate
18. The German Sub
19. Ride to the Nazi Hideout
20. Indy Follows the Ark
21. The Miracle of the Ark
22. Washington Ending and Raiders March

Disc 2: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

1. Anything Goes
2. Indy Negotiates *
3. The Nightclub Brawl *
4. Fast Streets of Shanghai
5. Map/Out of Fuel *
6. Slalom on Mt. Humol
7. Short Round's Theme
8. The Scroll/To Pankot Palace *
9. Nocturnal Activities
10. Bug Tunnel and Death Trap
11. Approaching the Stones *
12. Children in Chains
13. The Temple of Doom
14. Short Round Escapes *
15. Saving Willie *
16. Slave Children's Crusade
17. Short Round Helps *
18. The Mine Car Chase
19. Water! *
20. The Sword Trick *
21. The Broken Bridge/British Relief *
22. End Credits

Disc 3: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

1. Indy's Very First Adventure *
2. The Boat Scene *
3. X Marks the Spot
4. Ah, Rats!!!
5. Escape from Venice
6. Journey to Austria *
7. Father and Son Reunited *
8. The Austrian Way *
9. Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra
10. Alarm! *
11. No Ticket
12. Keeping Up with the Joneses
13. Brother of the Cruciform Sword
14. On the Tank *
15. Belly of the Steel Beast
16. The Canyon of the Crescent Moon
17. The Keeper of the Grail
18. The Penitent Man Will Pass
19. Finale and End Credits

Disc 4: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (contents identical to Concord CRE-30825-02)

Disc 5: Interviews and More Music

1. The Raiders March
2. Interviews with John Williams, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas - Conducted by Laurent Bozereau
3. Uncovering the Ark **
4. Indy and the Villagers *
5. The Secret Passage *
6. Father's Study *
7. Marcus is Captured/To Berlin *
8. To the Blimp *
9. The Blimp Turns Around *
10. Death of Kazim *
11. Wrong Choice, Right Choice *
12. Return to the Village/Raiders March **

* denotes previously unreleased material (except Disc 3, Track 1 and Disc 5, Track 12, which contains previously unreleased material). ** denotes track previously released in part on DCC Compact Classics LPZ(2)-2009. + denotes edited track identical to Columbia JS-37373
Disc 5, Tracks 1 and 3 from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Disc 5, Tracks 4-5 and 12 from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. Disc 5, Tracks 6-11 from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.