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How appropriate on this, the eve of the Fourth of July, that Mondo announces a vinyl title to keep audiences out of the water and off the beach! The specialty vinyl label will premiere John Williams’ original Oscar-winning score to Steven Spielberg’s JAWS this fall.

Based on the bestseller by Peter Benchley, JAWS focused on a bustling beach community whose summer tourism boom is threatened by a massive great white shark. The chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young oceanographer (Richard Dreyfuss) and a modern-day Captain Ahab (Robert Shaw) form an unlikely trio to destroy this aberration of nature, leading to a thrilling and terrifying climax. Famously beleaguered by mechanical malfunctions off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, the young Spielberg, on his third film set, created a pop masterpiece of dazzling technique (both Williams and editor Verna Fields took home Oscars for their work) and enormous commercial significance (for two years, JAWS was the highest grossing film ever–the first to earn over $100 million domestically and the fuse on the powder keg of summer blockbusters that continues exploding to this day).

Williams’ work needs almost no introduction–that churning, introductory two-note figure is shorthand for aquatic terror even in swimming pools 42 years later–but it’s so much more than that, with captivating contrapuntal themes for the shark-hunting trio and the island of Amity itself. And this vinyl utilizes the brilliant edit, mix and reconstruction of the film score (not the brilliant but shorter recording for the original soundtrack album) as heard in the film undertaken by Mike Matessino for the film’s 40th anniversary in 2015. Released on CD that year by Intrada Records, it’s no understatement to say JAWS had never been heard like this–so if you’re a fan of scores on vinyl, this is a crucial addition to your record racks.

This 2LP set, featuring new artwork by Phantom City Creative, will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl in either black or ocean blue. It comes up from the depths in October, but you can pre-order it now.

John Williams, JAWS: Music From the Motion Picture (Mondo, 2017 – originally released as first disc of Intrada INT 7145, 2015)

LP 1

1. JAWS – Main Title
2. The First Victim
3. Remains On the Beach
4. The Empty Raft (Extended Version)
5. The Pier Incident
6. Father and Son (Film Version)
7. The Alimentary Canal
8. Ben Gardner’s Boat
9. Montage
10. Into the Estuary
11. Out to Sea (Film Version)
12. Tug On the Line
13. Man Against Beast (Film Version)

LP 2

1. Quint’s Tale
2. Brody Panics
3. Barrel Off Starboard
4. Great Chase
5. Shark Tows Orca
6. Three Barrels Under
7. From Bad to Worse
8. Quint Thinks It Over
9. The Shark Cage Fugue
10. The Shark Approaches (Film Version)
11. The Shark Hits the Cage
12. Quint Meets His End
13. Blown to Bits
14. JAWS – End Title