Look, up in the sky! (You knew we were going to say that!)

Following remastered releases of the scores to Superman II, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace in 2018, La-La Land Records returns to the one that started it all: a brilliant new remastered edition of John Williams’ score to Superman: The Movie, landing just a few months after its 40th anniversary. (In an amazing confluence of events, today’s announcement comes on “Superman Soundtrack Day,” the same date as two previous expanded editions of the original soundtrack: a double-disc set issued by Rhino in 2000, and an eight-disc box set featuring all four film scores and material from the Ruby-Spears animated Superman series, issued in 2008.) As with those versions, Mike Matessino is at the helm, producing, mixing, assembling and remastering this new three-disc set. This time, the score is sourced from the newly-located original 2″, 24-track music masters, making this far and away the best-sounding version of this classic score ever released.

Williams’ music to Superman almost needs no introduction, but it’s worth noting what a towering achievement this score was for the veteran composer at a time when he was composing classic film themes with all the speed and strength of The Man of Steel himself. This screen adaptation of the legendary DC Comics superhero was the most ambitious ever, a planned two-film story shot simultaneously with producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, The Omen director Richard Donner, and a galaxy of talent from established stars (Gene Hackman as the villainous Lex Luthor, Marlon Brando as Superman’s Kryptonian father Jor-El) and up-and-comers (including definitive performances by Christopher Reeve as Superman and Margot Kidder as Lois Lane).

Working from an epic script co-written by The Godfather novelist Mario Puzo, Donner stressed the importance of a genuine, believable story (“verisimilitude,” the director was keen to say) told fantastically, with realistic flying effects and emotional heft in the film’s craft – a worthy goal particularly in the wake of the release of Star Wars a year before. John Williams, of course, had won his third Oscar for the soundtrack to that film, and again reunited with The London Symphony Orchestra to create a bold musical accompaniment for Superman: The Movie. (This partnership with the LSO produced six incredible scores between 1977 and 1981: Star Wars, The Fury, Superman, Dracula, The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders Of The Lost Ark.) Williams’ Oscar-nominated work for Superman, anchored by multiple melodic leitmotifs and a love theme that was turned into a pop tune, became synonymous with the character for several generations; when Warner Bros. released their first Superman film in nearly two decades with 2006’s Superman Returns, composer John Ottman retained nearly all of Williams’ motifs.

This set, which features the complete film score, an assortment of alternate cues (among them “an astonishing early version of ‘The Fortress of Solitude’ that remained vaulted and unplayed for four decades”), the first-ever U.S. release of the complete 2LP soundtrack presentation from 1978 on compact disc, and 44 pages of liner notes written by Matessino and designed by Jim Titus, will more than live up to the promise of Superman: The Movie‘s bold, inspiring tag line: “You’ll believe a man can fly.” Order this set, limited to 5,000 copies, at the link below and check out the full track list!

Superman: The Movie – 40th Anniversary Remastered Edition (La-La Land Records LLLCD1478, 2019 – original film released 1978)

Disc 1: Film Score

1. Prelude and Main Title
2. The Planet Krypton and The Dome Opens
3. Destruction Of Krypton (Extended Version)
4. The Kryptonquake
5. The Trip To Earth
6. The Crash Site
7. Growing Up
8. Jonathan’s Death
9. Leaving Home
10. The Fortress Of Solitude (Extended Version)
11. The Mugger
12. Lex Luthor’s Lair (Extended Version)
13. Helicopter Sequence
14. The Burglar Sequence and Chasing Crooks
15. Cat Rescue and Air Force One
16. The Penthouse
17. The Flying Sequence (Instrumental Version)
18. Clark Loses His Nerve

Disc 2: Film Score continued and Extras

1. The March Of The Villains
2. The Truck Convoy Sequence
3. To The Lair
4. Trajectory Malfunction
5. Luthor’s Lethal Weapon
6. Superman Rescued and Chasing Rockets
7. Golden Gate Bridge and The Rescue Of Jimmy
8. Pushing Boulders and Flying To Lois
9. Turning Back The World
10. The Prison Yard and End Title
11. Love Theme From Superman
12. Prelude and Main Title (Alternate)
13. The Planet Krypton (Alternate Segment)
14. The Dome Opens (Alternate)
15. The Fortress Of Solitude (Alternate Segment)
16. The Mugger (Alternate)
17. Prelude and Main Title (Film Version)
18. I Can Fly (Flying Sequence Alternate Segment)
19. Can You Read My Mind (Film Version)
20. Trajectory Malfunction (Alternate)
21. Turning Back The World (Extended Version)
22. The Prison Yard/End Title (Film Version)

Disc 3: Original Soundtrack Album (released as Warner Bros. Records 2BSK-3257, 1978)

1. Theme From Superman (Main Title)
2. The Planet Krypton
3. Destruction Of Krypton
4. The Trip To Earth
5. Growing Up
6. Love Theme From Superman
7. Leaving Home
8. The Fortress Of Solitude
9. The Flying Sequence/Can You Read My Mind
10. Super Rescues
11. Lex Luthor’s Lair
12. Superfeats
13. The March Of The Villains
14. Chasing Rockets
15. Turning Back The World
16. End Title