For fans of John Williams, the legendary composer's 90th birthday has marked a fruitful year. A live concert from Berlin recorded in 2021 was released to considerable acclaim, and two studio albums have since followed: A Gathering of Friends, reuniting the composer with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the New York Philharmonic; and the new Violin Concerto No. 2 and Selected Film Themes, a concert hall collaboration with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. He'll next be heard on screen scoring The Fabelmans, a long-awaited semi-autobiographical drama co-written and directed by longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg, and he even made a surprise return to the Star Wars galaxy, writing a new theme for the Disney+ spin-off series Obi-Wan Kenobi.

For those who love archival editions of his scores, there's two more to enjoy - and they are somewhat off the beaten track for fans of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter. Intrada has prepared a double-disc presentation of Williams' score to SpaceCamp, a 1986 fantasy starring Lea Thompson, Kate Capshaw (Spielberg's future wife) and - in only his second role - future Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix. It features a troupe of kids working together at the titular real educational facility in Hunstville, Alabama, who get more than they bargained for when they accidentally end up onboard the Space Shuttle during a real mission. If you've done the math, SpaceCamp was a commercial disaster thanks to the real-life explosion of the Challenger shuttle between the end of production and release.

Despite the film's flaws and bad timing, Williams turned in a typically admirable, stirring score during a slightly subdued period. Having picked up his fourth Oscar for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and wrapped up his Star Wars trilogy duties in the years before, Williams seemingly had nothing to prove. Yet this kid flick features typically evocative themes and orchestral flourishes that will please seasoned fans of the Maestro. Initially very hard to find on CD outside of Japan, the album was reissued by Intrada in the 2010s. This version, overseen by Williams' longtime archivist Mike Matessino, combines that newly-remastered original LP with an expanded-to-completion presentation of the score as mixed from three-track at the original sessions by Armin Steiner.

Another Williams surprise turned up just a short while later, this time from Varese Sarabande and coming from Williams' '90s filmography. Presumed Innocent was a gripping, acclaimed adaptation of Scott Turow's legal potboiler. In it, Harrison Ford plays a respected prosecutor who finds himself on the wrong end of an investigation when his former mistress is found murdered. Brian Dennehy, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Winfield, Raul Julia, and Greta Scacchi rounded out the all-star principal cast.  Directed by Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men), the film was an astounding critical and commercial success, becoming one of the top-grossing films of 1990. Williams again defied expectations with his taut, subtle score, deftly melding piano, French horn, strings, and synthesizer for this dramatic thriller.  Varese issued the original 14-track album in 1990 with around 45 minutes of music; now, it's been expanded to 35 tracks and almost 80 minutes.  This presentation, expanded and remastered by Mike Matessino and limited to 2,500 copies, features the complete original score plus session alternates and unique album versions.

You'll find order links below for both of these John Williams gems.  Note that SpaceCamp is on back order, but orders are still being accepted.

SpaceCamp (Expanded Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Intrada ISC 474, 2022 - original film released 1986)

Disc 1: Film score (1-20) and extras (21-23) (* previously unreleased)

1. Main Title
2. The Jinx Connection *
3. Friends Forever
4. Training Montage
5. The Computer Room
6. Jinx Commits *
7. The Shuttle
8. In Orbit
9. Insufficient Oxygen
10. Arriving At Daedalus and Morse Code *
11. Viewing Daedalus
12. I Can't Reach It *
13. Max Finds Courage
14. Max Breaks Loose
15. Rudy Comes Through *
16. Andie is Stranded
17. White Sands (Film Version)
18. Re-Entry
19. Home Again
20. SpaceCamp
21. Main Title (Film Version) *
22. White Sands (Album Edit)
23. Home Again (Short Version)

Disc 2: Original soundtrack album (released as RCA ABL1-5856, 1986)

1. Main Title
2. Training Montage
3. The Shuttle
4. The Computer Room
5. Friends Forever
6. In Orbit
7. White Sands
8. SpaceCamp
9. Viewing Daedalus
10. Max Breaks Loose
11. Andie is Stranded
12. Max Finds Courage
13. Re-Entry
14. Home Again

Presumed Innocent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (The Deluxe Edition) (Varese Sarabande, 2022 - original film released 1990)

1. Main Title (from the Motion Picture Presumed Innocent) **
2. Family Morning
3. Carolyn's Office (Film Version) **
4. Burning the Note *
5. The B File (Film Version)
6. Juvenile Pictures *
7. Remembering Carolyn
8. Reacting To Carolyn *
9. Love Scene
10. Off the Case/You're Always Right *
11. The Bedroom Scene (Film Version) **
12. On the Advice of Counsel
13. In the Patio
14. Carolyn's Apartment **
15. Family Theme *
16. Physical Evidence *
17. Outside the Courthouse *
18. Leon Talks
19. Fingerprints *
20. Barbara and Rusty
21. Case Dismissed (Film Version)
22. The Boat Scene
23. Return to Normal **
24. The Basement Scene (Film Version) **
25. Barbara's Confession
26. End Credits (from the Motion Picture Presumed Innocent) **
27. Presumed Innocent (Album Version)
28. Family Life (Album Version)
29. The B File (Album Version)
30. The Bedroom Scene (Album Version)
31. Carolyn's Office (Album Version)
32. Rusty Accused (Album Version)
33. Case Dismissed (Album Version)
34. The Basement Scene (Album Version)
35. End Credits (Album Version)