Raiders Of The Lost Ark – music by John Williams

2 min read

Order this CDOne of the better (not to mention fun) movies during the early 1980s was Raiders Of The Lost Ark. This Steven Spielberg / George Lucas co-production turned out to be one of the biggest hits of 1981, and the film was later nominated for Oscars in Best Picture, not to mention spawning numerous imitators as well as two sequels: Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

The music played a key role in this film, and John Williams provided an excellent score for this film, also earning a nomination for (but not winning) an Oscar for best score. The soundtrack was released as an album, and in 1995, was re-released on CD with additional music not included in the album. The music was re-mastered for the CD pressing from the original two-track stereo master tapes, and it sounds great… not a crack or pop to be heard.

Also, of note, for a CD that only costs $12.99, it includes a full color booklet containing several photographs 4 out of 4and production sketches from the movies, introduction by Steven Spielberg, comments from John Williams about various bits, and a analysis and a track-by-track commentary by Lukas Kendall of Film Score Monthly.

If you enjoyed the film as much as I did, and enjoyed the music, then the soundtrack is a must-have for your collection.

  1. The Raiders March (2:50)
  2. Main Title: South America, 1936 (4:10)
  3. In the Idol’s Temple (5:26)
  4. Flight from Peru (2:20)
  5. Journey to Nepal (2:11)
  6. The Medallion (2:55)
  7. To Cairo (1:29)
  8. The Basket Game (5:04)
  9. The Map Room: Dawn (3:52)
  10. Reunion and The Dig Begins (4:10)
  11. The Well of the Souls (5:28)
  12. Airplane Fight (4:37)
  13. Desert Chase (8:15)
  14. Marion’s Theme (2:08)
  15. The German Sub / To The Nazi Hideout (4:32)
  16. Ark Trek (1:33)
  17. The Miracle of the Ark (6:08)
  18. The Warehouse (:56)
  19. End Credits (5:20)

Released by: Digital Compact Classics
Release date: 1981 (re-released on CD in 1995)
Total running time: 73:32