John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 is the first of three volumes in a historic anthology collection celebrating the work of the maestro.

If you’re a John Williams fan, you’re going to want this collection. Trust me. If the first 22-disc John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 from Sony Classical is any indication, the next two volumes–Vol. 2 covers 1991-2008 and Vol. 3 covers 2011-2022–will be just as beautiful. This collection is more than just the greatest hits–there’s an album for that, too, but it only covers 1969-1999. Depending on what’s included with the next two volumes, John Williams Conductor will beautifully compliment the 75-disc John Williams: The Anthology when all is said and done.

Initially scheduled to arrive last month, John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990, a historic first volume, is finally available for fans to bring home. Obviously, the entire collection does not span all of Williams’ film scores. Even for the years spanning the initial set, there are scores not included. How to Steal a Million and Valley of the Dolls both predate the years covered in the collection. Fiddler on the Roof, Images, The Poseidon Adventure, The Long Goodbye, Family Plot, The Eiger Sanction, and Black Sunday are not included. Why some scores are included and others are not is beyond me.

The 22 discs in John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 showcase Williams’ music for 27 films that established him as one of the most influential and imaginative composers in the history of film music. They include his unforgettable scores for the first three Star Wars films, Jaws, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the first three Indiana Jones adventures, Superman and a range of others from The Reivers (1969) to Home Alone (1990).

Three of the scores included in John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 – Jaws (1975), Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – won Williams the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Fifteen more Oscar nominations were accorded to other scores in Volume 1, as well as five BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes and 14 Grammy Awards. He won five Oscars in 54 nominations. Additionally, he has won 26 Grammy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards, five Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

“I have often said that without John Williams, bicycles do not fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches or heroes in red capes. Dinosaurs do not walk the earth. Sharks do not terrorize idyllic summer beaches. And Jedi do not return,” Steven Spielberg, a director and the composer’s most frequent collaborator, writes in the foreword for John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990.

“Without the magic of John Williams, audiences do not wonder, or weep, or believe. Whether in an elegant concert hall or a darkened cinema, John’s music is instantly recognizable both for its emotional power and its ability to tap into our collective unconscious… to inspire us, to captivate us, and to illuminate our shared journey through the human experience.”

This historic box set retrospective will be completed later this year with the releases of John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 2 1991-2008 and John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 3 2011-2022. Together with John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990, the three volumes combined will comprise a magnificent 75-disc collection celebrating the most beloved composer of our time. The box set will encompass the seven-decade career of the most popular and admired composer of his time, plus feature many of the maestro’s original soundtrack recordings and concert music recordings.

Williams has had a historic career since beginning as a studio musician in the 1950s. He’s composed for both TV and film but it wasn’t until the mid-1960s when he began to make his mark by scoring major Hollywood films. Flash forward to the 1970s and Williams started his lengthy collaboration with director Steven Spielberg. Williams has composed the scores for all but three of Spielberg’s movies dating back to 1974. John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 includes ten of these scores.

John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 Set Contents

• Disc 1: The Reivers
• Disc 2: The Cowboys
• Disc 3: Earthquake + The Towering Inferno
• Disc 4: Jaws + Jaws 2
• Disc 5: Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope
• Disc 6: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
• Disc 7: The Sugarland Express + 1941
• Disc 8: The Fury
• Disc 9: Superman
• Disc 10: Dracula + Monsignor
• Disc 11: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
• Disc 12: Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Disc 13: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• Disc 14: Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
• Disc 15: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
• Disc 16: SpaceCamp
• Disc 17: The Witches of Eastwick
• Disc 18: Empire of the Sun
• Disc 19: The Accidental Tourist
• Disc 20: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Disc 21: Born on the Fourth of July + Always
• Disc 22: Home Alone

Sony Classical releases John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990 on August 22, 2025.

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