The Hobbit - The Desolation Of Smaug

This review applies to all three special editions of the The Hobbit soundtracks. I haven't bought "An Unexpected Journey" yet, but I have listened to it on Spotify. It covers the music and the presentation.The music is, as expected from Howard Shore, brilliant. This is consistently on the same level as the LOTR soundtracks and no lover of full-blooded orchestral music, film or otherwise, should be disappointed. Of course, it won't be to all tastes, but then I don't suppose that any particular piece of music is. It is great that classical symphonic music, to generalise, has survived into the 21st Century and is alive and well through the medium of film - Wagner would have been very happy (he would have been a film composer if alive today :)).So, why three stars? The grotty, cheap packaging, which is especially disappointing after the LOTR special editions. I am seriously considering contacting the record company responsible. The discs are difficult to extract from their sleeves and there is a risk of scratching them and getting fingerprints on the playing surface, not to mention ripping the cardboard. I know that other people have commented adversely about the packaging - I would like to add mine to theirs! The purchaser needs to know what he or she is getting. This is not sold as a cheap product!The accompanying booklets on the other hand are well laid out with, inter alia, stills from the films and analysis of the music with musical examples (I am assuming that the one with "An Unexpected Journey" is the same).So, five stars for the music but, I'm sorry, one star for the packaging, dragging the average down to three.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy got me through my final year of Uni way back in 2008, simply put the Extended versions are my most played albums of all time and are pure genius.The Desolation Of Smaug is I think a step up from the first Hobbit score which while not being bad was perhaps due to my love of the LOTR soundtracks a little dissapointing.For this album though I feel Howard Shore rediscovered his stride and there are some truly standout cues on here, from the great instrument selection for Smaug to the brilliantly eerie High Fells track Howard Shore recaptures that Middle Earth magic here.I must admit I'd never really listened to Ed Sheeran before but his credits track is brilliant, the lyrics fit perfectly and it seems that he has like Emiliana Torrini for TTT has really understood the story of the film and is setting up the 3rd film with some evocative lyrics.

Like a couple of other reviewers, I initially was a little taken aback with this latest release, however after seeing the movie and hearing the tracks in their intended context, I am enjoying it more and more. There isn't an easily identifiable new main theme as there was with the Lonely Mountain theme in An Unexpected Journey, and indeed, the absence of that theme in what is the "ongoing story" does seem a little odd, however there are three motifs that are emerging upon successive listenings that define this movie, in my mind. These are the chase music heard in Barrels out of Bond, the choral theme in Kingsfoil and the theme for Laketown.The vocal contribution by Ed Sheeran is quite good, though maybe not as memorable as Neil Finn's track. I also strikes me as a little odd that the words to the prophecy recited by Bard in the movie itself weren't wrapped up into the vocal tracks more, though maybe this will come in There and Back Again. Having said that, I imagine the vocal track for that will be based upon "The road goes ever on and on".So overall, like the movie itself, this album brings a new twist on the overall story.

I really enjoyed the music from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. That music was able to stand up well apart from the film. I found that listening to this without the film was a little hard work. Howard Shaw is a good composer but I suspect he had his work cut out as the Hobbit Trilogy has been rather drawn out with bits tacked on that don't really work for me. I preferred the music from the first Hobbit film in the series. Await with interest for the third film offering.

This is one of those (rare) soundtracks that stands well and truly on its own two feet away from the movie. Excellent range of music, instruments and moods make this very absorbing and worth many repeat listening sessions. This (in my opinion) is much better than The Unexpected Party soundtrack which is no mean feat - well done Howard keep the music flowing.

Preferred the cd from unexpected journey, but as a long time fan of Tolkien and Peter jacksons movies, I had to have this. Lacks the same punch, but still atmospheric music that is easy to listen to and as I'm waiting for the move to come out next week, this cd conjures up memories of what was a good second instalment of the hobbit.

Good listen to lift the spirits with a catchy beat

Great song.