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HomeNewsFilm, Music & TVExploring the Shadows of the Empire enhanced CD soundtrack

Exploring the Shadows of the Empire enhanced CD soundtrack

May 30, 2020

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Shadows of the Empire is returning to CD and vinyl on 7th August, bringing Joel McNeely’s sumptuous score back to music lovers and fans of the galaxy far, far away. Wrapped around a glorious Drew Struzan cover, the 1996 release was an enhanced CD and GFFA Games take a look at what fans of the time could browse through on this now obsolete format.

Joel McNeely’s Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire soundtrack was composed for the multimedia event of 1996 – the ‘movie without a movie’ that comprised of a novel, comic, video game and much more – Shadows of the Empire.

This soundtrack is being rereleased by Varese Sarabande records, but the original version contained extra information as part of a now-obsolete ‘Enhanced CD’ format. In this video we explore those contents, and think back on Shadows of the Empire and how important it was to Star Wars and the Expanded Universe!

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Shadows of the Empire

SourceGFFA Games

Mark Newbold

Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in '81 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to ILM.com and SkywalkerSound.com, having previously written for Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Starburst Magazine, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host (the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015), the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.

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The Mandalorian and Grogu, announced as The Mandalorian & Grogu, is a Star Wars movie that started production in 2024. Directed by Jon Favreau and produced by Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, and Dave Filoni, it takes place between the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and Episode VII: The Force Awakens, focuses on the adventures of Din Djarin and Din Grogu, and will be a spinoff to the TV series Star Wars: The Mandalorian. The film was announced on January 9 that year on StarWars.com with a conceptual sketch by veteran illustrator Ryan Church, along with an announcement of a second season of the television series Star Wars: Ahsoka. A fourth season of The Mandalorian is also still in development.

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News Film, Music & TV

Exploring the Shadows of the Empire enhanced CD soundtrack

By Mark Newbold

May 30, 2020

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Joel McNeely’s Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire soundtrack was composed for the multimedia event of 1996 – the ‘movie without a movie’ that comprised of a novel, comic, video game and much more – Shadows of the Empire.

This soundtrack is being rereleased by Varese Sarabande records, but the original version contained extra information as part of a now-obsolete ‘Enhanced CD’ format. In this video we explore those contents, and think back on Shadows of the Empire and how important it was to Star Wars and the Expanded Universe!