With the excitement for Star Wars: Episode VII at an all-time high, here's a blast from the past: an audio recording of an audience watching the original film back when it debuted in 1977.

Youtube user William Forsche had the forethought to bring a tape recorder to the theater as a child, where he captured the cheers and laughter of a crowd watching Star Wars for the very first time.

The climactic Death Star shot happens around three minutes in, and while it's audio only, it's still a cool little time capsule from a time when Star Wars wasn't Star Wars yet—it was just the coolest thing people had ever seen. As Forsche notes on Youtube, "You can also hear me making laser beam sounds at the end of this recording, because Star Wars got me all fired up!"