Filmtracks: Battlestar Galactica (Stu Phillips)

Battlestar Galactica: (Stu Phillips) Until the concept was resurrected on television in the 2000's, the original versions of Battlestar Galactica were somewhat forgotten by the mainstream public. Still, it remained enough of a cult favorite that its second life has proven much more successful than the first. Coming at a time when epic science fiction with modern special effects was experiencing its renaissance in the late 1970's, the short-lived original series employed the efforts of many who had worked on Star Wars and other feats of technical wizardry. The plot of Battlestar Galactica had a compelling balance between personal character drama and good old-fashioned space battles. The safe choice to score the pilot and abbreviated series was composer Stu Phillips, who was already a veteran of producing scores both large and small for other television shows and films. Even though the original series and the secondary "Galactica 1980" follow-up were considered costly failures by the studios and therefore suffered extremely short lifespans, the large mass of music composed by Phillips for these series continues to be enormously popular beyond even the loyal "Cult Galactica" followers that helped bring the series back 25 years later. Because of the show's historical timing, it was assumed that a sci-fi television epic would not be complete without an orchestral score to accompany it (no small feat, since orchestral scores for television series were already scarce by that time). In a way, Phillips' music achieved that which the show's budget could not: the awe of space. Balancing some of the cheesier sets, costumes, and special effects, the score provided the necessary element of fantastic, space-journeying marvel. The title theme became an instant favorite, inspiring many of the cheap knock-offs to follow in early 1980's genre films. A series of sensitive secondary themes include "Adama's Theme," which is a precursor of James Horner's Vulcan theme in his two Star Trek scores. The consistent quality of the music is rooted in its harmonic appeal, never yielding for long in the despair of dissonance.

Amongst the plethora of music that it inspired, Battlestar Galactica can be a little anonymous, though, especially given its extended lengths. Phillips became completely swamped with the writing of Battlestar Galactica, composing several hours of music during the first year of the show alone. Near the end of the show's existence, with sure termination awaiting, many of the cues were recycled to the point where an entire episode could be mixed with music copied from previous episodes. Ultimately, Phillips' achievement in quantity alone has been appreciated by many, and has ultimately led to a few different versions on album. For a long time, the only music from the show available to the public was on the original vinyl LP record, released in the blitz of promotion surrounding the show's debut. A little-known import Edel CD from Germany containing the pilot episode's music also became a collector's item. A 25th anniversary remastered version of this album (with minimal extra material) came from Geffen in 2003. Among others, John Williams and the Boston Pops recorded a stunningly crisp rendition of the title theme on one of their Philips label space-related compilations. Other sets often paid tribute to the title theme as well. But in 1996, Phillips assisted in the assembly the "compilation to end all compilations" of Battlestar Galactica music, strictly for promotional purposes. Limited to only a few several hundred units in its pressing, this 4-CD set includes music from the pilot episode of the show recorded in 1978, a few of the episodes in the first year, and the opening episode of the "Galactica 1980" show and some of its better episodes. All in all, it includes over 250 minutes (4+ hours) of Galactica music that will satisfy even the most hardcore fans of the show and its music. In 1998, Robert Townson and Varèse Sarabande introduced Phillips to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra to re-record the "Saga of the Star World" pilot episode from the original show. Most, though not all, of the original score was re-recorded and subsequently released on a 48-minute album in 1999. The performance by the RSNO, conducted by Phillips and resulting in superior sound quality, is magnificent.


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Even Phillips, who had been happy with the original performance of the pilot by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, enjoyed the results of the 1998 collaboration. The music from the pilot is arguably the best for the entire series, and the mass of important material from that entry is re-recorded. Left off the 1999 release, however, are a few of the cues that include heroic performances of the main title theme. That title theme is by far the heart and soul of all the music for Battlestar Galactica, and on the Varèse release, it only makes a bold statement in the "Red Nova" sequence outside of the opening and closing titles. The original composition is deceptive in size. The performances by the Universal Studio Symphony Orchestra lack the energy and personality of the recordings by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the RSNO, however they are certainly functional. At times, and especially when the money-stricken "Galactica 1980" series rolled along, the orchestra could be reduced to the size of 30 to 35 players. It was Phillips' job to make the best of what he could out of such a small group. Amazingly, he pulled it off. Although you can easily notice a reduction in ambience and power as the 4-CD promotional set progresses, the music never loses its effectiveness. That promo takes selections from the most noteworthy episodes and presents about 15 minutes of music from each, including some of the source cues and sound effects from the "Galactica 1980" series. Each CD features a performance of the main and end title theme, which act as good bookends for all of the listening experiences. Between the two releases, there is a perfect match to be found for all potential listeners. If you are unfamiliar with the series, or have heard and enjoyed only the main theme before, then the Varèse re-recording offers the very best that Phillips wrote for the show, conducted by the composer himself. Also, the re-recording will likely please audiophiles who value superior sound quality above all. The original 4-CD set makes the German import completely worthless, but only the most serious Battlestar Galactica fans should seek it. At a hefty initial price of $75 for the set, it includes an incredible wealth of music for devoted fans of the show. For the average person, though, the music can easily become overwhelming after the first few hours.

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