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| • | Newest Major Reviews: | . | • | This Week's Most Popular Reviews: | • | Best-Selling Albums: | ||
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1. The Dark Knight 2. WALL·E 3. Kung Fu Panda 4. The Incredible Hulk 5. Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | . | . |
1. Moulin Rouge 2. Gladiator 3. POTC: Curse of the Black Pearl 4. Star Wars: A New Hope 5. Edward Scissorhands |
6. Pearl Harbor 7. Schindler's List 8. Titanic 9. Braveheart 10. Home Alone | . | . |
1. Varèse Sarabande 25th 2. The Last of the Mohicans 3. Legends of the Fall 4. Schindler's List 5. LOTR: Return of the King (Set) |
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Battlestar Galactica: (Stu Phillips) Somewhat forgotten by the mainstream public, the television series Battlestar Galactica remains a cult favorite. Coming at a time when epic sci-fi with modern special effects was experiencing its renaissance in the late 1970s, the series employed the efforts of many who had worked on Star Wars and other feats of technical wizardry. The sure choice to score the pilot and series was 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" series 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. Because of the show's timing, it was assumed that a sci-fi television epic would not be complete without an orchestral score to accompany it (and orchestral scores for television series were already scarce by that time). In a way, Phillips' music achieved that which the its 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. Phillips became completely swamped with writing as well, composing several hours of music during the first year of the show alone. Near the end of its existence, with sure termination awaiting, many of the cues were recycled (to the point where an entire episode could be mixed with cues from previous episodes). In the end, Phillips' achievement in quantity alone has been appreciated by many, and has ultimately led to a few different versions on record. For a long time, the only available music from the show available to the public was on the original vinyl LP. An import CD from Germany containing the pilot episode music also became a collector's item. John Williams and the Boston Pops recorded a stunningly crisp rendition of the title theme on one of their Philips label "space" compilations. But then in 1996, Stu Phillips and Ford A. Thaxton assembled the "compilation to end all compilations" of Battlestar Galactica music. Limited to only hundreds of units in print, this 4-CD set includes music ranging from the pilot episode of the show recorded in 1978 to a few of the episodes in the first year, and from the opening episode of the "Galactica 1980" show through some of its better episodes as well. 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 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 released in 1999. The performance by the RSNO, conducted by Phillips --and the resulting superior sound quality-- is magnificent. Even Phillips, who had been happy with the original performance of the pilot by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, enjoyed the results of the new collaboration. The music from the pilot is arguably the best for the entire series, and the mass of good music from the original is re-recorded. Left out of the 1999 release, however, are a few of the cues that include heroic performances of the main title theme. The 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 music 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. Sometimes, and especially by the time 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 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 promo progresses, the music never loses its effectiveness. In fact, in places, it is amazing he made the most out of it as he did. The 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 the perfect match for all film/tv music enthusiasts. If you are unfamiliar with the series, or have heard and enjoyed the main theme before, then the Varèse re-recording offers the very best that Phillips wrote for the show, conducted by Phillips himself. Also, the 1999 re-recording will likely please audiophiles who value superior sound quality above all (personally, I place myself in this category). The original 4-CD set makes the German import completely worthless, but only the most serious Battlestar Galactica fans should seek out the promo. At a hefty price of $75 for the set, it includes an incredible wealth of music for devoted fans of the show. For the average person, the music can easily become overwhelming after the first four hours.
The 1996 4-CD Promo Release: **** Overall: ****
* Theme from Battlestar Galactica by Stu Phillips and Glen Larson
Both releases include excellent insert notes about the show and its music, as well as numerous photos. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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