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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you can't resist a really good parody score, especially one of the very few that takes effective aim at the science fiction genre. Avoid it... if the bright and overly enthusiastic style of David Newman's parody writing lacks the resounding depth and power necessary to make such music worthy of a standalone listening experience. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The greatest aspect of Newman's success with Galaxy Quest is his ability to walk the fine line between the cheesy old scores of classic sci-fi shows and beefier expectations of modern ventures into the genre. At once, the score for Galaxy Quest can embody the trite and overblown aspects of those old scores while also providing more of the depth and complexity necessary to meet current expectations. The resulting combination is addresses both basic needs to such an extent that you end up hearing what amounts to a massive parody work, the likes of which Debney has also tried to create through the years. The basis for Newman's work is the "Classic TV Theme" that Newman conjures with skill at the outset of the film, a bouncy piece with a heroic heart but only the force of a couple of brass instruments and perhaps a dozen string players. Tedious as this piece may be in its "original" form, Newman works wonders with it throughout the remainder of the score. As the screen actors are presented with their real life starship, Newman develops the theme for a full ensemble and the light choir typical to his career. The dynamic orchestral variants of the title theme occupy most of the action pieces in Galaxy Quest, with a few of the more anonymous cues mirroring the style he conjured for his Bill and Ted parody efforts. Newman throws a few bones at fans of Star Trek music, with blaster beam effects mirroring Jerry Goldsmith's usage in "Red Thingie, Green Thingie" and a combination of tingling synthetic effects and percussion for the evil Serris alien character that offer some hints of both Goldsmith and James Horner's treatment of Klingons. The overt connections to Star Trek music largely stop there, however, allowing Galaxy Quest to hold its own court. A few temp-track influences appear in places, including some of David Arnold's Stargate at the outset of "Shuttle to Planet," percussive effects from Brad Fiedel's The Terminator in "Serris Kills Everybody," snare rips and string motifs in the "Crew Quarters" and "The Launch" cues that resemble equivalents from Horner's Apollo 13, a brief but obvious tribute to Richard Strauss in "Revealing the Universe," and, perhaps the most odd of all, Newman's own theme for The Phantom opening "The Battle" and later in the same cue. Likely an inadvertent statement of John Williams' theme for Yoda makes a splash near the beginning of "The NESA Protector." Of all these references, the most true parody comes with the adapted use of the blaster beam effects, also evident very strongly in "The Battle." When looking back at Galaxy Quest, there are stylistic connections that can be made to the serious science fiction score that Newman would provide for Serenity several years later, a score that would turn out to be yet another failed stab at mainstream success for the composer. In both efforts, the main drawback of Newman's writing would reside in the lack of depth in his recordings. The compositions themselves are intelligent, with extremely effective use of major and minor key alterations to the title themes, and you can't say that Galaxy Quest lacks character. While the lack of depth and resounding power in Galaxy Quest may have suited the score's parody needs quite well, several subsequent scores from Newman, including Serenity, suggest that this style is simply inherent in the composer's writing. This lack of gravity may explain why Newman still hasn't bust into the mainstream, and, for some listeners, also explains why Galaxy Quest is a praiseworthy score without being a readily enjoyable for several listens. The attitude of the score is just so positive in character and rooted in the treble region (especially with the extensive role for trumpet) that it can potentially grate your nerves despite its strengths. A deeper, mixed choir would have assisted Galaxy Quest considerably (especially in the symphonic and choral culmination of the title theme in "Goodbye Serris"), but would have defeated the purpose of the innocence associated with the characters on screen. Overall, Galaxy Quest is a perfect match for its film, and while it's good for a breezy listen occasionally on album, it's a score that doesn't play as well when separated from the film's context. Like many of Newman's scores, no commercial album release was forthcoming in 1999 (despite the film's success), and so a SuperTracks promotional release was arranged the following year and sold through soundtrack specialty outlets for just slightly more than a regular retail product. With 50 minutes on over 30 tracks, the presentation of the score is outstanding, though the middle portions do hinder the strong flow of the early discovery tracks and later battle cues. It's easy to have a soft spot for Galaxy Quest because Newman hit the nail so squarely in the head, but on album you can never quite escape the swirling parody elements that make the score such an overly bright, hyperactive experience. ****
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