 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Co-Produced by:
|
Philip Neel
|
Orchestrated by:
|
Brad Dechter
Frank Bennett
Don Nemitz
Don Davis
|
|
|
|
|
Release Date:
|
February 14th, 1995
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Availability:
Regular U.S. release. Becoming difficult to find in stores (as of 1998).
|
|
|
|
|
Awards:
Emmy winner, 1994.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you want a preview to the ambitious action rhythms and
thematic progressions of John Debney's classic score to the 1995 dud
Cutthroat Island.
Avoid it... if you are a devoted SeaQuest DSV fan seeking an
all-encompassing selection of the best music from throughout the
series.
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
 |
| | Debney | |
|
SeaQuest DSV: (John Debney) With multiple Star
Trek series under production and receiving a loyal following,
Universal and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment decided to launch
their own futuristic science fiction series in 1993. The premise of
SeaQuest DSV was that man would be colonizing the seas in the
next century and that a military force would need to exist underwater to
police these new civilizations. So instead of a starship crew at the
center of the drama, SeaQuest DSV gave us a glorified submarine
one instead, and the producers and writers of the show took the
opportunity to throw some environmental messages in along the way.
Unfortunately for Universal, audiences weren't as intrigued by
underwater adventures as much as they were about outer space ones, and
in the show's final attempts at survival, its scripts began to turn to
the alien and outer space route. During its run from 1993 to 1996,
SeaQuest DSV's 59 episodes failed to earn much attention from the
Emmy's outside of its musical scores, which represented four of the
show's five nominations. The rotating composers for the series featured
veterans of the Star Trek shows, including names like John Debney
and Don Davis that would go on to brighter futures than television
episode scoring. The title sequence and feature-length pilot episode
were scored by Debney, whose title recording for SeaQuest DSV
would beat Mark Snow's theme for The X-Files for the "Main Title
Theme Music" Emmy award in 1994. Subsequently, Don Davis would be
nominated two consecutive years for his scores for individual episodes,
winning the "Dramatic Underscore" Emmy in 1995 for the episode
"Daggers." Regular SeaQuest DSV composer Russ Landau would
receive the final nomination for the show in 1996 for his score for the
episode "Brave New World." The only commercial album for the show's
music was Varèse Sarabande's short 1995 release of only John
Debney's more notable contributions to the earlier episodes of the show.
It includes the title and end credits themes, as well as the pilot score
and small samplings of his scores for two other episodes.
Despite Debney's tendency to be "hit and miss" with
projects like this early in his career, his contribution to SeaQuest
DSV is undeniably potent. His title theme puts to rest the debate
over who invented the 1995 Cutthroat Island style first (Debney
or newcomer David Arnold), with the theme offering the seeds of the
swashbuckling spirit of the classic 1995 score but without the same
powerful ensemble. The memorable theme, capable of being well quoted in
one of its many sections, is skillfully integrated by Debney into his
underscore for "To Be or Not to Be." This episode's score is as engaging
as many of the composer's feature scores, hindered only by the synthetic
nature of the choir and an occasional lack of depth. On the whole,
though, the recording strikes a lush tone rarely heard on television
outside of the Star Trek series. The rhythmically satisfying and
bombastic action cues in the first episode ("Preparing for Battle" and
"Dangerous Adversary") present much of the same kind of ambitious
orchestral sound that the Star Trek producers would finally allow
in Voyager and Enterprise. The difference here, however,
is that Debney embellishes upon the title theme material at will, often
including satisfying statements of the entire theme during the lengthy,
pulsating action cues. A handful of unique orchestrations, probably
synthesized but still effective, offer an expected underwater atmosphere
with accents like those utilized in the latter half of "Dangerous
Adversary." The music heard in the other two Debney episodes, including
the visually spectacular "Such Great Patience," is far more subdued,
relying more heavily on synthetic elements that occasionally betray the
majesty of the written composition, especially with the ever-cheapening
choral effect. Still, Debney's work for the title and opening episode
are a blast on this album and remain among the best music ever written
for science-fiction on screen. The album is a disappointment, however,
with its 30-minute length not including any of the acclaimed music by
Don Davis for the show. Granted, Davis' name was not a selling point at
the time, but the album fails to give a rounded view of the music for
the show. Fans of SeaQuest DSV will be wanting more, regardless
of who composed each particular episode, though Debney collectors will
enjoy this ambitious preview to Cutthroat Island. ***
 |
|
Viewer Ratings and Comments:
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
"To Be or Not to Be"
• 1. Main Title (1:03)
• 2. Preparing for Battle (2:50)
• 3. Bridger's Dream (0:51)
• 4. Uncharted Waters (2:04)
• 5. First Engagement (3:17)
• 6. Darwin Speaks (0:58)
• 7. Dangerous Adversary (1:32)
• 8. To Adventures Bold (1:29)
| |
"Knight of the Shadows"
• 9. Waltz With the Dead (2:45)
• 10. The Forgiving/Resurrection (4:50)
"Such Great Patience"
• 11. The Discovery (2:12)
• 12. Lucas Meets the Alien (2:30)
• 13. Solemn Oath (2:25)
• 14. End Credits (0:37)
|
Insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
|
