For a long time, the only commercial album for the
show's music was Varèse Sarabande's very short 1995 release of
only John Debney's more notable contributions to the earlier episodes of
the show. It included the title and end credits themes, as well as
portions of the pilot score and small samplings of his music for two
other episodes. Despite Debney's tendency to be hit and miss with
television projects early in his career, his contribution to "seaQuest
DSV" is undeniably potent. The budget of the show allowed him between 40
and 60 live orchestral players per episode, with electronic
embellishments filling in nicely for the unwater fantasy realm.
Spielberg was initially heavily involved with the direction and
expectations of the music, inspiring Debney to write the most expansive
music he had ever produced for the small screen. His rousing title theme
puts to rest the debate over who re-invented the swashbuckling style of
1995's
Cutthroat Island first (Debney or newcomer David Arnold),
with the theme offering the seeds of the Erich Wolfgang
Korngold-resurrecting 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 the "To Be or Not to Be" pilot. This episode's
score is as engaging as many of the composer's feature work, hindered
only by the synthetic nature of the choir and an occasional lack of
depth. The action portions use rhythmic figures similar to James
Horner's 1980's works, and occasional, expected hints of Alan
Silvestri's
The Abyss come into play during fantasy sequences. On
the whole, 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, in some cases
synthesized but still effective, offer an expected underwater atmosphere
with accents like those utilized in the latter half of "Dangerous
Adversary." The show's only recurring secondary theme, representing the
talking animatronic dolphin character, is supplied on ethereal flute
effects in "Darwin Speaks" and returns in later episodes.
The 1995 album for "seaQuest DSV" also included brief
snippets from two Debney-scored episodes from the first season. The
visually spectacular episode, "Such Great Patience," is far more
subdued, relying more heavily on synthetic elements that occasionally
betray the majesty of the composition, especially with the cheapened
choral effect. The album long remained a disappointment, however, with
its 30-minute length not including more Debney episodic work or 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 failed to give a rounded
view of the music. That problem persists on the label's 2020, 2-CD
"Deluxe" album for "seaQuest DSV," the limited product providing the
fuller Debney pilot score and a number of renditions of the title
sequences on the first disc. The lengthier offering for "To Be or Not to
Be" is the highlight of the set, the music functioning as one of the
composer's more engaging listening experiences regardless of screen
size. The second disc reprises some of the highlights represented in
first season episodes on the 1995 album but expands that material
greatly. The five episodes represented for Debney are not as robustly
adventuresome and consistent in quality as the pilot score. Temp track
referencing sometimes prevails, as in the Goldsmith influence on the
"Brothers and Sisters" episode's music. The flow of the second CD is
hindered by the disparate tone of the selections made by Debney himself
for the album; while they represent a strong survey of music from the
season, their sum is a bit haphazard. The Latin tones in "The Good
Death," from acoustic guitar to ethnic woodwind, are intriguing but out
of character with the rest. The expansion of the style of Darwin's theme
in "The Regular" is notable. The better-rounded offerings from "Knight
of Shadows" and "Such Great Patience" maintain their relationship with
the pilot's score, including the Horner-like chord progressions and
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan villain material in the latter.
Sound quality is top notch on the product, though that clarity does tend
to accentuate the presence of the synthetic elements. While the 2020
product is a good album concept from Varèse, fans of "seaQuest
DSV" will be wanting more music from Debney, Davis, and Landau. Those
die-hards may also be annoyed by misspellings on that album and shoddy
artwork selections, photos from later seasons accidentally included
despite this being essentially a "Season One" product. Still, Debney's
work for the titles and opening episode are a blast on either album,
serving as an ambitious preview to
Cutthroat Island and remaining
amongst the better music ever written for science-fiction on screen.
**** @Amazon.com: CD or
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