:: theLogBook.com Music Reviews ::

This is a strange little album - that much is undeniable! The vocals are pure They Might Be Giants-esque 60s kitsch, and the instrumentation is firmly lodged in the early 80s explosion of synthesizers, sequencers and drum machines. Some may remember the obscure single “Mexican Radio” which sprang from this album, although there are more memorable songs here, among them the strangely hypnotic “Lost Weekend” and the hyper-kinetic “Tomorrow”, a hysterical ode to procrastination, but we’ll get to that later. My personal favorite from this album is the rather short country-guitar-twanging instrumental “On Interstate 15″, a nice little piece with a syncopated beat that also manages to be relaxing somehow. This isn’t for everyone - it’s sure quirky!

1. Tomorrow (3:03)
2. Lost Weekend (4:58)
3. Factory (5:33)
4. Look At Their Way (3:18)
5. Hands of Love (3:52)
6. Mexican Radio (4:09)
7. Spy World (2:41)
8. They Don’t Want Me (4:31)
9. On Interstate 15 (2:44)
10. Call of the West (5:59)

Released by: I.R.S.
Release date: 1982
Total running time: 41:00

It’s a damn shame that this soundtrack was released only as a composer promo (which is a private pressing of a score paid for by the composer as an audition piece for future work as the studios look the other way, a kind of barely-sanctioned bootleg). Just as the movie Galaxy Quest itself was a hysterical spoof of all things Star Trek, throwing the out-of-work cast of a cancelled cult sci-fi series into the middle of a real interplanetary war, the music from that movie is a glorious send-up/homage to just about every composer who has laid their sonic fingers on that genre, from John Williams to James Horner to Jerry Goldsmith. And the sad thing is, for the most part, it’s a much better listening experience than, say, Goldsmith’s own score from the most recent Star Trek movie. In some ways, with this being the soundtrack to a spoof, the music had the same opportunity as the actors: to ham it up beyond anything that would normally be allowed in the object of the parody. David Newman (102 Dalmatians, Bowfinger, Anastasia and many others) rolls out snare drums, blaring brass, roaring bass notes, thick choral textures…in other words, just about every musical trick denied to the current composers of the Star Trek TV spinoffs. But this isn’t to imply that Galaxy Quest’s score is all bombast - far from it. There are some musical moments of wonder that put anything since Star Trek: The Motion Picture to shame too.

The music is helped out tremendously by a theme tune - obstensibly that of the fictional TV show Galaxy Quest - which can be put through seemingly endless major and minor key mutations. The same theme is played as heroic, desperate and tragic, and it works. That theme tune is also included in two different interpretations on its own; one for the “original series,” and the second - slightly different and more thickly orchestrated - for the Next Generation-style revival which is implied to be on the air in the film’s closing credits.

Now, if only the actual Star Trek music sounded like this.

1. Galaxy Quest - Classic TV Theme (0:59)
2. Prologue: Galaxy Quest Clip (1:34)
3. Pathetic Nesmith (0:59)
4. Revealing The Universe (1:03)
5. Meet The Thermians (1:11)
6. The NESA Protector (0:45)
7. Crew Quarters And The Bridge (1:32)
8. The Launch (2:08)
9. Serris Tortures Captain (1:17)
10. Red Thingie, Green Thingie (3:33)
11. Shuttle To Planet (1:45)
12. Trek Across The Planet (2:55)
13. Rolling Sphere (2:35)
14. Pig Lizard (1:44)
15. Rock Monster (1:56)
16. “Digitize Me, Fred!” (1:18)
17. “I’m So Sorry” (1:44)
18. Fight Episode #17 (1:16)
19. Hallway Sneak (1:02)
20. Alex Finds Quelick (1:22)
21. Omega 13 / Heroic Guy (3:13)
22. Big Kiss / Happy Rock Monster (1:19)
23. Quelick’s Death (2:09)
24. The Battle (3:08)
25. Mathazar Takes Command (0:58)
26. Serris Kills Everybody (1:30)
27. “Goodbye, My Friends” (0:52)
28. Crash Landing (0:40)
29. Goodbye, Serris (2:05)
30. The New Galaxy Quest (1:00)

Released by: Supertracks
Release date: 2000
Total running time: 49:32

A release that screams “diehard completists only!” at the top of its lungs, this collection of Doctor Who-inspired novelty tunes and singles spans the years 1963-1973.

The singles tracked down and remastered by Doctor Who sound guru Mark Ayres for inclusion here cover the entire spectrum, from interesting (Jon Pertwee and Frazer Hines’ amusing takes on the phenomenon), to things that make you wonder why anyone bothered (Roberta Tovey’s attempt to cash-in on her appearance in the two Peter Cushing films of the 1960s, along with several standard-issue guitar rock tracks whose only tie-ins seem to be including the word “Dalek” in their titles), to truly cringe-worthy (the infamous Eric Winstone rendition of the Doctor Who theme tune, and the even more infamous “I’m Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek”). You really have to have a taste for nostalgia - some of it in the worst musical taste you can possibly imagine - to stomach this CD.

The aforementioned tracks by Pertwee (the third Doctor himself) and Hines (who played the second Doctor’s Scottish sidekick Jamie) are actually rather good; Pertwee’s single - performed and produced by former Deep Purple members to the tune of the series theme song - probably sticks the closest to the spirit of the show (the unrelated B-side leaves a little to be desired, save as a reminder of the unmistakable voice of the late, great Mr. Pertwee). Hines’ singles, sadly enough, may be the most musically valid (which ain’t sayin’ much in this case), with some light touches of psychedelia.

I suppose the album would’ve had a gaping hole if “I’m Gonna Spend A Christmas With A Dalek” had been omitted. This shameless cash-in by a band called the Go Gos (years before Belinda Carlisle’s group of the same name, of course) features a lead vocal performed much in the same style as “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth”. Those very teeth will be grating as you listen to this particular track. You should listen to it at least once, just to say you did.

The late Don Harper’s wild, almost retro-loungue-style cover of the theme song is another peak of weirdness in the proceedings. Every once in a while, he hits the notes right. Just for sheer strangeness, it bears at least one listening.

Some hidden treats come in the form of “The Eccentric Dr. Who”, “Daleks And Thals” and “Fugue For Thought”, single arrangements of themes and incidental music from the two 1960s Doctor Who theatrical films which starred Peter Cushing and Roberta Tovey. These are likely to be the only time you’ll ever hear anything even approaching soundtracks from those two movies. Tovey’s own cash-in singles are adorable or annoying, depending upon your mood at the time.

Overall, a choice pick for those who, like myself, absolutely have to hear everything ever recorded in connection to the BBC’s longest running science fiction series. But not even all the fans will necessarily dig this musical trip back in time. If the hinted-at second volume of novelty tunes does happen, it may have some more accessible material - some understanding of the historical context of these songs, both within the framework of Doctor Who’s history on TV and and within the musical trends of the mid-1960s, is probably required to enjoy them. Extensive liner notes offer lots of that information, but it will ultimately be up to the tastes of individual listeners.

1. Doctor Who Theme - BBC Radiophonic Workshop (2:22)
2. Dr. Who - Eric Winstone and his Orchestra (3:10)
3. I’m Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek - The Go Go’s (2:28)
4. Landing Of The Daleks - The Earthlings (2:47)
5. March Of The Robots - The Earthlings (2:12)
6. Dance Of The Daleks - Jack Dorsey and his Orchestra (2:33)
7. Who’s Who - Roberta Tovey (2:28)
8. Not So Old - Roberta Tovey (2:48)
9. The Eccentric Dr. Who - Malcolm Lockyer Orchestra (2:25)
10. Daleks And Thals - Malcolm Lockyer Orchestra (2:09)
11. Fugue For Thought - Bill McGuffie (2:14)
12. Who’s Dr. Who? - Frazer Hines (3:08)
13. Punch And Judy Man - Frazer Hines (2:22)
14. Who Is The Doctor - Jon Pertwee (2:23)
15. Pure Mystery - Jon Pertwee (3:16)
16. Dr. Who - Don Harper’s Homo Electronicus (4:19)
17. Landing Of The Daleks (alternate version) - The Earthlings (2:43)
18. Time Traveller - Frazer Hines (2:34)

Released by: RPM Records
Release date: 2000
Total running time: 48:21

22 years after the series first premiered in American syndication, this collection of music is finally available, featuring music from Bob Sakuma’s original Gatchaman soundtrack (previously reviewed here) as well as the material composed by the late Hanna-Barbera maestro Hoyt Curtin especially for the extensively re-edited American version of the show.

But like so many things from our childhoods, it might just be that the anticipation for the Battle Of The Planets soundtrack outweighs the actual product. Some of Hoyt Curtin’s music is very good, drawing in equal measure from disco and John Williams’ Star Wars style, while other cues draw more heavily from the former. In places, it sounds like Meco. And while that’s no slight to Meco or to the late Mr. Curtin, who died just last year, it definitely dates the proceedings. To be fair, Bob Sakuma’s original score for Gatchaman also sports some disco stylings, so the two actually dovetail quite well.

For those who splurged on the Gatchaman soundtrack already, you may want to declare victory there - a great deal of the original Gatchaman BGM (background music) release is duplicated on this CD, though with slightly better sound quality. However, you won’t find the cheerful children’s choir singing “Destroy Gallactor!” in Japanese on this CD, so maybe it is worth it to track down both titles. Still, I appreciate the effort to include the original Bob Sakuma score - if not for these tracks, the CD would’ve had a dismally brief (not to mention unjustifiably expensive) running time of just under 35 minutes. Truth be told, only a few purists and fanatics like myself will probably have the original Gatchaman CD, so I doubt very many will be complaining about duplication of material.

Included as bonus tracks are the audio tracks from six television promos for Battle Of The Planets, as well as a second version of the theme song complete with robust narration - “G-Force! Princess! Tiny! Keyop! Mark! Jason!” - though this version suffers a lot in the sound quality department. It’s very likely that it had to be sourced from a 22-year-old video master tape somewhere.

Some of my favorite cues from Hoyt Curtin are those composed for the scenes of robot advisor 7-Zark-7 (and his equally robotic dog, 1-Rover-1). As is generally well-known, these robots didn’t exist in the original Japanese series, added at the behest of American syndicator Sandy Frank to further solidify the Star Wars cash-in by including cute robots to comment on the action (and to fill out the vast amounts of program time which were lost with the surgical removal of the original show’s near-legendary violent scenes). The robots’ cues are bizarrely calliope-like, using trippy late 70s synths for what once passed for a futuristic sound.

If you’re ready for a trip back in time, complete with sometimes painful reminders of how discofied incidental music could be back then, then I give this CD a hearty four-star recommendation. But if you’re expecting to compare it to Goldsmith, Williams, Horner and/or Silvestri, maybe you should give up and save your money for something more modern. Despite the disco elements, I thought it was an excellent vehicle for some childhood nostalgia - and, of course, a full-page ad for Rhino’s upcoming Battle Of The Planets video and DVD releases this fall is included in the liner notes booklet. (The booklet may just be the real prize of this release, with extensive biographical notes on both Curtin and Sakuma and previously unknown facts about their involvement in the series. I was a little surprised to read that Sakuma based his music on the early 70s style of Chicago!)

Battle Of The Planets - music by Hoyt Curtin (1978)
1. Battle Of The Planets main title (1:32)
2. Love In The Afterburner (1:29)
3. Ready Room (2:02)
4. Alien Planet (2:52)
5. Phoenix Raising (2:11)
6. Space On Fire (2:08)
7. Robot Hijinks (0:58)
8. Alien Trouble (1:25)
9. Return To The Alien Planet (3:00)
10. Melting Jets (0:53)
11. Romance In An Afterburner’s Light (1:30)
12. The Robot’s Dog: 1-Rover-1 (0:54)
13. Firefight (1:35)
14. Alien Trap (2:20)
15. 7-Zark-7’s Song (1:23)
16. More Alien Trouble (1:29)
17. The Chief Alien Shows Up (0:34)
18. Come Out, Come Out (1:30)
19. Victory (1:09)

    Gatchaman - music by Bob Sakuma (1972)

20. Emblem G (3:10)
21. Spectra Versions (3:50)
22. Fighting Phoenix (3:22)
23. Coral Reef (0:26)
24. Crescent Moon (3:17)
25. Holding Up A Shade (3:37)
26. Zoltar, Fastening The Armor (0:32)
27. Fighter G (3:54)
28. Red Illusion (4:37)
29. The Earth Is Alone! (1:53)
30. A Vow To The Sky (3:12)
31. Countdown (3:39)
32. Like The Phoenix (3:26)

    Bonus Tracks

33. Promo #1 - The Luminous One #1 (0:32)
34. Promo #2 - G-Force vs. Zoltar (0:32)
35. Promo #3 - 7-Zark-7 and Company (0:32)
36. Promo #4 - The Luminous One #2 (0:32)
37. Promo #5 - Commander Mark, Jason (0:32)
38. Promo #6 - Princess, Tiny, Keyop (0:32)
39. Battle Of The Planets main title reprise with narration (1:31)

Released by: Super Tracks Music Group
Release date: 2001 (re-released by Silva in 2004 with different track list)
Total running time: 73:32