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Now here’s a different approach to a greatest hits album. As you’ve probably guessed, Sound Fantasia Yamato is a collection of notable background music cues from the entire history of the franchise, ranging from the first season of the TV series in 1974 to the movie Final Yamato a decade later, with memorable musical moments from all points in between. That in itself would be nice, but the producers of this 2-CD set then went in and plastered sound effects into the music, trying to create a sort of dialogue-free audio scene with these two elements.

The sound effects are often cranked up pretty high in the mix, and the result is something which ideally should, but ultimately doesn’t, focus on the music. Most of the actual music seems to have been lifted from Symphonic Suite Yamato for the earlier stuff, and directly from the soundtracks of the later chapters in the saga.

The first disc includes each of the sound effects in a section by themselves, with each effect given its own track. This is one of the only places to find the original Yamato/Star Blazers sound effects, so in that respect, Sound Fantasia Yamato is a real find for those who are into that sort of thing. Those looking for a good overview of the series’ music, however, are likely to be annoyed at best, and disappointed at worst, by the layers of sound effects covering it.

Disc one
1. Opening (0:57)
2. The Universe Spreading To Infinity (5:24)
3. Yamato’s Birth And Takeoff (8:28)
4. Decisive Battle (7:02)
5. Iscandar (4:09)
6. White Comet (7:50)
7. Yamato Takeoff (5:00)
8. Desslar (4:55)
9. Great Love (3:50)

   Sound Effects:

10. Wave-Motion Gun (1:24)
11. Main Gun (0:26)
12. Pulse Lasers (0:10)
13. Smokestack Missiles (0:18)
14. Rocket Anchor (0:06)
15. Hangar Bay Door (0:14)
16. Main Nozzle (0:24)
17. Sub Nozzles (0:11)
18. Auxiliary Engine (0:19)
19. Wave-Motion Engine (0:49)
20. Flywheel (0:32)
21. Main Bridge (0:33)
22. Door (0:11)
23. Panel (0:30)
24. Yuki’s Radar (0:12)
25. Video Panel (0:13)
26. Departure Alarm (0:24)
27. Emergency Alarm (0:27)
28. Cosmo Gun (0:08)
29. Analyzer (0:17)
30. Explosion 1 (0:26)
31. Explosion 2 (0:14)
32. Gamlius Base (0:38)

Disc two
1. Dark Star Cluster Empire (4:32)
2. New Cosmo Tigers (2:36)
3. Double Nucleus Bomb (4:55)
4. Within The Enemy Supply Base (3:04)
5. Double Galaxy (4:27)
6. Main Decisive Battle (6:11)
7. The Sun (6:23)
8. City-Satellite Uruku (4:06)
9. Pluto Naval Battle (8:15)
10. Aquarius - Planet Of Water (10:19)
11. Yamato’s Sortie At Dawn (00:49)

Released by: Nippon Columbia
Release date: 1998
Disc one total running time: 56:48
Disc two total running time: 55:39

In a weird way, Lexx shares a kind of musical heritage with Classic Star Trek - a “library” approach to its original musical score which involved certain pieces cropping up again and again in certain situations. And much like the original Star Trek, I’d begrudge that re-use more if it weren’t for the fact that the original pieces in question are so strong.

Tales From A Parallel Universe (the title of the US release; elsewhere, as with the series that spawned it, the CD is simply titled Lexx) consists of the four made-for-TV movies that comprised Lexx’s first “season”, and the universe-building pilot movie, I Worship His Shadow, is the source of the best music that the series ever had to offer. Bucking a lot of cinematic scoring sensibilities, composer Marty Simon throws everything into the stew for I Worship His Shadow: hard rock guitar licks, dance club synths, operatic vocals, silky saxophone and brooding orchestral menace. Sure, it’s probably all sampled or synthesized, but it’s done so well that pieces like “Prisoner Transport” and “Welcome To The Dark Zone” withstand repeated listening (not to mention repeated play throughout the series; the latter track is used as the end credit music for every episode from season two onward; in fact, the basic melodies of every theme song Lexx ever had can be found on this disc if you listen carefully). The synth-orchestral-choral mix and echoing guitar riffs give the series’ sound an epic but yet playful kick.

Keeping in mind that this music is from a series of movies, there’s no one consistent theme running through everything, but there is a consistent style - and in some ways, that lack of a traditional TV soundtrack structure is used to tremendous effect here music is juxtaposed with the occasional soundbyte from the movies (but nothing excessive, certainly nothing on the level of the between-every-song banter from the Apollo 13 soundtrack, for example).

It’s sad that this one has gone out of print and has become a creature of the used music market. It really is very good.

1. Cluster Anthem (0:37)
2. Prisoner Transport (2:06)
3. Snake Chase (3:35)
4. Welcome To The Dark Zone (0:56)
5. Battle Of The Universe (1:07)
6. Planet Cruise (2:46)
7. Poet Man (3:52)
8. Cryochamber (4:01)
9. Love Muscle (1:50)
10. Gigashadow March (2:57)
11. Yo-A-O (Fight Song of the Brunnen-G) (0:50)
12. The Lexx Escape (2:31)
13. Zev’s Shower (3:15)
14. Cleric Theme (2:31)
15. Kai Collapse (5:16)
16. Shadows And Prophets (8:57)
17. Feppo’s Party (3:18)
18. Milk Fed Boys (0:54)
19. Brunnis (2:21)
20. Fantasy Dance (2:17)
21. Moth Ride (2:26)

Released by: Varese Sarabande
Release date: 1997
Total running time: 58:20

So, Blue Man Group’s going to do an album with lyrics, eh? A rock album no less! But fear not - the Blues haven’t sold out. If anything, The Complex expands their repertoire in a way that keeps even their seasoned, long-time fans on their toes, and demonstrates that their distinctive instrumental sound can serve as the core of some great rock music.

The songs are everything from straight-ahead rockers to low-key alt-rock numbers, and some wild surprises. Did you ever think you’d hear Blue Man Group covering Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” or Blondie’s “I Feel Love”? Show of hands? Didn’t think so. And yet they do, with a melding of their own style and deft tributes to the original (with guest vocalist Esthero making “Rabbit” her own and paying homage to Grace Slick, if that’s not too much of a contradiction; Venus Hum waxes a bit more trippy on the “I Feel Love”). The Blues don’t do any singing themselves, instead inviting others to come in and play in their playground, including Dave Matthews and Tracy Bonham.

It’s Bonham’s turn at the microphone that gives The Complex one of its two most distinctive and powerful numbers, “Up To The Roof”, a great meld of confessional lyrics, passionate vocals and an amazing hard rockin’ chorus. You can hear the Blue Man Group sound underneath it all, and yet it’s more than just their sound - it’s a whole new canvas they’re exploring. The other big breakout number is the headbang-worthy “The Current”, with guest vocalist Gavin Rossdale providing a low-key counterpoint to the slammin’ guitar riff of the chorus. (As unlikely as Blue Man Group seemed for inclusion on the Terminator 3 soundtrack, “The Current” was an inspired choice for their contribution.)

As much as I liked their instrumental work in Audio - and there are still plenty of their trademark instrumentals to be found on The Complex, including a few that rework some of Audio’s better passages into the group’s new sound - this album is an evolution they had to make if limiting themselves to the sonic medium. I can’t say enough complimentary things about it that’ll make sense without you hearing it for yourself - highly recommended, and one of my favorite albums of the year.

1. Above (4:07)
2. Time To Start (4:13)
3. Sing Along (4:14)
4. Up To The Roof (4:29)
5. Your Attention (4:37)
6. Persona (3:25)
7. Piano Smasher (3:57)
8. White Rabbit (5:02)
9. The Current (5:28)
10. I Feel Love (3:13)
11. Shadows Part 2 (3:53)
12. What Is Rock (3:21)
13. The Complex (3:53)
14. Exhibit 13 (3:57)
15. Mandelbro7 (3:53)

Released by: Lava
Release date: 2003
Total running time: 61:44