How far removed can one be from a film and still enjoy something about it? This review – and the fact that I bought this CD – will be an exercise in answering that question. For, you see, I’ve seen this movie – but I’ve only seen it with the benefit of a guy and two robots sitting in the bottom right corner of the screen, cracking wise at the movie’s ample supply of foibles. Mystery Science Theater fans will instantly recognize this movie as Operation Double 007, while most parts of the world know it as Operation Kid Brother. The idea behind the movie was simple. Step one: get Sean Connery’s little brother (whether he has any acting experience or not) and as many supporting players as you can from the James Bond movies, and put them in a Bond-esque superspy spoof. Step two: ??? Step three: profit!

How much profit did OK Connery pull in? The existence of this album seems to be proof that, not long after the film’s release, it was at least popular enough for composer Ennio Morricone to get everything together that one would need to release a record of the soundtrack. And really, it’s fine music – it’s a bit much in places, but that description could just as easily apply to the movie as a whole. Morricone and Nicolai do a fine job of sending up John Barry’s already-nearly-over-the-top style, and it’s a testament to their work that, even despite having only ever seen this movie with the MST crew cracking wise over the movie audio, the music is so memorable. It’s all here, from the theme music (presented in English, Italian and instrumental forms on this CD, just in case you feel the need to sing along), to the brass-with-60s-electric-guitar action cues, to the hilariously extravagant music from the scene where Adolfo Celi’s supervillain waltzes around in a bathrobe, lights a cigar, and admires what seems to be a personal collection of reclining nude women. Everybody needs a hobby, but man, this guy and his hobby get some killer theme music!

The sound is surprisingly crisp (the master tapes are nearly 40 years old now) and everything has been remastered until it sonically shines. It’s a stunning amount of effort for a movie that, even in regions where it’s better-remembered, was an extremely marginal footnote in cinematic history (and even then, probably only due to the leading man…and his brother). Now, to be fair, you can be sure that the work was undertaken to preserve an unreleased score by one of the cinema’s most famous composers, and I really do appreciate that – but you can also bet that around half of the copies of this CD that have been sold to date have probably been bought by folks who, like myself, have only seen it with Joel and the ‘bots taking well-observed potshots at the movie.

OK Connery sports some dandy music – if you’re in a specific superspy spoofin’ kinda mood. I just hope that I can someday accumulate my own collection of reclining nudes so I, too, will be worthy of the music on track 2. (I’ve already got a bathrobe.)

1. Man For Me (3:19)
2. Connery (1:58)
3. Allegri Ragazzi (1:44)
4. Primo Amore (4:37)
5. A Passo D’uomo (2:39)
6. Varco Nel Muro (1:36)
7. Connery (2:19)
8. Missione Segreta (1:07)
9. Verso Il Mare (1:48)
10. Fiori Gialli (1:17)
11. Gli Enigmi (1:11)
12. Diapositive (1:24)
13. Can Can Delle Amazzoni (1:46)
14. Connery: Congiura (2:42)
15. Contrabbando (1:15)
16. Turbinosamente (1:25)
17. Gatto Parlante (1:14)
18. Missione Segreta (1:44)
19. La Preda (0:50)
20. Man For Me – Italian version (3:04)
21. OK Connery – Sequence 1 (1:44)
22. OK Connery – Sequence 2 (2:03)
23. OK Connery – Sequence 3 (1:58)
24. OK Connery – Sequence 4 (1:13)
25. OK Connery – Sequence 5 (1:26)
26. OK Connery – Sequence 6 (3:05)
27. Man For Me – Instrumental (3:11)
28. Man For Me – Alternate version (3:10)

Released by: DigitMovies / Beat Records
Release date: 2004
Total running time: 57:02

A collection of suites from the first season of the show, The Best Of Stargate SG-1 paints a picture of the show in its infancy – and before Joel Goldsmith had cemented his place as the franchise’s composer-in-residence. Though after listening to the CD several times, it’s just possible that a case could be made that this CD shows why Goldsmith became the solo voice of Stargate.

Naturally, the CD opens with Goldsmith’s main theme for the movie, adapted from David Arnold’s original Stargate score. The first few tracks, however, present us with a completely different sound than what we’ve grown accustomed to. First up is a suite from The Enemy Within, composed by Star Trek’s Dennis McCarthy and frequent collaborator Kevin Kiner (who McCarthy came to rely on heavily during the last season of Star Trek: Enterprise, when budget constraints forced that series to all but abandon full orchestral scores). This music also sounds synthesized/sampled, but even so, it bears many of the hallmarks of McCarthy’s Star Trek scores – it’s rather nice, and maybe a bit more colorful than McCarthy was generally allowed to be with his Star Trek music.

Richard Band, who began his film scoring career with Joel Goldsmith on the movie Laserblast, contributes a score to Cold Lazarus, but in places it suffers from some slight cheesy-sounding synthesized instrument sounds; that wouldn’t be so distracting, except that the rest of the suites presented here seem to be a notch above it. (To be fair to Mr. Band, however, while this may stick out like a sore thumb on CD, I don’t recall it detracting from the episode itself.) Kevin Kiner flies solo with the scores for two episodes, Emancipation and The Torment Of Tantalus, the latter of which is up there with the best scores that the series has had. Its music is truly varied enough to merit this suite being the longest track on the CD, with the 1940s “period” scenes getting a touch of saxophone.

Longtime fans won’t find the sound they’re used to until the next track, Thor’s Hammer, which introduces a series of suites by Joel Goldsmith. Thor’s Hammer has a chaotic chorus that livens things up, and some passages strongly reminiscent of sections of the music from the then-recent Star Trek: First Contact, on which the junior Goldsmith collaborated with his father. The Nox has some lovely thematic material for the Nox themselves, with some shades of First Contact again creeping into the scenes featuring the Goa’uld. Hathor and Tin Man both show a playful side to Goldsmith’s scoring. Within The Serpent’s Grasp stands as Goldsmith’s crowning achievement of the first year, however, with outstanding action and suspense sections, and as a season cliffhanger it’s practically required to kick ass, and Goldsmith delivers. That’s why he’s got the job.

Overall, it’s a nice little selection of music from some of the first season’s standout episodes, displaying a musical diversity that the Stargate franchise has since abandoned. Though I might criticize them on their own musical merits, I find all of the tracks here enjoyable, and I sometimes wonder why some of these other composers haven’t been heard from again (aside from these scores being recycled into virtual “library music” for the first two seasons, a la the original Star Trek) – not that I’m complaining about Joel Goldsmith, mind you. Even just from Goldsmith’s scores, I could rattle off a list of 10 or 15 scores off the top of my head which could comprise a second Best Of Stargate SG-1 volume, though whether or not there’d be enough of a market to support it would be another question.

1. Main Title (1:03)
2. The Enemy Within (6:46)
3. Cold Lazarus (6:10)
4. Emancipation (3:36)
5. Torment Of Tantalus (10:14)
6. Thor’s Hammer (7:33)
7. The Nox (10:02)
8. Hathor (6:45)
9. Tin Man (6:57)
10. Within The Serpent’s Grasp (8:43)
11. Stargate SG-1 End Credits (0:58)

Released by: GNP Crescendo
Release date: 2001
Total running time: 59:27

In the liner notes to the CD of the Lost soundtrack, series co-creator J.J. Abrams mentions that the pilot episode was originally tracked with the works of some of the biggest names in film music, and that it took some salesmanship to convince ABC that the show would lose none of its impact when rescored by Abrams’ Alias co-conspirator, composer Michael Giacchino. The irony of that comment is that, for anyone who’s been watching Lost for any amount of time, it’s hard to imagine any of its scenes scored by someone other than Giacchino.

The disc kicks off with Abrams’ own abstract composition for the show’s trend-settingly short main titles (a number of series took the hint and abruptly curtailed their main titles, and some showrunners – such as the makers of the two Stargate series – discovered that ten second main titles just weren’t for them).

Again going back to the liner notes, Abrams acknowledges that the temp score originally laid over the pilot was more bombastic than what has evolved in Giacchino’s body of work; it’s not that Lost doesn’t ever require that kind of music, but it’s not handled with typical Hollywood orchestral fire-and-brimstone. That’s not to say that Giacchino doesn’t echo some great Hollywood styles. “Hollywood And Vines” sounds like something from John Barry’s late 70s/early 80s repertoire, and the now familiar stabbing swirl of Hermann-esque strings makes its debut in “Charlie Hangs Around”.

Speaking of familiarity, this CD does a great job of recreating the atmosphere for those already acquainted with the show; as a listening experience, though, it occasionally retreads the same ground with a small number of recurring motifs and themes – at least two tracks end on the show’s suspenseful signature slur of brass, for example. Many of the cues presented here are from the two-part pilot episode, with the remainder originating from almost every episode in the first season, and presented with only a couple of exceptions in strict story order. Some listeners may come to find that they can program their CD player to play the tracks in a different order for a more cohesive listening experience, but given that the slow discovery of the story and the mysteries of the island are at the heart of the show, the chronological track listing does make sense. (If you’re wondering about another sonic signature, the gunshot-like sound that takes you into most commercial breaks, that’s the very last thing on the CD.) Good stuff for folks who are fans of the show’s music (which will probably be 95% of the people buying the CD), but it might make a few listeners wonder whether they just heard the same thing twice.

That’s an extremely minor quibble, though. This is a nice example of a fully orchestrated score for modern TV (and with all of the session players graciously name-checked in the booklet, no less – very classy!), and chances are it’s more fun to listen to than the LPs Desmond was stuck with in his Dharma dome. If you’re in the mood for dark and moody, then by all means, get Lost.

1. Main Title by J.J. Abrams (0:16)
2. The Eyeland (1:58)
3. World’s Worst Beach Party (2:46)
4. Credit Where Credit Is Due (2:24)
5. Run Like, Um…Hell? (2:23)
6. Hollywood And Vines (1:54)
7. Just Die Already (1:53)
8. Me And My Big Mouth (1:08)
9. Crocodile Locke (1:52)
10. Win One For The Reaper (2:39)
11. Departing Sun (2:44)
12. Charlie Hangs Around (3:19)
13. Navel Gazing (3:26)
14. Proper Motivation! (2:01)
15. Run Away! Run Away! (0:32)
16. We’re Friends (1:33)
17. Getting Ethan (1:36)
18. Thinking Clairely (1:06)
19. Locke’d Out Again (3:32)
20. Life And Death (3:41)
21. Booneral (1:40)
22. Shannonigans (2:27)
23. Kate’s Motel (2:09)
24. I’ve Got A Plane To Catch (2:39)
25. Monsters Are Such Interesting People (1:31)
26. Parting Words (5:31)
27. Oceanic 815 (6:11)

Released by: Varese Sarabande
Release date: 2006
Total running time: 74:51