In my eternal desire to provoke your collective nausea, I'm commenting on my "first impressions" to things wot I've just received. The third in the batch (in composer alphabetti-spaghetti order - after James Bernard and Gerald Fried) was Barry Gray's UFO.
I think that all of this music was probably released on 2-CD sets by Fanderson or something, but I don't follow these things that closely so I might be wrong. Whatever, the new UFO single CD is really feckin' great.
I think that this is the "coolest" (admitting the way-overrated term - what's wrong with being not cool, Bill?) that Barry Gray ever got. How could somebody who looked like a humble bank clerk write such groovy music? Track 2 ("SHADO" - a combination of cues using mostly variations on the Main Theme) is five minutes of pure joy which even OnyaBirri wouldn't be embarrassed to be caught listening to. Ditto Track 12 ("The Trip"", from the episode "The Long Sleep").
The rest of the CD is splendid too. Great theme, groovy borderline jazz (KEV!!! JOHN SCOTT PLAYS FLUTE!!!!), and a lot of solid dramatic music which wouldn't have been out of place in the other Barry Gray- Gerry Anderson productions. Some silliness too - only a few seconds (quotes from "A Life on the Ocean Waves" and a couple of other things - which I can instantly forgive because they only last five seconds and they were probably entirely appropriate - I even love the hillbilly music in one episode of "Thunderbirds"... it's all context).
Looking forward to your comments on this release, Caldera's new Gerald Fried (BIRDS DO IT, BEES DO IT), and the Tadlow CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN/ DRACULA.
And of course, any other things which are not directly related to MY posts.
Like you, I believe there is a mutli-disc complete set available from Fanderson which covers everything from the series, and it's great that it's out there for those who want it, but this is a wonderful distillation of most of the major points of interest, the running time is generous, and the sound is astonishing for television music from this period. From memory, it's even stereo throughout! So, if you like funky, disco orchestra interspersed with serious, dramatic, or spooky passages this might just be your thing.
Wasn't aware of this being released, muchos gracias for flagging it up. Instantly added to my Xmas prezzie email list that my brother's just asked me for!
They're currently showing this on the UK Horror Channel, and having not seen this for so long, it's strangely entertaining even though, in essence, (and seen through the eyes of my now middle-age years) it's a ridiculous load of old cobblers with bizarrely compelling moments. As for Gray's music, well, it's unmistakably his style and immediately transports me back to when I had one chin, more hair and no excess stomach fat, especially it's cracking main theme (although a lot of mileage seems to be drawn out from a few regularly-used passages of score - the original Star Trek show did this but with much more varied material).
The show itself is strangely amusing when seeing an unusually stressed and extremely serious set of characters seem to argue at the drop of a hat - Moonbase Alpha seemed to be peopled by the galactically miserable.
They're currently showing this on the UK Horror Channel, and having not seen this for so long, it's strangely entertaining even though, in essence, (and seen through the eyes of my now middle-age years) it's a ridiculous load of old cobblers with bizarrely compelling moments. As for Gray's music, well, it's unmistakably his style and immediately transports me back to when I had one chin, more hair and no excess stomach fat, especially it's cracking main theme (although a lot of mileage seems to be drawn out from a few regularly-used passages of score - the original Star Trek show did this but with much more varied material).
The show itself is strangely amusing when seeing an unusually stressed and extremely serious set of characters seem to argue at the drop of a hat - Moonbase Alpha seemed to be peopled by the galactically miserable.
Essential watching? Of course!
Sorry, are you referring to UFO or Space: 1999 here?
It's the latter which is currently showing on the Horror Channel (and of course, Moonbase Alpha is also the location for Space:1999, not UFO).
Sorry to confuse - the latter, obviously, although from seeing some episodes of UFO a few years ago, I could pretty much say the same thing (and with a few unintentional laughs, if I recall).
I believe there was an earlier thread on this, but due to the search engine not working, I can't find it.
In either case, I have zero relationship to this series. Never seen a single episode. But I've heard about it, of course, and I'm thoroughly enjoying this soundtrack in and of itself. Love them funky 60s tunes.
Thor! As I grew up with all the Anderson series I can honestly say you really missed out here. Everything about these shows is magical from Supercar right up to and including Space 1999 Series 1. The atmosphere, the action, the hardware, the characters and the music are all imprinted on the minds of many people who grew up with them, especially of course those of us with the sf and nostalgia genes.
There was a definite quality to most of them, and although they may be showing their age and sillier sides with the coming of age, there's still a thrill to be had from them. And Barry Gray's music embodies most of the feel of what was special about them.
UFO is great, and it's so true that it's cooler than you'd expect someone who looked like Barry to produce! It's just SUCH a great shame the guy didn't live to the age where people could show their appreciation the way that we do now with concerts and fan events, because many, many people would LOVE to show just what his music meant to them.
Thor, did you actually buy it? I mean, knowing nothing about it and having zero connection to it... Or was it an industry freebie?
Yes, it was a digital promo. I don't think it's something I would have gone out and actively purchased, but it was a nice discovery that I've kept in my iTunes colllection.
As I grew up with all the Anderson series I can honestly say you really missed out here. Everything about these shows is magical from Supercar right up to and including Space 1999 Series 1. The atmosphere, the action, the hardware, the characters and the music are all imprinted on the minds of many people who grew up with them, especially of course those of us with the sf and nostalgia genes.
I don't doubt people's nostalgic connection to it who grew up with it, but I don't think I'd feel the same if I watched it for the first time today. It would be a very detached, academic interest, if so. Much like when I lost my STAR TREK original series virginity a few years ago.
I have explored other genre shows from the same period in the past, like DR. WHO or LOST IN SPACE, but in those circumstances there have been specific in-roads (like the desire to watch all the previous WHO shows after I became a fan after the 2005 reboot, to have all the back story and references, or to hear John Williams' music in context for LIS). To just go straight into UFO as a 41-year-old Norwegian, and expect a childlike glee, would be challenging, to say the least. But just for curiousity's sake? Sure, I'd love to sample an episode or two.
DOCTOR Have you ever contracted Scarlet Fever, Mumps, Measles, Whooping Cough, German Measles, Chicken Pox?
FOSTER [carrying his sunglasses] Yes …
DOCTOR Yes.
FOSTER [carrying his sunglasses] I had measles.
DOCTOR Ah ha.... how old were you?
FOSTER [carrying his sunglasses] Four… Or was it five?
DOCTOR [Doc writes down on his file)
FOSTER [still carrying his sunglasses and eventually smiling] [Foster remains still, removes his sunglasses, closes and checks out his eyes and remembers last night’s groovy party fadded with the pop track “Trampoline”]
Trampoline
Listen to the exchanges between Doc and Foster at 10:03
Thor, did you actually buy it? I mean, knowing nothing about it and having zero connection to it... Or was it an industry freebie?
Yes, it was a digital promo. I don't think it's something I would have gone out and actively purchased, but it was a nice discovery that I've kept in my iTunes colllection.
As I grew up with all the Anderson series I can honestly say you really missed out here. Everything about these shows is magical from Supercar right up to and including Space 1999 Series 1. The atmosphere, the action, the hardware, the characters and the music are all imprinted on the minds of many people who grew up with them, especially of course those of us with the sf and nostalgia genes.
I don't doubt people's nostalgic connection to it who grew up with it, but I don't think I'd feel the same if I watched it for the first time today. It would be a very detached, academic interest, if so. Much like when I lost my STAR TREK original series virginity a few years ago.
I have explored other genre shows from the same period in the past, like DR. WHO or LOST IN SPACE, but in those circumstances there have been specific in-roads (like the desire to watch all the previous WHO shows after I became a fan after the 2005 reboot, to have all the back story and references, or to hear John Williams' music in context for LIS). To just go straight into UFO as a 41-year-old Norwegian, and expect a childlike glee, would be challenging, to say the least. But just for curiousity's sake? Sure, I'd love to sample an episode or two.
I'd have to concede much of what you've said there. Obviously nostalgia will be absent. But I think you might be able to see the quality on a production level. The production values are great for a time when cgi was but a dream, and while I've always seen Gerry Anderson in a similar light to Irwin Allen, maybe there's a bit less reuse of materials in the former's work, though to be fair it has to be said few of his shows lasted as long as Allen's. And Barry Gray DID of course famously reused much of his own stock of music...
Actually the name he got for a short while was the British Walt Disney because much of his output was for children, and some of it (Thunderbirds) almost elevated itself to 'family' entertainment as opposed to purely for kids, despite it being a puppet show.
Whatever, the new UFO single CD is really feckin' great.
I think that this is the "coolest" (admitting the way-overrated term - what's wrong with being not cool, Bill?) that Barry Gray ever got. How could somebody who looked like a humble bank clerk write such groovy music? Track 2 ("SHADOW" - a combination of cues using mostly variations on the Main Theme) is five minutes of pure joy which even OnyaBirri wouldn't be embarrassed to be caught listening to. Ditto Track 12 ("The Trip"", from the episode "The Long Sleep").
Good one, Zardoz. That Savina track would fit in nicely to our UFO old swingers party. I did make a mistake in naming the Barry Gray track though - it's "SHADO". Can you find another groovy Italian track with that title?
Good one, Zardoz. That Savina track would fit in nicely to our UFO old swingers party. I did make a mistake in naming the Barry Gray track though - it's "SHADO". Can you find another groovy Italian track with that title?
No.
But a Cipriani soundtrack misspelled "whirlpool" as WHIRPOOL, I think.
DOCTOR Have you ever contracted Scarlet Fever, Mumps, Measles, Whooping Cough, German Measles, Chicken Pox?
FOSTER [carrying his sunglasses] Yes …
DOCTOR Yes.
FOSTER [carrying his sunglasses] I had measles.
DOCTOR Ah ha.... how old were you?
FOSTER [carrying his sunglasses] Four… Or was it five?
DOCTOR [Doc writes down on his file)
FOSTER [still carrying his sunglasses and eventually smiling] [Foster remains still, removes his sunglasses, closes and checks out his eyes and remembers last night’s groovy party fadded with the pop track “Trampoline”]
Trampoline
Listen to the exchanges between Doc and Foster at 10:03
Just received my CD of UFO from Amazon UK: there was an issue with that UK division of that company. Just listened to "Trampoline". Groovy, baby!
On the umpteenth listen, I think I've grown to like it slightly less. Shurely should be t'other way round.
The groovy tracks seem bunched up in the first half mostly. Perhaps it was a mistake to have that Track 2 "SHADO" compilation (very well edited together) so early. It makes the second half of the disc seem a bit out of place. Certainly unbalanced on the whole. The only way I could get through it today was in two sittings. The first sitting was my imaginary LP 1, up to Track 14. The second sitting was the short 29-minute LP starting at the greatly groovy Track 15 "The Leisure Sphere". Side A was only three tracks, with lengthy ones for the tracks "Enemy My Friend" and "The Affair". About 15 minutes. Side 2 was the one that had the score for Ed Straker's son dying. That's somewhat out-of-character for the rest of the score, but it plays fine as Side B of the second (imaginary) LP. Oh, by the way, I can't get into that final "Trampoline" track at all. It's not my kind of cool.
UFO's premise was pretty grim for a Gerry Anderson show. Dying aliens invading Earth in search of body parts for their survival. Although it was a live-action show, I'm finding myself enjoying the "overly-dramatic" moments, and especially the "quirky comedy" moments when I picture Thunderbirds puppets instead of real actors. I think Barry Gray set the seal of greatness so well with the earlier shows that it ALL comes over now as pastiche - and sometimes unfavourably so in the live-action series.
By the way, am I the only one who hears a "James Bond" thematic variation behind a lot of the tracks?
No, you're not the only one to hear "James Bond" here, it was one of the first things that struck me when I played the disc through for the first time. Here's hoping Silva do some more inthe series.
