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Battlestar Galactica |
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Music Composed and Conducted by Stu Philips Performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Release Date: 1999
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With the success of Star Wars in 1977, sci-fi projects across film and television were green lighted in an attempt to cash-in on the craze. On the television side of this attempt is a show that is much loved by its fans, and terribly hated by its critics. I can remember being caught up in Battlestar Galactica as a kid. It seemed to have everything that made Star Wars so terrific. Top-notch special effects (for a seventies TV show that is), an interesting premise, and a rousing orchestral score. I haven’t seen the series in a long time, so I can’t really comment on how the majority of the episodes were. I did manage to watch the pilot movie the other day and I was struck at just how cheesy the second half managed to become. Of course, dare I mention the less expensive spin-off series, Galactica 1980? This album is a re-scored soundtrack to the pilot movie for the series. As with Varese’s other re-orchestrated scores, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is utilized. Instead of hiring another composer to interpret the music, Varese managed to get Stu Philips himself to do the recording. Those who were put off by the differences between the original Superman or Back to the Future releases and the Varese updates will be pleased to know that everything on this album is pretty close to the original recordings. The sound quality is excellent, and the RSNO performs the music adequately. The main theme is especially well done and is the highlight of the whole CD. Philips tosses a few additional themes into the mix, but there should have been more. With all the different characters running about, a leitmotif approach would have been very nice. The themes that are present are good, although the theme for Commander Adama is really bland and doesn’t seem to have any power to it. Overall, the score is good (especially for a TV show), but it does fall into the filler music category every so often. If you are looking for music from Battlestar Galactica, you can’t go wrong with this CD. If that isn’t the case, then I can’t really recommend that you pick this one up. While it has some great moments, it really isn’t in the same league as John Williams’ score to Star Wars. You’d probably want to check out the pilot movie (available on VHS and DVD) and listen to the music before shelling out any cash. ****
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Track Listing 1 - Prologue/Main Title (3:50) 2 - Battlestar Galactica Theme (1:28) 3 - The Destruction of Peace (4:00) 4 - Fighter Launch / Mysterious Derelict / Zac in Trouble (3:16) 5 - Adama's Theme / The Residue of War (4:24) 6 - Sex at Last / Cassiopea & Starbuck (2:39) 7 - Cylon Freighter / The Trap (3:56) 8 - Cylon Attack / The End of the Atlantia (2:14) 9 - Symptoms / Boxey's Problems / Serena's Illness (3:53) 10 - Suffering (2:22) 11 - Red Nova (2:50) 12 - More Than a Father / And the People Rejoiced (1:09) 13 - Ready Room / Scramble to Safety / Imperious Leader (3:33) 14 - Escape from the Ovion Mines (2:12) 15 - Dash to the Elevator (1:24) 16 - Red & Blue / Destruction of Carillon (2:42) 17 - Exodus One / End Credits (1:38) Total Running Time: 48:33 |
