GNP Crescendo

Music Composed by Alexander Courage, Fred Steiner, Jerry Goldsmith, Dennis McCarthy, and David Bell

Produced by Neil Norman and Mark Banning

Release Date: 2000

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     The last Star Trek album of this nature was way back during the 30th anniversary of the intrepid television show. It is nice to finally see another volume that celebrates all four incarnations of the Trek universe. Especially since this one tops the first volume in almost every way.

     First off, the music from the original series tops off in a set of three suits from Season One episodes. They are a tad on the drab side since the suspenseful/action music from The Corbomite Maneuver and Balance of Terror leans on the repetitive side. Still, it is better than The Trouble with Tribbles suite on the original (yes, it was fun music for a fun episode...but it was so different from the rest it didn't really deserve to go on an anthology without anything else to balance it out). In a curious bit of decision making, the suites comprise one track whereas the others from DS9 and TNG are split among multiple tracks. 

     Dennis McCarthy supplies the brunt of material for the newer shows, with his scores from both DS9's Way of the Warrior and TNG's final two hour goodbye episode, All Good Things. Way of the Warrior starts off with a rousing action cue that is a nice departure from what one mostly hears for action music on television these days. In fact, I was really impressed with the size of the orchestras for the shows. The sound is very nice for television music budgets. Be sure to check out the nice little homage to Star Trek II in track 11. I was also very impressed with the usage of the main theme in All Good Things which seemed more prevalent than what Goldsmith has done in his two latest Trek scores.

    But alas, where The Trouble with Tribbles was the oddball score on the last one, Voyager's Bride of Chaotica is here to fill that void. Actually, David Bell does a wonderful job of emulating the scores to old time serials and it is fun to listen to, but I would have liked to have had just a sampler of that score and add a second suite or something from some of Voyager's more dramatic (and serious) musical cues. 

     Despite still having a few minor flaws, this album tops the original volume in almost every respect. This has some great music from the Star Trek franchise and no fan deserves to be without this one. ****

 

Star Trek: The Original Series

1 - Main Title (0:51)

2 - Suite from The Corbomite Maneuver (4:29)

3 - Suite from Balance of Terror (3:42)

4 - Suite from What Are Little Girls Made Of (4:39)

5 - "In Chapel" from Balance of Terror (1:18)

6 - Theme from Star Trek - Lounge Mix (1:39)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

7 - Main Title (1:55)

Suite from Way of the Warrior 

8 - Dry Run (1:31)

9 - Medieval Harp Source (2:57)

10 - Worf (1:35)

11 - "Yo!" (4:08)

12 -  Worf II (1:47)

 

 

13 - "Fever" from His Way (2:01)

Star Trek: Voyager 

14 - Main Title (1:47)

Suite from Bride of Chaotica 

15 - Begin Chapter 18 / Presenting...Arachnia (4:21)

16 - Confinement Rings / Segue To Torres (3:07)

17 - Chaotica is Defeated / Distortions (3:43)

18 - Chaotica's Last Words / The End?

Star Trek: The Next Generation

19 - Main Title (1:40)

Suite from All Good Things

20 - Here Comes the Judge II/ To The Rescue (5:59)

21 - Primalosity (2:29)

22 - Courage (3:31)

23 - Saved Again (2:26)

24 - I Have a Gun (0:52)