Conducted by Stu Philips

Performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the

                           Universal Studio Symphony Orchestra

Theme from "Battlestar: Galactica" composed by Glen A. Larson and Stu Philips

Produced by Stu Philips and Ford A. Thaxton

            Duchess Music Corp.

     When Star Wars was first released in the spring of 1977, it seemed like each and every producer in Hollywood was rabid over similar scripts and sci-fi, special effects extravaganza projects. Plenty of these resulting properties were absolute trash, but out of this fervor came a few gems like the Star Trek feature film and Battlestar: Galactica. Where most Star Trek took the cue to move from the small screen to the big screen, Battlestar: Galactica's producer, Glen Larson, saw a more ambitious television series. It would be one that would bring all the epic storyline and spectacle of Star Wars to television sets all across America. Such an idea was risky given that Star Wars was just one two hour film, whereas Battlestar: Galactica would have to span a season of one hour episodes. Still, Larson pushed it through and the show was an immense success. However, given the massive budget needed, the seams began to show as pressure was put on the show, and it was finally cancelled after it's birthing season. The less-expensive but quite crappy follow-up of Galactica 1980 was birthed out of the cancellation, but it too soon went into TV extinction.

     It may seem quaint now, but John William's use of a thematically-driven, classically-inspired orchestral score for Star Wars was a revelation of a film industry beset by the evolution of synthesizers and disco. Again, determined to emulate all the factors of Star Wars' success at the box officer, Larson commissioned Stu Philips as the official composer for Battlestar: Galactica (though Larson would pull in a credit for the main theme itself). That theme, along with the resultant score for the series' opener, Saga of a Star World, was deemed one of the most impressive aspects of the new series, and Philips would do his best to keep the high standard of the musical scores throughout the short run of the show. Thematically consistant across multiple episodes, Philip's music anchored the conventional amongst the fantastical setting of the show. There are plenty of themes running around inside the series, some which continually occur, while others were meant for specific instances or specific characters for specific shows. Even today, after over two decades of dormancy, the music is still relevant and Battlestar: Galactica should be proud of the impressive pedigree Stu Philips left for the musical signature of the show.

     This massive four-CD set of Stu Philip's work on the show (which I imagine probably contains every last note composed for the series), was originally released way back in 1999, before the revival spurred on by the DVD boxset of the show and the re-imagined mini-series that debuted on the Sci-Fi Channel last last year. As such, this set has gone out of print, though I'm sure copies can be found around on Ebay or local used CD stores. At it's release, the set was priced at a pretty hefty $80, so be warned that it could come quite cheap (comparatively speaking) or gaspingly expensive.  For the price though you get a collection that spans ten episodes of original music for the series (rehashed cues were heavily tracked in at the end of the season) The sound quality is good, though analog tape hiss is noticeable. The Varese Sarabande re-recording of music from Saga of a Star World has a more "modern" sound to it, but some audiophiles out there prefer the sound of analog, and it's duplicated quite well on this set. It sounds pretty much like an older recording should. The linear notes are informative, but mostly about the show itself. There is little to no information on the music (other than standard composer credits and stuff like that). While a listing of each episode featured is present, there is only a brief summary of the plot, nothing about the music.

     Rather than go into a long, overblown description of a series of scores that spans four discs, let me just say that even for non-fans of Battlestar: Galactica, the music could be very well enjoyable. With plenty of themes milling about inside the scores, and generally good composition and orchestration overall (along with the immeasurable talents of the LA Philharmonic and the Universal Studio Symphony Orchestra), the music hear on this set is head-and-shoulders above what is usually found on TV. Granted, as one reaches the third and fourth discs the scores take a turn for the worst, but even then it's still better than most. I’ve rated this collection at five stars, but really, let's not kid ourselves. Only die-hard Battlestar: Galactica fans will take the time and make the effort to obtain this however, since it's been out of print for the longest time.

      If you’re only a casual fan, Varese Sarabande’s re-recording is worth the cash and is a good representation of why Stu Philips' work on the series is so loved. On the flip-slide, Battlestar: Galactica geek-a-philes would consider this a must-have. So good luck.

Disc 1

1 - Theme from "Battlestar: Galactica" (1:00)

Saga of a Star World

2 - Exploration / The Five Battlestars (3:37)

3 - "Launch When Ready" (1:11)

4 - The Cylon Trap (4:41)

5 - Zac's Death (1:17)

6 - Cylon Attack / End of the Atlantia (2:05)

7 - The Cylon Base Ship (1:16)

8 - Destruction of Peace (3:39)

9 - Adama's Theme (4:04)

10 - The Gathering of the Fleet (2:48)

11 - Suffering (1:56)

12 - The Imperious Leader (1:20)

13 - Cassiopeia & Starbuck (1:04)

14 - Boxey's Problem / Serina's Illness (3:01)

15 - Steamed / Into the Red Nova (2:45)

16 - The Red Nova (2:36)

17 - Adama's Log (1:05)

18 - Landram (0:43)

19 - Captured / Bright Lights (1:49)

20 - Apollo and Adama (0:44)

21 - The Elevator of Doom (0:51)

22 - Escape from the Ovion Mines (3:15)

23 - Dash to the Elevator (1:08)

24 - Sneak Attack / Apollo's Gambit (1:57)

25 - The Destruction of Carillon (2:01)

26 - "Let's Go Home" - Finale (1:17)

27 - Outer Space Disco (2:48)

28 - Galactic Rock (2:37)

29 - "Battlestar: Galactica" End Credits (0:30)

Disc 2

1 - "Battlestar: Galactica": Main Title (1:02)

War of the Gods - Parts 1 & 2

2 - The Lightship Appears (1:36)

3 - The Strange Planet / Crash Site (2:45)

4 - Count Iblis (1:33)

5 - Sheba and Count Iblis (2:51)

6 - Adama and Count Iblis (2:02)

7 - "Our Enemy Has Been Delivered!" (1:07)

8 - Baltar and Iblis / "I Know that Voice" (2:41)

9 - Fathers & Sons (2:27)

10 - Back to the Strange Planet / "I Forbid It!" (2:52)

11 - The Prince of Darkness (2:48)

12 - The Light Beings / Apollo's Rebirth (6:24)

13 - The Way to Earth (1:17)

Gun on Ice Planet Zero - Parts 1 & 2

14 - Fighter Launch / Forced Landing (2:11)

15 - Scanner Report / Kree Captured (1:40)

16 - Computer Room / Cylon Fanfare & March (1:39)

17 - Shuttle Launch / Snow Storm (2:35)

18 - Waking Up / The Clones (2:03)

19 - The Ice Canyon / Cylon Patrol (2:51)

20 - Hiding Apollo / Cylon Search Party (2:14)

21 - Vipers vs. Cylon Raiders (1:16)

22 - Hide and Seek / Ice Trek (2:26)

23 - Countdown to Doom / Kree's Rescue (2:52)

24 - Attack on the Pulsar (5:15)

25 - The Big Bang / Finale (2:26)

26 - "Battlestar: Galactica" End Credits (0:30)

Disc 3

Galactica 1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth"

1 - Main Title (1:02)

The Living Legend - Parts 1 & 2

2 - Cain's Theme / Cain and Cassiopeia (2:37)

3 - The Cylon Tankers / Confronting Sheba (4:25)

4 - Relieved of Command (1:46)

5 - "It's Impossible! - No It's a Battlestar" (1:51)

6 - Parachute Drop / Planting the Charges (2:54)

7 - Shuttle Express / "I Missed One Father" (2:01)

8 - Med Lab / Cain's Choice (1:12)

9 - Viper vs. Viper / Pursuing Baltar (2:26)

Lost Planet of the Gods - Parts 1 & 2

10 - Another Day on the Galactica (0:49)

11 - Starbuck's Folly / Ocean of Darkness (5:45)

12 - Cylon Outpost / Baltar and Lucifer Chat (2:40)

13 - Serina and Apollo / The Disease (3:04)

14 - The Rookie's First Battle (3:27)

15 - The Legend of Kobol (1:22)

16 - Starbuck Captured / Baltar and Starbuck (2:57)

17 - The Wedding / The Ninth Lord of Kobol (6:35)

18 - Romantic Interlude / Starbuck's Return (0:43)

19 - The Star Flares / The Crypt Opens (1:05)

20 - Serena's Death / Mourning (4:42)

War of the Gods - Parts 1 & 2

21 - Light Ship Sound Effects (1:18)

The Magnificent Warriors - Source Cues

22 - Starbuck's Luck (1:18)

23 - Three Sided Pyramid (2:01)

24 - A Smoking Band (0:43)

25 - Hospitality Muzak (2:11)

War of the Gods - Parts 1 & 2 - Source Cues

26 - Celebration on the Rising Star (3:12)

27 - "Battlestar: Galactica" End Credits (0:31)

Disc 4

Galactica 1980: "Galactica Discovers Earth"

1 - Alternate Main Title / Prologue (1:49)

The Lost Warrior

2 - Apollo and Bella's Love Theme (4:43)

3 - Safe Landing / Booty's Death (2:33)

4 - Adama and Boxey (1:02)

5 - The Good, The Bad, and The Cylon (2:33)

The Young Lords

6 - The Young Lords Fanfare and Theme (0:50)

7 - Escape into the Swamp / Ambushed (3:30)

8 - Prisoner Exchange (1:59)

9 - Sneaking into the Castle (2:02)

10 - The Kiss / Rescue & Reunion (2:57)

The Magnificent Warriors

11 - Siress Bellaby (1:36)

12 - The Borays (3:52)

13 - Hijacking the Energizer (1:49)

14 - The Boray's Encampment (5:42)

The Long Patrol

15 - Starbuck Cassiopeia and Athena (2:03)

16 - Stealing the Viper / Starbuck in Prison (3:52)

17 - Bad News / Boomer & Apollo (1:59)

18 - Gun Battle / Boxey and Adama / Earth? (3:59)

The Hand of God

19 - The Dome (1:00)

20 - Mysterious Message / Boomer's Dream (1:35)

21 - Deep Probe / Cylon Base Ship Rising (1:29)

22 - Starbuck and Cassiopeia's True Feelings (0:51)

23 - Sheba and Apollo's True Feelings (1:36)

24 - Operation: Trojan Cylon / Victory (6:13)

25 - "They're Waggling!" (1:18)

26 - "The Eagle Has Landed" / Finale (2:34)