La-La Land to release 15-disc original series score set

[RandyS]

Christopher wrote:

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Say what you like about season 3's writing, acting, etc. -- most of my favorite scores are from it.

I agree completely. In fact that's one of the main reasons I'm looking forward to this set. Of course, I want to hear all of it, but I've always had a particular soft spot for season three's music.

[Christopher]

I daresay most of TOS's composers who contributed to season 3 did their best work there, or at least my personal favorites: "Paradise Syndrome" for Fried, "Spock's Brain" for Steiner, "Spectre of the Gun" for Fielding, "The Empath" for Duning. The one exception is Courage; my favorite of his scores is "The Naked Time." But his two season 3 scores have some really good stuff in them. (I love the underscore to Scotty's defiant speech to the Romulans in "The Enterprise Incident." And there's a really great, poignant rendering of "Captain's Theme" at the end of one of the acts of "Plato's Stepchildren," when Kirk and Spock are being humiliated by the Platonians.)

And yet we have never had a release of any of the original soundtrack recordings from the third season. We've had new versions of excerpts from a few -- "The Empath" from Sarabande/Steiner, "Spectre," "Paradise," and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" from Label X/Bremner -- but nothing more. So the Season 3 set is maybe the grand prize of the whole collection.

[JimZipCode]

Christopher wrote:

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So the Season 3 set is maybe the grand prize of the whole collection.

That's a hard statement for me to accept, thinking about Friday's Child and Kaplan's recording of Enemy Within, along with Adonais and Catspaw and City and extra struff from Amok Time. A lot of people love Duning's Metamophosis, too. But you've made a good case.

Christopher wrote:

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"Paradise," and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" from Label X/Bremner

After our discussion about Paradise Syndrome last night, I re-listened to the Bremner suite of it. I forgot how good it was! I had come to be a little disappointed by the Bremner stuff, primarily because I considered the performance of Enemy Within to be inferior to Kaplan's performance. But the Paradise performance is quite good.

It's interesting that Fried is playing the oboe at the upcoming event, because the oboe is featured at some moments in the Paradise score. I found myself wondering who played oboe during the recording. Did the studio orchestra have woodwinds, or did Fried play it himself?

I've also wondered the same thing about the rolling piano in the Enemy Within score, whether it was Kaplan.

We'll know soon! I think there will be info on the musician performers, in the box set. Very cool.

[Tallguy]

I'm discovering that my musical knowledge of season 3 is lacking. That track from Elaan of Troyius, Battle Music blew me away.

[OneBuckFilms]

Tallguy wrote:

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I'm discovering that my musical knowledge of season 3 is lacking. That track from Elaan of Troyius, Battle Music blew me away.

That cue always stood out for me. Great score, one of my favorites.

[Christopher]

JimZipCode wrote:

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That's a hard statement for me to accept, thinking about Friday's Child and Kaplan's recording of Enemy Within, along with Adonais and Catspaw and City and extra struff from Amok Time. A lot of people love Duning's Metamophosis, too. But you've made a good case.

I didn't mean to suggest that season 3 had the only good stuff. I just meant that not only does it have many of the best scores, but it's the least represented season in prior releases, with absolutely none of its original recordings ever having been released before. So collectively, as a full-season set, it's got more long-awaited, never-released content than either of the other season boxes, including my all-time favorite TOS scores. And that makes it stand out as a part I'll be particularly glad to have, though I'm certainly glad for the whole thing.

In other words, the season 3 set is the one that has the highest proportion of "Oh my god I've been waiting all my life for this and I never thought I'd get it and here it is squeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!"

It's interesting that Fried is playing the oboe at the upcoming event, because the oboe is featured at some moments in the Paradise score. I found myself wondering who played oboe during the recording. Did the studio orchestra have woodwinds, or did Fried play it himself?

I've also wondered the same thing about the rolling piano in the Enemy Within score, whether it was Kaplan.

If they were conducting their own scores, I doubt it, unless those bits were recorded separately.

And the studio orchestra certainly did have woodwinds. One thing that strikes me about '50s/'60s TV/film music compared to more recent scores is that the bassoon seems to have fallen out of favor since then. A strong presence of bassoon and other winds is sort of a trademark that distinguishes older scores from more modern ones, at least to my ear (although Shirley Walker brought back a lot of vintage orchestration in Batman: TAS and The Flash).

The preview image at TrekCore includes a glimpse at the orchestra list for "City on the Edge of Forever," and there are a few woodwind performers listed.

[JimZipCode]

Christopher wrote:

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The preview image at TrekCore includes a glimpse at the orchestra list for "City on the Edge of Forever," and there are a few woodwind performers listed.

I hadn't seen that! Thanks for linking.

That preview image contains a listing that includes Way To Eden. Far Out Jam! Headin' Out To Eden! And the instrumental tag over the death of Adam. The music editor put a little sting at the moment where the "dead" Adam twitches his finger, which is such an oddball decision that it seems like genius.

I can't believe I'm excited about that. Part of it is just (finally!) having all the questions answered.

[gottacook]

RandyS wrote:

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I agree completely. In fact that's one of the main reasons I'm looking forward to this set. Of course, I want to hear all of it, but I've always had a particular soft spot for season three's music.

Well, in my case there's the added attraction that season 3 was the season I got to know first, as a preteen; I probably saw half the season first-run, definitely including "Spock's Brain" and "The Way to Eden." The effects and the music were both excellent, and I had no way of knowing (yet) that the stories were not what they could have been.

Sometime I should post George Duning's gracious reply to my 1980 fan letter, if I can find it.

[Indysolo]

Good news everyone!!!

The CDs are in stock.

Neil

[doubleohfive]

I am so looking forward to Monday night!

[Indysolo]

Please make sure all 15 CDs are in your box.

Neil

[doubleohfive]

Believe me, I am not going to let a year go by this time if they aren't!

[JimZipCode]

Indysolo wrote:

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Good news everyone!!!

The CDs are in stock.

Neil

Quandary! My wife asked, is there any way you can wait on that boxed set until Christmas?

[Indysolo]

Just say no.

Neil

[RandyS]

Indysolo wrote:

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Good news everyone!!!

The CDs are in stock.

Neil

Does that mean we can preorder? I just want to clarify before I go batshit crazy here.

Edit: Never mind. I just checked Intrada, Filmscore Monthly, Lala Land, and Amazon, and nobody has it listed, so I guess the answer is no.