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

Must rescue this thread from oblivion. Never fear, Sargon is here.

As I go through the music, I find myself noticing how some cues work better in episodes they were tracked in, rather than those they were composed for. A great score for a crappy episode can work so much better in a good episode (whereas a great score for a great story works best in its home episode). An example would be the cue from "Spock's Brain" called "Magic Helmet #2" where Bones puts on the teacher hat. It's a fantastic cue that tries so hard to make what's happening seem important, but falls flat because the situation is just so damned stupid.

However, that same piece of music is used in "The Tholian Web" as Kirk is finally beamed back aboard. In contrast to "Spock's Brain" the music here works beautifully. It underscores the desperation, the last ditch effort and then finally the feeling of victory that they got him back just in time. It makes the scene memorable and caps a fine episode perfectly. In fact, whenever I hear that cue, I think of Web over Brain every time.

Anyone else finding this as they listen?

 

^I don't think that scene in "Spock's Brain" is stupid. In fact, I think it's one of DeForest Kelley's finest moments on the show. The way he delivers that line, "A child could do it!" -- it's awesome.

But there are some cues from "The Enemy Within" that I do tend to associate more with "Arena." And the portion of the "Spock's Brain" score where the Morgs are stalking the landing party and about to attack tends to remind me more of its uses in other episodes like "The Savage Curtain."

 

There definitely is an artistry to compiled scores. I mean, one need only look at 2001, for instance. Just because something was written for one purpose doesn't mean it can't work equally well if not better in another context. Even though it was done as a cost-cutting measure, it doesn't mean it can't be very effective. I was rewatching the drinking scene in "By Any Other Name" and that is chocked full of tracked music. Some of the way the music was slotted in was a little abrupt, but it certainly works beautifully, and it's one of the signature TOS moments. I doubt anybody who watches the episode is going to be thinking "Gee, that music doesn't seem to match what's going on. It must be tracked. How cheap!" Even if you recognize the piece and where it comes from, it doesn't mean you can't also appreciate how it slots into the different frame. This topic resonates for me because I'm currently not using a film scorer for my shorts, so I have to use compiled music, and I can tell you that there is a lot of thought that goes into it, at least if you want to do it _well_.

 

Whereas I often do notice that a tracked cue doesn't fit the action very closely. Decades of watching and rewatching shows with tracked music gave me a feel for when the music was tailored to the scene and when it wasn't. And as a rule, I prefer the former. Tracked cues often do feel like rough or marginal fits to what's onscreen, especially if they're built around themes that were specifically meant to represent particular characters or entities from the episode they were written for. (One instance that comes to mind is a cue from the animated series Gargoyles that was written for a scene of martial-arts sparring and thus had a loosely Japanese flavor to it. It was frequently reused as just a generic action cue in later episodes and didn't fit as well. And the distinctive theme for the character Macbeth was often used in contexts having nothing to do with Macbeth, which was annoying to me.)

And sometimes you're limited by the style of the available music. I've said before that I think "A Piece of the Action" would've been stronger if they'd ponied up for an original score that fit the Jazz-Age mobster milieu.

 

To each his own, and I agree De's work is great. But at this point in the episode, I find it difficult to take much of this seriously. It's just been too "out there" for me to consider the situation important. The score, which is, again, great, works very hard, but much as I enjoy the episode, I'm not buying it. But that's just me. "Spock's Brain" is a guilty pleasure, but I'm well aware it's Irwin Allen worthy (on Irwin's best day).

I'm the same way with cues from "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" used in "Arena." The much used "Ruk Protect" for example.

 

There are several tracks from "Is There In Truth No Beauty" that I tend to associate with "Day of the Dove" quite a bit, especially the music used in "Dove" for the emotion-vampire (or whatever it's called).

There's also a track from "Amok Time" that was used in "Journey to Babel" for the scene where Amanda pleads with Spock in his quarters to help save Sarek's life that just works so beautifully in that scene.

Also, whenever they play the track from "The Corbomite Maneuver" where they first attempt to evade the cube, and then destroy it, I always think of Captain Christopher attempting to intercept the Enterprise with his F-104.

 

Still heard nothing as to regards to that Spock's Brain cue. I honestly believe it is missing from the set, and if it is indeed a composite cue, the detail heard in it, the natural fade etc, leads me to speculate it cannot be drawn from the elements we have on the Spock's Brain disc.

 

The thing that really surprises me about the set is how many recordings of the main theme and ending credit music there is. I knew there were a couple but it seems there are quite a few on the collection (which I frickin' love).

 

I'm still revisiting this set and it's been like two months since I got it. Easily the crown jewel in my library and one hell of an amazing collection.

 

I know what you mean. I listened to the whole thing over the first two weeks I had it, and have been thinking about revisiting it too, which I might just do after I finish listening to my Batman Animated Series soundtracks.

Which by the way, is ALSO a great collection of music.

 

I believe I have found music that is indeed missing from this set...or I just cannot find it anywhere and am ready to pull my hair out.

I was crazy enough to actually start doing every episode's edited score...tracked and all spliced up. I just started Miri and found a scene that has music that I believe is nowhere to be found on this set. The scene is when Kirk is sitting with Miri and they are talking and they first notice Kirk has the disease. The music heard is obviously Mullendore and is a very romantic version of the main theme. It sounds very similar to the library cues, but it is very different. Also sounds like the Kirk & Lenore cue from Conscience of the King as well.

Can anybody verify this with me? The scene is roughly 14:30 minutes into the episode. My theory is maybe one of the Library cues is incomplete. I even messed around with the pitch on those specific tracks, but it is definitely a different cue. The cue in question is the Trek theme done very romantically, but only with flutes.

I couldn't find any info about this and was wondering if anybody else had noticed this cue is MIA.



I hope I may be wrong...overlooked it and it is on the set.

 

Sorry I can't help ya, DB, I thought the Kirk & Lenore cue was it.

I have to say, this set has been out just shy of a year and I'm still playing it. Not exclusively, mind you, but often enough. This really is the soundtrack of my lifetime and I never tire of it. My favorite music. Ever.

 

I would tend to agree with ssosmcin. This set might just have been the best $200 I've ever spent. Bravo, to La-La Land and thank you for such a wonderful product!

 

^
What he said. I never tire of the set and it was WELL worth the money.

 

DarthBrett, I haven't tackled the Miri soundtrack, yet. I'm still working on tracking City On the Edge of Forever. However, I think the piece you are looking for with Kirk and Miri is one of the library tracks located on Disc 5, Track 11: "Lonely to Dramatic" at about 8 or 9 seconds in.

 

I did check all of the library cues and it is not any of them. It is very similar though. Those cues were done by Mullendore and also used for Miri so I would assume they were all recorded the same day. For whatever reason, this cue does appear to be missing from the set.

I absolutely loved this set of music and by no means am disappointed with it. I love it!

 

Ditto.

 

Same here. A year on, and I've probably played the entire set at least twenty times (okay, that's probably an exaggeration, since I listen to the recent re-releases of the movies alot too).

I never tire of this music either.

 

So I finally checked my old VHS copies of the Laser-discs...the cue in Miri is the same. So, we do have a cue that is missing on the set. I am curious what happened and if it was omitted due to damage or lost masters, or if it was an oversight/mistake?