TAS music...

[Warped9]

The music of TAS isn't nearly as recogniczable, memorable or as evocative as the music of TOS. Nonetheless over the years I still occasionally find myself recalling it and humming or whistling some of the tunes. So there was still something to some of it after all.

I was able to capture the opening theme for my collection of TV music by grabbing it off the dvd set.
But does anyone know if the music of TAS has ever been available like some of the TOS music has been over the years?

 

[number6]

There were only a small handul of cues that were uniquely TAS. The rest were cues from the Filmation Library and they were used in every Filmation production at that time. I don't know how helpful that is, but it may make searching for it a little easier.

 

[Christopher]

There's never been a soundtrack release of any Filmation TV series music that I'm aware of. The closest thing to my knowledge is that on the Secrets of Isis DVDs, there's an option for watching the episodes with an isolated music-and-sound-effects track (because the music and SFX were mixed together and no separate masters of the music are available). I doubt the original masters to TAS's music (or Filmation's library music c. 1973-4) are any more likely to have survived.

For what it's worth, the music was by Ray Ellis with help from his son Marc Ellis (on at least some Filmation shows). The "Yvette Blais and Jeff Michael" credits were pseudonymous; Blais was Ray Ellis's wife and Jeff and Michael were the sons of music producer Norm Prescott. Ray Ellis also did the episode scores for the '60s Spider-Man cartoon (but not its famous theme song).

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I find the TAS music more memorable than all of Modern Trek's scores (excluding movies).

That doesn't make it best, however.

 

[number6]

I find the TAS music more memorable than all of Modern Trek's scores (excluding movies).

i think it's only memorable because of the sheer level of repetition. The same music is in every episode and most of the music was in Isis, Ark II, Shazam, Space Academy, Scooby Doo, and even the animated Gilligan's Island. That music was ubiquitous in the early 70s.

 

[Kryton]

I have to admit, though I was ALWAYS great disappointed they didn't license the A. Courage/"Gene Roddenberry" TOS theme, the variation they came up with was at least EVOCATIVE of that one...and probably saved a bunch of money in the process.

 

[NCC621]

Back in the day, I always thought the TAS theme was a cheap knock-off, and I was always disappointed that they didn't use the REAL Star Trek theme music. Years later, I found that the TAS theme evoked fond memories, even though I've never thought of myself as a big TAS fan.

 

[Christopher]

i think it's only memorable because of the sheer level of repetition. The same music is in every episode and most of the music was in Isis, Ark II, Shazam, Space Academy, Scooby Doo, and even the animated Gilligan's Island. That music was ubiquitous in the early 70s.

Uhh, Scooby-Doo was from Hanna-Barbera, not Filmation. Its music was by Hoyt Curtin, and not a single note of it came from the Filmation library created by Ray Ellis et al.

And while there was occasional overlap, generally Filmation's comedy series drew on a different set of library cues than their adventure shows did. With regard to The New Adventures of Gilligan, you're probably thinking of the comedy cues that were used in episodes like "More Tribbles, More Troubles" and "The Practical Joker." But those were atypical for TAS.

Probably the show TAS shared the most cues with was Lassie's Rescue Rangers, which was its immediate contemporary. Also the later SF-themed shows like Space Academy and Jason of Star Command reused a lot of their cues, and Tarzan used a few as well. But the overlap wasn't as great as you suggest. Most every Filmation show featured a mix of original cues and generic library cues. Although the reuse of library cues diminished in later years; the 1979 Flash Gordon series featured a wholly new score (still recycled from episode to episode, but none of it taken from any earlier series).


As for the TAS theme, I've always loved it. I'm very fond of the orchestration. I don't think I ever considered it merely a knockoff of the original, since I'm pretty sure I discovered TAS only weeks after I discovered TOS. I saw my first TOS episode in January 1974, during the original run of TAS, and I think it was very soon thereafter that I discovered there was a cartoon version showing too.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I also love the TAS theme. Even if the score is somewhat repetitive for the season, I still like the variation of the theme.

Sort of like what they did on DS9, by slightly changing the theme in their season 4.

 

[TigerOfDarkness]

I love the TAS theme too. I may be wrong, but I think it is the TOS theme "upside down" - where the TOS theme has the notes going up the scale, TAS has them going down and vice-versa. It is also almost dangerously catchy, come home late after a few drinks, watch a few episodes of TAS and then try and get the music out of your head the next day.....

I find some of the sound queues fit rather well into a TOS-style series. I like the one they tend to use when enemy space ships are approaching or the crew are running away from lava or some such - it features a lot of brass wind instruments.

 

[Christopher]

I find some of the sound [cues] fit rather well into a TOS-style series. I like the one they tend to use when enemy space ships are approaching or the crew are running away from lava or some such - it features a lot of brass wind instruments.

You mean the one that begins with a three-note statement in brass (daaaaaa-da-daa), then a rising harp glissando, then a faster, rising-and-falling nine-note sequence in strings, then repeats the same, etc.? That's been a lifelong favorite of mine.

 

[number6]

i think it's only memorable because of the sheer level of repetition. The same music is in every episode and most of the music was in Isis, Ark II, Shazam, Space Academy, Scooby Doo, and even the animated Gilligan's Island. That music was ubiquitous in the early 70s.

Uhh, Scooby-Doo was from Hanna-Barbera, not Filmation. Its music was by Hoyt Curtin, and not a single note of it came from the Filmation library created by Ray Ellis et al.

And while there was occasional overlap, generally Filmation's comedy series drew on a different set of library cues than their adventure shows did. With regard to The New Adventures of Gilligan, you're probably thinking of the comedy cues that were used in episodes like "More Tribbles, More Troubles" and "The Practical Joker." But those were atypical for TAS.

Probably the show TAS shared the most cues with was Lassie's Rescue Rangers, which was its immediate contemporary. Also the later SF-themed shows like Space Academy and Jason of Star Command reused a lot of their cues, and Tarzan used a few as well. But the overlap wasn't as great as you suggest. Most every Filmation show featured a mix of original cues and generic library cues. Although the reuse of library cues diminished in later years; the 1979 Flash Gordon series featured a wholly new score (still recycled from episode to episode, but none of it taken from any earlier series).


As for the TAS theme, I've always loved it. I'm very fond of the orchestration. I don't think I ever considered it merely a knockoff of the original, since I'm pretty sure I discovered TAS only weeks after I discovered TOS. I saw my first TOS episode in January 1974, during the original run of TAS, and I think it was very soon thereafter that I discovered there was a cartoon version showing too.

Never liked the TAS theme much myself. And yeah.. I got the Scooby Doo wrong, but not the overlap of all the other Filmation shows I mentioned. They all used the same library and each series had a few cues uniquely their own. I have a bunch of these on DVD and I do remember the 70s quite well. That music library was ubiquitous.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

I have to admit, though I was ALWAYS great disappointed they didn't license the A. Courage/"Gene Roddenberry" TOS theme, the variation they came up with was at least EVOCATIVE of that one...and probably saved a bunch of money in the process.

To me it was a bit like the music they use in series like South Park or The Simpsons when they want to parody another series and mimic its theme tune.

Not to say that it was bad though, I especially liked the incidental music, some of it measured up quite well to the TOS music. I didn't realise some of it was shared with other series, to me it was all Trekkish.

 

[Warped9]

I found the TAS theme a bit throwaway, but some of the scoring during episodes didn't seem far off the mark. Perhaps if different instruments had been used.

However, even if in TOS some pieces were used throughout the series each season did seem to have something of a different feel to it. And so TAS really isn't off base by having its own sound.

 

[erastus25]

I find some of the sound [cues] fit rather well into a TOS-style series. I like the one they tend to use when enemy space ships are approaching or the crew are running away from lava or some such - it features a lot of brass wind instruments.

You mean the one that begins with a three-note statement in brass (daaaaaa-da-daa), then a rising harp glissando, then a faster, rising-and-falling nine-note sequence in strings, then repeats the same, etc.? That's been a lifelong favorite of mine.

I just started watching TAS for the first time about a month ago and that's been stuck in my head ever since.

 

[Ronald Held]

Yes I prefered the Alexander Courage music, and thus did not think that much to the TAS music.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

For the record, some of the sound FX from TAS are on the "Star Trek Sound Effects" CD. Most notably the various "alternate" Red Alert cues.

 

[Warped9]

^^ As well as ther sound f/x for the glomar tribble predator of "More Tribbles, More Troubles."

 

[Timo]

That brought up a series of weird associations about the covert-action Imperial Intelligence space mining vessel IKV Glomar Tribble Predator...

I always liked the TAS theme for its fittingly more hectic and naiive air. It has every right to be a "parody" of the TOS theme, in Simpsons or South Park fashion!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Warped9]

You know when I think of how well the early '90s Batman animated was done I can imagine how fun and interesting a well made half hour Star Trek series could really be.

Not that we'll ever see it.

TAS was ambitious in its time and was effectively the equivalent of the '90s Batman back then, but it shows its age and suggests what could be done today with the right mindset and approach.