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New, 14-disc Ron Jones TNG soundtrack box set!

"Human Factor" is a strong track and there are several throughout the entire set. The episode that took me by surprise, however, was Who Watches The Watchers. A really excellent score, from the first to the last track. One you can listen to even if you've never seen the episode.
 
I just listened to the "Menage a Troi" score, and I was surprised that they didn't include the Algolian chimes source music from the opening reception scene. I mean, the set is generally so conscientious about including source cues, even ones that weren't actually used in the finished episodes. And this particular cue (or rather, its rhythm) was actually a crucial plot point.
 
Christopher said:
I just listened to the "Menage a Troi" score, and I was surprised that they didn't include the Algolian chimes source music from the opening reception scene. I mean, the set is generally so conscientious about including source cues, even ones that weren't actually used in the finished episodes. And this particular cue (or rather, its rhythm) was actually a crucial plot point.
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That's a good observation, I totally forgot about that source music in this episode! Lukas Kendall is an ardent fan of the show and really knows his stuff, so I can't imagine he overlooked this, but perhaps the tapes with this cue could not be located?
 
Well, I've finally made it to the end of the set. I just finished listening to Disc 14, containing the music Jones wrote for the Starfleet Academy and Starfleet Command games, none of which I'd ever heard before. It's not bad, though the restrictions of the format limit it somewhat. Overall I think I found the SC score more interesting. It was very repetitively structured -- a "Menu Screen," "Mission Start," "Faster," "Mission Failure," and "Mission Success" for each of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Gorn, "Lyran," and "Hydran," about 5 minutes of music for each race. The pacing would've been better if each set of five cues had been on a single track, with shorter gaps between them, so that each one could be treated as a suite of variations on its theme, a sort of mini-symphony. But it was interesting to hear the different leitmotifs Jones established for each of them. The UFP and Klingon themes were basically Goldsmith pastiches filtered through Jones's style; in particular, aside from the melody, his Klingon material sounded a lot like his TNG Klingon music. His Romulan motif was very different and John-Williamsy. And the leitmotifs for the other races were intriguing, reminding me of '60s TV music (including Williams's music for Irwin Allen shows). He gave the Gorn a ponderous theme that sounded like something out of a '50s or '60s dinosaur movie, while the felinoid Lyrans' theme has a "jungle drums" quality, and the exotic, tripedal Hydrans have a more ethereal, flowing, weird sound to their theme. Nice work.

But sticking in all the really brief tags and transitions from the games as bonus tracks at the end is kind of an anticlimactic way to conclude the set. It kinda makes it go out with a whimper rather than a bang.

Now I just need to figure out where to keep the big sheaf of liner notes I printed out. I don't have a place for them on my CD shelf, and they'd kind of get lost in the clutter of my Trek shelves.
 
The main discs (the episode scores and not the bonus disc or video game music) are now available for sale online at iTunes and Amazon! Disc 11 isn't on Amazon yet. I'll update the link when it is available.

Disc 1: The Naked Now / Where No One Has Gone Before / Lonely Among Us
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 2: The Battle / Datalore / 11001001
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 3: When the Bough Breaks / Heart of Glory
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 4: Skin of Evil / We'll Always Have Paris / The Neutral Zone
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 5: Where Silence Has Lease / The Outrageous Okona / Loud as a Whisper
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 6: A Matter of Honor / The Royale / The Icarus Factor / Q Who
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 7: Up the Long Ladder / The Emissary / Shades of Gray
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 8: Evolution / Who Watches the Watchers / Booby Trap / The Price
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 9: The Defector / The High Ground / A Matter of Perspective / The Offspring
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 10: The Offspring / Menage a Troi / Brothers
iTunes
Amazon

Disc 11: Reunion / Final Mission / Data's Day / Devil's Due
iTunes

Disc 12: First Contact / Night Terrors / The Nth Degree / The Drumhead / The Best of Both Worlds
iTunes
Amazon
 
Disc 11 is on Amazon.co.uk, along with the rest for £6.99 per disc, which is a quid cheaper than iTunes.
 
Holy crap! This is awesome! I'd love to get the liner notes as a PDF, but bookmarking the site will do. I don't print things out anymore unless I really have to. This stuff is fascinating, and the music is a lot of fun to revisit.
 
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I'm hoping these will end up on Spotify some time, as I can't really afford it at the moment. Best of Both Worlds and the other Star Trek soundtracks are on there.
 
I bought this set last November, and I've been listening to it again and again while reading Trek books. The music is absolutely wonderful (I've loved Ron Jones's work ever since DuckTales), and the set is truly a labour of love. I believe that sales were hurt by the fact that it leaked online only a few days after it was originally released, which is really a shame. Anybody who's on the fence about this set or even remotely interested in Star Trek scores should go ahead and purchase a copy.
 
Re: New, 14-disc

I was surprised, but pleased, to find this on itunes yesterday. Think I'm going to do some serious cherry-picking of tracks.

I had given serious thought to getting the boxset when it first came out but wasn't sure about enough of the tracks to justify the price. Being able to get tracks 1 by 1 is far more appealing.
 
Re: New, 14-disc

Blackbird said:
I was surprised, but pleased, to find this on itunes yesterday. Think I'm going to do some serious cherry-picking of tracks.

I had given serious thought to getting the boxset when it first came out but wasn't sure about enough of the tracks to justify the price. Being able to get tracks 1 by 1 is far more appealing.
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Congrats on finding this set! It really is a winner and full of such great music from the show. Make sure you get a good sampling from each season that Jones contributed to.
 
TNG theme on solo instruments?

Just wondering for those who have purchased the set which are the disc & track#s (and song titles if you can) of the best variations on the TNG theme song within the music such as ballads or using interesting instruments playing the TNG theme solo?

Since they are available on iTunes/Amazon perhaps I can purchase only the songs that are very interesting to me?
 
Re: TNG theme on solo instruments?

jefferiestubes8 said:
Just wondering for those who have purchased the set which are the disc & track#s (and song titles if you can) of the best variations on the TNG theme song within the music such as ballads or using interesting instruments playing the TNG theme solo?
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I assume that by "TNG theme" you mean the Jerry Goldsmith Star Trek: The Motion Picture theme. I don't think they have any ballad or solo arrangements of the Goldsmith theme, but the liner notes on the FSM site list all the tracks on the right side of the page (on the pages for the specific discs), and those cues containing the TMP theme are marked with a dagger symbol (†).
 
Without having access to the set, I have to say that the early season 1 episodes showcase the Goldsmith theme more than the rest. There is a cue in 11001001 that features an exceptionally beautiful rendition of the theme.
 
Art Vandelay said:
Without having access to the set, I have to say that the early season 1 episodes showcase the Goldsmith theme more than the rest. There is a cue in 11001001 that features an exceptionally beautiful rendition of the theme.
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'11001001' and 'Where No One Has Gone Before' both have some excellent cues that adapt the Goldsmith theme.
 
Re: TNG theme on solo instruments?

Christopher said:
I assume that by "TNG theme" you mean the Jerry Goldsmith Star Trek: The Motion Picture theme. I don't think they have any ballad or solo arrangements of the Goldsmith theme, but the liner notes on the FSM site list all the tracks on the right side of the page (on the pages for the specific discs), and those cues containing the TMP theme are marked with a dagger symbol (†).
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thanks. Where No One Has Gone Before
has a nice slow tempo brass of the TNG theme.



track 18 as well as
20. Where No One Has Gone Before: Ensign Wesley

and on
11001001
33. Back in Order† M53
very lush cinematic sounding slower tempo,
 
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