La-La Land Records to release 4-disc DS9 soundtrack set!

[Christopher]

Has anyone mentioned this typo? Track 24 on Disc 1, the penultimate track with the wedding music from "You Are Cordially Invited," has its running time listed as 0:56 (the same as Track 25, the end title music), but it's actually more like 4:23. Unfortunately I don't have a light-colored Sharpie that I can use to write in a correction in the booklet.

Anyway, I finally got around to finishing Disc 1, and some parts were more interesting than others. I'm glad "Sisko Sails" from "In the Hands of the Prophets" is on there; I've always remembered that as one of the more impressive musical moments in the series. After that, though, the next really impressive bits are in the latter half of the disc, notably "Explorers" and "The Visitor" -- two times that McCarthy was allowed to use actual leitmotifs in a Trek episode. He's always done good melodies, which makes it a shame that he was allowed to do so few.

The electric guitar in "Charge!" is kind of interesting, but other than the instrumentation it's pretty much a routine McCarthy action cue. I'm a lot more impressed by the "Die With Honor" cue in "Once More Unto the Breach." Just when I was getting tired of all McC's action cues having basically the same rhythm, here came one with a distinctly different one, slower and more somber, and it was quite interesting. I also liked the unusual percussion rhythms in the Klingon-wedding cue -- I think it's the first time McCarthy's music has ever reminded me of Fred Steiner's (particularly his Ruk music and his Morg cue from "Spock's Brain").

 

[jb1234]

I've cut the McCarthy disc down to about 52 minutes and find it a much more satisfying listen. It's weighted more heavily on the quieter, emotional cues, with just a few of the better action tracks to balance things out.

Specifically, I retain tracks: 2-6, 8, 10, 12-19, 21, 23.

The Thaxton interview pretty much states that some of these cues were chosen more because of their place in DS9 history as opposed to their musical value. Hence, we get a few cues from the Mirror Universe episodes because they're "cool." Neither the "Crossover" or "Shattered Mirror" cues are particularly riveting and could have been swapped out for something more engaging from later in the series when McCarthy's action music was allowed to be a bit more dynamic.

 

[Christopher]

It occurred to me the other day to wonder what the regular Trek composers have been doing since Trek ended. And it seems that neither McCarthy, Chattaway, Bell, nor Baillargeon has done much for the screen since 2005. McCarthy's been active in minor projects -- scoring a short-lived TV series on The WB, a DVD movie, a TV movie, and a number of short films, as well as working as an orchestrator or conductor on a few projects. But Chattaway's only post-Trek composing credit is an episode of Masters of Horror, Baillargeon's only credit is for a song in a French Canadian movie, and Bell's got nothing. The only modern-Trek composers who still seem to be working in film/TV are the ones who had relatively short tenures on Trek -- folks like Ron Jones (who unfortunately has only done those Seth MacFarlane cartoons I can't stand), Gregory Smith, John Debney, and the four composers who worked solely on ENT: Velton Ray Bunch, John Frizzell, Brian Tyler, and Kevin Kiner.

It's quite a change. Before Trek, McCarthy and Bell were both very active TV composers, and Chattaway did quite a few motion picture scores. But post-Trek, they've virtually disappeared. It makes me wonder if all those years of operating under the "wallpaper music" rules of Trek got the big four composers typecast -- maybe producers don't realize what else they can do. (If you listen to David Bell's pre-Trek work for things like Murder, She Wrote, it's really rich, impressive stuff.) Or maybe working for one set of producers for so long kind of took them out of circulation in the industry.

Then again, maybe it's simply a matter of the passage of time. These guys spent a large chunk of their careers doing Trek. Bell's the only one of the big four who's under 60; Baillargeon is about 70. Maybe once it was done, they decided to retire, or to shift gears to composing for other venues than the screen -- although it's hard to believe three out of four of them would've done so at once. And McCarthy's clearly still working, but only on small projects, not the bigger stuff you'd expect from a composer of his stature and experience.

Either way, it's a shame. I would've liked to hear more of what these guys could do outside of the restrictions of Trek music. I guess the best way to do that would be to track down their older, pre-Trek works.

 

[Section 31 1/2]

It occurred to me the other day to wonder what the regular Trek composers have been doing since Trek ended.

I remember reading in an online interview some where that David Bell decided to take time off from composing. It happened during Enterprise's run, hence why second seasons "Dawn" was his final episode. But I can't track down the interview.

Jay Chattaway has done a variety of non film related projects.

TV composing seems as if its a bit of a younger mans genre as opposed to the film medium.

 

[Christopher]

TV composing seems as if its a bit of a younger mans genre as opposed to the film medium.

If so, that doesn't explain why they've done little or no film scoring in the past 8 years. McCarthy has done several feature film scores in the past, though aside from Generations and the '97 McHale's Navy, they were mainly small independent or direct-to-video films. Well, I guess things haven't changed that much for him filmwise. But Chattaway did plenty of film work before Trek and nothing since.

 

[Section 31 1/2]

TV composing seems as if its a bit of a younger mans genre as opposed to the film medium.

If so, that doesn't explain why they've done little or no film scoring in the past 8 years. McCarthy has done several feature film scores in the past, though aside from Generations and the '97 McHale's Navy, they were mainly small independent or direct-to-video films. Well, I guess things haven't changed that much for him filmwise. But Chattaway did plenty of film work before Trek and nothing since.

I doubt the "sonic wallpaper" has anything to do with it. Especially because despite that often used term Trek music was far more dynamic than a lot of scoring on TV at the time. Plus the use of a live orchestra for TV was almost unheard of during the 90's and early 00's.

Typecast as Trek composers may have something to do with it. Almost 20 years of doing the same thing will typecast anyone that's for sure.

Chattaway befriended a few directors in the 80's, notably William Lustig, Larry Cohen and Joseph Zito. He was mostly called upon to do their movies. They tended to be either B-Movie action flicks or genre horror movies. His best non-trek work that I've found is the PBS documentary "Space Age." It's almost entirely electronic. Some of the electronic work resembles what was to come with his Enterprise scores.

I am trying to look up another interview with Chattaway I had found that was done around 2010. He mentioned scoring an action series that was shot in the middle east by director Joseph Zito post 2005 and some of his other projects.

 

[jb1234]

I just assumed they'd all retired (especially Bell, who left midway through Enterprise). Especially with McCarthy and Chattaway, years upon years of Star Trek residuals likely have them set for the rest of their lives.

 

[Section 31 1/2]

Here is the Chattaway interview I was referring to.

http://rejectedfilmscores.150m.com/jaychattawayinterview.html

Q: I can't find any current scoring projects for you; have you retired from film/TV scoring?

I am currently scoring two series for director Joe Zito ("Missing in Action", "Red Scorpion", etc.). They are being produced in the Middle East.

I also am returning to my roots in record production and have recently composed and produced a holiday CD for the von Trapp Children, great grand children of Captain von Trapp (of Sound of Music fame). It is called SNOW and is quite lovely.

I also find it interesting when the questioner asks if he'd ever be interested in scoring another Star Trek series and he basically says no and something along the lines of it would be better for someone else to add to the language of space.

Here's the one for David Bell
http://rejectedfilmscores.150m.com/davidbellinterview.html

 

[Christopher]

Ahh, I see -- Bell dropped out to raise a family. And he's still relatively young, at least compared to the rest of the big four, so it's possible he could come back again.

And yeah, I liked Chattaway's Space Age score a lot. I think he did some of the later National Geographic specials too.

 

[Art Vandelay]

So, I sprang for the set after all, seeing as the third disc is quite Bell-heavy.

However, even though it shipped on February 14, I still haven't received the set yet.

Any other overseas customers still waiting? And waiting? And waiting?

 

[Christopher]

I'm most of the way through Disc 3 now. It included exactly the cue from Debney's "The Nagus" that I remembered liking, though unfortunately, as is so often the case, my memory exaggerated how much I liked it.

I've listened to all the Bell contributions, and I like them. Yes, there's a certain sameness to it, but I find I like to listen to it nonetheless. It surprised me, though, that Bell's characteristic use of 3/4 time didn't emerge until the "Sacrifice of Angels" segment.

I do wish there'd been a longer selection from "The Sword of Kahless." I really love Bell's leitmotif for the sword, and it was nice to get one good iteration of it in the closing cue, but I would've liked more. I also regret that Bell's Klingon opera source cues aren't included. But I'm really glad my favorite cue from "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" was there.

 

[Phily B]

So, I sprang for the set after all, seeing as the third disc is quite Bell-heavy.

However, even though it shipped on February 14, I still haven't received the set yet.

Any other overseas customers still waiting? And waiting? And waiting?

Late response, but I ordered mine on the 18th and had a week later (UK). Hope you got sorted.

 

[Art Vandelay]

^ Thank you - mine took considerably longer. It arrived yesterday after 42 days of being in transit. But... it's a signed one! Yay!