"Datalore" Music

[Ryann866]

Datalore was on tonight and I could swear that a section of the score (as the away team enters Soong's lab) is lifted straight from Jerry Goldsmith's music for Alien. It's obviously been re-orchestrated and re-recorded but the music is surprisingly similar. The majority of the episode score seems very synthesized, as opposed to these opening scenes.

Overall it's interesting how the early first season music for TNG is much more melodic and thematic than the later years of Berman's "sonic wallpaper".

 

[Balok's Head]

Yep you got it. I love the music from DataLore, so dark.

I hate the 'sonic wallpaper' sound. It's so damn boring, especially in VOY when they used it over the actors talking. It's very cheesy.

 

[Christopher]

Datalore was on tonight and I could swear that a section of the score (as the away team enters Soong's lab) is lifted straight from Jerry Goldsmith's music for Alien. It's obviously been re-orchestrated and re-recorded but the music is surprisingly similar. The majority of the episode score seems very synthesized, as opposed to these opening scenes.

I'm sure it's not as exact as that, but Ron Jones is a huge Goldsmith fan, so there's certainly a fair amount of Goldsmith homage in his work.

And I would imagine that Jones chose to go heavy on the synth in "Datalore" because it was a story focusing on synthetic characters.

 

[euphorik]

...it's interesting how the early first season music for TNG is much more melodic and thematic than the later years of Berman's "sonic wallpaper".

you said it! i couldn't agree more. i can't stand the tuneless, bland, generic wallpaper music so characteristic of the series after ron jones' departure.

i just watched "datalore" again last week, and was reminded how cool that music was, especially the soong's-lab stuff, the weird (synth?) cellos, with the mechanical-sounding flutes. great stuff.

it's still - 18 years later - amazing to me that ron jones could fired and replaced with a generic mediocrity like jay chattaway. who knows how many episodes *that* guy scored, and i can't remember a single cue of his music. jones probably scored a quarter of the episodes chattaway did (if that), and i can still remember a lot of his music. that was one of the MAJOR mistakes made on TNG, letting him go. in retrospect, a depressing signpost of the generic-ness to come.

anyway, you're right - great score for that episode.

 

[Christopher]

^Now, that's not fair to Chattaway. Given free rein, he can do excellent work, like all the Trek composers (listen to his "Tin Man" score, or his work outside of Trek). But like all of them, he was obligated to work within the guidelines of his employer, and Berman wanted "wallpaper." The only thing that's different about Jones is that he wasn't willing to work within those guidelines.

 

[euphorik]

^Now, that's not fair to Chattaway. Given free rein, he can do excellent work, like all the Trek composers (listen to his "Tin Man" score, or his work outside of Trek). But like all of them, he was obligated to work within the guidelines of his employer, and Berman wanted "wallpaper." The only thing that's different about Jones is that he wasn't willing to work within those guidelines.

well, that and the fact that jones could actually write a memorable melody.

i loathe the "tin man" score. oh well.

 

[MikeS]

I'd also like to add "Ressikan Flute Solo" to the defence of Jay Chattaway.

 

[Ryann866]

Those early TNG episodes used the episode score in similar ways that TOS did... heavily orchestrated "stings" on the act outs and repeated statements of the Courage fanfare within the episode. While some of it sounds cheesy now because of the electronics, I would have preferred they kept the same style.

I do recall noticing a slight change in the scores when Chattaway started doing them... and yes, the Inner Light flute theme was a standout.

Another interesting TNG musical thing is that in "Encounter atFairpoint" McCarthy used a theme he created for the old "V" series -- a wedding march for that series' dragon lady, Diana. It's used when Q enters the courtroom during the pilot. He also quoted his "V:The Final Battle" score during a scene in "All Good Things" when the three Enterprises are stuck in the anti-time vortex.

 

[Balok's Head]

I also really hate the music that went along with TNG's 7th season. Ugh.. The scores for Decent I/II are especially terrible.

I watched Evolution last night, and I gotta say I love the scores to those early third season episodes. Shows a very interesting level of musical detail. Sure, those scores probably sound dated now, but I still love them.
Booby Trap is another great example of great sci/fi music.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I'd also like to add "Ressikan Flute Solo" to the defence of Jay Chattaway.

Brings tears to my eyes every time.

 

[Timo47]

I also really hate the music that went along with TNG's 7th season. Ugh.. The scores for Decent I/II are especially terrible.

I watched Evolution last night, and I gotta say I love the scores to those early third season episodes. Shows a very interesting level of musical detail. Sure, those scores probably sound dated now, but I still love them.
Booby Trap is another great example of great sci/fi music.

Yes, those are great scores. Both by Ron Jones. You can listen to various unreleased tracks at his website.

 

[Balok's Head]

I also really hate the music that went along with TNG's 7th season. Ugh.. The scores for Decent I/II are especially terrible.

I watched Evolution last night, and I gotta say I love the scores to those early third season episodes. Shows a very interesting level of musical detail. Sure, those scores probably sound dated now, but I still love them.
Booby Trap is another great example of great sci/fi music.

Yes, those are great scores. Both by Ron Jones. You can listen to various unreleased tracks at his website.

Wow, those are great! The TNG suite is so good, some of the greatest TNG music from Q Who. Oh! Music-gasm!

 

[kustirider2]

I think that the earlier seasons scores were much better than the laters too. Although sometimes the music sounded a bit 'fruity'

 

[The Castellan]

I think that the earlier seasons scores were much better than the laters too. Although sometimes the music sounded a bit 'fruity'

Fruity as in?

But yesh, in my own fics, I envision (enlisten?) these earlier style scores for the music, especially when my stuff is mainly on an alien, exotic world.

The earlier scores helped get the feeling of space being both amazing, yet not totally safe, either.

 

[Nardpuncher]

I think I know what you mean OP, I think it sounded like the music from when we see the sleeping pods on the Nostromo right?

 

[kustirider2]

I think that the earlier seasons scores were much better than the laters too. Although sometimes the music sounded a bit 'fruity'

Fruity as in?

I actually meant it in the 'Odd' or 'Weird' sense.

 

[tharpdevenport]

I also really hate the music that went along with TNG's 7th season. Ugh.. The scores for Decent I/II are especially terrible.

I watched Evolution last night, and I gotta say I love the scores to those early third season episodes. Shows a very interesting level of musical detail. Sure, those scores probably sound dated now, but I still love them.
Booby Trap is another great example of great sci/fi music.

Yes, those are great scores. Both by Ron Jones. You can listen to various unreleased tracks at his website.

Wow, those are great! The TNG suite is so good, some of the greatest TNG music from Q Who. Oh! Music-gasm!

Try out his orchestral work, samples are on his site, for "ducktales" -- a long time fan-requested title, but never released (and won't be since disney isn't doing it, and said they won't liscance out rights to others for their animated projects).

 

[RapidNadion]

Just posted another thread before I saw this one, so I'm sorry for cross-posting, but a good example of the different Season 1 music is "Code of Honor." Its score seems lifted right from a TOS episode at many points. As far from the Berman-era wallpaper as you can get.

 

[swaaye]

I hear Indiana Jones when they step into Soong's lab.