Let's Listen to Star Trek: Season Two!
- Thread starter Tallguy
- Start date
My all time favorite episode and score. It's smashing in every respect. Muscular and exciting, Sol Kaplan was a master and it's a shame this was the last of only two scores for the series.
Actually, the GNP CD and the non-mono DVD/BD tracks have TWO incorrect takes: Goodbye M. Decker and One's Enough are both different than the original sound mix of the episode. The LLL set corrects both.
Actually, the GNP CD and the non-mono DVD/BD tracks have TWO incorrect takes: Goodbye M. Decker and One's Enough are both different than the original sound mix of the episode. The LLL set corrects both.
Hey, Happy Star Trek Day! Exactly one year after Star Trek premiered Fred Steiner was back at it scoring Mirror, Mirror.
Mirror, Mirror is another score like Who Mourns for Adonais. If I can get past the “reused” bits (which all work wonderfully) it’s a terrific score. Maybe it’s just because with so few Star Trek scores it bugs me that Steiner could have been writing a NEW bad guy theme rather than reusing his Romulan theme.
But once I get past that I realize that this is like getting Balance of Terror expanded into a larger score. And it’s a good one. The love theme alone is worth the price of admission.
This is a score where my memories of it are chiefly (exclusively?) from the episode it was scored for. Unlike other scores where I remember them better when they were tracked into a different episode.
This isn’t a score I revisit much. Unlike Balance of Terror which I listen to a lot.
Mirror, Mirror is another score like Who Mourns for Adonais. If I can get past the “reused” bits (which all work wonderfully) it’s a terrific score. Maybe it’s just because with so few Star Trek scores it bugs me that Steiner could have been writing a NEW bad guy theme rather than reusing his Romulan theme.
But once I get past that I realize that this is like getting Balance of Terror expanded into a larger score. And it’s a good one. The love theme alone is worth the price of admission.
This is a score where my memories of it are chiefly (exclusively?) from the episode it was scored for. Unlike other scores where I remember them better when they were tracked into a different episode.
This isn’t a score I revisit much. Unlike Balance of Terror which I listen to a lot.
I grew up with this CED video disc. Do you think the reason for including these two episodes on one disc had something to do with the music?
Neil
Neil
Those are one of the true highlights of The Box.
I think we watched that one in seventh grade English. For various reasons that was a big step to me being the nerd I am today.
Wow, what a gorgeous cover. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.
Oh, I was having a bad enough day before this showed up on my calendar. 47 years after it was recorded here is Samuel Matlovsky’s single contribution to Star Trek: I, Mudd.
I hate goofy music. I don’t necessarily hate music for comedies. I love Young Frankenstein, Clue, Dave. But none of those have goofy music. (Mostly.) The last three seasons of Doctor Who have had some unhappy times for me, musically. I hated it when Goldsmith tried to be zany.
So here I am on Eternal Beauty / Crew Gone. Nothing’s really jumping out at me so far. It’s just kind of there to me. It kind of sounds like substandard Vic Mizzy Addams Family.
Some of the atmospheric stuff (such as Gilded Cage / Not Programmed) sounds ok. But that waltz (it’s a waltz, right?) just makes me grind my teeth every time.
It’s not even that I don’t like Mickey Mousing. Some of it slightly reminds me of Barry’s Goldfinger.
The only thing I really dig in this score is Mudd’s Detention / Stella 500. Well, the first part of it.
They recorded a library track? Really? Did it ever get used?
See you on 10/5 for Jerry Fielding’s The Trouble with Tribbles.
I hate goofy music. I don’t necessarily hate music for comedies. I love Young Frankenstein, Clue, Dave. But none of those have goofy music. (Mostly.) The last three seasons of Doctor Who have had some unhappy times for me, musically. I hated it when Goldsmith tried to be zany.
So here I am on Eternal Beauty / Crew Gone. Nothing’s really jumping out at me so far. It’s just kind of there to me. It kind of sounds like substandard Vic Mizzy Addams Family.
Some of the atmospheric stuff (such as Gilded Cage / Not Programmed) sounds ok. But that waltz (it’s a waltz, right?) just makes me grind my teeth every time.
It’s not even that I don’t like Mickey Mousing. Some of it slightly reminds me of Barry’s Goldfinger.
The only thing I really dig in this score is Mudd’s Detention / Stella 500. Well, the first part of it.
They recorded a library track? Really? Did it ever get used?
See you on 10/5 for Jerry Fielding’s The Trouble with Tribbles.
Well, right off the bat this is better than I, Mudd. It’s definitely a new voice for Star Trek.
This has light music. But it’s not GOOFY music. Well, maybe a little. Ok, it is. But it obviously doesn’t cross whatever “goofy music” line I have. I like this score. I should listen to it more.
The Tribble music is used just sparingly enough to not make you claw your eyeballs out. But it’s a near thing.
Does he use the Trek theme or fanfare at all? Nope. How many composers did that?
I love his fight music. I mean a lot. Maybe more than Fried’s. It’s fun, but it’s really fight (fite?) music.
How can you not love his “bagpipe” music? BTW, I just read These Are the Voyages Vol. 2. The author makes the claim that Steiner wrote a partial score to By Any Other Name because they needed the bagpipe music. I almost chewed through my teeth! Although to be fair, I associate Scotty’s music more with By Any Other Name than Tribbles.
If I can’t have more Kaplan I wish we had more Fielding. Just to see what else he would have done. Why does IMDB only credit him with Tribbles and not Specter of the Gun?
Speaking of By Any Other Name, that't next up on 12/27!
This has light music. But it’s not GOOFY music. Well, maybe a little. Ok, it is. But it obviously doesn’t cross whatever “goofy music” line I have. I like this score. I should listen to it more.
The Tribble music is used just sparingly enough to not make you claw your eyeballs out. But it’s a near thing.
Does he use the Trek theme or fanfare at all? Nope. How many composers did that?
I love his fight music. I mean a lot. Maybe more than Fried’s. It’s fun, but it’s really fight (fite?) music.
How can you not love his “bagpipe” music? BTW, I just read These Are the Voyages Vol. 2. The author makes the claim that Steiner wrote a partial score to By Any Other Name because they needed the bagpipe music. I almost chewed through my teeth! Although to be fair, I associate Scotty’s music more with By Any Other Name than Tribbles.
If I can’t have more Kaplan I wish we had more Fielding. Just to see what else he would have done. Why does IMDB only credit him with Tribbles and not Specter of the Gun?
Speaking of By Any Other Name, that't next up on 12/27!
It is inexcusable that his books have any music errors considering all of the research presented in the La-La Land Records set. Obviously the most glaring is crediting Steiner with the "Scotty" music. One didn't even need our set to know it was from "Tribbles" since a re-recording was released in the 1980's and GNP released the original track in the 90s. Sloppy!
Another error is Cushman's claim that the cue "...mixed as nicely as an aged oak scotch". The correct term is "oak aged scotch".
Neil
Last edited:
Kinda funny that Neil is complaining about errors when the LALA Land soundtrack is riddled with missing cues which is in my opinion inexecusable! LOL The music is just not all there... and that's fine except for the fact that it was marketed as being complete and at a hefty price. Yes, I'm still upset about that a few years after the release.
“Riddled”? Seriously? I think I know of one cue that might be missing (an alternate from Conscience of the King that was used in Miri). I’m sure there is one person out there who bought this box for that one cue but there aren’t two.
It didn’t have a hefty price because it was complete or not. It has a hefty price because it’s fifteen CDs long!
I not saying that the LLL gang is beyond reproach or anything, but they did a hell of a job on a set that I still can’t believe even exists. “Inexcusable” is very over the top.
As for Cushman I’d believe a lot more of his bolder claims if he didn’t blow it on the facts that are more straightforward.
In comparison, I’ve got two jobs for you: First, I’ve got a room full of tapes. There is a 30 second cue. It might be in one of these tapes. Might not. Find and catalog it.
Second, I want you to write about a few sentences about a single episode. Here’s a book about the music from that episode. It’s indexed.
I have a guess at which one is harder.
It didn’t have a hefty price because it was complete or not. It has a hefty price because it’s fifteen CDs long!
I not saying that the LLL gang is beyond reproach or anything, but they did a hell of a job on a set that I still can’t believe even exists. “Inexcusable” is very over the top.
As for Cushman I’d believe a lot more of his bolder claims if he didn’t blow it on the facts that are more straightforward.
In comparison, I’ve got two jobs for you: First, I’ve got a room full of tapes. There is a 30 second cue. It might be in one of these tapes. Might not. Find and catalog it.
Second, I want you to write about a few sentences about a single episode. Here’s a book about the music from that episode. It’s indexed.
I have a guess at which one is harder.
Maybe the guy who thinks the LLL box is riddled with missing cues just doesn't understand how the set is organized. One facile example: if you're expecting to find Kirk's "One man with a vision" cue in "Mirror, Mirror," you're not going to find it there. And that happens a lot. But the library cues are there.
Alternatively, I wonder if he has an illegal download that was not complete.
Alternatively, I wonder if he has an illegal download that was not complete.
I listen to the complete TOS soundtrack collection daily. My favorite soundtracks by far are for Enemy Within, Amok Time, Doomsday Machine, I Mudd and Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis being my favorite of Season 2. It's so beautiful and romantic.
EDIT: And a track from Trouble with tribbles that breaks into a short piano solo. It's very lovely and atmospheric.
EDIT: And a track from Trouble with tribbles that breaks into a short piano solo. It's very lovely and atmospheric.
Last edited:
Well, here we are at the tail end of season 2! Today we’re doing Steiner’s By Any Other Name and a Charlie X library cue. On Monday (12/29) we’ll do Return to Tomorrow and Patterns of Force. (All six and half minutes of it!)
Give me a moment while I listen to the second season main titles…
I suppose I could go back and watch the episode first (sometimes handy on these partial episodes). But I’m not going to.
Ahhh, that sweet Steiner sound. Someone mentioned that they use Neutralizer for their notification sound on their phone. Not a bad idea that.
The first few acts of this episode are actually rather dire. What most people seem to remember are the wacky hijinks at the end of it. I know it’s a partial episode but Scotty’s “bagpipe” music was so integral to the score that it almost seems like a shame to not include it. But I’m not going to.
I’m pretty sure Steiner could have written an entire episode of nothing but stings.
This is great music, to be sure. But it doesn’t quite have the “hooks” of a Balance of Terror or Mudd’s Women.
Pretty Words: Hey! What’s What are Little Girls Made of doing in here? Get back to work, Fred! Given the many examples of Star Trek “Ooh la la” music, this is fairly understated.
Short Playoff is another track that I’ll always associate with The Ultimate Computer. There’s probably a few of them.
Thematic Playoff: Now there’s a fine statement of the Fanfare.
I like Steiner’s library stuff. He was quite good at it. Hey, speaking of The Ultimate Computer, there’s Doctor Daystrom losing his mind to Goodbye Charlie!
See you Monday!
Give me a moment while I listen to the second season main titles…
I suppose I could go back and watch the episode first (sometimes handy on these partial episodes). But I’m not going to.
Ahhh, that sweet Steiner sound. Someone mentioned that they use Neutralizer for their notification sound on their phone. Not a bad idea that.
The first few acts of this episode are actually rather dire. What most people seem to remember are the wacky hijinks at the end of it. I know it’s a partial episode but Scotty’s “bagpipe” music was so integral to the score that it almost seems like a shame to not include it. But I’m not going to.
I’m pretty sure Steiner could have written an entire episode of nothing but stings.
This is great music, to be sure. But it doesn’t quite have the “hooks” of a Balance of Terror or Mudd’s Women.
Pretty Words: Hey! What’s What are Little Girls Made of doing in here? Get back to work, Fred! Given the many examples of Star Trek “Ooh la la” music, this is fairly understated.
Short Playoff is another track that I’ll always associate with The Ultimate Computer. There’s probably a few of them.
Thematic Playoff: Now there’s a fine statement of the Fanfare.
I like Steiner’s library stuff. He was quite good at it. Hey, speaking of The Ultimate Computer, there’s Doctor Daystrom losing his mind to Goodbye Charlie!
See you Monday!
We never heard back as to exactly what this poster thinks is missing.
I'm pretty sure you can find everything if you know where to look, apart from Riley singing "I'll Take You Home, Kathleen" and Uhura singing in "The Changeling."
Ha! No kidding!
I think there might be a cue from Miri that is not in there. And it is an alternate of a cue that is on the box. I can tell you I certainly did not find this on my own. I think it was pointed out in another thread here.
Even without this little project of mine I still listen to this at least once a week. Even two years (!) on.
Ah, maybe not MONDAY as such... I guess everybody is busy this time of year.
Ok, the end of Season 2! (The next new Star Trek score will be Spectre of the Gun on July 25th, 1968.)
We open with The Voice. Definitely that George Duning sound. Jumping ahead 25 years, it sounds a bit like A Christmas Hug from Generations.
I run a little hot and cold on Duning. On the one hand his work is lovely. On the other hand it can seem to drone on a bit. (I may have said this before...) And I’ve never been much of a fan of his organ music. (Is that an organ?) This will reach its peak with The Empath.
The other Star Trek work that seems a little Duning-esque would be The Voyage Home.
It would have been interesting to see what Duning might have done with a Doomsday Machine or a Friday’s Child. His action bits on Star Trek are interesting but somewhat spread apart. He didn’t get any “ACTION” type episodes. Jumping ahead, his most different sounding episode, “And the Children Shall Lead”, was also the most different plot that he received. I know they generally picked him for the Big Emotion episodes.
Ahhhh, Kirk’s Philosophy. A huge reason I wanted the BOX was this one single track. Excuse me while I play it again. Thanks. I wonder what kind of take Duning could have given the main Star Trek theme. (Which no one but Mulendore ever tried until the movies.)
Nice choice to use the “Black Fleet” music for Henoch. Interesting that he’d use Steiner’s theme rather than tracking it from another episode. It sounds even better here than it did in Captain America.
Duning does good fanfare. The last of Last Moments is rousing.
Well, there has to be a last something of everything. And as far as last things go, this is a good one.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
*Plays 6 1/2 minutes of Military Mite* City on the Edge of Forever it is not.
Looking forward to hearing what everyone else has to say. And after that I’ll be back in this thread next summer.
Ok, the end of Season 2! (The next new Star Trek score will be Spectre of the Gun on July 25th, 1968.)
We open with The Voice. Definitely that George Duning sound. Jumping ahead 25 years, it sounds a bit like A Christmas Hug from Generations.
I run a little hot and cold on Duning. On the one hand his work is lovely. On the other hand it can seem to drone on a bit. (I may have said this before...) And I’ve never been much of a fan of his organ music. (Is that an organ?) This will reach its peak with The Empath.
The other Star Trek work that seems a little Duning-esque would be The Voyage Home.
It would have been interesting to see what Duning might have done with a Doomsday Machine or a Friday’s Child. His action bits on Star Trek are interesting but somewhat spread apart. He didn’t get any “ACTION” type episodes. Jumping ahead, his most different sounding episode, “And the Children Shall Lead”, was also the most different plot that he received. I know they generally picked him for the Big Emotion episodes.
Ahhhh, Kirk’s Philosophy. A huge reason I wanted the BOX was this one single track. Excuse me while I play it again. Thanks. I wonder what kind of take Duning could have given the main Star Trek theme. (Which no one but Mulendore ever tried until the movies.)
Nice choice to use the “Black Fleet” music for Henoch. Interesting that he’d use Steiner’s theme rather than tracking it from another episode. It sounds even better here than it did in Captain America.
Duning does good fanfare. The last of Last Moments is rousing.
Well, there has to be a last something of everything. And as far as last things go, this is a good one.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
*Plays 6 1/2 minutes of Military Mite* City on the Edge of Forever it is not.
Looking forward to hearing what everyone else has to say. And after that I’ll be back in this thread next summer.
Similar threads
