Star Trek: TMP complete score coming June 5th!!

[Maurice]

Not to derail this into TAS, but, honestly, Filmation's "animation" was no more sophisticated in 1980 than it was in 1973. The only difference with Flash Gordon was that they produced a TV movie first. which had a higher budget than the series and for which many of the stock elements (re-used endlessly) were created, and for which they used physical of models to create many of the spaceship shots (the same technique used to create the B-17 [link] and Taarna landscape overflights in Heavy Metal) . I just looked at some clips from the TV movie version and it's largely the same old move into pose and freeze stuff that typified TV animation of the era. Heck, in the industry, the joke used to be that "Filmation animation" was an oxymoron...not that Hanna Barbera was any better.

 

[Christopher]

Speaking as a lifelong connoisseur of Filmation's work, they definitely did do better work in their later shows -- certainly not comparable to what we have today, but with somewhat more movement, a lot more rotoscoped motion sequences, more ambitious effects like the backlit moires they pioneered in Flash Gordon, richer and more elaborate background paintings, etc. Yes, the FG feature introduced a lot of those advances, but they carried forward what they learned there into their later shows. (The animation of Blackstar's dragon steed Warlock was gorgeous, even if it was just the same few stock moves recycled over and over. They didn't have anything like that in TAS, and it certainly wasn't recycled from Flash Gordon.) And yes, it was still limited animation overall, but it was better limited animation. (Remember, TAS's first season was produced under crushing time pressures and thus was even more limited than usual for Filmation.)

 

[Doug Otte]

How's the sound quality? It sure would have been nice if it was an SACD instead of a CD.

How about "in addition to"? That way those of us without SACD players (lots) would still be able to play it. :-)

Nearly all SACDs produced now (and there are many) are hybrids, where the CD layer is automatically read by a CD player, and the SACD layer is automatically read by an SACD player.

Perhaps you'd like the actual musicians to come and give you a private audience?

Are you people never satisfied?

Yes, please (musicians giving me a private performance)!

It's just a shame that the best current technology (DSD/SACD) is not used, but a 30-year-old inferior technology is used.

Now, my current player (Sony 5400) apparently upsamples CDs to DSD, so they do sound much better. But, an SACD would send even better.

Doug

 

[Christopher]

It sounds like this is already close to selling out, so I'm glad I got my order in within the first few minutes.

I hope you get to listen to it soon. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

I just listened to the movie soundtrack and the rejected cues. I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with the new mix; some moments sounded a bit off, even when they were the same takes used on the previous albums, with notes seeming to fade in fractionally late or something. And on "V'Ger Speaks," where there were longish pauses between notes, even the background hiss dropped out and it felt like multiple discrete tracks rather than a continuous piece. It's like there was excessive noise reduction being applied so that quiet bits dropped out altogether.

But mostly it's quite satisfying. I think there are a few cases where I prefer the album take (at least the 1999 expanded edition, which is the one I know best by now) to the one used in the film, but it was interesting to get to hear the film versions of certain cues, like the extra couple of bars in one part of "Klingon Battle" (which I figured was just the cue being edited to repeat a bit, but I guess it was a different take with that added), or the version of "Inner Workings" with the piano crescendo when Kirk wipes off the "VOYAGER 6" plaque.

And of course the highlight was getting to hear the previously unreleased cues from the film, especially the Fred Steiner ones, all but two of which have never had an album release before. (The '79 album was Steiner-free, and the '99 one only included "Vejur Speaks" [sic] and "A Good Start." And it's kind of wild to discover that Steiner was responsible for scoring 2/3 of the climax and denouement.) Now that I know for sure that they're Steiner's work (based on and edited by Goldsmith), I can hear elements of his style. I thought I knew the cues fairly well from the movie, but hearing them in the clear reveals lots of new subtleties, like the variations he introduces into the Starfleet ostinato in "Meet V'Ger." It's really cool that the most important composer for TOS (since he did considerably more scores than Alexander Courage or anyone else) made such a sizable contribution to TMP, and I wish he'd been credited from the start. It's great to have all his TMP work collected at last.

Although my favorite discovery is Steiner's "Warp Point Nine," the majority of which was unheard in the film. So it's over half a minute of completely new music that I've never heard before, and it's fantastic.

The rejected cues are interesting. That not-quite-the-theme yet motif he used in several of them isn't bad -- it was actually used in some parts of the final score -- but it is lacking something, and comes off feeling a bit directionless. It's really weird listening to the early version of "The Enterprise," the way it jumps back and forth between recognizable bits of what's probably my single favorite piece of music ever and unfamiliar bits that are nice but kind of rambling. It's probably just a matter of what I'm used to, but they don't quite seem to fit together as a cohesive piece of music.

"Inner Workings" is probably the best of the rejected cues (and now I see where the piano crescendo came from). But in pretty much all these cases, I can tell why they weren't used.

The liner notes are enlightening too. I don't think I ever caught on in 33 years that the ascending V'Ger motif was related to Ilia's theme.

 

[RAMA]

Woww....and wow...

RAMA

 

[RyanKCR]

I did prefer the movie version of Force Field because it had what sounded like electric guitar plucks after the tractor beam released. I love all of it. It has such a unique feel that I can't imagine a thougthful sci-fi movie without a score similar to this.

 

[Ryann866]

Been listening to the CD set all day. Truly an amazing score and an incredible release. What a great surprise to experience all of these tracks. I love hearing Goldsmith on the raw tracks asking everybody to hurry up so he can have his coffee.

Does anyone know which unused track was used in the trailer for Generations? I always loved that cue (that was obviously from TMP) but was never released. Is it on this set?

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Been listening to the CD set all day. Truly an amazing score and an incredible release.

I'm so hyped for this CD now - but delivery time to the UK is usually around 3-4 weeks. I'll probably have to quit this thread in the meantime, the anticipation is just too much!!!

 

[StewMc]

Been listening to the CD set all day. Truly an amazing score and an incredible release.

I'm so hyped for this CD now - but delivery time to the UK is usually around 3-4 weeks. I'll probably have to quit this thread in the meantime, the anticipation is just too much!!!

Don't be too sure, I'm in the UK, CD was dispatched from the US on Friday, turned up on my doorstep yesterday morning!

 

[LOKAI of CHERON]

Been listening to the CD set all day. Truly an amazing score and an incredible release.

I'm so hyped for this CD now - but delivery time to the UK is usually around 3-4 weeks. I'll probably have to quit this thread in the meantime, the anticipation is just too much!!!

Don't be too sure, I'm in the UK, CD was dispatched from the US on Friday, turned up on my doorstep yesterday morning!

Excellent! My post hasn't arrived today thus far, fingers crossed.

 

[Christopher]

I've finished discs 2-3 now. I'm afraid I had a skipping/stalling problem on the last track of Disc 2, during the Ilia-theme portion of the album version of the end titles. I'm not sure whether it's worth worrying about, since I still have the original LP, the 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition CD set, and the other version of the end titles on Disc 1.

The alternates on Disc 3 rarely have anything recognizably different about them, or if so it's very subtle, so they didn't leave much of an impact. I was hoping they would include more of the takes used in the Anniversary Edition. I compared the liner notes (that edition also gave the take numbers), and apparently only 11 of its 18 tracks are included on this release, two of which ("Ilia's Theme" and "Leaving Drydock") are only available in the '79 Album portion with its differing sound quality. The takes (or specific combinations of takes) used by the Anniversary Edition for "Klingon Battle," "Total Logic," "The Cloud," "Spock Walk," "Inner Workings," "Vejur [sic] Speaks," and "End Title" are not included. Which means that the Anniversary version of "Inner Workings" is the only one that doesn't have the piano glissando when Kirk wipes off the "VOYAGER 6" sign. I think that's a big enough difference that it should've been included here. On the other hand, I guess that gives me a reason to be glad I have both CD sets, and I guess I won't be getting rid of the Anniversary Edition anytime soon.

It's odd to me that so many of the tracks from the CDs use different takes from the ones in the film. I guess that in the film, the director has the final say for which take to use, while on the album it's the composer's or album producer's choice.

The "Additional Music" section at the end is a mix of cool, weird, and wild stuff. The behind-the-scenes audio of the scoring sessions is interesting, but when the orchestra stopped playing mid-take, I couldn't usually tell why they'd stopped; I didn't notice any significant flubs. (I wonder how often modern scoring sessions are interrupted by someone's cell phone ringing.) The isolated blaster beam and synth elements were less recognizable out of context that I expected. And brother, am I glad the synth was in the context of a full orchestra, because that '70s synth sound by itself is deeply cheesy-sounding. It sounds like something from a low-budget Saturday morning space show.

The Bob James disco/soft jazz version of the main title theme is '70s-tastic! It's hilarious. It was like the soundtrack of a Phase II episode where Kirk and Spock had to go undercover on the Planet of '70s Detectives. I want someone to make a YouTube video combining this with T.J. Hooker footage in a faux title sequence or something.

"A Star Beyond Time," the Shaun Cassidy song based on Ilia's Theme, was a lot less awful than I feared. What's impressive is how well the lyrics actually fit Decker & Ilia's story.

 

[Indysolo]

The takes (or specific combinations of takes) used by the Anniversary Edition for "Klingon Battle,"

They used the album master for this, so it's on disc 2.

"Total Logic,"

Disc 3's take should be the same as the Sony album, regardless of what the notes in the Sony album say.

"The Cloud,"

They used the album master for this, so it's on disc 2.

"Spock Walk,"

They used the album master for this, so it's on disc 2.

"Inner Workings," "Vejur [sic] Speaks,"

Disc 3's take should be the same as the Sony album, regardless of what the notes in the Sony album say.

and "End Title" are not included.

They used the album master for this, so it's on disc 2.

It's odd to me that so many of the tracks from the CDs use different takes from the ones in the film. I guess that in the film, the director has the final say for which take to use, while on the album it's the composer's or album producer's choice.

The composer and music editor typically choose the takes for the film, based on performance and sync (they usually go hand in hand). For the album, it's not uncommon for a composer to change things for a more preferred listening experience.

I wonder how often modern scoring sessions are interrupted by someone's cell phone ringing.)

Hopefully professional musicians never make that mistake.

Neil

 

[Therin of Andor]

Hopefully professional musicians never make that mistake.

Or they have a cleverly suitable ringtone that adds to the performance.

 

[Christopher]

"Inner Workings," "Vejur [sic] Speaks,"

Disc 3's take should be the same as the Sony album, regardless of what the notes in the Sony album say.

As I said, the '99 set's version of "Inner Workings" is noticeably different because it doesn't have the piano glissando the other versions have.

 

[Skyranger]

Which means that the Anniversary version of "Inner Workings" is the only one that doesn't have the piano glissando when Kirk wipes off the "VOYAGER 6" sign.

As I said, the '99 set's version of "Inner Workings" is noticeably different because it doesn't have the piano glissando the other versions have.

You're right (in my best William Shatner imitation of a James Doohan Scottish accent), the "Inner Workings" on the 1999 20th Anniversary CD does not have the piano glissando when Kirk wipes off the "VOYAGER 6" sign. It doesn't have any music at all, as the track on the anniversary edition is prematurely dialed out and ends about 15 seconds before that.

 

[Skyranger]

And on "V'Ger Speaks," where there were longish pauses between notes, even the background hiss dropped out and it felt like multiple discrete tracks rather than a continuous piece. It's like there was excessive noise reduction being applied so that quiet bits dropped out altogether.

I think in the movie the longish pauses were even longer. I think this track actually is several short cues put together in one track with a short pause between. In mixing this for the CD the sound between the cues was probably dialed down in order to eliminate noise and/or an audible switch between the individual cues.

 

[Maurice]

For anyone who got the album and wants the lyrics to "A Star Beyond Time" here they are. Turn your Shaun Cassidyometer to 11.

A STAR BEYOND TIME

Music by Goldsmith
Lyrics by Larry Kusik
Vocal by Shaun Cassidy
​

There's a star beyond time,
Floating in space,
Waiting for you and me.

Though we're planets apart,
Love is the bridge,
Joining our galaxies.

Come with me,
We'll conquer the unknown,
Where no ones ever flown,
To one star that we'll make our own.

Where the universe ends,
Our world begins,
Somewhere beyond the dawn.

Come with me,
We'll conquer the unknown,
Where no ones ever flown,
To one star that we'll make our own.

Where the universe ends,
Our world begins,
Somewhere beyond the dawn.

Hey, for what it's worth, the lyrics are better than the crap Roddenberry attached to Courage's theme.

 

[Therin of Andor]

For anyone who got the album and wants the lyrics to "A Star Beyond Time" here they are.

Come with me,
We'll conquer the unknown...

I have a version sung by an uncredited female, and her lyrics say,

"...Come with me,
We'll star trek the unknown..."

​

 

[Maurice]

For anyone who got the album and wants the lyrics to "A Star Beyond Time" here they are.

Come with me,
We'll conquer the unknown...

I have a version sung by an uncredited female, and her lyrics say,

"...Come with me,
We'll star trek the unknown..."

Ick.

 

[Christopher]

"Trek" is not a transitive verb!