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Click here to return to the main site. Soundtrack Review
Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic and London Music Works, this comprehensive 6 CD collection features music from the latest Sci-Fi blockbusters; from Ready Player One, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Blade Runner 2049, all the way back to 1950s classics The Day The Earth Stood Still and Forbidden Planet... 100 Greatest Science Fiction Themes brings together the best selection of Science Fiction music spanning almost a century, through a thorough overview of musical styles, themes and techniques. It spotlights music from Hollywood heavyweights and classically trained legends (John Williams, John Barry, Ennio Morricone, Bernard Hermann), electronic experimenters (Bebe & Louis Barron, Vangelis) and Jazz influenced composers (Bill Conti, Henry Mancini) to the new generation, who combine orchestral sounds with electronics (David Arnold, Johann Johannsson, Ramin Djawadi, Steve Jablonsky, Hanz Zimmer, Clint Mansell). With collections like this there are always going to be themes that are overlooked and as the majority of tracks here have appeared on other Silva Screen collections, I'm assuming someone did a wonderful job of digging through the archives to unearth as many of the essential themes as possible. It's not just film music as there are a handful of TV themes (Doctor Who and the original '60s Star Trek series) but there are so many TV themes missing that you would have expected to have made the cut (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; The Walking Dead) but are strangely absent. Likewise for movies there's no sign of Poltergeist; Hellraiser; Gremlins; Return to Oz (one of the greatest scores ever produced, to my mind); Indiana Jones franchise (while these film are action adventures, they always have an element of sci-fi at the end). I was also surprised to see some of Danny Elfman's classics were not included: Edward Scissorhands; Batman; Beetlejuice; Mars Attacks... Which is strange when you consider the theme to Dead Ringers (as beautiful as it is, you can't really consider it to be in the sci-fi genre) is included. I have the original scores for the majority of the tracks on here, many of which I know inside out. And even I had a hard time telling some from the original recordings. Once again, as I've mentioned in the past, this is a tribute to Silva Screen for trying to capture the energy and the sound of the originals. Obviously the full orchestral themes are easier to replicate (although getting the right mix is a skill) and on occasion the electronic side of things isn't quite the same. 'End Titles / Klingon Attack' from Star Trek: The Motion Picture tries hard to replicate the digital sound on the 'Klingon Attack' segment but it's not very close to the original. In addition, it would seem, that the trumpet parts are the hardest to replicate as there were quite a few tracks here where the brass section is a little off key (most notable on 'End Credits' from Independence Day and 'Overture' from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country). On the flip side, I actually preferred London Music Works version of 'A Dream Within a Dream', from Inception, over the original. The 100 tracks are spread over 6 discs (7 hrs, 24 min, 12 sec). This is an incredible album. I'd even go as far as to say it's an essential purchase for soundtrack collectors. It will also introduce you to some scores you haven't heard, and you may find yourself investing in the original full albums after listening to this. Track listing: CD 1 01. Main Title – Ready Player One CD 2 01. Cornfield Chase – Interstellar CD 3 01. Forest Battle – Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen CD 4 01. Harry & Greg / Launch – Armageddon CD 5 01. End Credits – The Abyss CD 6 01. Adventures On Earth – E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 10 Darren Rea Buy this item online
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