 |
Title |
| Greatest Science
Fiction Hits IV |
| International Title |
| [Compilation] |
| Music By:
Neil Norman |
| Record Label:
GNP Crescendo |
| |
 |
| Running Time: 77:14 |
Discs: 1 |
| Release: October 1998 |
CD Number: GNPD-2258 |
|
| Comments |
 |
Anthony
Romero |
 |
|
|
Thanks
goes to Neil Norman for sending this disc in!
This CD is a compilation of many different themes
from a large selection of science fiction films and
shows. Rather than being a collection of material
straight from the original sources, though, it has
all been redone by Neil Norman "and his Cosmic
Orchestra". If one is unfamiliar with their work,
a lot of synthesizing as well as a more modern band
is used to create the themes. The end result is sometimes
very close to the original, and sometimes drastically
different. Now time to dive into the actual music
contained on this CD, and at 77 minutes there is a
lot of music to cover
First up, let's get to the reason this disc is appearing
on this site: tracks 22 and 23 are related to the
Godzilla franchise. One of these is the popular "Monster
Zero March", which is also found on The Best
of Godzilla 1984-1995 (GNPD-8056).
This version of the theme is given a more modern take
with Norman's band while sound effects are mixed in,
including one from Ebirah which seems out of place.
Its overall a stellar version of the theme that's
different enough from the source to stand out, but
faithful enough to be instantly recognizable and of
interest to fans. The other track is the "Godzilla's
Interlude", which actually isn't from a Godzilla
film at all. I asked Norman about this theme and his
response was: "It is an original composition
written by one of my band members - Bill Burchell
to honor Godzilla's anniversary and as an intro to
“Monster Zero March” on the album."
So there you have it. This theme isn't all that great,
as it sounds kind of clichéd for "oriental
music" ala what you would find on a Casio keyboard,
although much more professionally done of course than
a stock theme.
As for the rest of the music on this CD, there is
quite a bit of ground to cover. The disc was released
in 1998 (although copyright on the back would indicate
it was re-released as late as 2001), and consequently
has music from films made around that time along with
older productions. To start with the contemporary
1990's material, there are some obvious misses here.
"Lost World: Jurassic Park" is kind of a
dud, with the t-rex roar that is added in taking most
of the spotlight which should have gone to the music.
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena:
Warrior Princess " are, on the flip side, both
really nice themes. The Xena one, in fact, is arguably
preferable over the actual source. "The X-Files"
is also decent. It's pretty close to the original
theme, except with added echo work and sound effects
that take away from the music but do help to distinguish
it from the TV version. The disc also has a theme
from the, then very recent, "Men in Black".
This track is sadly one of the worst ones from the
disc. The beginning stuff mostly zaps the energy out
of Danny Elfman's originally captivating themes. The
second half is actually the song, which is odd considering
all the rest of the CD is simply orchestral work.
Still, its not a bad version of the song, although
is surprising when the vocal work kicks in.
In regards to the older themes, its all handled pretty
well. "Wild Wild West" and "Adventure
of Buckaroo Banzai" are surprisingly good. The
Predator theme probably would have been better without
the sound effects, but still is pretty good. The "James
Bond Theme" appears to be a live recording too,
as there is screaming heard at the start and through
out in the background from an audience. The Bond theme
sounds different from what one might expect from the
films, but actually sounds nearly identical at times
to music from Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo
64 and should make fans of that game happy for the
similarity.
Overall, this CD has its ups and downs, but in the
end is a pretty good disc for fans of science fiction
music. Even those who aren't directly familiar with
a lot of these movies/shows shouldn't be turned off
from this release as it works very well as a standalone
experience. Not perfect, and there are a few tracks
which could have been better, but still suggestible
for those looking for a different approach to some
of these themes.
Rating:  |
|
| Tracks |
- Amazing Stories
- Men into Space
- Outer Limits II
- Conquest of the Thaxton Nebula
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes
- Wild Wild West
- Lost World: Jurassic Park
- Reanimator
- Adventure of Buckaroo Banzai
- Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
- Stargate SG-1 Main Title
- Stargate SG-1 End Title
- Alien Autopsy
- Xena: Warrior Princess
- Saturn 3
- Saint
- Predator
- Predator II
- Universes
- Star Trek Encounters
- Airwolf
- Godzilla's Interlude
- Monster Zero March
- X-Files
- Babylon 5
- Escape from New York
- James Bond Theme
- Men in Black
|
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