Customer Reviews

Batman Theme & Other Bat Songs

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I picked this up years ago thinking it was the original music from the Batman tv show - it isn't. Except for a swinging version of the iconic theme, it's the type of music that would have shown up in an Ironside episode featuring a "rock" band. And the cover - looking for all the world like the inner liner notes - offers little to no information.

By the song list, it appears to be the original Neil Hefti album "Batman Theme and 12 Hefti Bat Songs." Or rather, a promotional copy of the album reissue on cd? It carries nearly the same release number as another Hefti Batman reissue - anyone have any clues?

The more I listen to this album - especially the original 12 cuts (the bonus cuts sound like a different session & band) the more I like it, & the harder it becomes to resist calling it "proto-minimalist." Hefti had been dabbling in this direction with Count Basie & with his own albums. The deadlines of TV & movie soundtrack commissions forced his hand. Most of the original 12 songs are witty variations on the I-IV-V structure of the "Batman Theme." It's as if Hefti had a notebook of little riff sketches & challenged himself to compose & arrange the entire thing in one afternoon. Amusing uses of sound effects, fuzz box, & Hammond (& perhaps Lowrey) organ. The studio band is modest. Not quite ready to pronounce it a minor pop masterpiece, but I think I could make a case for it, if it mattered enough.

track listing:

1) Batman Theme
2) Evil Plot To Blow Up Batman
3) Sewer Lady
4) The Mafista
5) Holy Diploma, Batman - Straight A's!
6) Eivol Ekdol, The Albanian Genius
7) The Batusi
8) Just A Simple Millionaire
9) My Fine Feathered Finks
10) Mr. Freeze
11) Jervis
12) Batman Chase

The only thing in this album that is from the TV show is Hefti's Batman theme in a slightly different and expanded arrangement. These are just songs that have Batman sounding titles and are nothing more than 60s pop instrumentals, although the Batman theme riff is interpolated in some tracks. I like them though for what they are. No music has been released from the Batman TV series itself, only music from the Batman movie spawned from the series back in 66 (which does include most of the themes). The sound samples tell the tale so make sure you know what you're buying!