Customer Reviews

Battlestar Galactica

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For the most part, this CD is a duplicate to the original released on vinyl in the 70's, but there are 3 exceptions.

The first is trivial: two tracks have been switched from their original album playing order. This allows the majestic "Exploration" theme to be heard immediately following the opening title theme. This change relatively unimportant, since the album tracks are nowhere near the order that they appeared in the film, and by programming your CD player, you can hear them in any order you like. The second is the addition of the "Disco Version" of the main title, which I actually like ( yes, it's cheesy, but then again I liked Meco's arrangement of the "Star Wars" theme as well! ).The third change is not as welcome however: Whoever oversaw the remastering of this album felt it was necessary to splash way too much reverb on all of the tracks to give them all, I suppose, a 'concert hall' feel and sound. At first listen I thought it sounded pretty good, but the more I listened the less enchanted I became. While the extra boom is nice at some points, the effect becomes overwhelming in the the more bombastic pieces, and muddies up the sound so that you lose the ability to hear the fine playing of various individual instruments... an effect I find annoying. This becomes very obvious if you compare this disc to the German release of the original soundtrack, which is an exact duplicate of the original album ( and sounds just fine without the tweaking ). Some may disagree with me, but I think retro-engineering like this is just as abhorrent as the fad of colorizing of black and white movies that was so prevalent in the 80's. Remaster -Yes! Tamper with -NO!

I would give 5 stars for excellent music, but have to give only 3 stars for a terrible remaster. It sounds like someone turned the Treble all the way up and turned the Bass down to zero! It has a very thin, metalic sound to it. Also, the reverb is way over done, as the other reviewers have mentioned. It's to the point where things are so blended together that you can't distinguish the individual instruments. My original vinyl record is better sound quality then this (if you overlook the clicks or pops). I would recommend the June 29, 1999 re-recording with Stu and the Royal Orchestra over this one. On the re-recording the horns blast through loud and clear and the bass blows you out of your seat. You can hear every instrument very clearly as if you are sitting right in front of the orchestra. The music is fantastic and I think the Battlestar Galactica theme is one of the best ever written. Also, the Exploration theme and Base Star (Imperious Leader) theme are amazing.

To a certain extent, I was surprised when I discovered this soundtrack on CD. Being a great fan of the television series back in the 1970s (when I was 12 years old, part of the key demographic Battlestar Galactica was aiming to attract), I bought the soundtrack on vinyl, and still have that copy. The vinyl and CD are duplicates, save that there is one more track on the CD that probably should have been left off -- that is the 'disco version' of the main theme. Sad...

Otherwise, this is a great soundtrack CD. Battlestar Galactica tried in many ways to be the 'Star Wars' of television -- it was trying to capitalise on the success of Star Wars in the theatres the year before, and in so doing even used the same special effects teams and other devices developed out of that film. However, when it came to music, they did not go with John Williams (who did so much with films and science fiction), opting instead for Stu Phillips, and having the music performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The original theme for the pilot (later released as a feature film) was modified for the rest of the television series; that theme is unfortunately missing from this collection. However, this original theme has the characteristics that Battlestar Galactica music was known for -- orchestral crashes at the introduction long before they became standard fare as a synthesizer sample, loud brassy sections that trumpet the main line of the theme, and full orchestra participation -- this is not a band or a synthesizer production, but a real composition.

The various pieces of music are moody and sombre, foreboding and dark as the backdrop of the destruction of twelve worlds of humanity; the music of the enemy, the Cylons, is ominous and imperious, in keeping with their 'Imperious leader' and forbidding presence. There is one song that perhaps the producers hoped might become a pop song -- the song that was sung by the singers on Carillon. One thinks of the jig performed by the band in the Star Wars bar as Luke and Obi-wan negotiate for a ride; this is a backdrop also to a casino/bar where people are trying to escape. This song was performed by the 'Space Angels', not a real group in a true sense of the word.

With one exception ('The End of the Atlantia') these pieces are presented in the same order as they would fall in the film. The music is fun and interesting, not a half-hearted attempt at filler sounds by any means.

The new miniseries on television has a very different look and feel, and that extends even to the music. However, for one brief moment, the brass-heavy and triumphant-sounding Stu Philips theme can be heard as the Vipers make a fly-by. A good tribute, but it reinforced how much I missed the music of the original, which is happily available here.

It is great to see this re-released in CD format. Much better than the Scottish Philharmonic version, which is a bit too sluggish on the attack. For those who want an EXACT re-creation of the soundtrack, and do not want any more disco tracks, look for the import Kampfstern Galactica, from OST. This is an EXACT duplicate of the original tracks, artwork and so on. It is available from Amazon.de (Germany), and has been there for years.

It's strange-- just a few days ago, I was rifing through some old stuff from my childhood (old toys, a pile of very old Starlog Magazines)and noticed an ad in a Starlog for this in its old LP format, back when the show was actually on-air. I remember being a little kid and wishing I could send in for it.

Well, fast forward to yesterday, and I'm rifing through various cd soundtracks in my local cd/dvd wherehouse/bonanza/free-for-all store, and there it was. And by God, it was in cd format! And yes, it was ORIGINAL! Not re-performed by some Scottish Orchestra a couple of years ago! Immediately, it was in my greedy hands, helplessly going along with me to my home.

First off, this cd has liner notes. It's not just flimsy repros of the front and back of the old LP. Glen Larson, Stu Phillips, and Richard Hatch all pitch in with recollections about the show, with Phillips's being the most memorable (John Williams coming by to listen to the theme to see if any Star Wars was in there, in case Lucasfilm wanted to sue).

The sound quality is great, no hiss or tininess. The only gripe I have is that the strings sound a little too "smooth." Don't know if that makes sense, but they sound a little too reverbed, concert-hallish. But hey, if that's all I can come up with to complain, then this is a winner!

Relive the memories, in a format that you can play again and again!

I recently ordered this disc from Amazon.com to replace my original cassette(!!) recording of the Original Battlestar Galactica soundtrack album , which I've misplaced sometime in the last few years. I think Stu Phillips's terrific title theme rates up there as one of the best orchestral TV/movie themes ever, and the dramatic music that forms the bulk of the tracks here is also very good. And for pop/disco fans who remember this show, who could forget the Space Angels' rendition of the cheesy but very enjoyable tune Casino On Carillon (It's Love Love Love)!!! Fans of Battlestar Galactica who remember waiting avidly for that pilot episode back in 1978-79 will no doubt enjoy this timely 25th Anniversary reissue, which features nice liner notes in the CD booklet by the show's original creator Glen A. Larson, composer Stu Phillips, and lead actor Richard Hatch (who played Captain Apollo). I recommend this album to film and TV orchestral music buffs and to fans of this show.

YUP! Just like I remembered it. Lovely music, FULL ENSEMBLE ORCHESTRA, and brings up mental flashes from the 1978 TV show. Also has informative & personable program notes by composer/conductor Stu Phillips, exec producer Glen A. Larson, actor Richard Hatch, and Mark A. Altman (publisher of Cinefantastique magazine).

I remember checking out this score from the library a few decades ago on cassette. The quality of this recording is better than that, but only slightly. As most of the other reviews have mentioned, this is one of the worst mixes in CD history. Play it on one stereo and it sounds like the treble has been cranked all the way and there's no bass at all. Play it on something else and it's all bass. The added reverb also detracts from what would otherwise be an incredible score.

Stu Phillips put out a newer version of this score on Varese Sarabande which I also own. I was disappointed with it as some of the tempos were a bit off. I feel that the original is superior if only it were mixed correctly.

Five stars for an incredible score with one star removed for a terrible mix.

I loved Battlestar Galactica. I love the new one as well, with its much harder edge. I have the soundtracks for both, and I find that both of them are excellent bodies of work. The 1978 Galactica Soundtrack, which is what this review covers, is reminiscent of some of the Joh Williams' work in "Star Wars" without it being quite as much over the top. (I liked the fact that the newer show used the older show's anthem as the Colonial Anthem in the miniseries pilot). When listening to this, you can almost see the Vipers jumping out of their launch tubes to once again protect the "rag-tag fleet" from Cylon attack. The cover art is excellent as well. I owned this in vinyl in 1978, and was glad to see that they made this available on CD.

I remember eagerly staying awake for the premier of this series when I was nine and being glued to the screen. This CD awoke lots of memories, all of them good. It's got me humming the old tunes all over again.

The CD took a small hit in my view as I actually prefer the original version of the opening them to the slightly different arrangement found here, but the rest of the tracks are more than fine. If you at all like the original version of Galactica, I think you would find it hard to go wrong with this.