Customer Reviews

Cult Files

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

 

 

I was very disappointed because I expected the stuff to be the original music, maybe remastered or "digitally enhanced", but it's not. The arrangements are good, I suppose, but that doesn't take away from the fact that I feel like it's deceiving to call this album a "soundtrack" when it's really just a bunch of remakes of the original material.

If you just want the tunes, I won't dis-recommend it becuase most of the tracks sound more or less like the originals, but if you want the honest-to-goodness real stuff, look elsewhere.

From a classical or cult viewpoint, this disc has a selection of classic TV and movie themes you will go away humming for days. The orchastrations are true to the arrangements...nothing smaltzy here, or elevatorized (like in muzak). I had to go beyond and get the second release, or Re-opened Box set, which has my son's favorite "Lost in Space". A must for TV fans, today and yesterday.

Cult Files contains TV and movie themes that are performed by talented musicians, but do not expect to hear the exact original recordings or arrangements. That's not what was intended here. Nevertheless, the arrangements are first-rate and, therefore, I do not regret the purchase. I bought the CD because I was looking for the Perry Mason theme, which I have enjoyed since I first heard it as a youngster. It's a moody, moving, composition and this recording is very close to the orginal as I remember it from years ago. It features an almost identical string arrangement and baritone sax and trombone solos that, in my opinion, improve upon the original recording. I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for the original Perry Mason Theme.

I don't understand why all the negative reviews. This is a great collection which can be picked up for cheap used! The first disc is cult TV themes and the second disc cult film themes. The themes are performed by the City of Prague Philharmoinc Orchestra under the trusty baton of Nic Raine, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra conducted by Mike Townend and the synthesizer work by Mark Ayres. Mark Ayres arrangement of Babylon 5 combining the season one and season three main titles is fantastic. The Blade Runner track is superb as well. The Townend/RPCO tracks are fun to listen to and all those themes you hear at baseball games: hawaii five-o, mission impossible, perry mason, peter gunn etc. The only track I don't like is the Star Trek track. This is the same track on other Silva releases (Battlestar Galactica: A-Z of fantasy themes, Space and Beyond, the Star Trek Album). I wish they would have performed the orchestral suite (See John WIlliams/ Boston Pops: Out of This World or Erich Kunzel/Cincinatti Pops: Symphonic Star Trek) that Courage arranged instead of the one featured here with soprano vocals.