Customer Reviews

The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen (Lost in Space / The Time Tunnel / Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea / Land of the Giants)

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Six CDs offering pure, original Irwin Allen soundtracks. Not to be missed if you enjoyed any of the TV shows: VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, LOST IN SPACE, TIME TUNNEL and LAND OF THE GIANTS. Takes me back to my childhood, and will be a treasured souvenir we can all enjoy.

"The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen" remains one of my most rewarding musical purchases. As a teenager during the runs of the four television shows highlighted in this collection, I vividly recall how important the respective composers' scores were to the on-screen action.

Music from the first season "Lost in Space" disc was featured throughout the show's run. It has many of the themes that became synonymous with the various characters. A young John Williams did an incredible job and one can hear predecessors to the melodies that he would later use so effectively in his movie work.

But Williams' best work can be found on the disc which features music from the pilot of "Land of the Giants." He has cues that are exhilarating, tense-filled, majestic, and awe-inspiring, perfect for the story of normal Earthlings propelled into a world where they are no more than insects.

The "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" disc benefits from the inclusion of Jerry Goldsmith's sole contribution to the show, the second season opener entitled "Jonah and the Whale." Goldsmith composed a new theme that was incorporated throughout that episode, but was discarded and replaced by a revamped version of Paul Sawtell's signature theme. Goldsmith's work still was effective and his closing cue was re-used for much of the duration of the show's four-year run.

Two of the other three discs feature Williams and other composers who contributed to all of the sci-fi television productions of Irwin Allen. The sixth disc has the various themes as well as interviews with the actors who played the parts in the respective shows. A pleasant addition is a series of radio spots performed by cast members of "Lost in Space."

A great value is this compilation!

This special collection - The Fantasy World's of Irwin Allen is a treasure and souvenir for all Sci-Fi enthusiasts. The liner notes are great and the pictures behind the scenes are a collectors dream.

If you enjoyed VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA - LOST IN SPACE - LAND OF THE GIANTS - THE TIME TUNNEL - this is a must have collection, bringing and recapturing so many wonderful memories of early Sci-Fi television. The entire collection is spectacular and GNP/Crescendo has given us another winner to place alongside further adventures in SPACE!

GNP/Crescendo Records

I used to tape these shows to listen to the music, so I was overwhelmed and could not believe it when it came out on cds. This is a MUST for every IAllen shows!!! Just wished they could have edited more of the Voyage (LStevens, MStevens, NRiddle, ACourage) and Tunnel music. Liner notes/pictures are great. I'll never sell that one...

This collection is a must for Irwin Allen fans, and soundtrack collectors in general. It contains selections of music from noted composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, who would go on to distiguished careers in big-budget movie scoring. Also to be found is music from Alexander Courage, whose "Star Trek" theme is still well remembered 40 years later.

Disc 1 is my favorite, as it contains the music Williams wrote for the reworked "Lost In Space" pilot episode, 'The Reluctant Stowaway' ( the original version of the pilot; "No Place To Hide", was tracked with library music by Bernard Herrmann - most notably from "The Day The Earth Stood Still" ). The Williams cues would be tracked and quoted throughout the show's three year run, and immediately bring images of the 'Jupiter 2' and crew to mind whenever I hear them. I also love Paul Sawtell's stirring adventure theme for "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea".

The first five discs, comprising scores from "Lost In Space", "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea"," The Time Tunnel", and "Land Of The Giants", are also available separately. However, the sixth disc, consisting of all the series themes, a few alternate cues, actor interviews ( vintage and newer - circa 1996 ), Dick Tufeld doing lines as the "Lost In Space" Robot, and a small library of sound effects, is a special bonus found only in this set.

Although this set is sadly out of print, it is still worth locating if you are a serious collector of soundtracks. To be complete, you should also get GNP Crescendo's single disc release of "Lost In Space" Volume 3, available separately, which contains more notable music from early episodes, and the currently avilable "Lost In Space" '40th Anniversary' 2 disc set from LA LA Land. The 2 disc set reprises many of the cues found on the GNP discs, but they also contain several scores not found on the earlier releases.