Customer Reviews

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [Original Soundtrack]

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Joby Talbot's score for the film version of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy is phenomenal. I mean, wow! Really incredibly phenomenal! I mean, you may think Danny Elfman's score to Spider-Man 2 was phenomenal, but that's just peanuts to this score! Okay, I may be exaggerrating a bit, but that should not distract from the fact that this is a great score for a wonderful film. Not only does the music work well with the film, but I would suggest it as a companion to other versions of the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy you may come across. Try listening to it while reading one of the books, for instance. Or playing the text adventure from Infocom.

Some notable points:
The introduction about Dolphins, read by Stephen Fry, who of course played the voice of the Book in the film. And of course, the brassy, Broadway-style show-stopping musical number "So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish" which serves as a wonderfully ridiculous setpiece for the opening credits. The melody appears several times throughout the score, usually whenever Arthur or Trillian are thinking of Earth. It is also reprised as a slow, jazzy, lounge singery song during the first part of the closing credits.

The cue from when the Vogons destroy the earth, which is appropriately tense and dramatic, and climaxes with a panicked-sounding string section playing imposibly high, abrubt notes, and ends abruptly as the earth is destroyed.

To fans of the original radio and TV series, I say to you Don't Panic, because Bernie Leadon's "Journey of the Sorcerer" (Which, for those of you that don't know, served as the theme to both the TV and radio series) is on the soundtrack with a faithful and reverent arrangement, complete with banjo. It is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I listen to it along with the following track, which shares its name with the film's title, and the title of one of the most wholly remarkable books in the universe: The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.

Another great track is the music for the whale that is suddenly called into existance over the planet of Magrathea. It is filled with unwarranted optimism, and pathos, and gives the scene the necessary emotional edge, which I think is something Douglas Adams himself would have enjoyed immensely, since he created the whale in response to cop shows where innocent bystanders are meaninglessly killed as a result of conflicts or car chases that they had nothing to do with, and the audience doesn't care about them since they were only on the screen for two seconds. So Douglas wanted to create a character who would only exist as a character for a very short time, but make him extremely sympathetic so the audience would feel actual emotion when he is killed. And it works, and has worked in every version of the Hitchhiker's Guide I've been exposed to.

Another great track is "Huma's Hymn", which sounds so authentically like a church song that you could swear you'd be able to find it in your church's song book. (But you won't, so don't go looking for it.) As I understand it, most of the chorus singing the song consists not of professional singers, but of fans and other random people who happened to be walking by the church where the song was recorded, to give it that extra level of authenticity that other filmmakers probably wouldn't care about.

Overall, this is a very evocative and wonderfully fantastic score. Mr. Talbot displays much originality, but at points seems to channel other great composers of SciFi movie music. I hear traces of John Williams' scores for the Star Wars films and Superman the Movie, Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, James Horner's Star Treks II and III, and even Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy soundtracks. Just listen to track 8 and you'll see what I mean.

Just so you know, there are three tracks that are not part of the score of the film. I suppose you could call them "Pop" tracks, but they're not tracks that have been popular in the past 10 years, at least. Only one of them: Perry Como's "Magic Moments" was in the film, at least that I could tell. It was used as source music twice, once in the pub near the beginning, and once near the end. That's all I can say about that without spoiling the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it. (And if you don't recognise the name of the song, it's been used in several movies, so you've probably heard it before.) The other two songs are Betty Wright's "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and Al Green's "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)". While the inclusion of these songs on an otherwise orchestral soundtrack may seem odd, they definitely fit the film. Even if "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and "Here I Am (Come And Take Me)" don't appear in the film, you can imagine that they'd be the next songs to be cued on the jukebox in the pub near the beginning of the film, and so they help establish the mood for the scene. Some fans may be surprised or disappointed in the non-inclusion of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World", but if you see the film, you will see that the scene during which that song played in the radio and TV series is not in the film. But no biggie, if they make a sequel (and there's no reason they shouldn't) perhaps that scene will make it in.

Overall, I'd say that this is a soundtrack that no fan of the Hitchhiker's franchise should be without. So buy it now, before the earth is demolished to make a hyperspace bypass!

I saw this movie the day it came out, being a ravid fan of the entire series. Almost immediately afterwards I ran out to pick up the soundtrack. While a good two thirds of it is standard soundtrack orchestral fare, which is definitely good and entertaining, it is the one third of totally off the wall stuff that makes the purchase worth it. From the opening, to the Journey of the Sorcerer, to any song that plays during the "Guide" entries, to the last four songs (So Long and Thanks is reprised as a lounge act, "Careless Talk" is the "Guide" music that plays over the entry shown during the credits, "Vote Beeblebrox" is incredibly campy 70's rock campaign music that is friggin' hilarious, and "Reasons to be Miserable," a techno beat, driven on by Steven Fry's delicious voice, about Marvin The Paranoid Android's poor lot in life), and especially "Humma's Hymn," something that can only be heard in the background of a scene, and not in it's entirety in the movie. I love everything about this soundtrack, and am unable to remove it from my CD player. Go buy it!

By now, you've probably seen the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" movie in a theater, or at least on DVD (if not both.) Now check out the movie's amazing soundtrack.

The two major standouts of this album in my opinion are "Journey of the Sorcerer" and "Vote Beeblebrox." Anyone who's more than a casual fan of "Hitchhiker's" will immediately recognize "Journey of the Sorcerer" as the classic "Hitchhiker's" theme by the Eagles played on both the radio and television versions and now the movie as well. This version is enhanced and sounds great. It was a treat hearing it at the theater and it's awesome on this CD as well. "Vote Beeblebrox" --- I about died laughing when I heard this one. This is a sort of campaign song for Zaphod Beeblebrox that unfortunately never made it into the movie. "Don't believe the rumors / don't believe the vicious lies" it says, talking about how Zaphod isn't stupid. It continues in this vain with a hilarious spoken part from Zaphod saying that he "y'know, just wants to say all the things that presidents say, y'know." Has to be heard to be believed.

Following close behind these are definitely both versions of the wondrous "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish." Personally, I prefer the second version, a sort of upbeat lounge number, but both are great. "So long and thanks for all the fish / So sad that it should come to this / We tried to warn you all, but oh dear."

This album also includes a couple of what I guess could called Golden Oldies --- "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)." Of these two, I thought "Shoo-Rah! Shoo-Rah!" was definitely better and more fun.

The bulk of the CD is the instrumental tracks from the film. Composed by Joby Talbot, these tend to suit the scenes they come from well. Enjoy some memories from the movie, or just enjoy listening to the music.

Finally, one last thing to mention --- "Reasons to be Miserable (His Name is Marvin)." Performed by Stephen Fry, this is a redo of a song by "Marvin himself." Wanna know what it's like to be Marvin? "In everything he has to do, he finds the world condemning / If he had his time again, he'd rather be a lemming." Yep, that Marvin's sure depressed (and depressing), but the song is fairly fun to listen to.

If you're looking for a soundtrack like Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, you may be disappointed. This is by no means an epic soundtrack. Most of the tracks are short and silly, with a few exceptions. However, I love this soundtrack. I never thought a song like "So Long..." would get stuck in my head, "Viltvodle Street Music" is just silly in its bounciness. "Vogon Poetry", if you've seen the movie, the BBC TV series, or know the scene in the book, will make you laugh.

The vocal songs are great, as well. I never thought I'd listen to a Perry Como song, "Vote Beeblebrox" is absolutely excellent, and I really like "Reasons to Be Miserable". That may be because I've not heard the original like others here seem to have, but I love the lyrics and the beat is catchy. It really depends on whether or not you can stand techno. If you can't, it might get on your nerves.

First off, I would like to say that I hope the movie finds the audience it needs. Afterall if a movie like Napoleon Dynamite can be a success, why not Hitchhikers?

Anyway, about the soundtrack. I had never heard of Joby Talbot before, but I think he did a very admirable job on this score. I especially liked his cues for the book, which sound like some of the music for the old tv series. The song "So long and Thanks for all the Fish" is absolutely hilarious! I'm not sure which version I like better. The two songs, "Shoo-rah" and "Here I am" weren't really necessary for the album because they weren't very noticable in the movie! Perry Como singing "Magic Moments" was kind of an odd choice, but it makes more sense once you see the movie.

As for the Score cues, the standout compositions by Mr. Talbot include "Earth Mark II", "Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster"(some music that sounds like the old show), and "the Whale". I also enjoyed the Track titled "Huma's Hymn".


The real standout of the entire CD is "Journey of the Sorcerer" by Bernie Leadon, which was used as the theme music for both the radio and TV series. When I heard that they were actually going to use it I immediately rushed out and bought the soundtrack.

The other two tracks that weren't used in the film are very enjoyable. "Vote Beeblebrox" is slightly better than this rendition of "Reasons to be Miserable."

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is an acquired taste that would help the enjoyment of this cd a great deal, and if you don't know anything about it, I suggest you see the movie, not to mention the tv series and read the book even, before you purchase this soundtrack.

If you're a huge HHG fan then you'll love this soundtrack! It's as incredibly zaney as the books! The music will leave your sides aching, especially tracks 1,30,32, & 33! This is truely an album that Adam's himself would have been proud of!
Oh, BTW.... The music in the teaser trailer is from the 'Planet of the Apes'(2001 version)soundtrack by Paul Oakenfold and Danny Elfman for those of you who were curious ;)

I just wanted to correct Chaya J. Anderson "SecretAgent00K9" incorrect source for the music from the trailer. It is not from Planet of The Apes/Paul Oakenfold but from Lemon Jelly, "'64-'95". The song is called "Only Time". Oh yes, and I was pleasently surprised by this soundtrack and happy the Eagles' (Bernie Leadon's) "Journey of the Sorcerer" (originally from their "One Of These Nights" album) made the grade, although produced by Joby Talbot, I am curious who is performing this version.

This soundtrack has it all and is very well-rounded. Most of the music is composed by Jolby Talbot and is very imaginative and very very well integrated into the feature film.

All in all though, the orchestral scores from this movie work perfectly with the movie but are a little lacking while listening to them without it. As great as Jolby Talbot's score is, it is uncomparable to those by composers such as John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith.

The real standouts in this soundtrack are "So Long & Thanks For All The Fish" (featured in the film) and "Vote Beeblebrox" (not in the movie, but there is a wonderful music video of this out on the internet released to promote the movie) - they are really great songs, both written by Joby Talbot.

"The Journey Of The Sorcerer" is a great song and was the theme song to both the radio series and tv series of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," so I'm glad that it made its way into the movie and at the appropriate time.

The real stinker in this soundtrack album is "Reasons To Be Miserable (His Name Is Marvin)" performed by Stephen Fry. It is just horrendous.

I have no problem with the song itself, written by Douglas Adams, Stephen Moore (the voice of marvin in the radio series and tv series), and John Sinclair. In fact, I quite like it.

I just abhor this new remix of it with Stephen Fry singing it. The new beat to it is horrible and makes my head dizzy. It is also hard to hear the lyrics. Stephen Fry was the voice of "the guide" in the movie - NOT Marvin. It is also irritating to hear it sung in the third person.

The song is from 1981 and was released on a pop singles album called "Reasons To Be Miserable" with the songs "Reasons To Be Miserable" and "Marvin, I Love You" (featured in a couple Dr. Demento CDs as well) Another album was entitled "Marvin" and had the songs "Marvin The Paranoid Android" and "Metal Man" For more on them, do a search on google.

The original release of the "Reasons To Be Miserable" song of course were sung by Stephen Moore, the actual voice of Marvin from the radio series and tv series and co-writer of the songs. And they are sung in the first person.

Alan Rickman should be singing hte "Reasons To Be Miserable" song and not Stephen Fry. They also should not have remixed it. Can you believe that there is actually an CD released called "The Marvin Mixes" that has Stephen Fry singing like 7 different versions of the "Reasons To Be Miserable Song" ?? I can't.

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If you enjoyed the movie [and we will assume that you did since you're here] you will love this soundtrack! It's got Everything!

Much of the work is orchestral. Some of it is techno. There are a couple of pop tune, and Perry Como [it works, trust me].

The Opening Theme "So Long and Thanks for All the Fish" is a gloriously funny show tune. It was funny on screen, but here you can pick out the lyrics. It's even more fun when you can sing along.

It's got the theme from the original radio play "Journey of the Sorcerer", banjo and all. [so did the movie].
Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is mellow enough to blow your mind.
"Huma's Hymn" about the Coming of the Great White Handkerchief is nothing more then Holy.
The "Planet Factory Floor" is ...Well, it's just plain Huge!

And Stephen Fry rapping. Stephen Fry, Man!! Reginald Jeeves of "Jeeves and Wooster" fame! If you are familiar with Stephen Fry, then the absurdity of him rapping makes this even more fun to listen to. He does the last track called "Reasons to Be Miserable (His Name is Marvin)", and he pulls it off so well!

It's enough to make you want this album!

I've recently become a huge hitchhiker's fan and, after seeing the new movie, felt that I had to have the sound track. I really bought it because I love the banjo laden "Journey of the Sorcerer." Like most of the songs, though, I wish it were a longer version. While all of the songs are really well done, most of them are 2 minutes or less. This is not so bad when you listen to them straight through, since there is a detectable theme to the soundtrack. Sometimes you can't even tell that the song switched. Only if you want to listen to one particular track is the length a problem. You get just a taste of the music and then the son switches before you can get really into it. This is only a minor detail, however, when you consider how great the soundtrack is on whole. I'm glad that they decided not to put a whole bunch of sound clips on the album. Not that this is always bad, but isn't the dialogue what the movie is for? In summation, this is a great album for anyone who enjoyed the music while watching the movie, and the extra songs that did not appear in the movie are also great.