Customer Reviews

Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Won't be adding much that hasn't already been said, but my purpose is to add weight to previous inputs. I, like some might be doing right now, mulled over buying this set about a year ago, but hesitated because of the reviews. Well, I bought and, like others, was simultaneously frustrated and pleased with the end result.

AWESOME selection of music on this 2-disc set that has an audio fidelity sorely lacking on the older releases. For the music selection and sound quality it would be an easy 5-star rating...BUT I only gave it 3 because of those irritating segues/transitions between tracks (yes, they do frequently cover up the intros and outros of the songs, AND they're too loud, spoiling what should have been a smooth flow from piece to piece), the replacement of some previous versions of the same songs, and the inclusion of the "Age of Aquarius" tune. Though I was never nuts about a couple of the "world tunes" on the old mix, they are WAY more tolerable than the "Aquarius" tune. And my last minor gripe is with some of the extended/full versions of the songs, the compilation as a whole doesn't flow quite as nicely (ignoring the irritating segues) as the old one.

That being said, I'll probably end up burning a compilation of the same songs with the segues removed and the order or music restored to what I'm used to.

Is it worth buying? Yeah, I'd say so. It's just a shame it's not as outstanding a compilation as it could have been.

Would LOVE to know what the record company was thinking when they made the decision to leave the noisy transitions. Can't imagine someone sitting down to demo the final mix through some high-end system and speakers, and going "Yeah!! That gurgling noise MAKES this disc!! Hey...can we make it louder?"

This album is a must for anyone who loved watching the Cosmos series on TV. There is no doubt that the music was an integral part of the viewing experience and the combination of Carl's voice, the visual effects and the music has to make it one of the most stunning series of all time. This album features virtually all of the music from the series and has been greatly expanded from the original release. The music has been digitally remastered and to hear it rendered in CD quality sound makes it a truly awesome listening experience. Just crank up the volume and be surrounded by spectacular Cosmos music!! Prior to purchasing the set, I had read some of the other comments posted here about the sounds in between the tracks. For me, I do not find them bothersome at all. In fact, I find that as I'm listening to the CD, they actually make me conjure up images of some of the scenes from the actual TV series. I think that the idea was innovative and since they were part of the original album, it is right that they be featured on the re-release. In short, this CD is a credit to the producers and is a must for anyone who appreciates Classical and New Age music and the Cosmos series.

I am astounded that everyone who disliked the track segues on this release apparently didn't read the any of the liner notes or apparently watch the COSMOS TV series itself. Like the TV series, this soundtrack musically covers the origins of the Universe, the development of stars, planets, life, evolution, civilization, scientific discoveries and meditations on humanity's fate and place in the universe. A quick glance at the back cover and liner notes clearly illustrate this.

Perfectionists are advised that if they really want the actual soundtrack music to the series, simply purchase the DVD box set. There is a music only track on each DVD for each program. As broadcast, most of the pieces were multiply re-arranged, cut, trimmed and even made into different versions, so you'll not hear exactly what was broadcast even with an original recording. Besides, many pieces were omitted from the CD due to copyright, time constraints, etc.

That having been said, the Age of Aquarius cut is awful, regardless of whether it was in the TV show or not. Omitting Beethoven for that? Ugh. That alone makes me give it a 4/5.

I got this album before Amazon started to carry it. Totally awsome! The brightest spot is the works by Vangelis no doubt about it. All the classical piece are also very impressive. You need a good audio system to enjoy it.

100% recommand to everybody who have ears.....

Unfortunately, this 2-CD set appears to be unavailable now. But if you can find it, don't hesitate to purchase it. If you loved the 80s TV series, this captures many of the musical moments that made the series so unique.

As many reviewers have mentioned - yes, Age of Aquarius does not fit in well; the segues between selections range from being odd to downright annoying; and yes there is much more music represented here than on the original LP, including the Vangelis track that he composed for the second Special Edition of Cosmos that aired as a mini-series several years after the original series aired.

One thing that reviewers so far have overlooked is that one track from the original LP somehow did not make it onto this 2CD set - Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu's short track "Inside the Heart of the Universe". A brief and somewhat odd piece of music, it still has a mystical beauty to it. It also gave me reason to know Takemitsu's name when I was six or seven years old, growing up watching the Cosmos series and enjoying the original LP. I grew up to be a professional musician, and tried to find out just where this track came from. It took a lot of research, but I found that it was from a soundtrack called Legacy For the Future. It was released on LP in the early 1970s, and was only briefly released on CD by Deutsche Grammophon in 1996 and I was lucky to find a copy (the whole CD is wonderful!). Anyway, this probably more info than most readers care for, but for any who remember this cool piece of music and lament that it did not make it to this 2CD set - you aren't the only ones who noticed this!

There is a CD release of the original LP tracks - right now there appear to be several copies available from Marketplace sellers. So those who are dissatisfied with the 2CD release, or wish to experience both on CD, can purchase it while supplies last. The artwork is different from, and not as breathtaking as the original LP, but the music is the same. And the Takemitsu piece is on that one!

John Kendall Bailey

It's no wonder that Carl Sagan was responsible for picking music to represent Earth on the record that is attached to Voyager. This CD set is a very good representation of the music of Earth. There's the varying periods of classical music represented, some Japanese and some modern stuff. If you were to get 1 CD to represent Earth's music, this would be it. Of course, the best part of the CD is the Vangelis theme. That was my favorite part of the Cosmos series. It was a very representative piece.

This is one of the best collections of music available, the range and power of these tracks are seductive and addictive, I have listened to this over and over since the LP came out in the 80's and it is never tiring. The CD is even more brilliant in it's presentation of this music. A must have for any collection of music.

This is a GREAT compilation seamlessly connected with the sounds of evolution.
People that don't get the connection shouldn't put down the collection just because they DO NOT understand it.
Purest types should buy the individual composers'works.............

When I went to finally buy the CD version of this disc I noticed there were two versions- the one above and the newer remastered edition which has the same cover as the dvds do. I also own the old vinyl version of this from the 80s. First off between the original release on vinyl and the new CDs, it is obvious there are more new tracks on the CDs. Also the songs listed are longer versions of what was originally released. The fidelity is obviously improved, as the vinyl did have a softer sound to it. But as with CDs the sound quality at times does have edgyness that the record did not. The first thing I noticed was they reshuffled the tracks from the original release. I'm not sure the new track order works as well as the old, as the old had a good pace to it. Also another thing is there are some rather annoying transitions between songs that sound rather cheezy and do not suit this album. They break up the pace and rhythm of the album and don't always fade out during the next song which can ruin the beginning of it. The sound byte transitions turn a rather classy album into something of science fiction for teens. This selection could have been mixed without them and work better in the mood the album presents. Also keep in mind not all tracks are the original songs presented on the vinyl version, and possibly even the tv series itself. Some are newer recordings of the same song, and its noticable they are not the original. One track that comes to my mind right off the bat is track 15 on the first CD. But the newer editions are fine, but it can be jarring if you have a auditory memory of how the older version sounded- especially if you liked it that way. All in all its still an excellent assortment of songs on two discs, and I would recommend it on that basis. If you already have the DVDs, I would suggest these CDs as well. But after hearing this new disc, Im keeping my old vinyl record for sure.

This newer two CD soundtrack of Carl Sagan's Cosmos has more music than the old vinyl LP, which I liked, but I thought the old record arranged the selections in a more logical, listenable order. The "environmental" sound effects are not all musical The crane was the only bird's call I heard and unfortunately no songbirds were included, though the sounds of other not so musical animals were included (e.g., the lion and zebra). The saw and bulldozer were annoying. There was certainly an attempt at convey an environmental message, but why permit noise to intrude on the music?

There's a moving version of "Pachelbel's Canon", J. S. Bach's "The Sea Named Solaris", selecions from Holst's "The Planets" and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". and many of the other classical music tracks used in the series. These works sound even better than they did on the old LP. This makes the album well worth owning, though it would have been better if those who designed it had followed the concept of the old LP more closely.