Customer Reviews

Firefly (Original Television Soundtrack)

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For those of us who are "Firefly" fans and tried to be happy with the music from the movie inspired by the series, "Serenity," the long wait is over for the music that originally moved you and helped make "Firefly" the magical, immersion experience that it is.

I'm not knocking David Newman too much. The "Serenity" soundtrack had its moments (the title track "Serenity" and "Love" come to mind). But Texan composer-guitarist Greg Edmonson wrote the music that Nate Fillion ("Capt. Mal Reynolds") observed moved *him* deeply as *he'd* watch the episodes. This entire work is enjoyable, entertaining, and exhilarating. And the composer loved the show, writing some of his best music for episodes that - as far as he knew - might never air.

I'm convinced that this is a fan-driven soundtrack release. I've been waiting for my copy since I heard it would be available. Yet the best part of this soundtrack is that there's no pandering to the people; you just get the music from the show that you love. Here's what Greg himself had to say about working for the music of "Firefly":

"It wasn't just the cast, or the writing, acting or directing. It was not any one element. It was all the elements together. It was such clever show about deep, interesting things. In my opinion, it was too good for television."

Edmonson's masterful blending of Western and Eastern, classical and country avoids both the futuristic and archaic and leaves you in the "here and now" with your friends and foes in the world of "Firefly." I especially enjoyed the Theme, River's Dance, Funeral, and all the parts of all the songs with Edmonson's great Western guitar.

Yeah, Greg. It probably was "too good for television." I'll just have it for myself and share it as something precious with my intelligent, tasteful friends.

Compare this to any tv show soundtrack you've ever heard. "Firefly" blows away every tv show soundtrack ever. In fact, it's better than almost any movie soundtrack I've ever heard - exceptions being those for music oriented movies such as "A Hard Day's Night", "Amadeus", "Almost Famous" and the like. Every piece on this cd takes you right back to the moment on the show that generated it. I love finally being able to listen to just the music from the series. I had realized how great the show's soundtrack was a long time before this was released and had tried to just listen to it while watching the show. Unfortunately, the show is so good that I'd always get distracted into viewing the whole thing as the incredible, integrated viewing experience that is "Firefly". Just being able to listen to the music alone is fabulous. And the best part is that, as listenable as this soundtrack is within the context of the show, it's just as good on it's own. Every piece of music on this cd stands on it's own. If you love "Firefly", you'll love this soundtrack just as much. The only complaint I have is one of omission. How could they not include "Hero of Canton" on this cd? I think it had something to do with licensing, but I really wish it could have been included.

Firefly has to be one of my favorite television shows. Part of what made it stand out to me so much was the music. The score for the tv show mixed a variety of different themes, from blugrass, to chinese, to techno. The music really gave the show an incredible atmosphere. So when I heard that the soundtrack for the show was going to released, I was incredibly excited. I am pleased to report that the music from the show holds up just as well alone. Although if you are familiar with the show, you will no doubt be transported back to your favorite moments. The only glaring ommision is "The Hero of Canton" from the episode Jaynestown. However, I find this ommision understandable (albeit dissapointing) as I am not sure if a clean version of the song was ever recorded. If you are a fan of Firefly this is a CD you don't want to miss. Even if you're not a fan, there is sure to be plenty here you can enjoy.

I don't think I really need to go into details that this soundtrack is pretty much just for fans of the series, if you've seen Firefly you know to expect the same beautiful and sublime music that you can find in the series. If you've never watched the series before please just stop reading this and go rent the Firefly complete series DvDs.

If you like what you see there feel free to come back and consider purchasing this CD.


My only gripe with the soundtrack that bars my giving the review 5 stars is that the folktale sung in the episode Jaynestown "A Man they call Jayne" is absent from the soundtrack having only been performed during the filming of the show, but it would have been nice to see here.

It's absence from the soundtrack is only a small loss however as the rest of the music is quite excellent.

I loved Christopher Beck on Buffy and I thought Angel's Robert J. Kral was fine 'n dandy, but Gred Edmonson on Firefly really takes the cake for me, and I didn't realize this until I bought and listened to this amazing, wonderful soundtrack.

Call me biased, but I love my "Firefly." What a wonderful show. And I had no doubt it would be a wonderful show before it aired, because this is Joss Whedon we're talking about here - he's my god.

This soundtrack, unlike the recently released Angel soundtrack, is balanced and almost has continuity/consistency. The Angel soundtrack would go from glorious season five fight-music to season two Pylea-cheese, making the Cd a mostly "listen-then-skip" affair.

With the "Firefly" soundtrack, it's an entire listening experience, and it doesn't even matter for me if I remember which episode each song came from: this CD is an entire mood, an ethereal feeling.

The mix of Chinese, Western, Classical (and the oboe! the lovely, lovely Early oboe!) is truly dynamic. Thanks to the wonderful production by Edmonson and the fantastic selection of instruments/effects, these songs sound like they were played by all-real instruments (even though they couldn't have been). What really matters is, really, the tight song-writing and the consistent mood throughout the songs. It certainly feels like Edmonson "got" the series and really, really enjoyed it, and I can't say the same to the somewhat inconsistent efforts of Mr. Kral.

Sometimes the music is too "background-y" and slow, especially in the first half of the disc, but by the middle it's all good from there on.

Why didn't Edmonson score "Serenity" (the movie)?

Best tracks: "River Tricks Early," "Boarding the Serenity / Derelict," and "Inside the Tam House."

Grade: B+/A-

As a FIREFLY fan, I was familiar with the soundtrack that was sometimes burried beneath the dialogue of the show. This CD presents the melodies and tunes without distraction.....and what a delightful sound it is! The music has a language all it's own, and the audio cues take you right back into the FIREFLY 'verse. You will recognize the twangy chords of the "SERENITY" theme, the forceful drums that announce the"REAVERS", and the romantic yet mournful sounds that accompany the MAL/INARA relationship. Every character, every episode is here in music that is unforgetable. Hats off to GREG EDMONSON for these beautiful compositions, I only wish he had been on board for the movie soundtrack, which in my opinion is somewhat inferior.

A fine melange of incidental music from the TV series Firefly including as it does a mixture of stylings from bluegrass to world music with perhaps a dollop of delta blues and modern classical sensibilities.

Amazing music, brings to mind every visual detail of the TV show with each song played. Greg Edmonson is a genius. While it's possible to find the music online to dl, it's well worth buying the CD. The music is crisper, clear, and smoother. If you're a Firefly/Serenity fan at all, support the show and buy this soundtrack!

Music is a very important part of my life. Lyric free music is wonderful because it offers you a mood more than a story. I miss the big band days before vocals became necessary. Soundtracks from 1992's Last of the Mohicans, 1989's The Abyss, 1991's Dances with wolves are part of my permanent rotation (OK, so when I fly I take 1 change of clothes & 99kg of music) as well as the classics. Why do you need to know all this? So you can properly appreciate how much I enjoy the music on this disc.
The Firefly soundtrack includes all the incidental, motive & cue music that made the show such a wonderful experience. There have been other telly programmes, most notably due South which released discs and managed to include important music, but failed to include all those little themes that made the show special. The drawback is unfortunate however; to include all this music, it can't be very long. Firefly's blessing is also its curse; we get to enjoy tracks with the eclectic, unique music of "Whitefall" & "Big bar fight" & "Leaving" & "Back home" but they're only seconds long. I'm serious! Most of the tracks are under 2 minutes long & are offered as combinations.
So thanks to Joss Whedon & Greg Edmonson et al for the show & the music, buy the disc if you're a fan because you'll remember all the scenes that went with the music & that'll help ease the hungering for MORE!

This soundtrack will have you wanting to sail on a Firefly. You can envision every moment of the show. My particular favorite is River's Dance. I was bummed that the Serenity soundtrack did not have the theme song on it and now I know that they were going to release it on a seperate soundtrack. My only complaint, like the other reviewers, is that The Hero of Canton is missing. This is a wonderful addition to any Browncoat collection.