Customer Reviews

The Prisoner: File #2

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I'm thrilled at both the sound quality and artistic quality of this release! If you liked the Prisoner show and for some bizarre reason only wanted one volume of the music, then "The Prisoner File #2" should be your pick! It has more of the thrilling suspense and escape and chase music heard on the show. It doesn't contain so much of the source music (like the "Oom-Pa-Pa" band music) featured on the other volumes. The Main Title is a re-record, which is a decent version, but the End Title included here is the best arrangement of the theme I've heard! Now if only Silva would release the scores from the 1971-72 TV series "The Persuaders!" my life would be complete!

This CD is awesome if you want the mood music, the music which plays in the background and often set the mood. Not the Village Radio music (although there's some of that, too), and the dialouge is just first-rate! Well, to me, anyway. Feel free to form your own opinion, though!

This album covers seven classic episodes of "The Prisoner", featuring some of the best story lines complimented by a intriguing score. Patrick McGoohan who as you know by now is referred to as Number 6 takes his characterinto several directions, trying to escape "The Village". We open with "FREE FOR ALL", Number 6 runs for election to become Number 2 ~ "THE GENERAL",now we have [mind-controlled] citizens as a result of speed learning ~ "MANY HAPPY RETURNS", where did everybody go? The Village is deserted and a raft must be built to escape, but does escape? ~ "DANCE OF THE DEAD", finding bodies on the beach is breaking The Village rules, a trial is in the making ~ "CHECKMATE", chess anyone? The Rook and Number 6 are ready to leave and board a rescue ship ~ "HAMMER INTO ANVIL", Number 2 is about to be unhinged ~ "A CHANGE OF MIND", Number 6 climbs on the operating table for surgery and turns the tables.

The Prisoner is simply the greatest television series ever made, with outstanding cues at every turn. Through this score we are able to relive all the characters that grew so dear in our hearts. The composer Albert Elms synchronizes the score to fit the mood of each cue. Elms music is interwoven into the original theme that was written by Ron Grainer featuring the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, and it works perfectly. Highly recommend this collection as we relive those magical years when television was creative and entertaining. The music should be considered as one of the primary characters of the series.

Total Time: 57:45 on 39 Tracks ~ Silva America SSD-1145 ~ (2/11/2003)

The Prisoner / Original Television soundtrack /
File #2 - Some Music and bits of dialog from "Free For All", "The General", "Many happy returns", "Dance of the dead", "Checkmate", "Hammer into anvil" and
"A Change of Mind":

For the fan of the McGoohan series, this audio CD is essential.
Don't be unmutual. Buy this disc (after buying Volume One).

Be seeing you.

Now........what do i desire?

Number 1

because i have to collect them all now :D

You could do a lot worse than this if picking 1960s soundtrack or program music, but you could do a lot better too.

The Prisoner has all the bongos, jazz nuances, 60s keyboards--every charming ingredient that we love about such music of this era. There is even a faux psychdelic version of "He's A Jolly Good Fellow" that is pretty good once you stop laughing at it.

The problem: this is caught between bad 60s soundtrack cheese and the funky jazz impulses that make the best film music of this era classic. You won't get the pretty pretty pretty of a Percy Faith here, but you won't get the jazz brillance of Quincy Jones or the funk attack of a Lalo Shafrin either.

Some excellent patches here, but this prisoner doese not choose a side.