Customer Reviews

Star Trek: Volume 2 - Doomsday Machine and Amok Time

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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I was astonished to see this music actually available. Being somany, many years since the first production date, I would hardly haveexpected to find something preserved so accurately. This is, in fact aperfect recording. The music itself is really astonishing. Ratherthan an endless trundling out of the Star Trek theme, Sol Kaplan comesup with a collection of brilliant orchestral minatures in which hedisplays an absolute and total command of large scale orchestralwriting. I would guess his major influences would be Sibelius, Mahler,and probably Richard Strauss, but you would have to also certainlyinclude Edgar Varese and possibly Jacob Druckmann. Some of his ideasappear to spring from a probably uncatalogued collection of martialthemes, but his ability to paint vivid and powerful colours is likenothing I have heard before. Some of the themes reach really deep andwill endure for many decades to come. The way he ties in the StarTrek theme itself is very clever and elegant, making quite a trick inthe tail towards the end of the piece... What on earth has this dearfellow done since, or before? I am very, very impressed with this andwould absolutely recommend it to anyone, even classical music buffs.

Yep, this CD contains the Star Trek 'battle' or 'fight' music that Joel, Crow and Tom Servo would quote during MST3K shows -- the music you think of whenever Captain Kirk, Spock and Bones are in a life-or-death struggle. The music was originally written for "Amok Time," the episode where Spock's libido goes into overdrive, and he battles Kirk "to the death" over Spock's bride.

Also on the CD is the music from "The Doomsday Machine." Not as memorable, but still good, solid movie music.

Music composers Sol Kaplan and Gerald Fried are two of the better music writers for television back in the late 1960's. Both were famous for scores for other things (Kaplan for "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" and Fried for "Gilligan's Island"), but showed that they could create music for a then new project: Star Trek.

Kaplan's score for "The Doomsday Machine" emphasized what was going on in each scene, underscoring how tension packed the episode was when it was made in 1967. (With the Special Effects that are available now, if they ever redo Star Trek, this is one episode that would seriously "amp up" the tension!!)

Fried, on the other hand, used his impressive Jazz training to show Mr. Spock in his "pon farr" state, and also to give the previously never seen before Planet Vulcan an alien atmosphere. Of course, the famous music for the fight scene between Spock and Kirk has been imitated often, but never topped.

An excellent CD for music and Classic TV fans.

Steven Spielberg's Jaws has one of the most recognizable movie themes ever..the shark theme. But the "da-dum da-dum" music that made John Williams's career was already done ten years earlier...and is on this soundtrack.

The Star Trek episode The Doomsday Machine featured an ominous machine was the sci fi equivalent of a giant shark: a silent, big, grey behemoth that swallowed spaceships whole. The tension was established via the soundtrack by a simple "da-dum" theme. Like "Jaws", it would start slowly and softly and gradually turn up the tempo and the volume.

I think "Doomsday Machine" is a great soundtrack by itself. "Amok Time" is a terrific companion...its a completely different sound with a sixties pseudo-spiritual approach. But the fight theme is a classic. Both of these soundtracks on a single CD make this one a winner.

I have always been a fan of the original Star Trek since it was on network TV back in the 60's. Like the show itself, the music grew on me. It was a key component of each adventure. Unlike the music of the Trek spinoffs, which was subdued and, for the most part, forgetful, the original Trek music had a wide variety of moods; it could be creepy or it could be full of fanfare. This CD captures the flavors and excitement of two classic Trek episodes and the quality is so good you want to blast it from your sound system. Sol Kaplan's cues and themes from "The Doomsday Machine" are rich with feeling and sound. This episode was great from beginning to end and so is the music. It sounds like Kaplan had extra musicians in the room for this one and I think I recall reading that somewhere. In this episode, it seemed that there was very little of it that didn't have music accompanying the action. Gerald Fried's music for "Amok Time" is much different but no less memorable. His cues and themes are mysterious with a lot of percussion, as he set the moods for Vulcan. Who can't sing or hum from memory the fight music during the Kirk/Spock battle for T'Pring?
This is exactly my point about the original Trek music. It was a character just as much as any of the actors. Hearing this music again in all its richness recalls each scene and even specific dialogue. This CD is a must for Trek fans and a good buy for television music enthusiasts as well.

Neil Norman(executive producer), just keeps cranking them out...take for instance "STAR TREK:ORIGINAL TV SOUNDTRACK("The Cage" & "Where No Man Has Gone Before")(GNPD-8006)...the legendary Alexander Courage shares his talent for scoring with his famous Sci-Fi opening theme, every cue has the Courage signature.

For this "Volume Two" from episodes "THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE"(Kaplan) and "AMOK TIME"(Fried), the creator of Star Trek Gene Roddenberry chose two veterans Sol Kaplan and Gerald Fried...both composers use of full orchestra was both rewarding and beneficial to the plot and substance of the series...although Fried's cues were darker in nature, gave us a feeling transformation into another time and place...while Kaplan's composition showed the audience what loss and despair could do to any human being...a highlight is "THE PROCESSIONAL"(Track 20) and "THE CHALLENGE"(Track 21), memorable cues that leaves one remembering that particular episode of the series...both composers hit the mark...dead on.

You might enjoy other Star Trek albums from GNP Crescendo ~ "Star Trek:Original TV Series Sound Effects"(GNPD-8010)..."Star Trek:The Next Generation:Encounter At Farpoint"(GNPD-8012)..."Star Trek:The Next Generation Volume Two"(GNPD-8026)...all worthy of a good listen.

Total Time: 52:35 on 25 Tracks ~ GNP/Crescendo GNPD-8025 ~ (1991)

The quality of this recording is pretty good. I was disappointed with the CD for the original episode "The Cage" because the music is rather muddled. That's not an issue here. The quality is high for a recording made back in 1967. The music itself is highly evocative. There are a number of tracks here that are true classics. Of course there's the famous "fight music" from "Amok Time." But what is surprising is that there are several other tracks that are variations on this well-known theme. There are also some moodier pieces that evoke both Spock's nobility and his torment. It's truly a wonderful collection.

I bought these music tracks to listen to while i am playing my Star Trek Online Sim. It adds authentic ambiance while traveling around in the 24th Century. If you are an STO player all of these tracks are perfect for the true Trekkie. (No matter the Generation)

Star Trek music is great if you like the television series. I grew up with Star Trek in the late 70's and 80's watching reruns and videos with my dad that he had recorded off of t.v. Two of my favorite episodes are featured here on "Volume 2". "The Doomsday Machine" and "Amok Time". These are classics of the Star Trek juggernaut. It is different just listening to the music. You understandably hear things that you otherwise would not hear while watching an episode. "Volume 2" sounds like it was recorded in the 60's. 1967 to be precise. What I mean to say is that when the music was recorded there were limitations as far as recoding equipment goes. It really sounds like a 1960's soundtrack but is unique in it's approach. As far as I know, this is not a remastered cd and I can tell. I wish they would have boosted up the levels and made it louder. A little more bass would make this a great sounding cd but don't let that stop you from buying it. It is a really great soundtrack that no sci-fi fan should be without.