Customer Reviews

Star Trek: Original Television Soundtrack (The Cage, Where No Man Has Gone Before)

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

 

 

This is it. The ne plus ultra. The Ur source. The Holy Grail of Trekdom.

If not for the less-than-perfect (but still acceptable) recording quality, this album would rate a full five stars. (Presumably, this recording was copied directly from the original, optical soundtrack recordings.)

I especially enjoy the pure, simple but sad and melancholy melodies Courage used in the score for "The Cage". Unclouded by dialog and special effects, the sublime oboe/clarinet duet in "Doctor Bartender" is seldom matched in any genre.

Most fans will notice the original theme music in an early orchestration right off the bat. But only the astute will recognize the new, alternative theme written for "Where No Man Has Gone Before".

Both scores, heard in their entirety, bring a new dimension to one's appreciation of the artistry of the old series. These are well thought out works that could be credibly played in a contemporary concert hall anywhere in America. In fact, I prefer them, clunky optical recording and all, to much of what passes for music in those concert halls today!

Fans of the later Star Trek franchises might be lead to a new appreciation for the wind symphony (Courage primarily wrote for winds in these scores, augmented with electronic tonalities) and find it a refreshing alternative to the dreary sludge of contemporary television's synthesized anti-melodic schmaltz.

All-in-all, this is a "must have" for the serious Star Trek fan and for lovers of good music everywhere.

Accolades aside for the music itself, there are two reasons to be miffed by this cd, though the problems stem from the original LP release: tape hiss and distortion (like someone blowing into the microphone) when the music peaks out. The cd insert (from the LP) mentions these problems, though of course they aren't apparent in the TV episodes...
Secondly, while "The Cage" seems complete (thankfully the music during warp-speed is omitted), "Where no man..." is not. The music to the climactic 5-10 minute battle between Kirk and Gary is omitted! The insert says the master tapes were unedited. Was it that LP's were limited to 45 minutes (the album runs 43 min)? Whatever the reason, it's a disappointing result.
While I'm glad for the music available and have gotten used to the problems, I wish they could have at least corrected the omission when they released the cd.

Alexander Courage was a pioneer in the scoring of early television beyond anyone's comprehension during that time...his creativity and music would have such an impact on future series and composers now coming into an age electronic wonders...not on the same scale as Bernard Herrmann, but very close to his edge of scoring...if you know what I mean.

Not unlike Herrmann, Courage has a way with orchestration and arrangements...take for instance the cues on "THE CAGE", each a theme within a theme, never-ending and moving onto yet another segment as in "PIKE'S PUNISHMENT"...counterpoints blending within various themes transferring from one to the other...very much like Herrmann, a style that is very contagious...gotta love it.

Another Cosmic event from Neil Norman(executive album producer) under his watchful eye we can depend on original releases for all early STAR TREK FANS, who have made collecting any and everything their favorite past time...thank you GNP/Crescendo for bringing a little ray of sunshine into our lives...keep up the good work!

Total Time: 43:21 on 35 Tracks ~ GNP/Crescendo GNPD-8006 ~ (1985/1989)

With its mix of rich orchestrations, twangy guitar, and primitive electronics, this score by Alexander Courage is probably the best music ever composed for Star Trek, often being recycled into later episodes. Courage also did The Naked Time on vol. III in this fine reissue series. However, given that the track listing is only given on the CD face itself, most fans have probably missed the fact that it's hopelessly off, due to an error in each score's indexing. Here's the correction:

The Cage actually comprises index numbers 1-23 as a cd player reads them, not 1-22 as the credits list. Prime Specimen is actually spread across markers 4 & 5; after that, everything's correct, just one number later than what's printed.

Where No Man Has Gone Before thus starts on index 24, not 23. All following tracks are then one later until 31 (On Delta Vega), where they finally start to match the printed credits. This is because the tracks listed as 29 & 30, Speedy Reader & Hit the Button, are in fact burned as a single track (index 30).

By the way, I created a track listing insert by scanning the disc face and editing it in Photoshop (beat typing in all the titles). E-mail me if you'd like a free copy of the file to print your own; I'll be happy to share the results of my labor!

Before i started getting these discs I had no idea the score for the original show was so complex, so tuned to the content of the show. These highlight an amazing achievement in production and scoring, and I'm breathless at how well they take me back; when these play, I can close my eyes and play the episode in my head.

Fantastic.

This music was very well recorded and I plan on getting all three discs.(I have two so far)
I am a Trekker but good music stands on its own. One of the things that has made this show last all of these years is the music score. Very important for setting the tone and mood. If you enjoy orchestral music you dont need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy this.

I have waited for this album for years! The music of Star Trek laid out as a serious orchestral piece!

This is the soundtrack to both pilots for Star Trek. When I listened to this for the first time I noticed things I had never heard before.

The first pilot, The Cage, had a gentile sadness to it that drew me into the mood of Captain Pike. The action scenes as well as the gentle moments combined to create a wonderful tapestry on which the story was spun.

The second pilot, WNMHGB, also had a sadness but the focus seemed different. This one felt more like what you might feel if you had a job to do that you didn't ask for but had to do. There was an odd moment during one of the tracks when I noticed a jazzy, sort of "detective swagger" melody.

So much of the music from the original series came from this. It really took me back. It reminded me of what I've always liked about Star Trek - the alienness of the unknown and the human drive to experience it. I loved this album and have and will continue to listen to it for years to come.

During the airing of the original TV series, a number of albums were released with the music from a number of episodes. The score by Alexander Courage for The Cage and Where No Man Has Gone Before stand alone as magnificent artistry.

The numbers cannot be dismissed as simply a background to the scenes; the music tells a story through its pace and presentation, as if the writers were using the textured canvas of Courage to shape the episodes.

One only needs to be a fan of outstanding music to enjoy this special collection from the iconic series.

I have most movie, TNG, DS9 and VOY soundtracks, and am a film score lover. Definitely nostalgic, vintage, makes you feel you're back in the sixties, the very beginning of Trek..and yet somewhere else somehow, on another planet. It's like watching the episodes without the dialouge, while working. I can hear it very clearly in my headphones (though I'm sure there's some distortions), every odd but..right note.

With this score, you become an alien. Get caught in the cage. It's a pleasurable feeling to a time when I wasn't yet born.

Sadly, one of the best & most recognizable variations on the the cage theme is missing here. During the transition from the "country picnic" scene to "Rigel 7" there is that eerie chromatic soprano over a thumping timpani drum sounding like a heartbeat. Glockenspiel type bells play in the background. This theme was used over & over again in various episodes, usually when someone would be overcome by some spores or other alien force & enter a trance or euphoric state. As it contains the essential "Cage" theme & is so prevalent in other episodes I sorely miss a good recording. Will GRP Crescendo ever release more OST soundtracks? There is still so much great music from those 3 seasons that has never been released !!