The Truth And The Light: Music From The X-Files (Television Series) [SOUNDTRACK]

Mark Snow, The X-Files (Related Recordings)

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 1996)
• Original Release Date: October 8, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002N8O
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,004 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This collection of crisp electronic music mixed with bits of character dialogue will well please X-Files fans; those unfamiliar with the long-running sci-fi show have a chance to discover just how well an intensely eerie television score can stand on its own. Soundtrack master Mark Snow has done other scores for TV, but the X-Files is his most outstanding work. Right off the bat this CD transports you into the world of agents Mulder and Scully and the supernatural or extraterrestrial mysteries they uncover. The haunting, melodious whistle theme; the slow-moving walls of melancholy electronica; the ominous, urgent rhythms written for action scenes all recall the dark, spooky atmosphere that the X-Files program has so expertly created and maintained. There's also an ocean of dialogue to explore here, which for some may be distracting, but for others will bring back the suspenseful and sometimes horrific images from particular episodes. Overall, the dialogue is presented in a subdued enough way that it doesn't stand out oddly and oftentimes just reinforces the creepy intrigue that is the show's most wonderful quality. Recommended. --Karen Karleski

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

"Mulder!" "Scully!" - Dazzling, dizzying, terrifying, hypnotic: what a show! One of the many things that makes 'The X-Files' undisputably the greastest show in television history is the music. Mark Snow's masterpieces of audio-understatement add immeasurably to the atmosphere and ambience that keep us on the edge of our seat, week after week. But how little of it we actually get to hear! I didn't realise just how much I was missing until I bought this CD. Suddenly I was able to appreciate the show even more... No-one who calls themselves an X-Phile can do without this album. Buy it. Buy it now.

(And no, I don't work for Fox, et al 8)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hauntingly evocative music from The X-Files, April 5, 2003

By	Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The music of Mark Snow helped make The X-Files one of the most engaging, remarkable shows in television history, yet it is easy to overlook the importance of the show's consistently amazing weekly score, what with all of the intrigues and dark mysteries challenging Agents Mulder and Scully. With this album, one gets the chance to concentrate on the music in and of itself, albeit laced with numerous bits of dialogue, and the true power of Snow's genius is impossible to dismiss or ignore. I'm quite out of my element when it comes to discussing this music; I suppose it is best classified as electronic music with all sorts of funky nuances I won't even attempt to describe because nothing I could say would truly do them justice. These tracks are actual pieces used in The X-Files over the course of its first two seasons, and so it should come as no real surprise that their exceptional ethereal quality easily transports one's imagination into the cryptic world haunted by the indefatigable Agent Mulder and his faithful friend and loyal partner Agent Scully. This album is amazingly evocative of the television show I and so many others became much more than addicted to. Proof of my addiction is the fact I bought this album; generally, I dislike music without singing. This, however, is much more than a musical score; it is undeniably X-Files in its very nature, and as such I really and truly enjoy listening to it. It's not something I pop in the CD player on a regular basis, but it is just what the doctor ordered when I am in a certain dark yet inquisitive mood and could well serve as excellent music to study by. You don't even have to listen to this album; all you have to do is sit back, relax, and let Mark Snow's musical score transport you on a trip of imagination colored by haunting, cosmic dissonance to a world where truth is no longer out there somewhere but is instead inside your very head.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Why?, January 12, 2003

By	Neiman (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

I was an avid fan of the earlier seasons of the X-Files and bought this CD because I love the music. Almost every track on this CD has dialogue from the show dubbed over it. What gives? A soundtrack is suppose to let you enjoy the music out of context. If I want to hear the music with dialogue added, I can just watch the show. I give this 2 stars because even though the music is excellent, I don't like being forced to hear Mulder and Scully talk over it.