Enterprise [ENHANCED] [SOUNDTRACK]

Dennis McCarthy (Composer)

Product Details

• Composer: Dennis McCarthy
• Audio CD (May 14, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Soundtrack
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000658PQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,105 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek franchise now encompasses five television series, a cartoon show, 10 feature films, an IMAX presentation, and an interactive Las Vegas spectacular--not bad for a much-mocked '60s TV show its network discarded after barely three seasons. With Enterprise, the prequel that follows the first starship Enterprise on her original missions, composer and previous ST series vet Dennis McCarthy takes the saga's musical reins, instantly imbuing it with a familiar, if more dignified and restrained, sense of discovery and adventure with his pastoral "New Enterprise" and "New Horizons" themes. If his "Archer's Theme" briefly strays into overwrought rock heroics, the composer's edgy, rhythmic Klingon cues add a sense of almost palpable danger to the soundtrack. Tense, unusually brooding, and marvelously atmospheric, McCarthy's scoring here harks back to the best of Goldsmith's ST film work. "The Rescue" even recalls the powerfully dramatic brass writing of Herrmann in his prime. Another sure sign of the show's pop culture stature: it now has its own bona fide Diane Warren overwrought pop ballad theme, "Where My Heart Will Take Me" (in both its TV version and an extended album mix here) by Russell Watson. Expanded PC media features include a mock Enterprise computer interface containing a performance video of Watson's song and cast and character bios/profiles. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good kickoff for the new Trek series, May 15, 2002

By	Earl Green (theLogBook.com) - See all my reviews

It's not unusual for the music from the pilot episode of a new Star Trek series to outshine much of what follows. This disc contains Russell Watson's two versions of "Where My Heart Will Take Me," the show's underrated (and critically savaged, at least by many a fan) main theme, and most of the music from the two-hour premiere, "Broken Bow," scored by Dennis McCarthy. McCarthy's been around since the pilot movie of ST:TNG, and also did outstanding scores for the pilot of Deep Space Nine and for Star Trek: Generations on the big screen. While much of these series' weekly musical output flies unremarkably under the radar, McCarthy's known for throwning everything he's got at the pilot movies, and this soundtrack is no exception. Low-key menace permeates the score for scenes of the Suliban's machinations, while the Enterprise and Captain Archer are graced with a heroic (but not over-the-top bombastic) all-American-sounding motif. Here's hoping that this won't be the only soundtrack we get out of this Star Trek spinoff (we've only gotten one apiece from DS9 and Voyager); if the recent episode "Vox Sola" was any indication, there's more good music to be had from Enterprise, and hopefully this is just the first volume.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Different Strokes for Different Folks, December 13, 2002

By	James R. Kratzer "The Data Doctor" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I went hunting for this CD and actually got it the day it shipped; I was intrigued by the on-line 'flame wars' concerning the Title theme by Watson.
A lot of people hate Watson's singing of the Title theme; a case of "How DARE they have a vocal for the main title?". But if you stop the outraged act long enough to listen to the song, it perfectly fits the backstory of the series. If you really ARE a Trek fan, you know what that means, and can agree with me - unless you're too hidebound to be flexible. If you're NOT a Trekker (or Trekkie), then you shouldn't CARE that someone wrote and performed a vocal title theme for a Star Trek series. Just approach the song for what it is; a challenge flung in the faces of the entire Vulcan race, that no, they're not gonna hold you back any longer, you're going into deep space, you WILL crack the Warp 5 barrier, and you DO believe in yourself, whether the Vulcans are receptive to the idea of following one's emotional lead or not.
The entire song, and the series, are basically saying, "So there, Mr. Spock. I'M going to the stars anyway, whether you think I'm ready, or not."
By the way, I AM a long-time Trek fan, and I DO like the series, and the music.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new "sound" for a new take on the Star Trek saga!, May 26, 2002

By	Reginald D. Garrard "the G-man" (Camilla, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

While Dennis McCarthy's score to the new series "Enterprise" harkens back to the exciting tones and melodies that the composer so deftly created for the other "Trek" shows and the big screen "Generations," it is the theme, performed by Russell Watson, that makes this truly a feast for the ears. The Diane Warren-penned tune sets the stage for this, the first voyage of the famed nameplate. With as much passion as anything that she has done for the movies, the songwriter has magnificently crafted a theme befitting Gene Roddenberry's vision, as well as the goals of the actual U.S. space program of the 50's and 60's.

John F. Kennedy, Neil Armstrong, and all the others so instrumental with getting us "out there" would be proud.