Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exploring the Human Experience through a Fusion of Styles, July 31, 2006
About the Composer:
Bear McCreary took over as the composer for the hot new science fiction series Battlestar Gallactica when the series went it normal production in 2004. McCreary expanded upon some of the original mini-series (2003) composer Richard Gibbs's themes, but quickly developed a style of his own characterized by a mix of tribal beats, ethereal vocals, and electronics. His season 1 Battlestar Galactica soundtrack was very well received, and has been considered an instrumental part of the success of the series. McCreary is comfortable writing and making use of traditional orchestra ensembles, string quartets, electronic compositions, rock flavored guitar, and more traditional folk arrangements. I'd describe his style as actually being similar to European "fusion" music, which mixes electronics with a variety of music styles from around the globe.
About the Soundtrack:
This disk is packed with over an hour of some of my favorite musical tracks from BSG season 2. Though the series itself reused some of the music originally scored for season 1, with only a few exceptions this soundtrack actually focuses on highlighting the new music introduced in season 2. In season 1, McCreary established a few theme songs that we incorporate with specific characters and those themes are worked into new pieces for season 2. Starbuck's theme is masterfully mixed into "Escape from the Farm" and Baltar's theme is integral to "Baltar's Dream" (the track ties into "The Shape of Things to Come" from the season 1 disk). Aside from those two tracks and Richard Gibbs main title sequence (sort of a must for a television soundtrack disk), the rest of the material is not available on the previous disk.
Recommended Tracks:
* Pegasus
* Lords of Kobol
* Martial Law
* Black Market
* Prelude to War
* Something Dark is Coming
Though amazon allows you to sample the music, their choice of what part of the tracks to sample does not always highlight what I like about many of these tracks. For example, the sampled version of "Lords of Kobol" (sung by jazz singer Raya Yarbrough) doesn't feature her vocals ... which are amazing! Raya's lyrics, sung in Sengalese, are really one of the most moving pieces on this disk and it is a shame you will not be able to sample them before making your purchase! On the other hand, the amazon sample of "Martial Law" is very true to the track. Basically the disk is better than the samples.
What I liked most about this soundtrack was its diversity. "Black Market" is a dark fusion of industrial guitar riffs and a middle-eastern flute / drum rhythm (it sounds like a seedy restaurant). Yarbrough's heavenly vocals on "Lords of Kobol" add an emotional and uplifting human touch. "Martial Law" is a chilling styled cold war / eastern bloc styled piece that is completely unlike "The Cylon Prisoner" which has a mix of blues and southwestern American folk. All of these different styles work together as an audio exploration of the state of the human condition - which ultimately is what the series itself is about!
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of the two seasons, June 22, 2006
Absolutely one of the best soundtrack CDs ever put together. I loved the season 1 CD and this one is even better! All the music is outstanding but my favorite two are "Something Dark is Coming" and "Prelude to War". These tracks alone are worth the price. As an FYI, if you are looking for the piano piece from "Valley of Darkness" you will find it on the Philip Glass Solo Piano album. The song is called Metamorphosis Five.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
near perfection, June 20, 2006
This is it. If you enjoyed McCrearys Score for Season 1, then this is definitely your next must-buy.
McCreary is doing the impossible: he goes much further, beyond what he has created in Season 1 OST. This is especially for those who know the first soundtrack cd and are begging for more. There you got it. It does not repeat those drum-action-cues, does not drift away into those arabian-exotic-strings. It's fresh and it's new. There are some tunes on this cd that you would never have expected. Probably McCreary's best decision: Track 10 "Something Dark Is Coming" in its own full greatfull length of nearly nine minutes. This is a huge statement. How long has it been since you heard a track on a soundtrack album which has exactly the length it is needed to have? There you go. It's all here.
If you love the show, this is clearly a must-buy. If you like unusual, almost exotical music for movies and television, this is must-buy. If you have a good sense for music that does not sound like anything you have ever heard in this constelletion before, it is a freakin' must-buy.
Dear Bear McCreary, I am proud of you. You did everything I could hope for. This CD is almost near perfection. It is exactly what a Season 2 Score for a show like Battlestar Calactica is supposed to be. You did great. Thank you for this.
To all those of you who have been reading this: Don't hesitate. Buy it! Give the show and Mr McCreary a good chance of continuing their work.
Cheers,
Felix
By the way: Please forgive the language. I am German, so this is all improvised.
Greetings!
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Interact With Your Music: Discover, listen to, and buy new music, all from the pages of SPIN's digital edition, free to Amazon customers.
~ Bear McCreary
~ Richard Gibbs
~ Bear McCreary
~ Bear McCreary
by David Bassom
See all 23 tracks on this disc
by Bear McCreary 
