END - SCIENCE FICTION
Eclipse of Reason
[6:00]8.6 Mb
Immesurable Distances
[6:36]9.4 Mb
The Image Economy
[3:27]4.9 Mb
Global Media Engine
[4:44]6.8 Mb
Simulacra and Simulations
[2:55]4.2 Mb
An Elaborate Accounting Hoax
[4:47]6.8 Mb
Society of the Spectacle
[4:16]6.1 Mb
The Culture Industry
[3:26]4.9 Mb
Theatres of Memory
[4:55]7 Mb
Dead Media
[4:01]5.8 Mb
Semiopolis
[2:50]4.1 Mb
Science Ficiton
[7:32]10.8 Mb
End "Science Fiction" Album Review
The penultimate collection ...
Generally I agree with Strategos in his ecstatic Spotlight Review above. It is a joy to here some of the most memorable themes and cues from some of the most memorable science fiction and fantasy movies (re)recorded in great sound and in lavish (re)orchestrations, played by renowned classical orchestras, namely the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, no less.
I have always had a weak spot for (good, or maybe even intelligent) science fiction/fantasy and film music, especially its way of evoking mystery, grandure and wide open spaces. Call it a weakness if you want. But it was maybe really kick started off, for as far as I can remember, with Star Trek. But especially Star Trek II, III and IV - essentially a trilogy - because of their very romantic but very warm, human core, set on the broadest canvasses of unlimited and mysterious outer space. But then there was the music for adding that essential extra dimension of emotion and atmosphere. I am happy that much of the music on this album is from the Star Trek series and films, often equaling or sometimes even outclassing the original recordings.
This kind of music (for the movies) should be seen as an art on its own rights with its own merits and qualities. As such, the musical sequences on these CD's are a beautifully played cross section of some of the most evoking orchestral music for science fiction/fantasy film ever created. And I very much like the nicely blended, wide and deep orchestral soundpicture with enough reverberation to evoke a sense of wide open spaces.
I am quite thrilled by tracks like the evocative music from Dune, truly transporting one to the vastly sands of Arrakis (the music is wonderful, but to my great regret I think the movie itself is a flawed masterpiece at best, alas.). And then there is the very different, goofy music for Ghostbusters (memories of childhood), the spoofy but electrifying music from Mars Attacks (lovingly parodist music, this, with not a little touch of irony) and the happily adventurous, forward driving Theme from Galaxy Quest ('Never give up, never surrender!'), now also used for the internet-based fan-series Star Trek: The Hidden Frontier. On the other side of the spectrum we have the atmospheric music for Enemy Mine (an underestimated 'little' movie), the Theme from The Right Stuff (actually science FACT, not fiction, this film, just like Apollo 13, of course), the eerily attractive music for Species, the original End Title for Alien (not used in the theatrical version of the movie, where it was replaced by music from howard Hanson's Second Symphony), the exquisitely exotic music for Stargate, the sweet and warmly sympathetic, beautifully re-orchestrated, theme for Starman, the title cue for Star Trek: TOS (much more melodiously played than the original! If only a series nowadays could continue to be as thought provoking and as original as Star Trek was during its launch, fourty years ago ...) and a truly overpowering End Titles Suite from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. I especially like the thrillingly grandiloquent rendition here of the music for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. And how nice it is to hear the (thematic) similarities between James Horner's music for The Wrath of Khan, his great break-through as a film music composer, and his (two years) earlier music for Battle Beyond the Stars (which did indeed help him earn the job for writing the music for Star Trek II) ...
But on the 'down side', if one is looking for - for example - the gorgeously expansively played End Titles from Cocoon, it is not included here: one has to acquire the album that 'kicked it all off', so to say, namely 'Space and Beyond', also on Silva Screen. I was very pleased also with the inclusion on that album of some of the music from the series Star Trek: The Next Generation, namely where one of the characters, Tasha Yar, in one of the episodes (Skin of Evil) is saying goodbye to her crewmmates: sweetly sentimental and simple music which I have always wanted to own on CD. I guess that a few cues from the other two sequals ('Alien Invasion: Space and Beyond II' and 'Space3: Beyond the Final Frontier') didn't make it onto this 4 CD collection-album as well, but I guess that it would be the 'better part of the bargain' to opt to buy this 'The Science Fiction Album' instead of buying all three albums separately. Well, of course it is for yourself to ultimately decide what you really want ;-)
If I were to nitpick (which is not easy with such a marvellous project as this one), then I would say that while all music is performed with magnificent grandure and with style, some of it is not performed as crisply and as technically 'on the spot' as some of the original recordings: ensemble is a little slack and the playing somewhat stilted sometimes, losing some of the edge and the originality of the writing. ET and Star Wars spring to mind, but then the soundtracks for Star Wars are traditionally recorded with the magnificent London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by maestro John Williams himself, and these superior recordings (especially the ones for Episode I, II and III) can't really be bettered, IMHO. Likewise for the music from Star Trek: The Motion Picture, I believe that in the end one really has to resort to the ultimate reference, namely the original recording (which is true in many other instances of 'original recordings'), and then the 20th anniversay colector's edition of this soundtrack on Columbia/Legacy (truly unmissable, this veritable classic of sci-fi/film music soundtracks!).
But all in all this 4CD-collection amounts to probably being the penultimate high quality sci-fi music album collection (I certainly know of no other project that comes as close quality as well as quantity wise), with some of the most memorable musical moments from classic to modern sci-fi/fantasy film captured in lavish orchestrations.
Collection-wise: five *stars*. Playing: generally four *stars*, sometimes more. The recording quality: five *stars*. The music (qualified on its own merits as film music) and its (re)orchestrations: generally five *stars*. In the end this is all highly recommended, and certainly not to be missed by science fiction and fantasy film music fans. Klaatu barada nikto.
Video Teseracte Players Rocky Horror Picture Show Megafest Part 1
The Teseracte Players at Supermegafest 2006. Featuring Science fiction double feature through the end of the Crim's first scene.
JIMI TENOR - HIGHER PLANES
Cosmic Groove
[3:49]5.4 Mb
Higher Planes
[3:12]4.6 Mb
Trumpcard
[3:44]5.3 Mb
Good Day
[4:50]6.9 Mb
Black Hole
[4:15]6.1 Mb
Dirty Jimi
[5:11]7.4 Mb
Tapiola
[4:53]7 Mb
Spending Time
[4:49]6.9 Mb
Let the Music
[3:55]5.6 Mb
Expatriot
[3:40]5.2 Mb
Nuclear Fusion
[5:42]8.2 Mb
Stargazing
[4:40]6.7 Mb
Jimi Tenor "Higher Planes" Album Review
Album Description
The king of sleazy listening returns, two years after 'Utopian Dreams', with another slice of decadent hybrid pop fusion. His seventh solo album is a collection of 12 upbeat songs that range from 70's psychedelic rock to fusion jazz. Mini-gatefold LP-style packaging. Kitty-Yo. 2003.
Video Jimi Tenor - Higher Planes [lo-fi]
now we can elevate to higher planes
THE SHAMEN - PHORWARD
You Me and Everything (Else)
[4:00]5.8 Mb
Splash 2
[3:14]4.6 Mb
Negation State
[3:27]4.9 Mb
Reraptyouare
[3:53]5.6 Mb
Sdd 89
[4:11]6 Mb
Phorward
[4:00]5.8 Mb
The S and N Sessions
[7:31]10.8 Mb
Bonus track Darkness in Zion
[1:50]2.6 Mb
The Shamen "Phorward" Album Review
Hidden Tracks on reissue?
The original came out in a thin CD-Single type jewel case. It listed 8 tracks but actually had 11, and not hidden either. The best track for a Raver was track 11. Some of the deepest bass drops and pure energy I have ever heard. Correction, still listen to- Ha!
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