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Post by sherlock on Nov 8, 2017 1:06:06 GMT
In light of the passing of Dudley Simpson, thought it'd be a good opportunity to look at an aspect of classic Who that doesn't tend to get discussed all that much. So, what are the DU's favourite episode scores?
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Post by Whovitt on Nov 8, 2017 1:23:21 GMT
Ooohhh, that's a tough one. Growing up when I did, with pretty much all of Classic Who at my disposal, all the music from all the different eras are massive parts of my childhood, so I kind of have a deep love for it all. I suppose some of the ones closest to my heart are the ones I watched/heard more often, so stories like The Seeds of Death, The Three Doctors, Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Five Doctors, Warriors of the Deep, Remembrance of the Daleks, and The Tomb of the Cybermen are among the many that immediately spring to mind. I also get a thrill of delight whenever I hear Delgado's Master's Theme, and the little piece that plays when the Sontarans appear at the end of Part 4 of The Invasion of Time sounds hilarious and is thus great! Also, slightly unrelated, but I'd never realised that the 4th Doctor got his own theme! First introduced in The Invasion of Time (I believe), it continues to crop up here and there in different variations until The Horns of Nimon, at which point the music style changed drastically (along with everything else  ) when Doctor Who hit the 80's. |
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Post by newt5996 on Nov 8, 2017 4:00:51 GMT
It might be a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I really do like the score to Remembrance of the Daleks. Yes it screams the late 1980s, but the mash in terms of the story really fits.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2017 5:32:32 GMT
Hmm... There are a quite a few...
Tristram Cary's unusual score for The Daleks has stuck in my mind since early childhood. Crawling, eerie, almost sickly whispers that tell of a world scratching obscenities into its own grave marker. A hollow knell for Skaro and its people. You really get this sense of -- for want of a better word -- weight and gravitas that bolsters the already impressive environment significantly. In the same way that Carey Blyton's score for The Silurians feels as though it could've been composed by an Earth reptile, so too does this soundtrack feel as though it could've been made by a Dalek.
On the other end of the spectrum, the variety in Jonathan Gibbs's two entries for the series, Warriors of the Deep and Vengeance on Varos are marvellous. Him and Peter Howell's many entries. Both were atmospheric, dynamic and thematic, they really captured the voices of the worlds that the Doctor visited. There's this gorgeous refrain for Howell's Planet of Fire with cascabels and electronic woodwind that speaks of Sarn -- a beauty not for the timid, nor the uncautious. The desert may seem desolate, but it is alive with the blood of Vulcan. A test and a testament to its people. The track "Sontaran Might" from The Two Doctors also stands out for its sense of energy. As soon as Jamie plunges that dagger into Stike's leg, you know it's on and he's not letting them leave that cellar alive. And the Doctor launches at him with a grin, shoving him off-balance into that far wall as he and Jamie bolt. It only lasts for a minute and a half, but it's a great bit of music.
Dudley Simpson's The Seeds of Death and The Space Pirates are glorious entries to that era of late 1960s Space Race science fiction where the dark is wondrous and dangerous both. Coming out of our world with our eyes wide open, only all too aware of how fragile we are out there in the void. Music like tinkling glass, Earth and her human children like tinkling glass... For something particular though, Fewsham's final act of defiance is a punch the air moment with the music, a great sense of climbing tension as Slaar realises his rebellion.
I'll also cheat a little and say that Russell Stone's score for Red Dawn tickles a particular fancy. I don't know what it is, maybe the key it's played in, but it's marvellous to listen to. That hope against desperation, the wondrous unknown, the beauty of a world so utterly hostile to human life. That strange paradox of space where isolation somehow equals expansion and you feel that fullness. That somehow -- out here in total blackness -- you are complete.
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Post by The Matt on Nov 8, 2017 9:03:13 GMT
I have a soft spot for Seeds of Death, The Five Doctors and Revenge of the Cybermen myself. With maybe the Sea Devils knocking on the door.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2017 10:38:09 GMT
I have a soft spot for Seeds of Death, The Five Doctors and Revenge of the Cybermen myself. With maybe the Sea Devils knocking on the door. I love the Sea Devils score but it's very, very marmite. It uses atonal drones far before that was a typical (thank you Hans Zimmer) way to score anything. I think among my favourites would be Tomb Of The Cybermen, City Of Death and Logopolis (that regeneration score!). At the Doctor Who Symphonic Spectacular I was lucky enough to go to - and meet Murray Gold and Peter Davison after - there was a section paying triute to the classic series scores which Mark Ayres came out to join Ben and the orchestra on. It was a lovely walk through Classic Who's music for 10 minutes. Tomb's music was quite prominent in that, as were Dudley's pieces from Pyramids among others. |
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Post by aemiliapaula on Nov 8, 2017 23:56:10 GMT
The 60's / 70's UNIT music scored for harpsichord and flute
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Post by number13 on Nov 9, 2017 9:59:56 GMT
On the thread remembering Dudley Simpson, I mentioned "his Panopticon-filling theme as the Time Lords assemble in the 'The Deadly Assassin' and his futuristic music for 'The Claws of Axos' which matches the visual strangeness of that story. And my favourite, his 'Ice Warriors' score, in that story where each episode opens with a very unusual title sequence of snowy mountains and glaciers, backed by a wordless soprano solo singing like an icy wind. Just some still pictures, but thanks to his music the scene is set perfectly." And I might add: 'Pyramids of Mars' and two from the 'Key to Time' arc among his classics. ‘The Ribos Operation’, and the sumptuous ‘Tara-imperial’ music of 'The Androids of Tara' contributes to making that story glossy drama on a ‘Doctor Who’ budget. But it's interesting that although Dudley Simpson is the sound of 1970s Doctor Who, for me a few stories from that decade stand out strongly for their music, from the relatively few scored by other composers: 'The Sea Devils' - beyond different! Malcolm Clarke’s radiophonic score is simply unique and one you’ll either love or hate; for me it’s a brilliant and essential part of this story and creates a tense, unsettling atmosphere. (Unfortunately, parts of it were cut to avoid perceived confusion with sound effects.) And years later, his score for 'Resurrection of the Daleks' is another reason for the success of that story. 'Death to the Daleks' - I don't like the 'Daleks in the City' sax music any more than most seem to BUT the unsettling music of the night scenes, the ‘City’ theme and the sacrificial chant of the Exxilon priests are all very memorable. And the brilliant scene of Sarah’s discovery of the City of the Exxilons by night is made by the music as much as the fine acting and model work. And two personal favourites (in every way, what fabulous stories): 'The Seeds of Doom' and ‘Terror of the Zygons’, where Geoffrey Burgon’s distinctive music adds to the filmic quality of those stories and creates a great atmosphere. Beyond the 1970s, the music for 'The Web Planet' (played on glass tubes, as unusual as everything else about Vortis!) and 'Tomb of the Cybermen' are highlights, and Don Harper's excellent and distinctive music for 'The Invasion'. And I'm tempted to add, the Doctor's lyre performance at Nero's court in 'The Romans' And a later favourite, atmospheric music with a fine Spanish air by Peter Howell for 'The Two Doctors'. (And just to show it wasn't all wonderful, 'Time and the Rani', filled with jarring music. Even worse in my opinion (because so inappropriate) is 'Battlefield', where the excellent location filming created an idyllic, almost Arthurian vision of rural England which is then undermined by the 80s musical style, which I felt was seriously out of place in this story.) (That post was intended to be just a short Interlude but ended up as a Symphony in four movements, all of them long!   ) |
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) when Doctor Who hit the 80's.
)