Voyage To The Bottom Of The Se

as a longtime fan of any 60s tv science fiction soundtrack, the music to Voyage was always a highlight of my week. Orchestral, complex, eerie, and, above all, thick. IT sounded big and noble, as did most of the action show music of the era. This is something sorely missing in modern TV. Two complete scores are reproduced here, from their original recordings. THe first, from the pilot episode, is good, but a bit rough, and lacks most of the framilliar themes from the series proper. The second, a Goldsmith outing, is better, and introduces the oft-cited "Seaview geting pommeled" theme. The only shortcoming of this CD is it's narrow scope. I would have loved to hear the FLying Sub Theme, or the German Spectre theme, but, of course, they weren't in these episodes. A fine addition for any geek's collection.

This CD is a delight from the very start, with Sawtell's evocative Seaview theme setting the scene beautifully. In fact, of the two scores here, I prefer the Sawtell, though Goldsmith afficianados will not want to be without the drama and rhythmic energy of the great man's contribution here. The sound is very good, clean and crisp. Recommended highly.

This short release highlights music from two episodes of Irwin Allen's longest running series and each "suite" conveys different takes on the underwater sci-fi saga. Sawtell's is more traditional for 60's adventure shows and benefits by the presence of the theme that would be the benchmark during the show's run.

However, Goldsmith, like contemporary John Williams, was making a name for himself on both the large and small screen and decided to take some chances that make his a more innovative creation. Much more ominous than Sawtell's work, Goldsmith has melodies that befit the massive whale that is the centerpiece of "Jonah and the Whale." Also, there are themes that hint at scores to come from the great Goldsmith, predecessors to features like "Planet and the Apes" and the Oscar-winning "The Omen."

Though the main title for the episode was intended to replace Sawtell's theme, it was jettisoned after only the first airing of the installment; however, much of the remaining music would find itself interspersed among installments for the rest of season two along with the last two seasons.

Even early Goldsmith is better than most of what passes as scoring for film and television.

His contribution to "Voyage" is for fans of the show as well as fans of the late composer.