Any fans of Gerry Anderson? (Thunderbirds, UFO, Space 1999)

But some of them are really nice people once you get to know them.

 

Good article from Fanderson on the 1999 soundtracks here:

THE MUSIC OF SPACE:1999

The Catacombs is a pretty comprehensive 1999 resource as well, although the music page is uncharacteristically light:

Space: 1999 Music

They did somehow get their hands on the original cue sheets, which is impressive:

Space: 1999 Music Cues

 

Fanderson's Ralph Titterton was handed responsibility for the Barry Gray archives including his Ondes Martenot after he passed. It's amazing all that's been in there and why the CDs are so comprehensive, informative and sound so good. Johnny Trunk put out a great collection of Gray's short advertising jingles titled Stand By For Adverts that is a lot of fun!

Oh yeah, there has just, or will be, a release of the Space: 1999 music by Ennio Morricone from the Italian version of the show...

 

Yes! The music in the first season is incredible – the classical library tracks also fit perfectly.

I can't remember the names of the original pieces, but "Ultra Probe" from "Dragon's Domain" is so melancholy and foreshadows the horror to come.

Other episodes with just fantastic library music are "Space Brain" and "The Testament of Arkadia".

And FWIW, I believe Fanderson has recompiled and reissued the first season soundtrack (the previous CD release had the tracks from "Black Sun" in mono as the stereo masters hadn't been located when it was originally compiled).

 

I think Gerry's cool series had a hard time staying afloat back then, 2 seasons of ufo, and 2 on his Cosmos 1999, showed his sets were too elaborate and expensive to use for his films. Its a shame I would have digged seeing how those shows finished out like Star Trek. Oh well, que sera, sera......

 

That looks like some chicken lo mein I had fer dinner last week!

 

For my money, the best mix of the Space:1999 theme is on the original soundtrack from 1976 (on RCA Records).

While the Fanderson CD is better in almost every other area (content, liner notes, etc.), the theme on the record is punchier.

(BTW, the RCA record also has some non-Barry Gray library tracks that I think were discussed here at SH.tv some years ago. I won't rehash all that here. It's just my opinion that the mix of the theme sounds better on the old LP.)

 

Yeah, there's a 3-CD 40th anniversary set. I almost picked it up, but it was expensive and I already have some of the "Black Sun" tracks in stereo - the commercial, one-CD release of the soundtrack from about a decade ago has most of "Black Sun" in stereo. The stereo edition isn't from the original masters though, but from a stereo copy, and it's got a lot of issues. I think that's the case on the 40th anniversary release as well, hence why I passed on it. AFAIK, the original stereo masters for "Black Sun" have never been found, which is sad as it's arguably the best work Barry Gray ever did. (The original Fanderson 2-CD release has a mono copy taken by Gray himself, which is in far better condition than the stereo copy.)

Yes, I agree - the mix on the original soundtrack LP from the '70s is clearly different. Probably done intentionally for the soundtrack release, there's some major EQ and also extra reverb added to the guitar. It was also released as a single - I keep meaning to pick up a copy on eBay...

The original soundtrack also had an awesome cover, apart from one of the Eagle's fuel pods, which was inexplicably cut/painted out...

 

Below is the Japanese opening theme, "next episode" promo, and closing theme (a vocal version of the opening).

The picture quality of the YouTube clip is pretty abysmal, but at least the audio isn't too bad.



(And if you can't get enough of this, the Japanese theme was even released in Japan on vinyl...)

 

Love the Japanese singer... Arigato!

Ah, Kurisutopha Ree desu!

 

Subarashi!

 

I liked his earlier Supermarionation shows like Stingray.

 

The abbreviated 1-disc season one 1999 soundtrack is available as an MP3 download or for streaming from Amazon (iTunes has it, too):

Amazon.com: Space 1999 Year One - Original Television Soundtrack: Soundtrack/cast Album: MP3 Downloads

Unfortunately looks like the CD is out of print and getting expensive, although I saw it in a shop not long ago...

 

Me on Xmas day 1966, posing with my Virgil Mini-me:

 

Wow! You had the whole outfit! I'm jealous!

 

No need to be jealous any longer! Get your own today!

 

My favorite of the puppets is still Stingray, I get nostalgic about it as it's the first one I ever saw (in colour re-runs), and only one I ever saw for a long time. I wish they'd colour all the Fireball XL-5s and Supercars, they have enough colour still photos to work from. I'm sure the Andersons would've used colour if it had been possible, Stingray was one of the first.

 

This is giving me flashbacks of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore doing a parody of the show.

 

Stingray's closing theme is !

 

Just listening to some Rubber Soul sessions/outtakes and hear someone say "Looks like Supercar's getting out of control" followed by another singing a messed up version of that Aquamarina closing song, and then Ringo adds "I will be pleased to see the earth men disintegrated".

So I guess right there we know The Beatles watched Supercar, Stingray and Fireball XL-5

 

Loved UFO and (the first season of) Space:1999 as a kid. I've got the DVD box set of UFO. Must've watched at least some Thunderbirds as a kid, 'cause I remember Lady Penelope and her teapot communicator and 6-wheeled car.

Oh, have to add, "Dragon's Domain" gave me nightmares clear into adulthood. I *still* once in a while dream about attacking that monster's enormous eyeball with an ax while all my friends get sucked in and eaten! *shudder*

 

Space 1999 was must watch TV for me in the 70's. I remember making sure we never started dinner too late on Saturday night so I would have time to catch the opening credits. An older friend of mine at the time had the Eagle toy that you could separate and make a smaller version with just the pod and engines. I wanted one soooo bad!

 

Boo!

I had one - it was awesome! I was friends with a kid who had one too, when we were both about eight. We brought both Eagles into his backyard and "flew" around, landed and explored.

I still have it, along with two of the little Dinky Eagles...

 

/QUOTE]Note: While flying a deep space flight, and your Italian commander says stay away from a space junk yard, , and you do it anyway, For Pete's sake don't open the cargo door, or this guy could come a visiting! LOL!

 

What made the monster truly horrifying wasn't just it's appearance - or the ungodly howling noise it made - but the fact that it spewed fluid out into the room and spat the digested corpses back out into the ship after it was done with them.





I'm actually kinda stunned this even got aired in '75 - it was easily as horrifying as what you would see in "scary" movies in the movie theaters at the time.