Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1: Final Frontiers

Artist: Various Artists
Label: TVT
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Soundtrack
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 016581195028
EAN: 0016581195028
ASIN: B00000G4T3

Release Date: 1998-11-17

Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1: Final Frontiers

Related Categories:

Movie Soundtracks

| Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Television Soundtracks

| Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General

| Soundtracks | Styles | Music

1990s

| By Decade | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General

| Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Movie Soundtracks

| Soundtracks | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Tracks:

2001: A Space Odyssey - Main Title - The Seattle Symphony
Star Wars - Main Title - National Philharmonic Orchestra/Charles Gerhardt
The Empire Strikes Back
Return Of The Jedi - National Philharmonic Orchestra/Charles Gerhardt
Star Trek
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Lost In Space (1965 TV Theme)
Lost In Space (1967 TV Theme)
Lost In Space (Film Theme)
Battlestar Galactica
Space: 1999
Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
Babylon 5
The Black Hole
Alien
The Abyss
Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea (TV)
Journey To The Center Of The Earth
Land of the Giants
Planet of the Apes
Time Tunnel
Fireball XL-5
Dr. Who
Stargate
Total Recall
Blade Runner
Tron
Strange Days
VR.5
Space Above & Beyond
Inside Space
Welcome to Paradox
Mission: Genesis

Similar Items:

Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: The Dark Side
Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3: The Uninvited
Sci-Fi Channel - Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4: Defenders Of Justice
The Science Fiction Album
Battlestar Galactica

Amazon.com

This first installment of Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits opens, appropriately, with two famous pieces, "2001: A Space Odyssey" (a.k.a. the prelude to Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra) and "Star Wars" (a.k.a. John Williams's variation on Holst's The Planets), and further mines film and TV history for interstellar anthems. Much of this stuff is predictable; different selections from films like The Black Hole and Blade Runner would have been more interesting. Yet there are diamonds in the rough, including the eerily disjointed theme to Planet of the Apes, the psychedelic electronic swirl of Dr. Who, and the squealing strings of Alien (before such a concept became cinema cliché). This is a decent dedication to those brave souls exploring the furthest reaches of space. --Bryan Reesman

Customer Reviews:

For the Most Part, A Great Collection.......2007-01-27

No various artists CD collection is going to be perfect, and "Final Frontiers" is no exception. Still, I am quite pleased with this compilation.

Yes, it's true: the tracks for "Star Wars", "The Empire Strikes Back", and "Return of the Jedi" are re-records and not from the original soundtrack. But now the good news: unless you already own the original soundtrack CDs and know them by heart, you'd think that these WERE the originals. They're that good. "Star Wars" (Track 2) starts with the opening credits music, including music from the opening battle scene, then segues nicely into a medley inspired by the closing credits music. "Empire Strikes Back" (Track 3) is the Imperial March/Darth Vader's theme. (Gotta love that, right?) "Return of the Jedi" (Track 4) is the least of the three, not unlike the movie itself.

For people looking to add to their musical library, might I suggest also picking up Sony's "Classical Hits" compilation CD, also available on Amazon. That version includes the "Battle of the Fates" music from Phantom Menace, as well as music from other movies, like Gladiator, Braveheart, and Titanic. Even better, all of the aforementioned tracks on the "Classical Hits" CD ARE the original soundtrack recordings. So by just purchasing that CD and this one, "Final Frontiers", you'll have plenty of great movie music at your fingertips.

A few other quick observations about "Final Frontiers":

The "Star Trek" theme (Track 5) varies slightly from the version heard on the TV show. I have to believe that this is not the original Alexander Courage recording from 1966, but instead a re-recording. Let your own ears be the judge.

The Amazon track listings for the "Lost in Space" themes are in error. Track 7 is actually the theme from the 1967 season, followed by the 1965 season theme(Track 8). No big. Both tunes, composed by John Williams, would appear the studio originals. Which is a good thing, because 1967 season theme is hard to find on CD.

The sound quality for the theme from "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" (Track 12) is atrocious. And I don't mean from an audiophile's perspective. Your average sound novice will listen to that track and think, "Where was that music recorded, in somebody's toilet?"

Personal faves, like "Planet of the Apes", "Dr. Who", "Total Recall", "Battlestar Galactica" (Lorne Greene version) and the wonderfully cheesy "Space 1999" theme are all here, and are all studio originals.

Overall, a great purchase.

disappointment........2005-07-01

Disappointment. To tell the truth, I have purchased this CD mainly because of the "Alien" movie theme. Therefore was very disappointed - the theme was reduced, as it seems to me, on 70 %. The same is with the "Abyss" theme - you will hear drums only... Music from Blade Runner sounds strange - not like Vangelis. I regret, that has bought this CD.

Interesting !!....but beware.......2002-04-17

Whoa !! When I first saw this on Amazon, I did not hesitate to grab hold of this as soon as possible. There they are.....all the themes from TV and movies from the 60s to 90s that I've always wanted. But sadly, halfway through the CD, I felt a bit disappointed as not all are originals (and I wonder why they could not get their hands on them, since this CD is priced at premium). So beware of the following :

Track 1 : Space Odyssey to Track 4 : Return of the Jedi
These are NOT originals, but recorded by other orchestras.

Tracks 5 to 25 : are originals, containing many interesting TV themes from the 60s and 70s, except that, the theme of Buck Rogers is so badly mastered that it sounds as if it was recorded with a microphone direct from the TV box. They should have just dumped this track if they could not get a better recording.

Track 26 : Blade Runner is the recording by the New American orchestra, and NOT the original by Vangelis.

Tracks 28 to 33 : they are originals from the TV, but most are too short and some merely contains snippets of sounds and voices, not really worth listening.

But, overall this is a must buy, as you can only get all these themes together in this volume.

Great sci-fi memories.......2001-06-26

"Sci-Fi's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1: Final Frontiers" is an anthology CD that collects science fiction music from film and television. The themes included span in time from the late 1950s to the late 1990s.

This CD is a lot of fun, and will evoke a lot of memories for those of us who have enjoyed these shows and movies (either first run or in syndication). Many of sci-fi's most famous musical cues are here: the opening fanfare from "2001: A Space Odyssey," the theme from the original "Star Trek" (complete with the memorable narration), the "Dr. Who" theme, and more. Overall, a great treat for sci-fi fans.

Music Album:

Music Album

Music Album

Music

Big Band Era, Vol. 3 ~ Various Artists

St. Patrick - The Irish Legend [SOUNDTRACK] ~ Inon Zur, Clannad, Solas

Blackest Album, Vol. 3: An Industrial Tribute to Metallica ~ Various Artists

Still 'eavy Still Proud ~ Uriah Heep

Music for Films ~ Goran Bregovic

Wir Tanzen Lambada ~ Andrea J%C3%BCrgens

Music on the Gypsy Route, Vol. 2 ~ Various Artists

Hana to Shite ~ Kazuko Mifune

Einfach Verknallt ~ Leon

La Voce Della Radio ~ Giorgio Consolini