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Fantastic Television
01/01/2007 . Source: Sue Davies 
CD: GNP Crescendo GNPD 8501. 28 tracks 59 minutes. Price: $12.98 (US- if you buy direct off them). Buy Fantastic Television in the USA - or Buy Fantastic Television in the UK  check out website: www.gnpcrescendo.com/
This compilation features 28 tracks of mostly American shows that were shown up to and including part of the 1990s. It is structured around the very prolific composers and performers who have produced some unique contributions to the history of TV soundtracks.
Those that stand out are either distinctive in their own right musically or they are so familiar from constant exposure that they feel good. The 'Star Trek' themes are ubiquitous from years of repeats but still hold up well to repeat listening.
Many of the tracks here are unfamiliar or forgotten. I would particularly like to single out 'Suite From V'. A forgotten gem the music is in places quite momentous. In others, it suffers from the relentless need to get through massive credits and an addiction to 'Star Wars'.
Another track directly lifted from the TV soundtrack is 'Quantum Leap' where the full opening narration can be heard. Great stuff. This is also available in a full soundtrack CD as reviewed previously on this site.
The theme to 'The Green Hornet' bears a close relationship to 'The Flight Of The Bumblebee' - they could be brothers. It's a superb and thrilling piece that goes well with the content of the show which introduced Bruce Lee to an American audience. The rumour mill has it that there will be a new film version soon to star Jake Gyllenhaal as the Hornet and Jet Li as the martial arts expert Kato. I very much hope that comes off.
This twenty-eight track album doesn't just have SF tracks. It uses fantastic in the sense of all encompassing wonderment at the prolifera of shows and we have cowboys ('The High Chaparral', 'The Young Riders', 'Bonanza' and 'Gunsmoke') coupled with spies ('The Man From U.N.C.L.E', 'Get Smart') with a little bit of 'Rockford Files' on the side.
This is by no means a complete collection. There are many omissions. There's no 'Time Tunnel' for a start or 'Avengers'. This is very much a U.S. inspired collection although two ATV shows do get included here, 'UFO' and 'Space 1999'. There are certainly one or two series here that I haven't heard of before.
Probably the most prolific on this CD is Fred Mollin who has a noteworthy amount of soundtracks to his name. He has many cult TV tracks included here are the main theme of 'Forever Knight', 'Beyond Reality' and 'Tekwar'. I must admit to having seen none of these due to lack of availability in the UK but in the age of DVD and download it is only a matter of time before they all become more widely accessible.
Overall, this is a good quality CD with plenty of tracks to keep you in the nostalgic mood for a hour or so.
Sue Davies
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