Nocturne/ The Flashlight / The Robot / Space Control
The Elevator / Magnetic Pull / The Study / The Conference / The Jewelry Store
Panic
The Glowing / Alone / Gort's Rage / Nikto / The Captive / Terror
The Prison
Rebirth
Departure
Farewell
Finale
This is the movie that gave us the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto!" As befits the film that kicked off the Atomic Age's obsession with flying saucers and giant robots, Bernard Herrmann's score is the last word in 1950s sci-fi... more ». Although many of its elements have become clichés over the years, the original has lost none of its power. Thanks to the many eerie, theremin-drenched passages, it's almost impossible to hear that instrument without thinking about guys in space suits. Other great moments: tinkling space pianos, ominous robot monster chords, and weird, plangent orchestrations. One of Herrmann's most visionary and influential scores. --Heidi MacDonald« less
This is the movie that gave us the phrase "Klaatu barada nikto!" As befits the film that kicked off the Atomic Age's obsession with flying saucers and giant robots, Bernard Herrmann's score is the last word in 1950s sci-fi. Although many of its elements have become clichés over the years, the original has lost none of its power. Thanks to the many eerie, theremin-drenched passages, it's almost impossible to hear that instrument without thinking about guys in space suits. Other great moments: tinkling space pianos, ominous robot monster chords, and weird, plangent orchestrations. One of Herrmann's most visionary and influential scores. --Heidi MacDonald
"Who didn't love "The Day the Earth Stood Still"? It's old, yet it can still stir you. Part of the reason has to be the mysterious, haunting score by Bernard Herrmann, who did similar work for Alfred Hitchcock. By mixing uplifting, inspirational sequences of notes with ominous bass lines he helped reinforce the movie's message about the dangerous path into the future. It's as though Herrmann is saying, "There's something worth seeing at the end of the trip, but you better watch your step along the way."Today, it may seem a bit cliche'd, but Herrman fearlessly embraced the Theremin's musical potential, producing the weird, liquid, electronic glissandos that have become science fiction cinema's signature music, ever since. Others may have done it first, but he was the first to do it right. And, as with many soundtracks, you get to hear all of his work without voice-over or sound effects, which, in this case, is a big reason to buy the CD. There's more in there than you'll ever hear by watching the movie.A bit of tape hiss stops this from being a 5 score, but the music is fine, nonetheless."
This Soundtrack Will Blow You Away!
David Von Pein | Mooresville, Indiana; USA | 11/28/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
""The Day The Earth Stood Still" from 1951 has got to be one of the greatest science-fiction movies of all-time. And if one didn't know who provided the incredible music score for this picture, I'll bet they could guess correctly with one shot at it. Yep -- it was the amazing Bernard Herrmann! Mr. Herrmann's movie scores are legendary; and this one is one of my favorites, and arguably his best.
From those first few notes at the beginning of the film, the tone is set for a very creepy journey. Every track on this album has that Herrmann "stamp" on it. Just perfect for this motion picture. This music will raise the hair on your arms each time you give it a listen. Classic stuff ... with a Capital "C"!"
"Klaatu Barada Nikto"
Kathy Fennessy | 03/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Eerie, groundbreaking soundtrack to the science fiction classic by Robert Wise (The Haunting, The Sound of Music). Composer Bernard "Psycho" Herrmann incorporated everything from a collection of Theremins to a hot water bottle (!) into the making of the recording. Theremin fans may also want to investigate the documentary, Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey, about the mysterious Russian inventor of this otherworldly string instrument, Leon Theremin, and the many uses to which it's been put over the years (soundtracks, classical recordings and pop numbers from The Beach Boys and The Pixies). It features clips from The Day the Earth Stood Still, Spellbound and The Lost Weekend. Herrmann fans would also probably enjoy his similarly excellent work for Cape Fear (which was reworked for Martin Scorsese's remake) and Taxi Driver (his last; fittingly for Scorsese again). The CD booklet features complete liner notes about the film, the soundtrack, and the origins of the immortal sci-fi phrase, "Klaatu barada nikto" (spoken by Michael Rennie as the mysterious alien, Klaatu)."
Stereo Theremin Masterpiece in Sound Classics
BRIAN B. KERFOOT | Dayton,Ohio,USA | 05/25/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the Ultimate Sci-Fi movie soundtrack, recorded in Multi-Channel Stereo Surround High Fidelity in 1951 it is a recorded masterpiece in Sci-Fi music featuring the classic Theremin, the first electronic musical instrument of the 1930's, and TRUE Stereo Multichannel Surround Sound with a magnificent score and excellent musical interest of the highest level. Recording quality is stunning in BOTH its Stereophonics and in its very High Fidelity, especially for 1951, which was considerably ahead of its time."
Perfect and Unique Space Score
Malcolm McPherson | Ivanhoe, Vic Australia | 10/08/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The appeal of certain 1950s sci-fi movies stays with you strangely through the years, and you eventually come to realise it wasn't so much the movies that captivated you, but the soundtracks, which gave a profundity to the movies they didn't always deserve. Such is the case with Bernard Herrmann's soundtrack for the 1951 movie, "The Day the Earth Stood Still", where Herrmann created a new musical form that was so entire and perfect in one try that there was little left for anyone else to add, no matter how many bucks and computers they subsequently threw at it. In this soundtrack, extraordinary instruments are in constant dialogue with each other, like the two theremins - one high and one low - that call to each other like hyper-intelligent other-worldly cats, and the four pianos answering each other across the vastness of space. Herrman's instrumental sounds seem to evolve out of emptiness and then disappear back into it without trace, just like matter and life does in the universe. The internal heart of this music has never been approached, except maybe by the all-electronic "Forbidden Planet" soundtrack of Louis and Bebe Barron, although its external form has been repeatedly imitated in many sci-fi movies. The audio quality of this recording allows total immersion in the extraordinaty sounds that Bernard Herrmann created."