Search - Ben Foster, Melanie Pappenheim, Yamit Mamo :: Doctor Who Original Music from Series 3

Another slice of fried Gold

James Thomas Jeans | Glenwood Acres, TX USA | 01/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Murray Gold has worked diligently as the composer for the reinvented Doctor Who over the past three years, and his effort in crafting an engaging musical experience really shows. As the program continues to evolve, so does the music. In series 3, there is a fine blend of stand-alone compositions and recurring leitmotifs. It's big, it's grand, and it's confident. And rightfully so.



The content of the album is uniformly excellent, and there isn't a track on the disc I would label as filler.



The disc opens with "All the Strange, Strange Creatures", a pulse pounding action motif that appears throughout series 3. It's an infinitely memorable composition, and it's something I find myself humming as I go about my daily tasks.



"Martha's Theme" is a beautiful melody featuring the vocals of Melanie Pappenheim (whom fans will recognize from the previous album, no doubt). As much as I liked "Rose's Theme", I think "Martha's Theme" is a much more memorable track, in no small part thanks to Miss Pappenheim's beautiful vocalizations. The accompanying orchestral swells are also rather moving.



"Drowning Dry" is a great bit of horror music. It's the kind of thing one might expect in a traditional monster film, and it conveys a real sense of foreboding and dread.



"The Carrionites Swarm" was a welcomed surprise. The music appears in the finale of 'The Shakespeare Code', but I don't particularly remember hearing it during the episode. When I first read a track list for the CD, I struggled to remember what it sounded like, but rather than go back and watch the episode I waited to hear it on the CD. It features some really wonderful percussion mixed with urgent strings and some rousing choir work. Lovely stuff. It ranks in my top 5 tracks on the disc.



"Gridlocked Cassinis" is another surprising track. I like it when Murray Gold does quirky, and sadly the first soundtrack is pretty much sterile of quirky music. It sounds like something that might have appeared in 'Casanova'. I love the piano and organ work. This is another track that ranks in my top 5.



"Boe" seems to be an immensely popular track online, and while I really love the motif written for the big face, I was gutted that the track on the disc is missing the brass that leads into the main theme in the episode 'Gridlock', though I am really fond of the mix used in 'Last of the Time Lords'. Good guitar work in that bit.



"Evolution of the Daleks" gets flack online for not resembling what was heard in the episode by the same name. In the episode, the arrangement is at a faster tempo and is more urgent, whereas the track on the CD is slow and brooding. Personally, I really like it. The choir is menacing, and the orchestra is lavish. The end of the track also features a slightly rejigged version of "Drowning Dry".



"My Angel Put the Devil in Me" is a great sort of retro pop song. The 1920s flavor makes it quite catchy, and there's some great brass work in the track (particularly what appears to be muted trumpet). Yamit Mamo performs the song on the CD, and she's got a very beautiful voice. I hope Murray works with her on the show again in the future.



"Mr. Smith and Joan" is a beautifully subtle piece from 'Human Nature', which features a bit of a shift in tone from the rest of the album. As I understand it, Murray abandoned the full orchestra in favor of a small ensemble, and I think it works marvelously. It adds a really personal quality to the music.



"Only Martha Knows" is a wonderful piece that, on the album, features a professional whistler. I think it's a shame the whistler was removed from the televised score.



"Smith's Choice" is possibly my second favorite track on the CD. Every instrument in the piece takes on a hard, biting edge. The brass is harsh, the strings are abrupt and sharp, and the track features a build up in the end that is bordering on brutal. You wouldn't want to listen to it too loud through headphones, that's for sure.



"Just Scarecrow to War" is a brilliant piece of music. The use of pipes and percussion juxtapose nicely with a marching army of alien-controlled scarecrows. It's also an enjoyable track in its own right, if a bit on the short side.



"Miss Joan Redfern" is moving and sad, and I think it reflects Joan's moral dilemma perfectly.



"The Dream of a Normal Death" is simply stunning.



"The Doctor Forever" is probably the track that I'm most disappointed with. The motif itself is beautiful, and acts as the Doctor's new theme throughout series 3. My problem with the version on the CD is that it lacks my favorite part of the entire piece, which can be heard during the memorial sequence at the end of 'The Family of Blood'. There are hints of it on the CD, but before it can really delve into it, the track shifts to a more action packed segment that was first used in 'Gridlock'. Over all it's a great piece of composition, but I just hate that the best bit is missing. Maybe it'll see release one day.



"Blink (Suite)" features some really mournful oboe which is similar to the oboe heard in 'Boom Town'. It's a very melancholy piece, at least until about halfway through, where it shifts to a confident tune with a great percussion track. There's also some eerie strings just at the end, which are used to great affect in the episode.



"The Runaway Bride" is easily my favorite track on the CD. It uses the orchestra to its full potential and is probably the most bombastic piece on the album: rushing strings, blaring brass, sweeping harps, crashing symbols, rolling timpani -- this track has got it all. It's the very definition of adventure music, with some lovely little jazzy moments thrown into the mix for good measure. If it doesn't get your blood pumping, you'd better check your pulse.



"After the Chase" is a nice reprieve from the big action found in the previous track.



"The Futurekind" is a variation on the series 3 action motif, and features some driving guitar and pulsing synth.



"YANA (Except)" is also a variation of the series 3 action motif, also featuring some pounding synth which, midway through, turns into a percussion-driven piece that features some marvelously creepy vocalizations by Melanie Pappenheim. My only gripe with this track is that the first half isn't from the scene involving Professor Yana, but rather from the recap at the beginning of 'The Sound of Drums'.



"The Master Vainglorious" is a track that, in some ways, reminds me of Bernard Herrmann. The track has some wonderfully twisted synth that offsets the strings nicely. The second half of the track features some really strong brass, which accompanies a particularly memorable scene at the end of 'Utopia' (it's possibly my favorite 40 seconds on the whole album).



"Martha's Quest" is an epic piece that begins with some powerful brass. It also features a motif that is introduced in 'The Sound of Drums' and appears throughout the last two episodes. Unfortunately, my favorite variation of that motif is missing from the album.



"This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home" appears to be this album's "Doomsday". It's quite popular with the fans. I really enjoy the use of acoustic guitar; it works well with the orchestra.



"Martha Triumphant" is a fully orchestral variation on "Martha's Theme", and while I really like it, I would have preferred to see another original cue take its place on the album (maybe the Judoon landing music, or the music played during the confrontation between Martha and the Master on the bridge of the Valiant, which is very Morricone-like).



"Donna's Theme" is a beautifully quirky composition. It's right up there with "Gridlocked Cassinis" on my list of favorites because, as I say, there's precious little quirky music on either of the albums.



"The Stowaway" is a really folky song, performed by Yamit Mamo and written for the 2007 Christmas Special. I've seen it compared to "Fairytale of New York" quite a bit online, but I never really noticed the similarities. It's marvelously festive and would make a great drinking song. The guitar work is so catch that It makes me want to dig my acoustic out of storage.



"The Master Tape" is a track that didn't appear within the television program. According to Murray Gold, it simply didn't get a look in due to all the other Master motifs. The track is barking mad -- over the top and fast paced.



The final track on the CD is a choral performance of "Abide With Me". The song isn't really a traditional hymn in my neck of the woods, so I was mostly unfamiliar with it until I heard it on the soundtrack for '28 Days Later'. It's a very moving piece and takes the album out on a very peaceful note.



There is a section of fandom that would have you believe that Murray's music is trite and misplaced; that it's far too Hollywood and has no place in a British television drama. I disagree. His music, while certainly grand in scope, is fresh and inspiring. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales brings it to life (with the help of Ben Foster) in a way that is truly moving. If more Hollywood films featured work with as much heart and soul as Murray's compositions, I'd have to move house to make room for an impossibly big soundtrack album collection.



Having said all of that, I do have a tiny complaint about its content -- there is a disheartening lack of music from series 1 and 2; bits that ultimately wouldn't fit on the first disc, but which I feel really deserve to see commercial release. This is only a small niggle though, as series 3 features more than enough music to make up for it.



However, there are also some really memorable cues from series 3 that are missing as well -- the Judoon landing, Martha confronting the Master (which builds into a wonderful orchestral version of the Doctor's Theme from the first album), Martha escaping the Valiant, et cetera. I'm hoping that Silva Screen will embrace the idea of online albums -- the soundtrack for '28 Weeks Later' is an iTunes exclusive -- and release some of these cues for sale in their online store. Or maybe they could release a 'Doctor Who: The Lost Cues' type CD in the future.



On the whole, I think I prefer this album to the original. There isn't a track that I would want to skip while listening to it, and I find myself listening to it much more often than the first volume. If you're a fan of Murray Gold or of orchestral music in general, I highly suggest picking it up.



Now if only we could get Silva Screen to release Murray's score for 'Casanova' on CD..."

More beautiful than the first CD

B. Starbuck | Denver, CO United States | 01/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Doctor Who: Series Three, in my opinion, is one of the most beautifully scored television seasons. The fact that it's scored with a full orchestra, like Series One and Two, is truly a treat for the ears; but Mr. Gold's music within Series Three has grown right along with the new series. It's thrilling, bittersweet and poignant.



The opening track, 'All the Strange, Strange Creatures,' will sweep you up and make you impatient, to the point of finger drumming, for Series Four!



The main reason I bought it was for the music from the final three episodes of Series Three, which is absolutely gorgeous and heart-pounding. 'This is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home,' is particularly moving, especially in light of how Series Three ended. Mr. Gold's score for our favorite Time Lord's recalling of his lost home planet carries within it all of the mystery and allure that any fan could imagine; and on this soundtrack, it's an extended version, with an almost child-like, fairy-tale refrain in the middle.



The waltz-like 'Martha's Theme' and 'Martha Triumphant,' variations of which played throughout Series Three, are beautiful compositions, which capture the personality and presence of Martha perfectly. 'Donna's Theme,' captures the quirkiness of Catherine Tate's character, which we'll be seeing more of in Series Four.



Overall, if you liked the soundtrack to Series One and Two, well, you're gonna LOVE this! Mr. Gold has exceeded himself and, in my mind, has cemented himself as one of the great modern composers of (dare I say it?!?) contemporary classical music. Incidental though it may be, there is nothing incidental about it!"

Shall I Compare Three to a Summer's Day?

Crazy Fox | Chicago, IL USA | 02/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This soundtrack follows quick on one before,

Expanding its concepts in ways most bold.

No rehash inertia, nothing to bore;

Not resting on his laurels, Murray Gold!

The warm romantic sweep of Martha's theme,

Weird chants of Dalek hybrid genesis,

Elegies of the Doctor's mortal dream,

Harsh drumbeats of his reborn nemesis:

All these but the merest hint of the range.

That said, of lacunae there are a few.

Still, this is music most wondrous and strange,

Sure to appeal to fans of Doctor Who.

Hear this CD in all its varied tones,

Relive the tales of Doctors Smith and Jones!"