Tag: Delia Derbyshire

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1988 D Doctor Who Soundtracks Television

The Doctor Who 25th Anniversary Album

2 min read

Order this CDThis was the first Doctor Who music released to CD as part of the show’s highly-merchandised silver anniversary in 1988. The greatest distinction of this CD – which is now out of print and getting harder to find with each passing year – is that it contains every broadcast version (minus a handful of barely-distinguishable variations which later cropped up on 30 Years at the Radiophonic Workshop) of the famous Doctor Who theme music, from the creepy 1960s/70s incarnation (achieved entirely by tape-looping means that would seem incredibly primitive today) to the various and sundry versions that kept changing throughout the 1980s: the synth-guitar-driven theme from the Peter Davison era (my favorite), the less effective electronic version from Colin Baker’s final season in the role, and the more atmospheric version by Keff McCulloch that ushered the show out of its existence with Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor. Numerous incidentals from the 1987 and 1988 episodes also appear on this album, all of them by Keff McCulloch, but their abundance of cheap synth sounds and sampled hand-clap percussion gets old very 2 out of 4quickly; a handful, such as one haunting twisted-lullaby theme from 1988’s Remembrance Of The Daleks, barely stand the test of time. But if you’re after an almost complete catalog of the show’s theme music (the wonderful orchestral version which introduced the 1996 Fox TV movie is unavailable anywhere), this is a worthwhile disc to seek out.

  1. TARDIS – Doctor Who theme 1963-1979 (2:26)
  2. Doctor Who theme 1987-1989 (0:56)
  3. Gavrok’s Search (2:11)
  4. A Child’s Return (2:33)
  5. Towers el Paradiso (2:42)
  6. Burton’s Escape (1:24)
  7. Drinksmat Dawning (1:30)
  8. Future Pleasure (3:19)
  9. Newsreel Past (2:52)
  10. The Sting (1:43)
  11. Doctor Who theme 1980-1985 (2:42)
  12. Doctor Who theme 1986 (2:56)
  13. 8891 Royale (1:56)
  14. The White Flag (1:44)
  15. Guards of Silence (2:39)
  16. The Making of Pex (1:23)
  17. Cemetary Chase (2:26)
  18. The Brain (3:03)
  19. Here’s to the Future (1:59)
  20. Goodbye, Doctor (0:35)
  21. Doctor Who end credits 1987-1989 (1:14)

Released by: BBC Records
Release date: 1988
Total running time: 44:13

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Categories
1983 1991 D Doctor Who Soundtracks Television

Doctor Who: Earthshock

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2 min read

This is a CD reissue of a 1983 album simply titled Doctor Who – The Music, which was the first such soundtrack of the show’s customarily abstract electronic music. The majority of the music from that original album hails from the popular 1981-83 period including such pivotal episodes as The Keeper Of Traken and Earthshock, though additional material added to the disc represents the early 70s (particularly two original and very, very abstract musique concrete pieces created by Delia Derbyshire, the producer of the original Doctor Who theme). I do have a complaint about the album – it’s the intertwining of sound effects with the music. If I wanted to hear the TARDIS 3 out of 4materializing, I’d dig out 30 Years At The Radiophonic Workshop or watch the show itself. The attempt at creating atmosphere manages simply to be distracting. Other than that, I heartily recommend this for Doctor Who fans, but with the abstract nature of some of the music, it may appeal only to dyed-in-the-wool Who fans.

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  1. Doctor Who theme – 1963-1979 version (2:39)
  2. The Sea-Devils (5:19)
  3. Meglos (1:42)
  4. The World of Doctor Who including the Master’s theme (2:40)
  5. Blue Veils and Golden Sands / from Inferno (3:28)
  6. Nyssa’s Theme (0:43)
  7. Kassia’s Wedding Music (0:49)
  8. The Threat of Melkur (0:55)
  9. Exploring the Lab (1:48)
  10. Nyssa is Hypnotised (1:00)
  11. The Leisure Hive (5:35)
  12. The Delian Mode / from Inferno (5:35)
  13. Omega Field Force (1:54)
  14. Ergon Threat (1:03)
  15. The Termination of the Doctor (2:10)
  16. Banqueting Music / from Warrior’s Gate (1:31)
  17. TSS Machine Attacked / from Kinda (1:07)
  18. Janissary Band / from Snakedance (0:18)
  19. Subterranean Caves (2:36)
  20. Requiem (0:39)
  21. March of the Cybermen (5:13)
  22. Doctor Who theme – reprise (1:52)

Released by: Silva Screen
Release date: 1991 (originally released in 1983)
Total running time: 50:36

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