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Bear McCreary's Battlestar Galactica & Caprica scores


pete

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Live BSG album coming this week and remastered soundtracks (just download I assume) and the live album will be released on CD by Lala...  Pretty extensive interview here too!


https://gizmodo.com/battlestar-galacticas-bear-mccreary-knows-what-concert-1847006819

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Still great after all these years.  Signed CDs available from LLL this Tuesday. Unsigned CDs on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Say-All-Battlestar-Galactica-Live/dp/B0941B4Y82

 

For anyone who didn't see the live shows or catch it on youtube, these versions are certainly quite different at times and may take some getting used to. On the other hand that means getting to dig in to some 'new' BSG for the first time!

 

 

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21 hours ago, serenifly said:

For anyone who didn't see the live shows or catch it on youtube, these versions are certainly quite different at times and may take some getting used to.

 

Different doesn't mean bad. This is still one of the best things McCreary has done:

 

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1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

Different doesn't mean bad. This is still one of the best things McCreary has done:

 

Didn't say it did. Weird that that's what you took from what I said. Oh well.

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Looking forward to this. I don't love all of Bear's music for BSG, but there's enough great material for a 2 cd set of highlights, at the very least

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11 minutes ago, serenifly said:

Didn't say it did. Weird that that's what you took from what I said. Oh well.

 

I didn't, not from your comment. But often people will complain about "re-recordings" sounding different, so I wanted to emphasise that this is often the whole point.

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Quote

AUTOGRAPH EXCLUSIVE
SO SAY WE ALL: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA LIVE
SNS102
Music by Bear McCreary
RETAIL PRICE: $15.98

 

STARTS SHIPPING JUNE 8

 

Order yours starting June 8 at 12 noon (pst) at www.lalalandrecords.com

 

COMPOSER BEAR McCREARY CELEBRATES THE RELEASE OF HIS BATTLESTAR GALACTICA SCORES ON STREAMING SERVICES WITH THE RELEASE OF A LIVE ALBUM 
SO SAY WE ALL (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA LIVE)

 

GET YOUR AUTOGRAPHED COPY NOW, exclusively from La-La Land Records!

 

SSWA_Web.jpg

 

From the composer: To start this process, the Battlestar Galactica live record that began life over a decade ago is, at long last, complete. I’m thrilled to announce that So Say We All: Battlestar Galactica Live, will be available this Friday (June 4) from Sparks & Shadows on all streaming platforms, along with limited signed copies available in partnership with La-La Land Records next week (June 8). In addition to these newly produced live arrangements, check out your favorite streaming platforms for the long-awaited arrival of my original scores for the first four seasons of the soundtracks!

 

Bear McCreary Live Album Interview:

TRACK LISTING:

1. A Distant Sadness
2. Prelude To War
3. Baltar’s Dream
4. Roslin and Adama
5. Apocalypse
6. Fight Night
7. Something Dark Is Coming
8. Wander My Friends
9. Lords Of Kobol
10. Storming New Caprica
11. Heeding The Call
12. All Along The Watchtower
13. Colonial Anthem / Black Market

 

https://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/4our-2el811--uzxl6-ag4f6q4

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I did like seasons 3 & 4. They were good. But I also think there was a lot of treading water, like the writers didn't quite know what to do with it (which was the case in fact). And there were a few just really bad episodes in there (Hero, Black Market) whereas I don't think there was a bad moment in seasons 1 & 2. Not that they're bad by any stretch, just the first two seasons set such a high bar that I don't think the latter two could match up to.

 

But those first two seasons, damn, they even rivalled Game of Thrones at its high point.

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14 minutes ago, Nick1066 said:

But those first two seasons, damn, they even rivalled Game of Thrones at its high point.

I consider BSG in its prime (which, as you said, was in its first two seasons) better than any era of GoT.

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6 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I consider BSG in its prime (which, as you said, was in its first two seasons) better than any era of GoT.

 

The first 2 seasons were definitely the best, yes. The best Thrones easily trumps the best BSG for me, but I do generally prefer Bear's scoring to Ramin's.

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I missed the zeitgeist of BSG and watched it all a handful of years after the finale.  I, too, thought it was really good but today my most vivid memory is Fat Lee Adama and looooooooool

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  • 3 months later...

I just noticed that the remastered versions of the Season 1, 2, 3, and 4 OST albums are on digital platforms now

 

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bear-mccreary/204012062/see-all?section=full-albums

 

Anybody listened yet and have an opinion on how they sound compared to the original releases?

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  • 1 year later...

I recently re-listened to the miniseries album, and then all 4 season albums.

 

This was my first time listening to any of this music in quite a while!

 

So many memories of the music, as well as the show itself, had faded, so it was nice to rediscover these scores.

 

They're really good!

 

I had a vague memory that Gibbs' miniseries score was nothing special and quite different from Bear's series scores, but on this listen I realized how much the entire series' musical approach all stems from this.  It's clearly a low budget score, but it works great, the sparse orchestrations and percussive drive are very enjoyable.  And I was reminded by the booklet that Bear was already working on the show at this point too.

 

Then the season 1 OST begins in much of the same style but slowly expands a bit with new newer ideas and bigger arrangements.  It's ultimate a better and improved version of what we got from the miniseries.  It was nice to hear the show's main title music again too!  And it's cute to see Bear working with Raya all the way back here at the start of it all!

 

Season 2 continues to bring new new ideas, like a string quartet track 

 

By season 3 we're switching from style to style, string quartets, piano sonatas, japanese instrumentation, solo vocalists, percussive rhythmic tracks... and then at the end we get that great Dylan/Hendrix/McCreary hybrid All Along The Watchtower which is great!  That was such a memorable TV moment and its impact is still felt every time I listen to the track.  A great idea that was executed perfectly.

 

The season 4 album was interesting, it was more subdued than I remember, being for the final season!  The first disc feels like one long setup to the second disc, which contains the score to the 3-part series finale.  It seems like every idea from all the prior seasons is brought back and iterated on / given some kind of finale, and the All Along The Watchtower idea is taken in fun new directions too.  Then the finale score is interesting, no grand finish really, the I remember the show ending in a bit of a subdued way.

 

it was nice to revisit these 6 discs of music.

 

I know I bought the Caprica, Plan/Razor, and live releases, maybe I'll check those out soon

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This morning I listened to the free promotional CD I have, "The Best of Seasons 1-4"

 

This is - by far! - my favorite single disc I could listen to if I'm in the mood for BSG music.  It's really quite wonderfully curated and organized.  The flow of music is terrific!  One thing I like is that the "All Along The Watchtower" melody is introduced early and then recurs throughout, until the actual song is the second-to-last track. Well done!

 

And along the way it just has all the best parts.  It really covers all the styles well..

 

Oh, and about this CD........

 

 

 

On 14/09/2014 at 10:35 AM, Jay said:

Bear McCreary - The Best of Battlestar Galactica

 

On 23/09/2014 at 6:27 PM, JWMike said:

Never heard of this. What exactly is it?

 

On 23/09/2014 at 7:44 PM, A. A. Ron said:

It's a promo (never commercially available) that has tracks from all four seasons, including a slightly alternate version of "Resurrection Hub."

 

On 24/09/2014 at 12:01 PM, JWMike said:

That's interesting. I think I've seen rumours of future Battlestar releases, most notably a live dvd of one of the concerts Bear did. I wonder if a new album would be a 'best of' or completely unreleased stuff. As the series gets older, I wonder if it gets cheaper to release more material.

 

On 24/09/2014 at 12:09 PM, Jay said:

After the show ended, they put together a nice coffee table book for the cast and crew full of pictures of and stories from everyone who worked on the show, across all departments. The neat thing was they cut the corners off it like the paper in the show :) Also included attached to the back cover was a "Best of BSG" CD assembled by Bear McCreacy, something like 79:58 of his personal favorite cues from the 4 seasons.

I found a few pics of the book online:

http://grantgould.blogspot.com/2008/09/notes-on-fallcon-and-bsg-treat.html

http://www.yourprops.com/Cast-Crew-Yearbook-original-film-crew-items-Battlestar-Galactica-TV-2003-YP43647.html

I can post the track list of the CD if you like, you can assemble it from the existing 4 season soundtracks.

 

On 24/09/2014 at 12:50 PM, DreamTheater said:

Please do, Jason, saves me the trouble of having to assemble it myself.

 

On 24/09/2014 at 12:59 PM, Marian Schedenig said:

Would interest me as well - just to see how McCreary's own favourites compare to mine - and what potentially interesting material I may have overlooked so far.

 

On 24/09/2014 at 1:17 PM, Jay said:

Will do!

 

On 24/09/2014 at 2:24 PM, JWMike said:

Wow, that book looks really cool. Would be good to see the tracklist. Cheers.

 

On 06/10/2014 at 10:58 AM, Jay said:

Woops sorry guys, I'll make a note to get that tracklist soon

 

 

8 years later, I can fulfill this request!

 

OTMtNjg3MC5qcGVn.jpeg

 

1        Main Title
2        Colonial Anthem
3        Baltar's Dream
4        Farewell Apollo
5        Prelude To War
6        A Distant Sadness
7        Passacaglia
8        Fight Night
9        The Resurrection Hub
10        A Promise To Return
11        Storming New Caprica
12        Refugees Return
13        Roslin And Adama
14        Lords Of Kobol
15        Black Market
16        Deathbed And Maelstrom
17        The Shape Of Things To Come
18        Heeding The Call
19        All Along The Watchtower
20        Diaspora Oratorio

 

All Music Composed, Orchestrated and Conducted by Bear McCreary
Except:
Track 1: Composed and Produced by Richard Gibbs

Track 2: Music by Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson, Adapted and Produced by Bear McCreary
Track 19: Music and Lyrics by Bob Dylan, adapted and produced by Bear McCreary

 

 

This limited edition CD contains my personal favorite musical moments from 'Battlestar Galactica.' I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. So Say We All!
-Bear McCreary
June 2008

 

 

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone onboard Galactica for graciously inviting us into your amazing universe. We are deeply honored to have had the privilege of sharing Bear's phenomenal music with the world. Say so we all!
Everyone at La La Land Records

 

 

https://www.discogs.com/release/11715211-Bear-McCreary-Battlestar-Galactica-The-Best-Of-Seasons-1-4

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32 minutes ago, Jay said:

After the show ended, they put together a nice coffee table book for the cast and crew full of pictures of and stories from everyone who worked on the show, across all departments.

 

http://www.yourprops.com/Cast-Crew-Yearbook-original-film-crew-items-Battlestar-Galactica-TV-2003-YP43647.html

 

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On 02/11/2022 at 8:32 PM, Jay said:

And I was reminded by the booklet that Bear was already working on the show at this point too.

 

He did some work on the miniseries, then while they were searching for a composer for the series itself, they let him do 33, and after that they decided to just keep him on board.

 

I guess I'll make a playlist to mirror that best of album to see how it plays.

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10 hours ago, Jay said:

This morning I listened to the free promotional CD I have, "The Best of Seasons 1-4"

 

This is - by far! - my favorite single disc I could listen to if I'm in the mood for BSG music.  It's really quite wonderfully curated and organized.  The flow of music is terrific!  One thing I like is that the "All Along The Watchtower" melody is introduced early and then recurs throughout, until the actual song is the second-to-last track. Well done!

 

And along the way it just has all the best parts.  It really covers all the styles well..

 

Oh, and about this CD........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 years later, I can fulfill this request!

 

OTMtNjg3MC5qcGVn.jpeg

 

1        Main Title
2        Colonial Anthem
3        Baltar's Dream
4        Farewell Apollo
5        Prelude To War
6        A Distant Sadness
7        Passacaglia
8        Fight Night
9        The Resurrection Hub
10        A Promise To Return
11        Storming New Caprica
12        Refugees Return
13        Roslin And Adama
14        Lords Of Kobol
15        Black Market
16        Deathbed And Maelstrom
17        The Shape Of Things To Come
18        Heeding The Call
19        All Along The Watchtower
20        Diaspora Oratorio

 

All Music Composed, Orchestrated and Conducted by Bear McCreary
Except:
Track 1: Composed and Produced by Richard Gibbs

Track 2: Music by Stu Phillips and Glen A. Larson, Adapted and Produced by Bear McCreary
Track 19: Music and Lyrics by Bob Dylan, adapted and produced by Bear McCreary

 

 

This limited edition CD contains my personal favorite musical moments from 'Battlestar Galactica.' I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. So Say We All!
-Bear McCreary
June 2008

 

 

Our heartfelt thanks to everyone onboard Galactica for graciously inviting us into your amazing universe. We are deeply honored to have had the privilege of sharing Bear's phenomenal music with the world. Say so we all!
Everyone at La La Land Records

 

 

https://www.discogs.com/release/11715211-Bear-McCreary-Battlestar-Galactica-The-Best-Of-Seasons-1-4

 

At last! Will give this edition a listen for sure!

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On 04/11/2022 at 3:17 PM, Jay said:

1        Main Title
2        Colonial Anthem
3        Baltar's Dream
4        Farewell Apollo
5        Prelude To War
6        A Distant Sadness
7        Passacaglia
8        Fight Night
9        The Resurrection Hub
10        A Promise To Return
11        Storming New Caprica
12        Refugees Return
13        Roslin And Adama
14        Lords Of Kobol
15        Black Market
16        Deathbed And Maelstrom
17        The Shape Of Things To Come
18        Heeding The Call
19        All Along The Watchtower
20        Diaspora Oratorio

 

Not a bad playlist, and it includes several of my standard go-to tracks. Also a lot of stuff that's not that interesting to me - probably little to no filler (there's quite a bit of that in the show as well), but I've never been particularly fond of most of the "ethnic" stuff in these scores. It's fine, it works, but it doesn't hold any special interest for me.

 

Three of my regular tracks are missing though, and at least the first two are major favourites: Allegro, Battlestar Sonatica, and Dreilide Thrace Sonata No. 1. The first of these in particular I find important, because it was the moment in the show when I realised that Passacaglia wasn't a one hit wonder and that there was in fact (going to be) more outstanding music in the show. (Passacaglia and its further development in The Shape of Things to Come are the only really major tracks from S1 for me, and for some reason I hadn't really noticed the latter when I first watched the show).

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  • 2 weeks later...

I finally ripped my CD so I have this album as files.  Here are the times, in case anything jumps out that shows it's not the same as an OST track of the same name (I haven't compared)

 

01 Main Title (0:46)
02 Colonial Anthem (4:03)
03 Baltar's Dream (2:46)
04 Farewell Apollo (2:54)
05 Prelude To War (8:23)
06 A Distant Sadness (2:51)
07 Passacaglia (5:14)
08 Fight Night (2:29)
09 The Resurrection Hub (3:59)
10 A Promise To Return (3:04)
11 Storming New Caprica (7:49)
12 Refugees Return (3:43)
13 Roslin And Adama (2:49)
14 Lords Of Kobol (2:50)
15 Black Market (5:48)
16 Deathbed And Maelstrom (5:53)
17 The Shape Of Things To Come (2:54)
18 Heeding The Call (2:12)
19 All Along The Watchtower (3:34)
20 Diaspora Oratorio (4:47)

TOTAL TIME - 1:18:48

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It's a good playlist, but some tracks I really can't do without when trying to sum up the music from Battlestar Galactica. Apart from @Marian Schedenig's and @Edmilson's excellent suggestions, I would also add these:

 

This is a rather long track and I can see why it would take too much space in a single disc release, but it's a track that immediately puts me in a BSG headspace, so to speak, and greatly evocative of the good times I had watching the show. It really captures the overall mood of the show, somehow:

 

 

 

I've always found this one quite moving:

 

 

This is my favorite action track from the whole series:

 

 

This would be my last addition:

 

 

It might be a good time to rewatch the series

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On 4/11/2022 at 8:33 AM, enderdrag64 said:

What's different about the alternate Resurrection Hub

 

On 4/11/2022 at 8:34 AM, Jay said:

No idea

 

Well "alternate" probably isn't the right word really. The version from the "Best of" album just has an additional 19 seconds of music starting at about 2:53. I believe the OST track is microedited.

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  • 9 months later...

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