Long-awaited Avengers music
Charles Hall | Raleigh, NC USA | 08/19/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I got this disc as part of the 3-disc set of Laurie Johnson's music. I must say that the other two discs are not particularly interesting. Some of the other TV show themes are about all that stick in your mind.
BUT, the Avenger's tracks are excellent. I guess you have to remember the show to appreciate it, but if you do the music will really bring back satisfying memories. This music has simply been unavailable before. I believe perhaps a couple of episode's music found their way onto an older Avengers LP, but this CD is much more fulfilling. Really a must-have for Avengers fans, especially of the Emma Peel era.
One warning, even among the Avengers tracks, there are about 3 duds, mostly dance music for what must have been a slow-moving episode!
Nevertheless, I have enjoyed this CD immensely, and looked up many of the old shows to see how the music fitted in."
Laurie Johnson
David Dragotta | Milwaukee, WI | 11/04/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Nice collection, but would have been nice to have included the stereo recording of the original Avengers theme on the set."
A Laurie Johnson Primer, Part I
johcafra | New Jersey, USA | 10/07/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Before my purchase of Volume 1 I recognized only two pieces by Laurie Johnson, the theme song for The Avengers and his adaptation of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" for Stanley Kubrick's Doctor Strangelove. That was enough to make me curious to hear more...
Disc 1 is music from The Avengers, a television series I never quite caught onto, in fairness because I'd a very limited opportunity to view though I full well acknowledged Diana Rigg. The theme is ubiquitous, but the variety of musical styles impressive, and the occasional fondness for the lower registers reminds of Bernard Herrmann. The music is easy to listen to but not easy to play, and as Johnson himself admits he had very talented musicians on hand. Listen to these tracks in "mono."
The Disc 2 Television Themes and Singles are listenable. The theme for The New Avengers, a television series I'd not seen at all, starts with its predecessor, then gets "fun-kay." Petula Clark surprises with a Gershwin tune. The Film Themes show range, half are evocative, and two become extended suites in Volume 2.
But the genuine surprise on Disc 2 is Johnson's symphony "Synthesis," scored for orchestra and "jazz group." Its five movements readily compare with Duke Ellington's similar forays, with just a hint of one of Villa-Lobos's Bachianas Brasileiras, and rare indeed is a recording that makes me want to see and hear the piece performed live.
Disc 3 provides yet another surprise and ample proof that Johnson knows precisely what to do with a concert band and martial tempo. The Royal Tour Suite and To The Few (commissioned for the fiftieth anniversary of The Battle of Britain) are my picks from among the Royal Military Spectacular. Concert and symphonic bands Stateside should take note of Johnson's repertoire.
On the whole, an effective introduction to the works of a multifaceted talent that prompted me to purchase Volume 2, which I've also reviewed...
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