How important is the incidental music to you?
daveyboy7472
Posts: 16,404 Forum Member
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Just watching Buffy at the moment and it seems nearly every episode has a great musical soundtrack to back up the action at the conclusion of each one and some of the music used in the finales are amazing. Looking though my other TV shows I like in similar 50 Minute formats to New Doctor Who, the music is pivotol to the action and nearly all them have a great music to accompany the action.
Looking back over the stories I've not liked so much over the last five years in Doctor Who, music is partly the reason I'm not so keen on them. The Impossible Planet/Satan's Pit particularly springs to mind when The Doctor is on the planet itself about to climb into the pit itself, all very slow with slow music. Yawn! And, off course, without wishing to raise another Series 5 debate, I found the lack of dramatic music in some particular episodes an issue.
And it's not just for the action scenes as well. The Ecclestone/Tennant regeneration is better than the Tennant/Smith in many ways but the music used in the latter was a lot better and made it more effective. Also, looking at the music used on the DVDS to advertise forthcoming releases, you;d think they were American Blockbusters rather than Classic Who!
I guess I'm just an adrenaline junkie at heart. The faster the music, the greater the action, the better I enjoy it, that's what incidental music does for me, but what about you?
Looking back over the stories I've not liked so much over the last five years in Doctor Who, music is partly the reason I'm not so keen on them. The Impossible Planet/Satan's Pit particularly springs to mind when The Doctor is on the planet itself about to climb into the pit itself, all very slow with slow music. Yawn! And, off course, without wishing to raise another Series 5 debate, I found the lack of dramatic music in some particular episodes an issue.
And it's not just for the action scenes as well. The Ecclestone/Tennant regeneration is better than the Tennant/Smith in many ways but the music used in the latter was a lot better and made it more effective. Also, looking at the music used on the DVDS to advertise forthcoming releases, you;d think they were American Blockbusters rather than Classic Who!
I guess I'm just an adrenaline junkie at heart. The faster the music, the greater the action, the better I enjoy it, that's what incidental music does for me, but what about you?
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Wow. I couldn't disagree more! I find incidental music massively important to what I'm watching, and especially DW. I felt that Murray Gold's music really stepped up to the mark for the last series, and really interacted with the new Doctor's personality to deliver some incredibly iconic and memorable music.
Really surprised you didn't find it dramatic at all!
Yes, there's been some good ones, Vale Decem is still the best....
One thing I forgot to mention was that I can sit through a Classic Series Story quite comfortably and not worry about the music. I think some stories could have benefitted from some more, I.E Destiny Of The Daleks, some wouldn't made much difference to it, like The Web Planet.
And one further point i forgot to add, I wasn't suggesting every single episode have this big epic quality dramatic music. Clearly in stories like Vincent and The Doctor, it wasn't appropriate. In Buffy,
Me too! I think Murray Gold, next to Dudley Simpson, is simply the best Doctor Who composer we've ever had.
And yes I find the incidental music very important as it's another character to the piece entirely. Without it it would be nothing. Can you imagine Jaws without the music?
I really enjoyed the Dr Who Proms too and was surprised by how much I recognised and the emotions it stirred.
As for it being too loud on TV, I think that this has only noticed for me on one occasion, with The Waters of Mars, but it was fine on DVD, so was probably a glitch at my end.
One or two tracks feel a little soso on the albums, particularly in Series 4 and 5, but I think thats because there are one or two in the back catalogue that we never got such as The Skasis Paradigm theme from School Reunion.
Unfortunately Classic Who simply relied far too much on the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for the music! Great for sound effects and the theme of course, but not for dramatic music scores that should induce emotion. I was always disappointed with the music for the Logopolis regeneration scene!
Worse than having no incidental music was the inferior sound quality in classic who! Nothing worse than hearing footsteps continue after the character has already supposed to have stepped into a teleporter and disappeared (Jo Grant 3 Drs), or the sound of background footsteps on wood that is supposed to be concrete or the sound of swishing clothes etc...it may be trivial to some but it annoys me!:p:)
I actually said, some particular episodes as you highlighted!!!:D
Off course The Eleventh Hour had great music as did Cold Blood, that was brilliant. Some other episodes such The Beast Below and Vampires of Venice, plus a couple of the cliffhanger endings could have done with a bit more music to give it punch.
The finale, well, I've watched it again recently and I'm not really sure if any extra music would have improved it, they were both good episodes but The Big Bang in particular still lacked the type of Finale I like, that's what I'm used to watching in other TV Series and the earlier Series of New Who. As I said at the beginning, I'm an adrenaline junkie, I like fast moving action with music to match. it's just a personal thing, the finale clearly worked for other people.
She sang it towards the end of the programme when they were all outside.
Any replies awaited with interest.
Thanks - Tim
Have a look in the Christmas Carol thread, someone has posted the whole song.:)
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=46889966&postcount=1
Off to have a look now.
Thanks - Tim
But with new Who music is definitely a big part of its succcess...I mean I do notice good music in other shows and films...what with having grown up on bollywood movies..its hard not too:rolleyes::D....but apart from the odd pieces like the the theme tumes or horror films like Jaws and Psycho...they are not memorable enough to care....but with Doctor Who, this all changed....I would never buy a soundtrack of what is incidental music....but Doctor Who music is just out of this world...whether that be the Doomsday peice, All the Strange Strange Creatures, I am the Doctor, Love from Vincent, the Doctor's theme, Vale Decam, or Rose, Martha, Donna, or Amy's theme....its just seems imaginable to even think that they shouldn't have existed!!! I mean whatever TV show gets to have its music played at the proms???? says it all
I have to also speak for Classic Who....one of my favourite peices ever....the Cybermen emrging from their tombs...in the Tomb of the Cybermen...and the bongos...so effective....love it!!!!
Oh god, tell me about it! I was watching The Sea Devils one day and I don't know what the hell was going on with the "music" but it was bloody awful!
Maybe there was a ghost creating the extra footsteps?
What do you feel about some of the music used in the 60's episodes like Tomb?
here is the piece i was talking about....watch it from 3.35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSGrXEu4814&feature=related
Thanks for that link Crazzy - never seen much of 60s DW, but those I have watched, the music seems ok
Just watched it and actually, the music you refer to is actually really good! That adds a lot of excitement and thrill to that scene, which I do feel was lacking in the 70s and possibly early 80s episodes. I have Remembrance of the Daleks and actually thought the music in that was quite good too, so I think it's just the one sort of period I don't like
Oh yeah the 70's is probably less than memorable....
incidently the Next Doctor music March of the Cybermen, feels it has a bit of that bongo feeling from tomb....obviously more orchestral though:D
I'll listen out for that the next time I play that track, now that I know what the music from TOTC sounds like
The music for The Next Doctor was actually really good! Didn't really notice it in the episode that much, but it had a beautiful score nonetheless
ame here, I hadn't actually taken much notice of it, and when I heard it was going to be released, I thought it will be a lot of the stuff just tuned in different ways, and wasn't sure if i was going to feel what Murray was saying in his interview that the Next Doctor was his favourite hence why there are a number of tracks from it.....but i have to agree with him, its outstanding!!!!
Actually, this talk of the music has made me go back and listen to it now
I am myself listening to Onwards! on constant repeat right now.....if I am not back in the next couple of days...its likely that i have been arrested for annoying my neighbours with repetative noise pollution....yes they have no taste!!!!:mad: