Did anyone else beside me think it was way too cool when the Guitar rift started playing when Spock would Mind Meld or be in Pon Farr?
Spock's Guitar Riff
- Thread starter Klingon Empire
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Re: Spock's Guitar Rift
Woops. My mistake. My head was going back and forth over which one it was.
Woops. My mistake. My head was going back and forth over which one it was.
I think you're thinking of "Remorse", if I remember my track names correctly...although it's also used (earlier) in "Mr. Spock".
Regardless, I agree it's one of the greatest music cues of the series, one of the ones that got me interested in ST music as a kid.
Gerald Fried wasn't my favorite of the Big 4 (Courage, Steiner, Fried, and Kaplan) but his influence may be the strongest.
Regardless, I agree it's one of the greatest music cues of the series, one of the ones that got me interested in ST music as a kid.
Gerald Fried wasn't my favorite of the Big 4 (Courage, Steiner, Fried, and Kaplan) but his influence may be the strongest.
The guitar solo was played by Barney Kessel, a member of the original "Wrecking Crew", a veritible "Who's Who" of studio musicians.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wrecking_Crew_(music)
Interesting piece of information. How do you know this?
I'm a musician and I know musician stuff. I can tell you the entire brass section from the soundtrack of Star Trek XI. I know some of those guys personally. I'm a Trombone player and here are some of my friends:
This is the low brass section from "Planet of the Apes". The guy kneeling on the extreme right in the front row is Tommy Johnson, who passed away in 2006. He played on the soundtrack of every Star Trek movie except the last one. He was also the "voice" of the shark in "Jaws", and the "voice" of the mothership in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". John Van Houten "replaced" Tommy for Star Trek XI.
Here's the Barney Kessel connection: an interview with Star Trek composer Gerald Fried by Jimmy J. Aquino:
JJA: Now in "Amok Time," you created a theme for Spock for bass guitar. Let's talk about that. Why a bass guitar for Spock?
GF: Spock had a lot of trouble with emotion. If he did have any, he hardly knew how to get it out. Now if you try to play a lyrical line on a big thumpy bass guitar, you're gonna have trouble sounding lyrical, so I thought it would be a match to write a lyrical theme but put it on the bass guitar. It somehow parallels Spock's trouble and confusion with emotion.
JJA: Who played the bass guitar?
GF: Barney Kessel.
JJA: What were some of his previous credits? Did he work with you before?
GF: Yeah, he was a studio guitarist by the time I came to him, but before that, he was one of the half-dozen greatest jazz guitarists in history. You'll find him on records like with Art Tatum and Earl "Father" Hines. He's right up on the top. In fact, he, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, Eddie Lang and Charlie Christian--I just named to you the half-dozen great guitar players of all time.
http://afistfulofsoundtracks.blogspot.com/2009/05/geralds-game-star-trek-composer-gerald.html
IMO the best music peices in TOS:
The incidental music when the 'spinning color cube' is on screen or moving toward the 1701 in The Corbomite Manuever
The Vulcan music (guitar riff) mentioned here; and also that iconic Ponn Far combat music from Amok Time
The incidental music used anytime the Klingon Battlecruiser is on screen, or the Troyian 'spy' working for the Klingons is doing his sabotage; the final 1701 VS Klingon Battlecruiser ship to ship combat music in Elan of Troyius <--- And this was the first Star Trek episode I ever saw first run on NBC at the age of 6.
I love, love, love this leitmotif for Spock. It was one of the happinest days of my fanboy life when I finally was able to purchase the "Amok Time" soundtrack and finally own a recording of this theme. I keep hoping that Michael Giacchino will use it in a film score one of these days...
I think the worst music in TOS was from the third season. Fitting, as there are fewer terrific eps from that season. Best is from season two. -- RR
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