Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea
 
 

Jerry Goldsmith's mass of work for Radio and TV is near impossible to preserve on soundtrack in comparison to his film scores, so any opportunity to enjoy some of the composer's rare assignments for the numerous TV shows he worked on is very welcome. This disc from Crescendo extracts two episode scores from the hugely popular sci-fi show Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. Feature composer Paul Sawtell provided the majority of the music, and the main theme, but Jerry Goldsmith collaborated with Irwin Allen on season two's opening episode Jonah And The Whale. For Jonah Goldsmith was also called upon to develop a new theme for the show which was showcased here. Goldsmith's unusual take on the opening proved short lived though and Sawtell's theme returned for the next episode and remained the signature for the show's life.

Apart from the obvious budget limitations and time, Goldsmith's work for TV was on par with the music he wrote for the big screen. In the case of Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea Goldsmith provides a rather downbeat but nonetheless effective score. The 18+ minute selection begins with the composer's most unusual main theme. Compared to the traditional TV themes Goldsmith is famous for this one barely resembles a theme at all and is more of a motif, breaking all the rules of a tv theme to capture the audience's attention and establish something identifiable. Clearly Goldsmith must have had input and one can only assume those suggesting a direction for the theme were as much to blame.

Goldsmith's opener creates a rather harsh and dissonant atmosphere with a short growling motif, a stark contrast to Sawtell's more heroic theme. From here we launch into a selection of short suites from the episode. The second cue, made up of A Whale of a Whale/Thar She Blows/A Whale of a Time/The Second Dive, presents a more dramatic presentation of the theme for brass and woodwinds. As the piece settles, Goldsmith creates a meandering rhythm, maintained by percussion with the composer's theme recycled throughout.

A Meal Fit For A Whale introduces some early electronics that would crop up in later scores, in particular; The Satan Bug and Damnation Alley. This cue heralds a more elaborate presentation of the Goldsmith theme, now called upon as an action motif, ably supported by crisp snare drums and joined by a satisfying Goldsmith suspense motif that would become one of the composer's key musical signatures throughout the sixties.

Collision Course I/Collision Course II/Diving Party/Going Down initially presents a similar downbeat presentation of the theme, as heard in the opening cue, before the music literally explodes into an aggressive brass led assault. While the metallic electronic effects return to slow the tempo, with woodwinds now centre.

Home Free Part I/Home Free Part II begins with Goldsmith's theme played in the lower registers, but it's not long before the music crescendos and the dark foreboding brass exclamations return. Again Goldsmith subtly enhances the cue with electronic chords but gets to climax the cue with a short lived resolution for woodwinds and requisite cymbal crash. The album closes with the End Credit, presenting a longer variant of the main theme but interestingly is even more jarring than the opener, though this time showcasing more electronic integration.