For me the answer is SPACE: 1999's main title. I just love that rousing call to action. It even overcomes my general dislike of rockin' electric guitar, which means it must be truly great.
For me the answer is SPACE: 1999's main title. I just love that rousing call to action. It even overcomes my general dislike of rockin' electric guitar, which means it must be truly great.
altho i dont have the CDs probably like you guys i loved em all.
i think my faves are Thunderbirds main title and UFo main title. of the episodes i think it was called Edge of destruction (might be wrong) where the nuclear road making machine is eating trees, crushing everything in its path and leaving perfectly formed and painted tarmac behind it - the crew collapse and the machine (was it the crablogger) is heading for a town. - anyway the repeated music for that machine, loved it! really captured the relentless nature of the crablogger.
I'm far from being an expert on Barry Gray's music but there was a rhythmic driving track that opens an episode of one of the series, setting the scene for a high class coastal resort at night. Does that ring a bell with anyone?
altho i dont have the CDs probably like you guys i loved em all.
i think my faves are Thunderbirds main title and UFo main title. of the episodes i think it was called Edge of destruction (might be wrong) where the nuclear road making machine is eating trees, crushing everything in its path and leaving perfectly formed and painted tarmac behind it - the crew collapse and the machine (was it the crablogger) is heading for a town. - anyway the repeated music for that machine, loved it! really captured the relentless nature of the crablogger.
Crablogger is correct and that piece of music is another of my favourite B.G. themes.
Pretty much everything in Space 1999 really. For me though, an important cue is Event Horizon from the ep Black Sun. It features a scintillating tapestry of electronics, including a multi-tracked "choir" of Ondes Martenots. It's extraordinarily beautiful, and actually quite unlike anything he'd done before.
Otherwise the brief, gentle end title from Doppelganger is very lovely and quite moving in light of the film's fatalistic finale.
The end title from UFO remains one of the most innovative pieces of TV music I've ever heard. A collage of previously written music (from other films and shows in fact) spun into a totally new and cohesive piece. It's the epitome of mystery and foreboding - an incredibly dark way to end a weekly TV show.
Otherwise the brief, gentle end title from Doppelganger is very lovely and quite moving in light of the film's fatalistic finale.
Speaking more of Doppelganger, I've always loved the very brief cue that plays when the assembly building opens revealing the rocket for the first time. It starts as a somber rendition of the main theme and suddenly bursts into a proud exclamation with trombones and strings.
This is just too damned difficult. There IS no single one. My own favouites must count in, in no particular order, all the opening and closing titles from Fireball X-L5 to Space 1999 season one. And for me a Gerry Anderson production without Barry Gray is like Sergio Leone without Ennio Morricone. I could add Hitchcock without Herrmann and Harryhausen without Herrmann. Certainly we know Burton and Elfman are a match made in heaven.
But a single track?? Zero X? The opening title for Thunderbird 6? Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (Main Title)? This guy has composed so much wonderful music. Hell, I even love his sound fx for the Dalek movies of the 60s. They are actually almost musical! There's a tiny bit of melody there.
Whatever any of us think though, I truly believe in my heart of hearts, that his lasting legacy, and some of this is borne out by The Sound of ITV on UK tv recently (i.e. no other Anderson/Gray collaboration was included), is without any doubt whatsoever:
Thunderbirds.
This theme beyond all others, will always be his lasting single piece of music with which he will be remembered far beyond our interests. It will be remembered by people who don't even know what it's from, with no interest in film/tv music, s.f., whatever. It has simply entered into popular culture all by itself.
So for that reason I must vote for it. And I do love it myself too, so yeah. Barry Gray is GO!!
Thunderbirds is THE most iconic Barry Gray music, I don't think there's much doubt about that, but my favourite is probably the title music from Stingray. Even watching it now, my heart starts to race as it did as a small boy when that percussion makes the urgent signal to batten down Marineville. And the vessel is the most perfect Anderson creation.
Thunderbirds is THE most iconic Barry Gray music, I don't think there's much doubt about that, but my favourite is probably the title music from Stingray. Even watching it now, my heart starts to race as it did as a small boy when that percussion makes the urgent signal to batten down Marineville. And the vessel is the most perfect Anderson creation.
And you've just got to love those opening title sequences. There just are no more action packed specially recorded title sequences, plus music, anywhere in television.
A few years ago when Thunderbirds got a massive boost for it's rerun on BBC 2 in the late 80s (90s?) here in the UK, Gerry Anderson did a small tour of talks. The clips consisted mainly of the title sequences. You didn't need to see any more as an intro to each of his amazing shows. Even he had to make a joke about how they could have put a little more action in them!
Such a part of many peoples childhoods here. He was indeed regarded by many as the British Walt Disney. If only he'd had half as much of the success. And of course no split from Sylvia, and Barry Gray carrying on doing the music... Sadly nothing lasts forever.
chris thank you for that. thats it. the theme i was referring to starts at 3.06 on the video.
wicked stuff.
i have to say i dont think Gray wrote any naff music. ok aqua marina was a bit sick bucket but that aside, it was all of very high calibre and if its possible to make wooden puppets come to life, his energetic music did so.
It's not only my favourite Barry Gray track, it's one of my all time top ten favourite tracks.
I agree with you. Sublime track that never fails to uplift me.
So many other great pieces of music by Barry Gray that I could choose and most have already been mentioned in posts above so I thought I'd post this not so often mentioned fave of mine...
