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Posted: |
Jan 21, 2020 - 7:03 AM
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By: |
Rollin Hand
(Member)
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Dear Guys:
Of the Six Million Dollar Man series, which episodes should have their cues/soundtracks come out on a CD?
....What episodes would you choose?
==jthree
Oliver Nelson contribution to the series' success is huge IMHO and his musical ideas are well developed throughout the first 3 seasons, well, the first 50 episodes only actually (episode 1 POPULATION:ZERO to 50 HOCUS-POCUS) .
His heavy jazz rythm influence, his accurate sense of pace and orchestrations made his musical contribution to SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN unique in the adventure TV scoring stuff. The absolute very best thing of the seventies I guess.
Here is my selection of what episodes should be totally or partially released in priority.
At least a best of of each episode would be welcome, or a big compilation work assembling all the major motives.
FROM SEASON 1:
POPULATION:ZERO (that final run is great...)
EYEWITNESS TO MURDER
Dr WELLS IS MISSING (that hand fight in the snow is gorgeous...)
THE LAST OF THE 4TH OF JULYS
BURNING BRIGHT
FROM SEASON 2:
NUCLEAR ALERT (that fast motif when Steve leaves the car and runs after the truck...)
THE PIONEERS (the two notes ostinato at the begining and that big fight scene at the end...)
PILOT ERROR (what a finale!)
THE PAL-MIR ESCORT (once the GMC mobilehome is on the road, it never stops...)
THE SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR MAN (that assault on the bad guys by Steve Austin and Barney Miller)
THE MIDAS TOUCH (Oscal Goldman's car arrival at the mine...what a theme!)
THE DEADLY REPLAY (what a finale...)
STRANGER IN BROKEN FORK (the last 5 minutes are incredible...)
THE PEEPING BLONDE (for the Baja Bossa theme)
LOST LOVE
TANEHA (all the scenes with Steve running after the cougar are gorgeous, and feature a totally new theme)
THE E.S.P. SPY
OUTRAGE IN BALINDERRY
STEVE AUSTIN, FUGITIVE (that fight scene with the Caterpillar at the end...oups!)
FROM SEASON 3:
THE PRICE OF LIBERTY (that run of Steve after the truck holding the stolen thing)
THE SONG AND DANCE SPY
THE WOLF BOY (that big fight scene and the following run into the jungle after the wolf boy - what a counterpoint: 3 themes altogether!)
TARGET IN THE SKY (that roll contest on the river and all the search for the hidden missiles...)
ONE OF OUR RUNNING BACKS IS MISSING (running scenes once again...)
THE BIONIC CRIMINAL (second Barney Miller stuff, final fight: no word...)
THE BLUE FLASH
DIVIDED LOYALTY
CLARK TEMPLETON O'FLAHERTY
HOCUS-POCUS
And for sure THE BIONIC WOMAN and THE RETURN OF THE BIONIC WOMAN deserves a CD on its own.
Of course some motives come back several times throughout the series but there are plenty and enough of them to do at least a terrific 2 CD set "à la THE INVADERS" to get an overall view of Oliver Nelson work for the series.
The JJ Johnson stuff from end Season 3 to 5 is less interesting, as the arrangements are not the caliber of those by Oliver Nelson.
Well, what do you think?
Your list contains stock music, fyi.
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I agree, much more of Oliver Nelson’s music sticks in the brain. It’s extremely hummable. The only Johnson piece I really loved, which I think I mentioned up thread, was the intro music for the Thunderbirds in The Thunderbird Connection. It’s a really lovely piece of music.
It’s kind of fitting (albeit tragic) that Nelson couldn’t be there for the latter half of the series. It changed from an introspective and serious SF adventure and became a gimmick series. It was caufght up in the stars and styles of the late 70’s. The Mustache Season was particularly gimmicky. While the 5th season tried to get back to more serious adventure, and actually got Steve back in space, overall the series became kinda dull. Lee Majors was coaxed back by having a Brinks truck backed up to his house. After that, he was done and there were talks of Bruce Jenner or even Gil Gerard taking over.
They instead decided to kill the series. Fittingly, The Bionic Woman was cancelled at the same time over at ABC< but unlike that sister series, SMDM didn’t get a good final episode. Jaime had a life changing story. Steve had a “From Russia With Love” ripoff mission. At least the reunion movies tied it up.
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Posted: |
Jan 21, 2020 - 11:13 AM
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By: |
The Shadow
(Member)
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By the way,
Well known film and TV music fan FISHMAN released on his Youtube channel 23 edited suites from THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN score, mainly by Oliver Nelson but also some JJ Johnson and Gil Mellé stuff.
They are really nice, sound good to very good, with actually some reverb mimicking pseudo-stereo sound.
There are no dialogues, only some sound effects. They obvisouly must come from some DVD source, so the best sounding available source so far.
The result is very effective and enjoyable...considering the lack of any official release.
It's a true labour of love and homage.
May these excerpts help lobbying the "Powers That Be" in the profesional Hollywood film music comunity to consider at last an official release of the highlights of this series' soundtrack...provided the tapes still exist of course...and that our usual favorite soundtrack producers first express interest and introduce such request.
Douglas, MV, anybody?
FILM MUSIC SOCIETY people maybe?
After THE INVADERS and other Quinn Martin's treasures, we can dream of anything to happen....
One question still haunts me of course: did the tapes burned in the 2008 Universal fire or not?? Who can make a definitive statement on the issue?
Anyway, here are FISHMAN's best suites:
BURNING BRIGHT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d9n4wYEBKs&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=5
THE MIDAS TOUCH
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d9n4wYEBKs&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=5
TANEHA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui37fotA_5Y&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=16
NUCLEAR ALERT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJArxmJujg8&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=14
THE LAST OF THE FOURTH OF JULYS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR2S-JDNNJE&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=12
THE SEVEN MILLION DOLLAR MAN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXtS6gjLdE8&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=9
THE ESP SPY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJArxmJujg8&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=14
POPULATION: ZERO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJArxmJujg8&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=14
and two big suites...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQA_A5gBWrs&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekO8_suWIUE&list=PLXCALJAH2Zp6sSU6oBKzXIrTSamDvhKoV&index=2
Hope this can help the interest grow....
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I agree, much more of Oliver Nelson’s music sticks in the brain. It’s extremely hummable. The only Johnson piece I really loved, which I think I mentioned up thread, was the intro music for the Thunderbirds in The Thunderbird Connection. It’s a really lovely piece of music.
It's a poor man's rework of Oliver Nelson's “The Deadly Test” (1975/season 3), fyi. Nothing original here.
Well, okay then. It still stood out as very nice. 
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Normally I'd start a new thread, but on occasion I like to use an existing thread with conversation already going, so.....
INITIAL TV MOVIES:
These are the TV movies that spawned the series. There were other TV movies, but they came after the series, so I'll do those separately.
NO LOADS FOUND.
"The Six Million Dollar Man" (1973)
By: Gil Mellé
"The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War" (1973)
By: Stu Phillips
"The Six Million Dollar Man: The Solid Gold Kidnapping" (1973)
By: Gil Mellé and Oliver Nelson
SEASON 1:
"Population: Zero"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60pqxm
Highlights:
39:48 in.
45:47 in.
These are the only two cues I'd take away from this episode.
"Survival of the Fittest"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6r8ucj
Highlights:
15:19 in.
22:22 in.
23:50 in. I think she heard the guiro. ;-)
27:50 in.
29:02 in.
31:42 in.
37:18 in.
41:53 in.
43:12 in.
47:54 in.
"Operation Firefly"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60pqy8
Highlights:
4:32 in.
9:52 in.
11:47 in.
14:45 in.
15:34 in. And the short banjo cue after the commercial break.
17:57 in.
21:32 in.
25:19 in.
27:30 in.
31:10 in.
37:42 in.
41:12 in.
46:22 in.
"Day of the Robot"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60pr1u
Highlights:
0:57 in.
4:42 in.
17:06 in.
21:10 in.
26:10 in.
29:30 in. And the cue after the commercial break (there are three brief lulls and the score continues). Together that's over thirteen minutes of score. If it wasn't for Nelson's score, I don't think I could have stood so much slow motion.
44:06 in.
45:51 in.
47:57 in.
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Finishing SEASON 1:
If I didn't cover an episode, no composer was credited.
"Little Orphan Airplane"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6revq9
Highlights:
About 4:50 in.
11:16 in.
21:08 in.
21:55 in.
23:27 in.
30:22 in.
32:46 in.
37:46 in.
42:54 in.
44:10 in.
"Doomsday, and Counting"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6revsw
Highlights:
0:57 in.
2:48 in.
8:02 in.
17:55 in.
22:41 in.
24:15 in.
27:10 in.
33:06 in.
46:45 in.
47:19 in.
"Eyewitness to Murder"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6rjt4w
Highlights:
0:00 in.
2:19 in.
3:33 in. Over five minutes long, including some cool stuff.
11:57 in.
18:54 in. Including more cool stuff.*
22:02 in.
26:26 in.
31:05 in.
33:15 in.
36:30 in. And including more of that cool stuff. I know, a lot of similar stuff, but when it sounds like this, I can't give even the tinniest of fucks.
* = Well, he's stronger than David Dunn. But I have no clue how you rip a door off like that without the window shattering.
"Rescue of Athena One"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6rjtah
Highlights:
17:29 in.
31:39 in.
43:30 in.
"Dr. Wells Is Missing"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6rjtar
Highlights:
0:00 in.
2:17 in.
3:55 in.
6:42 in.
9:08 in.
15:40 in.
24:04 in.
25:57 in.
31:45 in.
32:59 in. Almost five minutes of good stuff.
39:21 in.
40:01 in.
41:16 in.
"The Coward"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6rocpx
Highlights:
9:27 in.
11:36 in.
14:03 in.
17:10 in.
26:39 in.
28:05 in.
30:17 in.
36:52 in.
40:00 in.
George Takei guest stars some, and I think he was checking Lee out a little.
"Run, Steve, Run"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60prd0
Highlights:
About 1:48 in.
4:21 in.
8:37 in.
14:45 in.
26:49 in. Joining a cue already in progress.
29:24 in..
34:30/35:30 in.
42:02 in. More Doh dah dee, doh dah da. Four minutes long.
I don't care if a season one set is five CD's long.
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SEASON 2:
The volume is loud on all season two loads unless otherwise noted.
"Nuclear Alert"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6kzu2k
Highlights:
5:34 in.
10:25 in.
11:17 in.
14:46 in.
16:56 in.
20:10 in.
25:33 in. There is a brief lull and the music picks back up*.
29:56 in.
31:09 in.
42:16 in. Just over five minutes long.
* = And Buffy Summers is stronger than Steve Austin. Steve struggled to rip that pad lock off for some reason, but Buffy grabbed one, looked around, and coughed while ripping one off quickly in an episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".
"The Pioneers"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60prk8
Highlights:
2:38 in. With the first minute being cool catchy material.
4:51 in.
6:38 in. Starting off with more of that cool catchy material.
9:28 in.
11:04 in.
14:49 in.
16:56 in.
23:33 in.
29:28 in.
35:37 in. Eight minutes long.
"Pilot Error"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6rtww9
Highlights:
22:07 in.
28:59 in. A little over two minutes of montage music.
32:01 in.
43:25 in.
47:49 in.
"The Pal-Mir Escort"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60pro3
Highlights:
0:00 in.
4:48 in.
16:20 in.
18:45 in.
21:02 in.
24:15 in.
32:45 in. About four minutes long.
36:30 in.
38:08 in.
42:25 in.
44:00 in.
"The Seven Million Dollar Man"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60prs0
Highlights:
0:00 in.
About 1:55 in.
5:24 in.
7:31 in.
9:52 in.
13:23 in.
20:02 in.
22:44 in. Almost five minutes long.
38:00 in.
40:13 in. Nearly six minutes long.*
48:03 in.
* = I waited and waited for that conveniently and oddly-placed red axe to be picked off the wall and be used. I was SURE it was going to happen!
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BTW, does anyone know offhand which episode of SMDM Oliver Nelson essentially plagiarizes himself and uses the same exact theme he used for Columbo's "The Greenhouse Jungle" episode?
I'd like to know that.
Did everyone know that the sunny, upbeat running theme for Steve and Jaime in "The Bionic Woman" Part 2 (top of Act I) was actually a re-recording of Nelson's main title to DEATH OF A GUNFIGHTER? And that's one of my favorite musical scenes of the series. As long as Nelson wrote it and Universal owned it, nobody was going to cry foul!
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Continuing SEASON 2:
"Straight on 'til Morning"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60pru2
Highlights:
458 in.
6:49 in.
10:53 in.
15:22 in.
16:49 in.
24:53 in.
28:57 in.
45:01 in.
47:49 in.
Okay, so ... aliens are a thing in this show. Is this the jump the shark moment of the show?
"The Midas Touch"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60prwx
Highlights:
0:00 in.
1:20 in.
4:54 in.
13:30 in.
15:50 in.
21:42 in.
24:41 in.
26:36 in. And the short cool cue after the commercial break.
32:46 in.
34:46 in.
36:57 in. With that four-note backing from the James Bond theme. Nelson might have made a fun James Bonb composer, thinking about it now.
40:50 in.
44:02 in.
47:37 in.
Steve: "If you'd stay awake during your own escape, it sure would help things."
"The Deadly Replay"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60przn
Highlights:
17:17 in.
22:28 in.
34:38 in.
43:00 in.
"Act of Piracy"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60ps1q
Highlights:
0:00 in.
4:12 in.
5:41 in.
9:30 in.
About 13:00 in. And the cue after the commercial break.
19:22 in. With that cell bass opening playing the way it did, I was expecting to see a shark.
20:37 in.
30:56 in.
33:20 in.
About 35:25 in.
36:10 in.
41:22 in.
43:02 in.
47:54 in.
"Stranger in Broken Fork"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60ps5e
Highlights:
3:37 in.
13:54 in.
27:20 in.
28:16 in.
30:32 in.
39:30 in. Yeah, go wild with that percussion.
42:43 in.
4654 in.
"The Peeping Blonde"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60ps9i
Highlights:
1:28 in.
14:13 in.
20:45/23:44 in.
ABout 29:00 in.
30:20 in.
35:38 in.
40:09 in.*
47:32 in.
* = If he can just crush a pad lock like a beer can, why didn't he do that in an earlier episode?
"The Cross-Country Kidnap"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60psc9
Highlights:
3:22 in.
8:36 in.
12:27 in.
14:18 in.
15:53 in.
20:25 in.
22:29 in.
27:28 in. A few minutes long. I lost track.
35:45 in.
About 44:50 in. And the cue after the commercial break.
47:59 in.
"Lost Love"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5kw4sm (in French[?]; volume is lower on this load) I apologize for the awful load -- it was the only one I could find. Ever time somebody needs to speak in French, the sound/music quality takes a huge dip -- sounding like the French voice actors were using a worn-out phonogram record. I keep expecting, jokingly of course, to hear Alexander Graham Bell speak up.
Highlights:
11:30 in. Joining a cue already in progress for the cool stuff.
13:40 in.
21:49 in.
22:23 in. And the cue after
36:15 in.
41:19 in. And the cue after the commercial break.
47:28 in.
"The Last Kamikaze"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60psi7
Highlights:
0:00 in.
5:07 in.
9:49 in.
11:20 in.
12:29 in.
27:40 in.
33:00 in.
36:56 in.
41:08 in.
45:05 in.
47:10 in.
This is probably the third of fourth episode of various TV series that I have seen using this plot: lead goes out to find (or stumbles upon) a soldier from a war long over but the soldier has been out of the loop for many years and doesn't not know. Are all these TV series just taking inspiration from each other or was there some real life story they took the plot idea from?
"Return of the Robot Maker"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60pskx
Highlights:
1:25 in.
4:02 in.*
8:52 in.
12:33 in.
23:59 in.
29:37 in.+
About 34:30 in.
36:18 in.
37:47 in.
42:41 in.
* = More of that TV reality: people with firearms, even trained to use them, can miss again and again, even when the target isn't moving, but some guy hits his mark on the fist shot with a non-lethal tranquilizer.
+ = 32:07 in: So THAT's where Colonel Klink went to after the war.
"Taneha"
By: Oliver Nelson
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60pso9
Highlights:
0:00 in.
1:52 in.
4:21 in. Upbeat piece with some kind of percussion instrument that kin of sounds like finger snaps. A little over a minute long.
8:24 in. More of the above material. These two cues would naturally lend themselves to being combined.
14:03 in. And the cue after the commercial break.
17:50 in.
23:50 in.
28:20 in.
28:52 in.
33:45 in.
38:35 in. There's a bad edit over two minutes into the cue, so we don't get to hear the whole thing (looks like the scene is it went to, is cut early, too).
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SEASON 2:
"The Seven Million Dollar Man"
22:44 in. Almost five minutes long.
I haven't had a chance to watch this, but I am assuming that's the "Barney Beats Up the Guys with the Van" sequence. Which remains my favorite sustained cue of the entire series. I would - LOVE - to have this on CD.
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I have added the rest of the episodes, picking up at "The Peeping Blonde".
Scott McOldsmith, in that highlight, Steve and Barney fight bad guys who were in a van, to get a red box. Barney goes too far and Steven has to stop him.
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