MillenniuM: Missing Score

[The New Number 2]

For the first time in about fifteen years I'm watching episodes on the series again. I know, that long, huh? Well, suffice to say financial problems and a complete lack of TV have done that, added that no place like Hulu has them. But I found some on Youtube, though not the greatest.

I'm remembering why I loved that first season and why I eventually got hooked on the show. Of course now that my taste has become refined and my knowledge greatly expanded, I'm seeing more beauty in the writing and style than before. Why a show like that got ruined by that last season and then cancelled while "Profiler" kept going, is beyond me.

Anyway, I've decided (a little late as I'm six episodes in) to chronicle score I noted that I'd love to have that was not on the release from La La Land Records. As I recall, the reason why there has not been a second volume was because the composer and/or the studio didn't have interest. Damn shame. I'd snap it right up. I had a very positive review of it at maintitles.net.

"Pilot"

The percussive foot-chase cue.

"522666"

A couple cues: one that has those chugging strings that sound like a cue from The Truth and the Light score CD; I can't recall the track name. And the cue that closes out the episode.

I'll have to go back and re-watch the episodes inbetween.

[The New Number 2]

"Kingdom Come" (not on the LLLR's set; I'll start doing this from now on -- it indicates no selections from the episode were on the set)

The lone cue that begins aroudn the climax at the end. It's a little meandering, but still would be nice to hear apart from the SFX.

"Blood Relatives"

The LLLR's set only included the full opening cue before the opening credits. But apart from that: the cue that begins in the funeral home and transitions to a dorm room, which in the second half repriases, in a more meloncholly way, the theme from the opening cue. And pretty much every cue or fragment thereof that prepraises the theme -- it's a wonderful theme. Then there's also the quick shaker, upper octive piano and bells cue at the junk yard as Frank and agents persue the suspect (however, that annoying buzz sound, kind of like what's popular today, no thanks to the awful "Gravity" score, is annoying). The strings and harp cue during the breif break in the interrogation scene.

"The Well-Worn Lock"

Preface: I have to admit Idon't recall the score cues very well from the LLLR's set and I doin't have it handy, so I may below confuse a cue that is already one of the two on the set.

The cue when Frank walks into the house and finds Catherine has dozed off on the couch. A short similar cue, though more somber, when Catherine comes on and Jordan greets her. The wordless female vocal as daddy is jiggling the lock on Sara's door. The mystery then suspense car chase cue at the summer cabin. And the oddly Irish-flavored cue that closes the episode.

[The New Number 2]

"Wide Open" (not on the LLLR's set)

The meloncholly piano and synth string piece that opens the episode. And the cue that follows after the openign credits, especially the opening with synth solo violin and harp. Then there's also a piano cue as Frank and what's-his-name explore the victims' house alone. And the cue that closes out the episode.

A good chunk of good score, not even covered at all.

I had to skip "Weeds" (not on the LLLR's set) because the epsiode YT load was repalced with the pilot by accident, apparently.

"Lion Like a Hunting Flame" (not on the LLLR's set)

The kind of upbeat repeating descending piano chords with a beat in hte back after the opening credits; it has a short bit after thath, then goes into the same ideas it started with again though in variant, then into mystery. And there's a cue a little later in the episode that repraises the ideas, as Frank arraives at a park where two dead women are on a bench. The piano and solo violin cue as the killer talks to his wife about their "first time". The cue as the killr is filming the couple and making them live out his failed wedding night.

"Force Majeure" (not on the LLLR's set)

The cue as the blond woman jumps to her death at a dam. The ominous synth cue with what sounds like processed metal sounds, as Frank researches prophesized events online; you watch shows like this and "Nash Bridges" from that time, and you realize just how quickly the internet has evolved from then. The rhythm piece with double solo violins as Frank and police search rooms in a building. the cue during the house rush/search. The sad music at the end of Frank talking to the man in the iron lung and then the proceeding upbeat piece as the kids are loaded onto a bus; the cue continues on to a woodwind and string passage and then a drama passage, and ends with some strings and solo piano -- which concludes the episode (it's a long cue).

Some good scoring, many cues on the same level as the selections from the 2CD set, that should be seriously pushed for a secodn volume.

[The New Number 2]

"The Thin White Line" (not on the LLLR's set)

The cue when Frank wakes up, after the opening credits. The closing cue.

That was it. I didn't care of the light electronica elecments in the other cues.

[The New Number 2]

"Sacrament" (not on the LLLR's set)

The wonderful solo piano cue in the opening when Frank agrees to protect the child of his sister-in-law (something if a relative to the closing cue of "Jose Chung's From Outer Space"). The solo piano and synth cue after the opening credits, as Frank goes through mug shots on a computer. The kind of long piano nad synth cue that changes moods (it starts as Frank and his sister-in-law's husband enter an elevator). The solo harp cue that plays the show's theme, as Catherine enters the kitchen to microwave something. The solo violin and light viliions piece as Frank meets briefly with Watts; as the scenes change, it turns into a meloncholly solo harp piece that is shortly joined by strings and a dark synth line. The melodictwo harps and piano piece as Frank and his sister-in-law's huband as both seperately doing their own snooping. The tense off-kilter beat muted fortissimo piano notes as the husband loads a gun (albeit short, thouhg it returs breifly again later in the cue). The cue that starts aroun when Frank sees Catherine about Jordan being sick; the cue runs for four or five minutes and runs other emotional gambits. And the cue that closes the episode.

That's almost all the episode score. I wouldn't be opposed to the entire score being released.

I have to wait for further loads to review more.

[Earthnut]

The track I am wanting is in Force Majeure when they are getting on the bus. I have asked around for years and no one can even come up with a title. I found out Mark Snow has a lot of music that was used in the show without titles, so I finally stopped looking since I was basically became my own ouroboros.

[The New Number 2]

Yes, that's a mistake people frequently make. They assume that many tracks, which are original score tracks, are jsut pieces of existing music that they only need the name of to get, but that's not the reality.

Your common American show from around the 1980's onward, is almsot exclusively original score composed and recorded for the episode it is used in. About 99% of all television episode scores from series over the decades, is unreleased.

And while I dont' know the precise percentage, I'd say at least half of the cues are never named. There might be cue names on the cue sheets the studio keeps, or there might not be. Often a cue is simply identified (even if it is named) by it's call number.

Example: 1M1

In this case, it stands for reel one, scene one. So 2M3 would be reel two, scene three.

Sadly, I've seen more than one disappointed person find out they can't get a piece they want from some TV series.

[Earthnut]

The good part about it is the fact that I can hear it by watching the episode, so all isn't lost.

Thanks The New Number 2 for all the very interesting info.

[The New Number 2]

Even though Volume 2 has been announced and likely some of hte episodes I am refiewing will has excerpts included, with three seasons there is no way all htem issing episodes will, so I am preceeding ahead.

"Covenant" (not on the LLLR's set)

The synth violins in the opening. The solo piano piece as Frank investigates a crime scene, adided by some light synth strings and harp. The cue as Frank and another person investigate the house for inconsistances. And the short cue as they leave and are being watched. The somber cue as Frank talks to the father in jail. And the closing cue.

[The New Number 2]

Well, two of the above episodes have tracks on Volume 2. And the one Earthnut wanted, looks to be there.