Barry Gray Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
Annotator Ralph Titterton acknowledges at the outset that the '60s British marionette children's series Joe 90 "was not the commercial success of the [producer] Gerry Anderson series that preceded it," and that may help explain why Reynold da Silva's Silva Screen Records, in coming out with soundtrack versions of such other Anderson series as Thunderbirds, overlooked it for some time. But, like the other series, it employed Barry Gray as composer, and programs do not succeed or fail because of their music. Gray's work, collected here in more than 78 minutes of cues, is perfectly adequate, if not inspired. Gray is an eclectic who has no problem writing generic music for a chase scene or a thrilling climax, but who likes to throw in a lot of musical flavors. His main theme, with a twangy guitar leading the way, is very much of its late-'60s era, but he will also introduce any one of a number of unusual instruments -- banjo, Spanish guitar, accordion -- to change the sound of his music. And he uses quotes from the American and French national anthems as well as "The Volga Boatmen" to set the geography of his scenes. At other times, he will provide music in various styles, from classical to country. This is not great writing, but it no doubt worked well when applied to the adventures of the nine-year-old title character who roamed the world having science fiction/spy adventures. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Fans of Gerry Anderson's 1960s marionette-populated sci-fi/adventure series, such as The Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and Stingray, will devour this 21-minute CD, and others are likely to enjoy it as well, because even if you don't know the shows, the music is fun. All of the music in question was written by Barry Gray, a brilliant and innovative composer whose work in electronic scoring in the 1950s prefigured that of rock legend Joe Meek (who actually had one of his groups record a Gray composition or two). The music itself is a meld of slick '60s instrumental pop, similar in character to John Barry's work for the James Bond movies of the decade, with some influence of Edwin Astley also showing. The version of the Stingray theme is even adapted into a James Bond-type theme song with lyrics sung by Gary Miller and the Mike Sammes Singers, and "The Mysterons Theme" is turned into a strange, otherworldly pop music interlude that would have brightened up any "space music" collection of the late '50s or early '60s; one track, "Parker, Well Done," in essentially an audio version of a Thunderbirds adventure acted and sung by Sylvia Anderson, David Graham, and Peter Dyneley. Originally released as an EP, the CD doesn't add any material, hence the short running time, but it is a delight regardless -- material such as this is best taken in small portions to be properly appreciated, and the sound is superb. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
