Back catalogue: Soundtracks

Review: Talk about a cultural Tardis, Doctor Who ranks among the most longstanding love affairs British TV viewers have ever had with a work of science fiction, ranking up there with global phenomena such as Star Trek in terms of legions of faithful fans and decade-spanning sagas. After a small blip of obscurity in the mid-late-1990s and immediate post-millennium years, the show rebooted and reconfigured for the 21st Century in 2005, and hasn't left the common conscience since.

The score is certainly something to do with that resonance. As far as theme tunes go, Doctor Who's may not still be the most forward thinking (as it was back in 1963), but it's easily up there in the premier league of iconic. On this live rendition of music from the latter-day Series 1 & 2 that theme remains as impactful, while a talented entourage of players and conductors also help us remember just how consistent the music is overall.

Review: Barry Gray's original tapes were the sound source for this newly mastered Captain Scarlet soundtrack. It followed on from the cult classic TV series Thunderbirds and its theme tune was a big 7" on Pye label back in 1967. Now a whole bunch of the music from the show has been collected together across two limited edition, translucent red slabs of vinyl that will be hugely desirable for those who love to collect the more unusual records out there. The eerie electronics, suspenseful passages of ambient and curious library sounds are interspersed with plenty of spoken word snippets which make this a surprisingly involving listen.

Review: Joe 90 is a stone cold classic of the genre for many animation fans of a certain age. The soundtrack is part of what made it so special and is also one of the finest works amongst very many from composer Barry Gray. It is full of jazzy orchestrations and swopping strings, high speed instrumental funk chases and dramatic horns. There is light and dark, tension and release along the way that makes it as thrilling to listen to as the show was to watch. Here the complete soundtrack gets served up on limited gatefold 'jet car green' vinyl.