Jerry Goldsmith once commented how a friend had described to him a piece of music, making it sound impressive and worth a listen, but when Goldsmith actually heard this music, he found it hard to contain his indifference. The liner notes to The Martian Chronicles make out Stanley Myers' score as second only to first contact with alien life, even though the music is more akin to a cross between something you might get in The Twilight Zone or Doctor Who. Myers is best known for his music from The Deer Hunter (almost always featured on Classical Movie themes or John Williams - the guitar player - plays the movies albums), but instead of his plaintive acoustic guitar writing, The Martian Chronicles is a strange mixture of synthetic bleeps and orchestra.
Myers was apparently quite an experimental composer who liked and supported the use of electronics in music. It is therefore less surprising to discover that his assistant for seven years was Hans Zimmer, many years before he became one of the most in demand composers in Hollywood. In the manner of Arthur C Clarke, Ray Bradbury's book on which the miniseries is based, contains a lot of metaphor and allegory, although without Clarke's meticulous approach to scientific authenticity. It starred an old, but pre-outed Rock Hudson and co-starred (amongst others) Roddy McDowell of Planet of the Apes fame. Instead of framing the show with a familiar soundscape, Myers opts for a more eclectic approach, generally of modest proportions, emphasising flute, pan pipes (that represent the Martian civilization) and steely string, all combining to push the otherworldiness of the setting.
The Prologue opens in promising style with light woodwinds and a flickering synth arpeggio background, soon joined by strings and an heraldic brass theme. The Martian Chronicles Theme is surprisingly similar in style to Alex North's Moon music from his rejected 2001, especially in its use of an glistening, rocking motif on glockenspiel. Space March goes off in yet another direction, taking the bright brass theme and adding a driving percussion backing, although today it sounds more like the theme for a cheesy 80's kid's sci-fi show than for such a serious adult drama. However, from Ylla's Dream onwards, the more skittish material takes over, all very alien and inventive, but not terribly enjoyable listening. Apart from the occasional aside, such as the reprise of the Space March for The Silver Locusts, the only major change of pace occurs for the more dynamic The Martians in the final third. Even then, there are some cringe worthy tracks, such as the tango of Ben and Genevieve and the futuristic lounge music of Martian Highway. However, some of the most satisfying music can be found here, particularly the perky Canal Journey and the exciting Lights in the Sky.
Maybe I'm being too harsh, but it's a score with which I just couldn't engage. The occasional jarring changes in tone don't help much either; sometimes it becomes a little samey, but then a track such as the Space March appears. For a moment it changes mood and pace, but instead of moving from that point to something else, it returns to the low key twittering that makes up the bulk of the score. I can't really fault Myers for his invention, but as pure music, it doesn't always make the grade. Bernard Herrmann (had he still been alive) could have written an equally interesting score, but with a more coherent framework. Indeed, it bears comparison with Herrmann's The Day the Earth Stood Still, which is fairly difficult to enjoy given its anxiety ridden tone, but the train of thought in Herrmann's classic is much more focused and as music, more successful. The liner notes are generous with detail on both score and show, although most memorable quote goes to Ray Bradbury who commented in 2002, "The film was so boring, I don't really remember the music. Was it any good?" Well Ray, it was, erm, different.
This limited edition can be purchased here.
Rating ~ 
Total Time ~ 69:09