This album under-sells itself in its title, for it contains music from not one, but two Dr Who serials from the 13th series of the programme's history. This was the mid-70's, Tom Baker was The Doctor, and the series was at its most ambitiously gothic. For fans this is generally recognised as the golden age of Dr Who. The 13th season opened with The Terror of the Zygons, a 4 part adventure involving aliens whose spaceship had crashed into Loch Ness, and who embark on an Earth-conquering plan with the help of a robotic 'monster', which in the badly animated finale cruised up the Thames. The season concluded with the 6 part The Seeds of Doom, essentially a fusion of The Thing (From Another World) and The Day of the Triffids, opening in the Antarctic, but for budgetary reasons relocating most of the botanical mayhem to an isolated stately home. Though Dr Who's regular musical companion was Dudley Simpson, the scores for these two stories were penned by Geoffrey Burgon, who at much the same time was completing his popular Requiem (1976), and who would go on to write music for such acclaimed BBC series as Testament of Youth and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Given the low budget accorded to Dr Who, Burgon employed a small ensemble of five musicians, playing flute, clarinet, harp, violin, cello, clavichord and percussion. Dick Mills at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop added various electronic processing and synthesiser tones, and the musicians used every performance trick in the book to create both variety, and the strange, otherworldly sounds the programme required. The album contains almost 30 minutes of music from the first serial, and over 46 minutes from the second, though without reading the titles and counting the tracks, few listeners could tell where on ends and the other begins. Apart from the occasional Scottish inflection in The Terror of the Zygons, the two scores merge seamlessly, creating an overall style for the show. There really are no tunes, this being essentially chamber underscore for family viewing friendly nightmares. In fact, out of context, the music sounds very much like some of the contemporary classical music of the 70's: atonal, disturbing and not much fun at all. There are 44 tracks - two of which are the original Dr Who opening and closing titles by Ron Grainer - yet because the music is all so similar, the disc does not feel especially fragmented. Just as the BBC was fond of wiping video-tapes of old shows, losing many treasures in the process, so the BBC also destroyed music tracks, including the original session-tapes for these ten episodes. It is actually an understandable thing to have done, for no one can have seriously imagined that there would ever be a demand for this music to be released on album. It can only now be released because Dr Who fans have grown-up, increased their spending power, and are, in some cases, prepared to buy anything associated with the programme. Thus Geoffrey Burgon's own mono 'listening tapes' have been remastered by Mark Ayres, a composer himself long associated with Dr Who. Given the circumstances, the sound is very good indeed. Some will object, but Ayres has taken the dryness of the sound by placing the music in 'a subtle stereo space'. To my ears it sounds fine, though doubtless some purists will howl in outrage. The result is an album which lovingly presents 78 minutes of music from a well loved TV show. As a souvenir it is hard to criticise. It does exactly what is expected of it. However, I suspect that away from the programme - in which the music works brilliantly - all but the most dedicated of Whovians will find this hard listening after 20 minutes or so. Reviewer Gary S. Dalkin Rating: as used in original television context ; as presented on album ; as a self-contained listening experience Kostas Anagnostou adds:- Terror of the Zygons and The Seeds of Doom are the first and the last adventures of the thirteenth season of the now classic series Doctor Who, aired in 1974-75. The first regards an alien race living in their spaceship beneath Loch Ness, and their attempt to conquer the world assisted by their pet monster. The second concerned a pair of plant pods discovered in Antarctic which, when burst, slowly transformed the infected humans into grotesque animal-plants. Geoffrey Burgon was commissioned to work on the scores instead of the series' regular composer Dudley Simpson. This era of the programme was known for its "gothic horror" content and accordingly called for a gothic approach to the music. Due to budget limitations, Burgon had to work with a small chamber ensemble of five musicians (including himself) and his palette included flute, clarinet, harp, violin, cello, clavichord and percussion, topping up with some electronic sounds. The size of the ensemble had a direct impact on the body of the music, making it sound thin and one dimensional. The score launches predictably enough with the short 'Dr Who title theme', a medley of atonal electronic music and effects. One of the very few melodic attempts in the score is presented in 'Landing in Scotland' where the small ensemble renders a tuneful theme, winds soon followed by harp. After that the score becomes atonal and suspenseful, maintaining the style throughout. Even in promising tracks such as 'The Zygons Attack' the composer refrains from elevating and increasing the pace of the score. Even the march-like music, for instance in 'False Harry', sounds subdued and lifeless, perhaps due to the size of the ensemble. The same approach is more or less used in The Seeds of Doom although in this case the sound is clearer and has more depth, avoiding the muddled feel of the first score. Equally repetitive, more in style than in motif, it constantly and slowly builds a sense of suspense with a more refined orchestration. Most tracks sound alike, with a few notable exceptions. 'The Creature Attacks', 'Sabotage', and the quite interesting 'Amelia Ducat's Theme' manage somehow to elevate the score a little bit, mainly in pace. Overall the second score is not as one-dimensional as the first one, as the composer manages to squeeze more out of his small ensemble. Both are mainly dark, repetitive, atmospheric underscores, destined to accompany the drama on screen but failing as a stand-alone listening experience, especially Terror of the Zygons. Dr Who fans will appreciate this effort, but that probably won't hold true for the rest of us. Perhaps a much shorter version would help. Reviewer Kostas Anagnostou Terror of the Zygons The Seeds of Doom	Reviewer Gary S. Dalkin Kostas Anagnostou Terror of the Zygons The Seeds of Doom Reviews from previous months Reviews carry sales links but you can also purchase from:
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