Soundtrack Review: Doctor Who Series 6

Soundtrack: Doctor Who Series 6
Composer: Murray Gold
Label: Silva Screen Records
Release Date: February 28, 2012

Murray Gold and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales have done it again — they’ve gone and given us a spectacular soundtrack CD for the most recent series of Doctor Who that has managed to surpass the excellence of previous soundtrack albums. This is the third Doctor Who soundtrack that I’ve had the privilege of reviewing for Fandomania, and it is without a doubt my favorite. We get all of the themes and motifs we’ve come to associate with the 11th Doctor and Amy Pond, but Gold has put them in a whole new light with his fresh instrumentation and settings.

The soundtrack starts off with the exciting sounds of the opening two-parter, which was set in the United States. I don’t know if Gold purposely made heavy use of electric guitar and electric bass in these tracks because he thought that would make it sound more “American” or what, but the effect works — whatever the reasoning behind it, it adds a fresh sound to the Eleventh Doctor’s Theme. In the other tracks related to these episodes, we get more electric guitar but also a bit of a James Bond-type sound in “Help Is On Its Way” and “Another Perfect Prison” (tracks 1-5 and 1-6). “Apollo 11” (track 1-8) brings us yet another stylistic contrast with, appropriately, a really cool fanfare to accompany the triumphant moon landing.

I love how Gold’s music reflects the subjects and themes of the individual episodes, starting with the high seas adventure sound (think Pirates of the Caribbean or Master and Commander soundtracks) for the tracks from “The Curse of the Black Spot,” including a neat little pirate jig tune in “Deadly Siren” (track 1-12). Other musical themes include the appropriately eerie strings and clanky-pipe percussion of “The Chemical Castle” (track 1-20) and the rest of the tracks associated with episodes “The Rebel Flesh” and “The Almost People,” and the muzak-like orchestrations of the hotel music in “The Hotel Prison” (track 2-16) and the following two tracks, “Room Of Your Dreams” and “Fear Enough” from the episode “The God Complex.”

Also interesting are the episode groups featuring interesting contrasts, like the music for “Night Terrors” and “Closing Time.” In the former, the music changes back and forth between child-like and whimsical, like that of “Tick Tock Round The Clock” (track 2-10), and very, very scary, as in “A Malevolent Estate” and “Night Terrors” (tracks 2-11 and 2-12), where the same childish chant takes an altogether sinister turn. The music from “Closing Time,” on the other hand, is largely fun, with jazzy, Henry Mancini-esque arrangements, but also includes the poignant “Fragrance” (track 2-25).

A few other notable tracks include another whimsical waltz, “My TARDIS” (track 1-17) from “The Doctor’s Wife,” “River’s Waltz” (track 1-28), which includes bits of both Amy’s and the Eleventh Doctor’s themes, the folk-sounding “Growing Up Fast” (track 2-1), and the poignant, slow re-arrangement of Amy’s theme in “36 Years” (track 2-14) from the episode “The Girl Who Waited.” I also particularly enjoyed the sexy, jazzy sounds of several tracks associated with River Song, including “A Very Unusual Melody” and “When A River Forms” (tracks 2-5 and 2-6) that were featured in the episode “Let’s Kill Hitler.”

I could go on and on about this soundtrack, but I will spare you the continued reading. Suffice it to say this is an album you should definitely check out! Even if you already have some of Murray Gold’s Doctor Who music in your collection, this is a must-have addition because it combines Gold’s characteristic style and familiar theme tunes and musical styles with fresh orchestrations and arrangements that really liven up the listening experience.

Track Listing:

CD1
1. “I Am the Doctor In Utah” (1:44)
2. “1969” (2:01)
3. “The Impossible Astronaut” (3:16)
4. “Trust Me” (1:39)
5. “Help Is On Its Way” (3:59)
6. “Another Perfect Prison” (0:53)
7. “Greystark Hall” (2:53)
8. “Apollo 11” (0:54)
9. “Day Of The Moon” (2:44)
10. “I See You Silence” (1:05)
11. “You’re A Dead Man” (1:40)
12. “Deadly Siren” (5:30)
13. “Perfect Reflection” (1:03)
14. “All For One” (3:49)
15. “The Curse Of The Black Spot” (1:15)
16. “I’ve Got Mail” (0:45)
17. “My TARDIS” (1:30)
18. “Run, Sexy” (1:56)
19. “Locked On” (1:11)
20. “The Chemical Castle” (1:30)
21. “Which One Is The Flesh?” (1:39)
22. “Scanning Me” (2:31)
23. “Ransacked” (2:01)
24. “Always With The Rory” (1:22)
25. “Double Doctor” (2:03)
26. “Tell Me The Truth” (3:48)
27. “Loving Isn’t Knowing (The Almost People Suite)” (5:29)
28. “River’s Waltz” (1:53)
29. “Pop” (1:36)
30. “Tell Me Who You Are” (1:52)
31. “Melody Pond” (2:36)

CD2
1. “Growing Up Fast” (1:21)
2. “The Blush of Love” (1:22)
3. “Terror Of The Reich” (3:05)
4. “The British Are Coming” (1:07)
5. “A Very Unusual Melody” (2:53)
6. “When A River Forms” (1:32)
7. “Pay Attention Grown Ups” (2:10)
8. “The Enigma of River Song” (3:59)
9. “Bedtime for George” (2:24)
10. “Tick Tock Round The Clock” (2:11)
11. “A Malevolent Estate” (3:58)
12. “Night Terrors” (1:19)
13. “Apalapucia” (1:29)
14. “36 Years” (0:55)
15. “Lost In The Wrong Stream” (3:25)
16. “The Hotel Prison” (0:47)
17. “Room Of Your Dreams” (1:21)
18. “Fear Enough” (1:17)
19. “What’s Left To Be Scared Of?” (1:00)
20. “Rita Praises” (1:08)
21. “Stormageddon, Dark Lord Of All” (1:34)
22. “Definitely Going” (1:56)
23. “Over Your Shoulder” (1:11)
24. “Ladieswear” (0:45)
25. “Fragrance” (2:17)
26. “My Time Is Running Out” (4:55)
27. “Tick Tock (Vocal Track)” (1:23)
28. “5:02 PM” (2:43)
29. “The Head Of An Enemy” (1:15)
30. “My Silence” (1:13)
31. “Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart” (2:19)
32. “Forgiven” (2:31)
33. “Time Is Moving” (1:31)
34. “The Wedding Of River Song” (5:32)
35. “The Majestic Tale (Of A Madman In A Box)” (4:01)

Rating: 5 / 5 Stars