• Back to the Good Old Days by Daniel Callahan

Back to the Good Old Days by Daniel Callahan 21/11/98

As a card-carrying member of the Nostalgia Wing of Doctor Who Fandom, I am content to let others push toward new styles that reflect the tastes and times of the cultural cutting-edge. I'd rather listen to The Power of the Daleks for the fiftieth time or spend two hours watching yet another brilliant telesnap recon. In my mind, seasons one, two, five, and seven represent "the good-old days."

Given my cherished bias, the CD re-release of Space Adventures - Music from Doctor Who 1963-1971 is a treat of the first order. Recorded from the original BBC tapes and remastered to a professional standard, the CD offers music that graces a number of classic adventures. Included are "Three Guitars Mood Two" from the pilots, the eiree Cybermen tracks, the underrated Massacre music, and a superb bonus track: the theme to Quatermass and the Pit. Every track sounds crisp and clear, far beyond the quality of the best surviving television soundtracks. This allows the music, presented in full for the first time, to stand on its own (and to illustrate how many directors used clips for maximum effect).

The single complaint about the CD probably isn't a fair one: the music is rather unrepresentative of the first eight seasons. The CD includes only one track for all of seasons six, seven, and eight (the circus music from Terror of the Autons). The title would have more accurately stated Music from 1963-1968 (with bonus tracks). And of the first six seasons, there are notable MIA's. The original music from The Daleks, The Keys of Marinus, and The Invasion are conspicuous by their absence.

But in fairness I must stress that if those tracks simply weren't available, this criticism becomes invald. There's no use criticizing an effort like this for difficulties that may have been beyond Julian Knott's control. Keep this in mind: the fact th at this CD has been compiled at all represents a minor miracle. The BBC trashed their best shows; we're lucky this stock music survives.

This CD is a must-have for fellow Nostalgia Wing members and anyone wishing to recreate the early years on their audio or video adventures. 9/10