The Best Of Star Trek Volume 2
GNP Crescendo Records, 2000
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 09/01/2000
We may as well state this at the start of this review: I am not a Trekkie. Never have been. Probably never will... then again, I once thought I'd never be a Deadhead, so maybe I shouldn't slam the door on this.
I harbor no ill will against Star Trek in all of its various phases, nor do I have any strong feelings good or bad towards the thousands upon thousands of people who follow this genre so closely. (Well, that's not totally true; I admired the attitude of the one alternate O.J. Simpson juror who refused to come to court unless she was wearing her Starfleet Federation uniform. I always stick up for the smart-ass.)
So I, admittedly, am probably not the best candidate to review a disc like The Best Of Star Trek Volume Two, a disc which collects the themes from the well-known shows and mixes them with music from various episodes, some of which have never been released on CD before. Why did I review it? Simply put, I wanted to go where no man (or music reviewer) has gone before.
And, after sitting through this disc... well, my mind hasn't been changed at all. There are some beautiful moments on this disc, but unless you're a devotee to any of the different shows, some of this music won't mean a thing to you.
Four of the tracks are the most recognizable - namely, the themes. It's kind of weird to hear the "Main Title" from Star Trek: The Original Series and compare it to the richly orchestrated themes from such shoes as Star Trek: The Next Generation or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It's instantly recognizable, to be sure, but it sounds like a relic in comparison. Still, it does bring back memories of sitting in my buddy's driveway on summer nights, the television still on from the latest Cubs loss, when the regular programming would kick back in.
Of the four themes, only the "Main Title" for Star Trek: Voyager doesn't do anything for me; it just doesn't present itself as anything that grand like the other three shows. Oh, well; maybe the theme suggests a darker side to the show. (The "Lounge Mix" of "Theme From Star Trek" also doesn't do much for me, though it kind of gives it a camp appearance.)
As for the episode music, I'll give props to the producers for including a wide variety of selections from Star Trek: The Original Series. Admittedly, many of the pieces sound like they blend together well (though I don't think that was the original goal), and while they sound as dated as the theme music, they do have a kitsch value to them. Regrettably, the remaining three series' examples focus on one particular episode, though the producers do a good job by closing the disc with selections from "All Good Things," the final episode from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Much of the episode music quickly falls to the background - which, ironically enough, is where it came from, so at least it's appropriate. This, however, proves to be difficult when you're trying to focus in on the music, only to find yourself getting distracted by it. And I can't really justify including a version of "Fever" from "His Way," the only other episode featured from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It's not the most comforting thought to have - even in the future, crappy music from the 20th Century will survive, like cockroaches.
If you're a diehard Trekkie, chances are you will absolutely flip for The Best Of Star Trek Volume Two; I let a Trekkie in my office listen to the disc, and was barely able to get it back from her. (Okay, I waited until she went home, but what matters is I got the disc back.) If you've only dabbled in the series and don't have a fanatical devotion to any of its forms, chances are this is a disc you could live without.