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18 comments:
Which was best - Alien or Aliens ?
Is the "Theme from SWAT" the greatest music in the history of television? Discuss...
Yoyo
Colin, I think the design and direction for Alien were top notch, but I personally prefer to watch Aliens. Very different film styles really. Both great..but I think Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen put Aliens slightly on top for me.
Yoyo - The theme from SWAT is indeed great but what about Mission Impossible? That has to be up there if we are just considering instrumentals. If it's open to theme songs, then I have to throw Giligan's Island and Green Acres in there for their catchiness - despite being low brow.
Okay - now I am not going to stop hearing the SWAT theme in my head all day. I'm going to be ducking around corners everywhere I go now. Thanks Yoyo.
Thanks for playing and getting the ball rolling guys!
Way to get things started, guys!
My choice would be "Alien", although both were great.
As for themes: SWAT was cool, but I preferred "Baretta's Theme". Rhythm Heritage did both, and charted with both in the same year.
OK, now I might have to play my TV Themes cd today. It will help wash all the election commercials out of my head...
Topic 1: Alien
Topic 2: In the history of television? Big range. The SWAT theme is pretty good, Yoyo, but just sticking with instrumentals, I'm personally more fond of the themes from Rockford Files, Hawaii 5-0 (my very favorite when I was a kid), Ironside and, hands down, unarguably one of the best of all time (and like the latter also composed by Quincy Jones), Sanford and Son.
Edo great calls in music particularly The Rockford Files - I loved that opening theme.
Never saw Aliens but the Alien popping out of that guy's chest in the original is just one of those scenes that gets indelibly carved into your brain (or chest, maybe).
SWAT is OK. Give me Batman. Na na na na, na na na na...
Tom
Alien over Aliens, but can I saw I also really love the underrated Alien3?
I like TV themes with original songs (and can sing most of them): The Jeffersons and The Facts of Life are two favorites.
There is a great scene involving the Theme from SWAT in The Fortress of Solitude. it also involves the song "Scorpio" by the Detroit Guitar Band and Defenders #48 (which features SCORPIO!) - Lots of great Easter Eggs in that book.
My thoughts are that while I do indeed love many themes from those 70s shows, SWAT stands above all: great dynamics, muscular musicianship, absolutely kickin bass line, soaring counterpoint melodies, tough strings, and a 1970s background-music-in-a porno breakdown, complete with super cheesy wah guitars. Nothing beats it.
Yoyo
I will say this about that:
1) Aliens. "Hey, maybe you haven't been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!"
2) Instrumentals? The Munster's Theme is hard to beat. Knight Rider will stick in your head!!! My agreeance is with Redartz, Baretta's Theme all the way!!! "Don't do it!" And when there's work to be done, Sanford and Son is the perfect song to sing...hum?
3) Speaking of TV Theme songs: In the Brady Bunch song, "they were four men living all together, but they were all alone". Uh, Alice was there!?! She was Mike's housekeeper. She was the CENTER SQUARE!!!! The song was wrong and they never fixed it. They fixed Gilligan's Island...... WTF!?!
(I was talking with a friend of mine, said a woman had hurt his pride
Told him that she loved him so and turned around and let him go
Then he said, "You better watch your step,
Or your gonna get hurt yourself
Someone's gonna tell you lies, cut you down to size"
Don't do me like that
Don't do me like that
What if I love you baby?
Don't do me like that
Don't do me like that
Don't do me like that
Someday I might need you baby
Don't do me like that
Listen honey, can you see? Baby, you would bury me
If you were in the public eye givin' someone else a try
And you know you better watch your step
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself
Someone's gonna tell you lies, cut you down to size
Don't do me like that
Dont' do me like that
What if I love you baby?
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Don't do me like that
Don't do me like that
What if I need you baby?
Don't do me like that
'Cause somewhere deep down inside
Someone is saying, "Love doesn't last that long"
I got this feelin' inside night and day
And now I can't take it no more
Listen honey, can you see? Baby, you would bury me
If you were in the public eye givin' someone else a try
And you know you better watch your step
Or you're gonna get hurt yourself
Someone's gonna tell you lies, cut you down to size
Don't do me like that
Don't do me like that
What if I love you baby?
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Don't do me like that
Don't do me like that
I just might need you honey
Don't do me like that
Wait!
Don't do me like that
Don't do me like that
Baby, baby, baby,
Don't, don't, don't
No!
Don't do me like that
Don't do me like that
Baby, baby, baby...
Oh, oh, oh).
PS: A team of scientists and engineers have recently unveiled an improved artificial hand. It's purported to be more facile, sensitive and responsive. In other words, it's good, really, really good. Like using your own hand good.
I'd say Alien (that's the first one, right?) is the better movie. As for the second question, I don't remember SWAT, so I'm not familiar with the theme. I agree with Edo about Hawaii Five-O being memorable, but for me the unforgettable TV themes are Welcome Back Kotter (you're all singing it now, aren't you?), WKRP in Cincinatti (and now you're all singing that!), and Dallas (and I wasn't even a Dallas fan, but as soon as I hear those opening notes and then the drums come in, I can't help feeling nostalgic).
Mike Wilson
If we're going with 'best ever' (wait, wait, that may be a post topic one of these days), I suggest two great ones: "Route 66" and "Peter Gunn". I get chills...
Prowl- you're right, how did they miss Alice? There may have been a conspiracy afoot...
Alien, if only because I saw it recently at the Greenwich Observatory Planetarium. Playing out as it did over and around the audience, let's just say I was all shook up.
No discussion about TV themes can leave out Peter Gunn! Also, Route 66 and Barney Miller. Another swinging tune, that you can sing, is The Flintstones. Yeah, I like brassy music!
I was a little kid when S.W.A.T. was on, and to my young eyes the UPS truck parked in front of our house delivering a package when I got home from school looked just like the truck they had on the show.
In fact, I thought IT WAS a S.W.A.T. truck, and they had come to round up my old man. "Well, we always figured this might happen."
M.P.
Ha! I thought the same thing as a kid, M.P.!
Although Alien/Aliens is kinda apples/oranges 'cause they're so different (and I LOVE both films), I'm gonna go with ALIEN as being the superior piece of original and innovative cinema.
A few of us may have touched on some television theme preferences not too long ago, else-blog, but it's a subject I'm ALWAYS happy to revisit-- there are so many good ones out there. I'm gonna go ahead and stick with instrumental themes for the sake of measuring them against SWAT. And-- while I like that theme just fine, it's not one that I ever thought of as a bracket-topper. [Tangent-- holy cow! Would anyone over here be brave enough to take up Doug's old brilliant, but time-consuming, Bracketology projects on occassion? Oh geeze-- should I myself volunteer? 'Cause this topic could be perfect-- MORE than enough material; a likely broad base of familiarity, as well as the on-line ability to check out unknown themes; and it lends itself to easy debate about preference--]
Spanning a number of decades:
Theme from Jonny Quest (possibly my favorite)
Wild Wild West (also possibly my favorite)
F-Troop-- the later instrumental, more up-tempo version.
Hogan's Heroes
The Theme from The Prisoner has a slightly hokey, dated feel to it-- but I always liked it.
Star Trek DS9-- my favorite of the Treks.
Barney Miller, yup.
Rockford Files, yup.
Lost In Space somehow had three main themes-- the more epic, french-horn heavy one (by John Williams) was by far my favorite.
Hey guys! Lovin' the Leader graphics on this topic header! You're just doin' it to lure me in, aren'tcha? Pfffft-- well, it sure worked!
HB
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