Walking with Dinosaurs Soundrack

[DinoToyForum]

I recently acquired a copy of the WWD soundtrack from Ebay. It really is fantastic. I'm surprised the composer, Benjamin Bartlett, hasn't gone on to other big projects.

Anyway, it's perfect inspirational background music for when I'm working. Anyone else have the soundtrack, and if so, what's your favourite track? Mine is No. 7 Flight of the Ornithocheirus.

[Battatitan]

I agree completely, Dinotoyforum. Ben Bartlett's score is unbelievably beautiful and compelling. I'vr have owned the soundtrack for a long time now and don't have a favourite, but whenever I hear Time of the Titans I feel an extraordinary sense of majesty.

It is a pity that Bartlett hasn't continued with many other large projects because his music is so unique and appropriate. He has composed the music to ITV's Vera, among other projects.

In fact, both the WWD soundtrack and the Walking With Beasts soundtrack (featuring three just as memorable tracks from the Ballad of Big Al) are two of my favourite soundtracks.

[Hermes888]

Absolutely amazing soundtrack. I used to listen to it all the time, I guess I should go back and listen to it again.

[Balaur]

I have the soundtrack, and it brings back such great childhood memories, and I feel like I'm five years old again. It is wonderful. My favourite track is probably Spirits of the Ice Forest, because it is full of beauty, wonder, and mystery.

[CityRaptor]

There is a Soundtrack? Now I feel really stupid for not knowing about.
*Off to ebay*
Okay, just got a copy.

[scallenger]

I own both Walking With Dinosaurs and Walking With Beasts soundtrack CDs, both are fantastic. The "Beasts" one is a bit redundant because it includes about half an hour of "Dinosaurs" material, but it makes up for it with the inclusion of the "Big Al" tracks mentioned. Honestly, I wish that CD has either had at least different music from "Dinosaurs" that isn't available on the first CD, or have included more of the actual "Beasts" score. Bartlett hasn't done much more besides this series (which IS shocking) but he did do the Chased By Dinosaurs/Sea Monsters specials and also Walking With Monsters (Before The Dinosaurs). None of which have had any kind of soundtrack release at all, sadly. Those scores were made on a much more limited budget just by the sound of them, but I still would want them, especially "Monsters" since it would complete the Trilogy of Life.

As for a favorite track from either of the albums, that's an easy one. I will forever be touched and impressed by "Giant of the Skies" and "Flight of the Ornithocheirus", which flow seamlessly into each other on the "Dinosaurs" CD, and were combined into one track on the "Beasts" CD. Below is a video someone made of the music from both tracks, but for whatever reason re-arranged the order. Either way... it's amazing music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA2R7ybkGdA

[Pachyrhinosaurus]

I too, have this CD. It is one of the best for background music, as it is not too loud and fast (most of the time, anyway...) . My favourite is number nine- "Time of the Titans", although it does appear to be influenced a little by the Jurassic Park score.

[Brontozaurus]

It's hard to pick a favourite track. 'Flight of the Ornithocheirus' is very good, 'Cruel Sea' is wonderfully atmospheric, and 'Departure of the Muttaburrasaurs' is really moving.

[scallenger]

For me at least, it is THE best dinosaur film-related score next to the original Jurassic Park. I even like it better than the sequel scores and the King Kong films and the like.

Btw, I just came across this interview from a couple years ago that makes a few interesting notes about the score and Beasts that I never knew.

http://www.runmovies.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=634:ben-bartlett-&catid=35:interviews&Itemid=1

John Mansell: I suppose you really became prominent and know to film music collectors via your music to WALKING WITH DINOSAURS, your scores for this and the spin off productions was excellent and gave the individual episodes and even the dinosaurs in the series an identity all of their own. Could you tell us how you became involved with these productions?

Ben Bartlett: WALKING WITH DINOSAURS was basically my big break. I became involved as Tim Haines at BBC was inviting people to submit their show reels, and my agent at the time got wind of this and pressed Tim to listen to mine. That was just the beginning though. At that stage I was then asked to scores (and re-score several times) a sequence of film (from Ep 3 as it turns out). From that I think I won them over.

John Mansell: When you worked on WALKING WITH DINOSAURS, were all the effects in place when you got to see the rough cut of the film, if not did this make it difficult to decide what type of music you would write etc?

Ben Bartlett: By effects I guess you mean sound effects. Largely they were in place - although thankfully Kenneth Brannaghs's voice over was not. If it had been I would have felt very cornered. I ignored the sound pretty much. I was scoring the emotions of the creatures. That was my intention - to facilitate emotional investment from the viewer in an essentially inanimate artifice.

John Mansell: Your music for WALKING WITH BEASTS etc, did get released onto CD, did you have any involvement in what music tracks would be going onto the release?

Ben Bartlett: THE BEASTS soundtrack album was so fast tracked that they wanted it realised before the last 2 episodes were scored. It was a sad fact but that was the way it was. I wasn't happy about that at all.

[amanda]

Depending on your feelings of "unofficial" albums....I have the WWD album and the WWB album. I enjoy the Big Al tracks most. I also have a short Walking With Cavemen promo I enjoy. There are also score albums for Prehistoric Park and the live WWD play. I also have about 15 minutes of score from When Dinosaurs Roamed America. All very groovy.