Lost Season 1 Soundtrack review

Lost Season 1 Soundtrack review

Since google has sent me a lot of hits to my first LOST music CD review, I feel compelled to round it off with my take on Season 1. When LOST first came on to the scene, many people where talking about the breath-taking pilot. I didn’t start watching the show until after the 1^st season wrapped, thus watching it on DVD. One of the things that stood out in the opening episode was Michael Giacchino’s sweeping music to the scene where Jack is walking on the beach surveying the destruction of crash and the music swells and takes over the speakers. That was when I knew that the music to LOST was something special.

Plus, the best part was that Giacchino’s music was recorded with a live orchestra. Most TV shows use only synthetic sounds for musical cues nowadays. The reason music plays such a large role in LOST is because JJ Abrams respects the role that music plays on an emotional level to what is happing on screen. Abrams and Giacchino have a creative relationship similar to the one forged between Spielberg and John Williams back in the 70s.

As I stated in my Season 2 review, Giacchino has moved away from the brassy pieces of the MOH series that snagged him high praise not only in the videogame circles, but also from many movie score critics. With Alias taking a more James Bond/Techno approach, Giacchino decided to go epic for his LOST score with some emotional undertones added into the mix.

The first season Soundtrack is well written and preformed beautifully by the Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra. There are certain themes that carry over throughout the entire CD that help connect the different episode scores together. The only problem I have with the score compared to S2 is that many of the better cues from the show were left off the CD while some of the shorter tracks serve no purpose on the CD. And for some reason, they felt compelled to added the worst musical cue in the entire show to the CD, and this track goes by the name of I've Got a Plane to Catch.

While not reaching the musical heights of S2, this score is miles ahead most TV scores today.

Grade B

Here are some Tracks that stand out.

4 Credit Where Credit Is Due: This track gives us our true LOST main theme. It’s a theme heard when the chaos has died down in the Pilot episode and the opening credits role. You’ll hear this main LOST theme throughout the season played differently each time.

6 Hollywood and Vines: This is the traveling theme that plays when some of the survivors trek through the island to get a radio signal out.

11 Departing Sun: This is an Asian version of the main theme which uses different instrumentation from track 4. This is the point when Sun must decide if she wants to leave her hubby and make a life for herself or stay with him. This track is very good and emotional.

13 Navel Gazing: This track is fun with a bit of Tribal vibe going for it. It of course turns dark in the end.

19 Locke’d Out Again: This is such an emotional track, and it builds and builds to an emotional climax. We hear Locke’s theme for the 1^st time here.

26 Parting Words: This track is probably the best track on the CD. It reminds me of some of the Voyage music used in Williams’ JAWS 1 and 2 scores. The voyage theme grows louder, and prouder with each passing moment. This track is used during the launching of the makeshift boat at the end of the season. This track is the reason to buy the CD.

27 Oceanic 815: This is the second track best track on the CD. It mixes all the major themes into one nice piece that sums up the entire season nicely. The Producers of the show made a good choice by only using this musical cue in the last few minutes of the season.