Customer Reviews
One of the best... - By: R. Clements, 18 Jul 2008 
As soundtracks go, this has to be one of my favourites, & I would go as far to say that it is up among the ranks of Hans Zimmer & co. What makes this soundtrack so wonderful is the variety of music genres incorporated within the album. From celtic bagpipes to eastern flutes with beautiful vocals.
Some soundtracks lose their emotive power when played without the support of the film/program to which they were made, however the BSG album manages to provide the same emotive & adrenalin sensations you feel when watching it.
Overall the tracks are beautifully composed, each one drawing youin until the very end, & the variety of styles within the album are enough to keep you interested all the way through the album.
From strength to strength - By: Tim C, 28 Mar 2008 
I've been following the show since its beginnings & have always, when gushing about it to friends, cited the music as one of the key selling points. Now we are into the third album, & its pleasing to be able to say that McCreary has continued to go from strength to strength - building on the strong foundations of the first two scores.
This album has more of a concept theme to it than either of the other two which I find lends it an extra level of depth; weaving the strains of "All Along the Watchtower" (the final track) into the opening few seconds of "Distant Sadness" (the opener) works wonderfully & is a lovely touch. McCreary also developes themes present on the previous albums occasionally, reminding us of characters & times past & giving the music a history. "Admiral & Commander" for me personally is the standoutin terms of leitmotif with its emotionally charged string harmonies, followed the understated but brilliant acoustic guitar (closely followed by "Violence & Variations", the hints of "Passacaglia" from S1in the outro sending shivers down the spine). "Storming New Caprica" is a bombastic tour de force which, while not matching the epic grandeur of S2's "Prelude to War", has an almost brutal quality to it (I find it strange that the producers used different music for the Pegasus-to-the-rescue section of the battlein the end - McCreary's original score for the moment Lee arrives all guns blazing is pitch-perfect); similarly, "Temple of Five" & "Mandalain the Clouds" are great atmosphere & action cues respectively.
The album is not without flaws though - "The Dance" is lifted straight from the Titanic soundtrack & "Fight Night" is about as bland a piece as McCreary has managed so farin my opinion - & I can't help but think that surely there were more memorable compositions that could have taken their placein the track listing. These are minor gripes however, & are more than made up for by the staggering quality of the rest of the collection.
Speaking of staggering quality, every season so far has had a stand-out track ("Passacaglia", "Prelude to War"), & S3 is no different. The re-imagining of "All Along the Watchtower" is quite simply astonishing, from the quiet & calm beginnings through to the turn-it-up-to-11 solo that smashes the end of the track through the speakers. BT4's soaring voice & the crescendo of menacing guitars all combine with McCreary's percussive expertise to produce a track that stands right up there with Hendrix's interpretation (which sounds like hyperbole but I genuinely believe it does). Its all so spectacular & at the same time, weirdly curious - its a bloody masterpiece.
Allin all this is a fantastic addition to the canon that will one day, surely, see McCreary become one of the great cinematic composers of our time. At times serene & melancholy, others joyous & frenzied, but always (bar the moment of James Horner thievery) original & innovative. A must have for any fan of classical music.
Fantastic - Buy it Now - By: Mark W. Taylor, 13 Feb 2008 For some unknown reason I have been hesitantin buying any of the soundtracks - but having noticed some outstanding scores on series 3 I thought I would investin this CD. My only regret is that I never bought it sooner, I loved this right from the first play (which is very rare as I am a feckle listener!). The whole CD takes you on a journey of feeling the solitude, beauty & anxieties of life. I will be investingin the other albums & I urge anyone still uncertain to investin this soundtrack.
Accessible and rewarding to all - By: IJ, 09 Dec 2007 The music on this album is simply breathtaking & not limited to fans of the `Battlestar Galactica' TV Series, but is accessible to all listeners. While those of you who avidly watch the show like myself may recognise much of the music, to the uninitiated this is an effortlessly engaging & rewarding album. The music on this soundtrack is at its peak when around you all is quite, when there's no distraction & when your ears are able to pick-up & pick-out the many instruments, vocals, influences, timbres & moods that are utilised & extemporised to such great effect by composer Bear McCreary (who's a composer of staggering skill) on this CD.
The range is truly startling, from the melancholy & hope evoked by pipes & guitars on track (3)- `Admiral & Commander' to the cold, but touching piano-play of track (11)- `Battlestar Sonatica' (that you may remember as the back-drop to Gaius's surreal admission into the Cylon's domain) & finally to the invigorating & angry war-cry of the re-mixed & rejuvenated track (21)- `All Along the Watchtower'. Those are just a few of the stand-out tracks, but there are many more inspiring songs spread over the course of this album,in fact there isn't a single duff song on board. It's quite incredible. And empowering. Recommended to all.
Drifts into the Mind. - By: I. Sidhu, 21 Nov 2007 Bear McCreary's Season 3 of Battlestar Galactica.
My Review:
Battlestar Galactica gets a reformatting this season as well as more matured taste of music, Bear McCreary starts to mix & mingle every episode to the cunning vocals & intrinsically dramatic themes to starling effect.
Excellent songs include `A Distant Sadness' has some excellent vocalsin Armenian. `Battlestar Sonatica' is a beautifully piano piece, carefully crosscut with outlandish images of Cylon Basestars floatingin space which has but a relaxed & rhapsody effect. The hard-beating `Precipice' that really gets your blood pumping. Others include `Gentle Execution' which is but a reminder of the sadness endured by Saul Tigh & his wife, the emotional empathy we associate with him & his harsh time on New Caprica. `All Along The Watchtower' from `Crossroads: Part II' is the concluding final track that really can make you a heavy beats/ alternative rock fan if not one already. Amazing lyrics improvised by Bob Dylan's song, it really makes it stand out a lot like Hendrix's great standalone. The albums get better every season.
Verdict:
It leaves you breathless. 9/10.
