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ScoreKeeper Speeds To Pick Up Shirley Walker's THE FLASH!
Greetings! ScoreKeeper here utilizing my freakishly slow running speed to announce the release of a much faster collection of awesome television scores composed by one of the flashiest titans of the industry.
I have to come clean and admit that I have no prior association with THE FLASH (1990-1991) television series. I've never seen a single frame nor did I ever realize such a show existed. My only clue was the lone "Main Title Theme" that was included on the Danny Elfman compilation album MUSIC FOR A DARKENED THEATER, VOL. 2. I was living in Japan when the show came out and we didn't get to see a lot of American television. We simply passed like two strangers in the night...one much faster than the other.
When La-La Land Records announced they were releasing a two-disc set of music from THE FLASH television series, I was initially indifferent and frankly a little bewildered. "Oh yeah, Danny Elfman did the theme for that," I eventually remembered. Then I noticed the music for the show was composed and conducted by Shirley Walker. Sold!
I'm a huge fan of Shirley Walker and consider her to be grossly under-appreciated for her contributions to the entertainment industry and deft scoring skills. Two discs worth of any music she composed instantly becomes a coveted addition to my collection.
Last year La-La Land Records released a two-disc set of Walker's music from fan favorite BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (1992-1995) and a complete edition of her score for BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993) both of which were among the most coveted uber-cool soundtrack releases of the year.
Although it may be blasphemous to utter, I'm apt to opine that her music for THE FLASH may be the crown jewel of her career...perhaps even more so than BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES...(slight pause for collective gasp).
Perhaps it's the dexterous speed of the music itself, or Walker's masterful execution of her acrobatic compositional abilities, or even the radiant kaleidoscopic hues of the orchestrations which appeal to me most. During the week I've been digesting this music all of these observations are coloring me impressed.
This is not just a one-trick pony score either. The tender and more heart-felt moments are just as powerful as the heroic moments. Walker proves (yet again) she's just as adept expressing a narrative idea with one solo instrument as she is a room full of them. She further demonstrates her talent by constantly weaving Elfman's theme into a variety of different shapes and guises along side, and sometimes in counterpoint with, her own eclectic melodic ideas.
If you are even a casual admirer of Shirley Walker's music, this set (which is limited to 3000 units and should sell out like BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES has) is a must-acquire!
Here is a track listing for the new two-disc set:
DISC ONE
1. Main Title Theme † (Danny Elfman) 1:32
"Pilot"
2. THE FLASH – Pilot Main Title Theme / Street Danger † 2:44
3. Explosion 1:46
4. Dark Rider Den • Rick Dies 2:18
5. Meeting Tina • Treadmill 2:08
6. Riders Embarrass Police 1:29
7. Track Running Test 1:18
8. Barry's Brother † 3:53
9. Funeral • Father & Son 1:20
10. First Flash Attack † 4:34
11. Tina Meets Iris • Iris Comes Over 2:32
12. The Flash Toys With Riders 1:26
13. Barry's Breakdown 1:26
14. Invasion • The Fighting Starts 2:32
15. The Flash Joins The Fight † 1:34
16. Pike Beats The Flash • Flash Beats Pike 8:28
17. Barry & Tina • Barry & Sean † 1:05
18. THE FLASH: Pilot End Credits † 1:03
"Captain Cold"
19. Hot Spell 0:43
20. Solid Stiffs • Bomb Squad • The Cold Hand Of Death 2:57
21. Snow Dome • Iced Stiff † • Hypothermia 3:11
22. No Witnesses 0:43
23. The Ice Man Cometh • The Frozen Bus & Frozen Cops • The Big Chill † / Julio, THE FLASH? 2:07
"The Trickster"
24. Car Phone Call • Megan In Distress 2:34
25. The Flash Saves Megan 1:35
26. Hypertoss And Turn • Not Too Tired For Hyperlove • Tricky Escape 3:11
27. Skitoid Trickster 1:21
28. Gag Me With A Flash † 1:03
29. The Lounge Lizard † 2:33
30. Barry Gets Hung Up 3:28
31. Murph The Flash † 0:27
32. The Real Flash † 0:55
33. Baked You A Cake • Flash Struggles † • That's All Folks ††† 2:33
34. The Flash Shot Down 1:18
35. THE FLASH: End Credits † (Danny Elfman) 1:01
CD ONE Total Time: 77:05
DISC TWO
1. Main Title Theme (w. FX)† (Danny Elfman) 1:32
"Watching the Detective"
2. Megan Lockhart, P.I. 1:43
3. Fire • Rescue • Megan’s Theme 1:55
4. Lounge Lizard • Man Behind The Mask 1:41
5. Star Labs Van • The Lock • Megan Installs Camera 1:45
6. Casino • Everybody Wins 1:05
7. Nice PJ’s • Get It † • Take Out Megan Lockhart 1:39
8. Campaign Worker † • Watch For Radiation 1:39
9. The Fire Bug † • Megan Gets Caught † • Flash To The Rescue † • Secret Lives 3:01
10. That’s All For Now 0:49
"Ghost in the Machine"
1. At The Stroke Of Twelve 4:39
2. It’s About Time 0:27
3. The Ghost Show † • Nightshade 1:45
4. Special Bulletin • Get On With The Show † 2:14
5. Flash Meets The Nightshade 1:14
6. On Line • Just A Memory • Wired 3:02
7. The Flash Gets Programmed • Don’t Touch That Dial •
Nightshade Hangs Up His Gun 3:20
"Done With Mirrors"
1. Beautiful Battery • Barry Gets Kissed • She’s Got The Touch 2:55
2. Two Bit Town • Urban Cowboy 2:38
3. Crystal Caper • No Smoke, No Fire 1:44
4. Double Jeopardy 3:08
5. Mothers, Got To Love’ Em • Anything But The Mime 0:56
"Fast Forward"
1. Back To The Future † 2:56
2. Pike City • Where Did You Get That Red Suit? † • Barry Finds Tina • Cops From Hell 5:15
3. Maximum Power • On The Move • Flash, The Legend † 2:31
4. The Flash Returns † • I’m Back † 2:47
5. Back Through Time † • Pike’s Confession • Words To Live By 4:25
"Trial of the Trickster"
1. Center City Crime 1:52
2. When You Care Enough • The Trickster Bear 2:14
3. Clark Toys • Bigger Kicks • Prank 2:45
4. The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down †† 0:18
5. Flash, The Executioner † • The Great Trickster Escapemobile • Exploding Cars † 4:07
6. Padded Cell • Home Of The Flash 1:08
7. THE FLASH: End Credits (w. FX) † (Danny Elfman) 1:01
CD TWO Total Time: 77:09
† Contains THE FLASH theme by Danny Elfman,
†† Written by Dave Franklin and Cliff Friend
††† - Music by Carl Stalling, published by Warner Bros. Inc. ASCAP
Ordering information and audio clips can be found at La-La Land Records
ScoreKeeper!!!
DISC ONE
1. Main Title Theme † (Danny Elfman) 1:32
"Pilot"
2. THE FLASH – Pilot Main Title Theme / Street Danger † 2:44
3. Explosion 1:46
4. Dark Rider Den • Rick Dies 2:18
5. Meeting Tina • Treadmill 2:08
6. Riders Embarrass Police 1:29
7. Track Running Test 1:18
8. Barry's Brother † 3:53
9. Funeral • Father & Son 1:20
10. First Flash Attack † 4:34
11. Tina Meets Iris • Iris Comes Over 2:32
12. The Flash Toys With Riders 1:26
13. Barry's Breakdown 1:26
14. Invasion • The Fighting Starts 2:32
15. The Flash Joins The Fight † 1:34
16. Pike Beats The Flash • Flash Beats Pike 8:28
17. Barry & Tina • Barry & Sean † 1:05
18. THE FLASH: Pilot End Credits † 1:03
"Captain Cold"
19. Hot Spell 0:43
20. Solid Stiffs • Bomb Squad • The Cold Hand Of Death 2:57
21. Snow Dome • Iced Stiff † • Hypothermia 3:11
22. No Witnesses 0:43
23. The Ice Man Cometh • The Frozen Bus & Frozen Cops • The Big Chill † / Julio, THE FLASH? 2:07
"The Trickster"
24. Car Phone Call • Megan In Distress 2:34
25. The Flash Saves Megan 1:35
26. Hypertoss And Turn • Not Too Tired For Hyperlove • Tricky Escape 3:11
27. Skitoid Trickster 1:21
28. Gag Me With A Flash † 1:03
29. The Lounge Lizard † 2:33
30. Barry Gets Hung Up 3:28
31. Murph The Flash † 0:27
32. The Real Flash † 0:55
33. Baked You A Cake • Flash Struggles † • That's All Folks ††† 2:33
34. The Flash Shot Down 1:18
35. THE FLASH: End Credits † (Danny Elfman) 1:01
CD ONE Total Time: 77:05
DISC TWO
1. Main Title Theme (w. FX)† (Danny Elfman) 1:32
"Watching the Detective"
2. Megan Lockhart, P.I. 1:43
3. Fire • Rescue • Megan’s Theme 1:55
4. Lounge Lizard • Man Behind The Mask 1:41
5. Star Labs Van • The Lock • Megan Installs Camera 1:45
6. Casino • Everybody Wins 1:05
7. Nice PJ’s • Get It † • Take Out Megan Lockhart 1:39
8. Campaign Worker † • Watch For Radiation 1:39
9. The Fire Bug † • Megan Gets Caught † • Flash To The Rescue † • Secret Lives 3:01
10. That’s All For Now 0:49
"Ghost in the Machine"
1. At The Stroke Of Twelve 4:39
2. It’s About Time 0:27
3. The Ghost Show † • Nightshade 1:45
4. Special Bulletin • Get On With The Show † 2:14
5. Flash Meets The Nightshade 1:14
6. On Line • Just A Memory • Wired 3:02
7. The Flash Gets Programmed • Don’t Touch That Dial • Nightshade Hangs Up His Gun 3:20
"Done With Mirrors"
1. Beautiful Battery • Barry Gets Kissed • She’s Got The Touch 2:55
2. Two Bit Town • Urban Cowboy 2:38
3. Crystal Caper • No Smoke, No Fire 1:44
4. Double Jeopardy 3:08
5. Mothers, Got To Love’ Em • Anything But The Mime 0:56
"Fast Forward"
1. Back To The Future † 2:56
2. Pike City • Where Did You Get That Red Suit? † • Barry Finds Tina • Cops From Hell 5:15
3. Maximum Power • On The Move • Flash, The Legend † 2:31
4. The Flash Returns † • I’m Back † 2:47
5. Back Through Time † • Pike’s Confession • Words To Live By 4:25
"Trial of the Trickster"
1. Center City Crime 1:52
2. When You Care Enough • The Trickster Bear 2:14
3. Clark Toys • Bigger Kicks • Prank 2:45
4. The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down †† 0:18
5. Flash, The Executioner † • The Great Trickster Escapemobile • Exploding Cars † 4:07
6. Padded Cell • Home Of The Flash 1:08
7. THE FLASH: End Credits (w. FX) † (Danny Elfman) 1:01
CD TWO Total Time: 77:09
† Contains THE FLASH theme by Danny Elfman, †† Written by Dave Franklin and Cliff Friend ††† - Music by Carl Stalling, published by Warner Bros. Inc. ASCAP
ScoreKeeper!!!
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+ Expand All
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had Mark Hamill as the Trickster IIRC
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the year this show came out. My mom sewed me my own flash suit. At the time, I thought it was awesome. Thinking back, they were more like footy pajamas and my ass and balls were probably VERY visible (not that I'm bragging). But my mom did a kick-ass job putting that suit together. I WAS the Flash. I'd love to see more superhero TV shows like this -- live action superhero shows.
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Mar 03, 2010 10:27:32 AM CST
Tilting his head like that makes him look....inquisitive
by vulcan_csc_rep
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Photographers like Michael Bandy from autumnleafphotography.com
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Mar 03, 2010 10:29:29 AM CST
Why don't they have a Blue Flash instead of just a Red one?
by vulcan_csc_rep
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Mar 03, 2010 10:30:03 AM CST
Kudos to the costume designer....HA!!!! Just Kidding!
by vulcan_csc_rep
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Mar 03, 2010 10:30:05 AM CST
Kudos to the costume designer....HA!!!! Just Kidding!
by vulcan_csc_rep
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Not one.
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. . . is that he turns 55 this year.
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Funny story. I made my own costume using red pants, sweatshirt, and ski mask. Problem was I cut the holes in the mask with scissors and the mouth hole had a lot of loose threads. Well I felt I could not be the flash and walk from house to house so I ran as fast as I could. Needless to say, I was out of breath and breathing very heavy which sucked in some fuzz down my throat. So there was the flash, dry heaving in the middle of the street for about 10 minutes. Hopefully the really flash will close his mouth when he runs.
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...started that whole overly ripped superhero trend in the 90s. muscles for no reason at ALL. I definitely watched the the hell out of "the Flash" tv show, though.
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out of nostalgia and the fact I had only seen three or four episodes including the premiere and the 2 hour Mark Hamill ep. Man, this show was bad. John Wesley Shipp, the fx, and the suit were the best parts of it. The rest of the cast was painfully bad at their performances. The sets were obviously shot on a studio backlot with really bad lighting. The majority of the villains were played by guys that I said to myself, "Self, I saw that guy as a bad guy on 'The Love Boat' when I was eight!" Or guys who hammed it up as a heavy on TJ Hooker were now hamming it up here. Just painful. I finished the DVD's out of necessity but have since left it to collect dust. I wish the show had gone on with higher production values and an all new cast except for Shipp.
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My wife bought me the region 4 box set this past xmas - still no region 2 release. I hadn't seen The Flash since it was first broadcast about 18 years ago. Visually it's very reminiscent of a live action version of "Batman: the Animated Series" not only for the Elfman/Walker music, but also the fact it's set in no particular time period - there are a lot of 40s influences particularly in the cars and wardrobe. Stylistically, very film noir. Well worth checking out - and keep an eye out for Mark Hamill as the Trickster.
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What are you, 12?
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Everything about that series ruled. From the production design on up, it looked as if it existed in the same universe at the Burton Batman films. One of my favorite series when it was on, and I watch the episodes on DVD constantly (I at least watch 1 episode a week all these years later).
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At least they covered the rubber with fabric so it actually looked like it could be real muscles under it as opposed to the shiny wetsuit look of Batman. Plus the show had the cute chick from Max Headroom for eye candy.
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Yeah, it only got the greenlight because of the popularity of Tim Burton's BATMAN, but at the time there was nothing else like it on television. I just wish we would've gotten at least a second season just to see the Trickster, Captain Cold and the Mirror Master team up in the Rogues Gallery episode that was supposed to happen.
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Only it was during the last season of the Justice League Unlimited series. With Mark Hamill reprising his role as the Trickster, no less. (The role that almost certainly landed him his job as the reigning definitive Joker for the past 20+ years; no offense intended to Nicholson or Ledger.)
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I'm guessing two things combined to kill it. First, expensive effects. Second, the idiots at the network constantly changing the day and time it was broadcast. "In search of an audience" they said. Instead, its audience gave up trying to find it on the schedule. Pity. I thought the black & white Nightshade vs Ghost segment was a wonderful tip of the hat to the 40s and 50s Republic serials. And the eye kicks such as the "Infantino Hotel"?
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I was in Japan about the same time as you and I did see THE FLASH, but not on broadcast TV, they had it on pre-recorded VHS tapes in many of the video shops there in early '91.
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With _The Greatest American Hero_ at least there was a charismatic acting trio between William Katt, Robert Culp and Connie Sellecca; and the writers built the narratives (and character interactions) out of the weird juxtoposition of having a 'real live superhero' dealing with 'real world' crimes and emergencies (with the occasional fantastic plotline thrown in).
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The episodes with Deadly Nightshade (a Sandman-like character) were well done and had some nice old school moments.
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like he would run 5-10 minutes and then die from heatstroke. and they ditched the yellow boots in favor of red.
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I believe it is why he does the Joker now for Batman.
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Seann William Scott and Stephen Colbert. I think it would work
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Shirley Walker is criminally underrated, and the release of this music is a big deal for film score fans. Now bring on official CDs of WILLARD, FINAL DESTINATION and TURBULENCE!
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I remember being pretty stoked about it as a kid. I know they want to make a movie. But, I don't think they'll ever be able to make that suit work on film. It's pretty fucking gay.
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honestly, she is so underrated that I'm shocked that she never did a whole lot of feature film work. otherwise, her work on Batman and Superman were awesome. rip.
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It's a shame she was consistently denied the type of big studio action pictures she would have excelled at, just because she was a woman ("My God, Shirley...this sounds like something a MAN would write!"). To add insult to injury, she was always behind the scenes, orchestrating and conducting scores she should have been WRITING, dammit. True Lies had an okay score by Brad Fiedel, but Walker should have been scoring the whole thing instead of just beefing up Fiedel's cheesy synths with an orchestra. I mean, even three years since her untimely death, there are only like, what, *five* official CD releases of her work? And The Flash is the fifth. What happened to that second volume of Batman: TAS that was promised a year ago? What about her music to the Superman: TAS series?
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I always felt the music for this show was up there with one of the best tv themes of all time. It's a tremendous work of orchestration. Love it. Will definitely pick it up.
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Sorry i missed that set. (no money at the time)
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R.I.P. Shirley Walker…
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Mar 03, 2010 5:21:21 PM CST
For fans of THE FLASH, tell-all interview with John Wesley Shipp
by bigfanboy
Hey guys, I was a big fan of THE FLASH when it was on, never missed an episode. I really think that show was ahead of its time. A few years back I did a lengthy interview with the star, John Wesley Shipp. We talked about a lot of aspects of it, even touched upon him working with Mark Hamill. If you're interested, check it out and tell me what you think. You can find it here - http://tinyurl.com/yfjlttb
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and its music too.i am glad they releasing a 2disk album with the music.cool.
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Thanks for posting. You asked a lot of questions that I always wanted to ask. He seems like a decent guy. Thanks again.
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Mar 03, 2010 10:53:12 PM CST
Fat chance on anyone reissuing the Batman: TAS set...
by nasty in the pasty
Unless it's Star Wars or Titanic, the vast majority of film music will NEVER ger repressed after its initial print run evaporates...even scores for huge hit movies. Sorry to say, Geomancer21, but you're probably going to have to comb eBay for that one, or at least settle for a CDR dub from someone.
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I have the dvd set of the series. Looking at the picture of J Shipp at the end, I could see him playing Jay Garrick, the golden age flash in the film!
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My wife got the DVD's recently and was watching it last night. Dan Cain's costume looks awful. The 'S' is mutated and odd shaped.
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...plus the fact that Dean Cain looked like a Eurasian Supes. Didn't fit the role looks wise or height wise at all. But at least the entire show was an abortion so it all even out in the wash.
Anyone who's daring and American can watch the entire Flash series on the WB here:
http://www.thewb.com/shows/the-flash/good-night-central-city/04743df6-cedf-4c94-9bae-18f2b86cf321 -
I just did an interview with John Wesley Shipp for my show on blogtalkradio
I had a technical glitch with the switchboard and did not get John on until nearly 20 minutes past the scheduled start of the interview. I had no way to contact John to tell him that the switchboard had crashed. When I finally got the switchboard to work I was shocked that John was still attempting to get through and did not give up on me. He is a true gentleman and was completeley understanding and good natured about the delay. He was a terrific guy and I couldn't thank him enough for being so patient.
If anyone wants to listen to the interview, complete with the panic at the beginning of the show, you can go here
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/flashbackwithcareyfisher/2010/02/28/john-wesley-shipp-on-flashback-with-carey-fisher
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