Gerry Anderson's various tv series are rightly considered classics by several generations who grew up with them; Thunderbirds is probably the most classic of all. And who could forget Barry Gray's equally-classic music? His infectious, delightful main theme from Thunderbirds is simply fantastic. A CD release however was never forthcoming. Until now, that is; Silva Screen's recent partnership with ITC Carlton has resulted in various scores seeing the light of day for the first time and, coupled with a decade of painstaking research and work by the Gerry Anderson fan club, Thunderbirds has finally arrived.

I suspect that this album's audience will not be film music fans, but fans of the series. Of which there are many. As was common at the time, each new show didn't necessarily have a new score, but Gray recycled many piece from one show to the next, sometimes adding something new. This album, the first in a planned series, presents various "stock" cues along with pieces and longer suites from various episodes.

The music is all colourful and grand, varying from the orchestral to a salsa piece ("Dangerous Game", which also appears complete with a vocal from Lady Penelope herself). It will doubtless bring back many memories for those who grew up with the series. What I am not sure though is just how well it works on absolute, musical terms. I am (somewhat reluctantly) forced to say that this is not an album I can foresee playing with any degree of frequency: the music is delightful, most enjoyable, but not really what one would like to settle down to during a spare hour and put on. (I suspect that if I was discovered listening to the album by someone else, I would never live it down.)

Fans of the series and Gray's music, though, will find absolutely nothing to complain about. Sound quality is excellent (even though most of the tracks are mono) and the liner notes are informative and a good read. Thunderbirds are go!

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