Search - Various Artists :: Batman

Not Quite Bat-tastic...

Dean Anderson | New York, New York | 05/09/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Superfans of the Adam West Camp Classic teevee series may want this disc for their collection. It was apparently rushed into production back in 1966, after the show became the sensation of the season and someone saw an opportunity to add one more item on to the endless list of "Bat" items available for purchase. For the most part, it sounds like it.Unsurprisingly, when the first Michael Keaton "Batman" movie was in theaters in 1989, launching a reinterest in all things Bat, this collection appeared on CD, again, a "cash-in" opportunity.You can't fault Nelson Riddle, though. He was brilliant at orchestrations, and he produced quality work. See also the Movie soundtrack for "How To Succeed In Business" for similar and even better examples of the Riddle touch.Here, though, interspersed between and during Riddle's arrangements are dialogue clips from early episodes of the first season of the show, Frank Gorshin as the Riddler, Burgess Meredith as The Penguin, George Saunders as Mr. Freeze, Anne Baxter as Zelda The Great, Jack Kruschen as Eivol Ekdal, our heroes, West as the Caped Crusader, Burt Ward as the Boy Wonder and the bombastic "Desmond Doomsday" the narrator of each episode, who was, in reality, Producer William Dozier.The music on the disc is direct from the TV soundtrack, so collectors will like this... however, there is a lot of filler here, and really, when you are talking about a very short disc (under 30 minutes total), filler has no place.Bet cut on the album is titled "To The Batmobile!" It gives you a great sequence starting with the famed "Atomic batteries to power, turbines to speed" opening, and a brilliant blending of the Bat and Riddler's theme with the sound of the Batmobile's engines revving. It is excellent! A couple of other gems included are the moody "Gotham City," "Holy-Hole-In-The-Doughnut" which is a series of Robin's famed exclamations set to the incidental music they always used for cocktail parties on the show, and the track "Zelda Tempts Batman" which later became the theme for Caesar Romero's Joker.It's amusing, but not quite amusing enough, and it's not quite long enough. But for what it is, it's not bad."

Holy digital technology!

Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 10/08/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This is a reissue of the 1966 soundtrack for the original Batman television show. It doesn't feature the hit single version of the "Batman Theme" by Neal Hefti. The version here is by Nelson Riddle. All the music here, other than the "Batman Theme", is credited to Nelson Riddle. But in fact, "Batusi A-Go! Go!" and "To the Batmobile" are rewrites of the "Batman Theme". Plus, "Two Perfectly Ordinary People" is a ripoff of "The Stars and Stripes Forever", and "Batman Thaws Mr. Freeze" is based on a classical melody that I can't remember the title of. The music here isn't all that great, although I must admit that "Holy Flypaper" is a pretty good sax and guitar instrumental. The CD also features a lot of the campy dialogue from the show. The biggest ripoff about this album is that it's only 24 minutes long. This is for hardcore Batman collectors only."

For Collectors/A Pop Art Time Capsule

M. Crowley III | Milwaukee, WI | 02/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While I do not disagree with the first two reviews posted, I think this soundtrack album deserves a higer rating due to the context within it was issued.



Batman, the television show, made a huge impact on popular culture at the time of its release - the show embodies various aspects of the pop art movement that was reaching its zenith at the time (the color, the action), as well as outlining the difference in interests between youth and the older generation, not to mention widening gap between authority versus non-conformity. With no VCRs, Tivos, or even DVD sets (a condition that remains amazingly today!), a soundtrack album was about the only way someone could save a piece of this groundbreaking show back in 1966. With that in mind, this album perfectly captures all the notable things about the show - a great album cover, key dialogue highlighting the campiness of the show, and a rock and roll inspired musical score. The short length of the album makes it all the more of a rush to listen to!



In this age of the iPod, it is great to have a cut from this album pop up and recall what a great show Batman was and remains so today. A bit pricey due to its out of print status, but definitely a pick up if you are a fan of the show (and for that matter, anything recorded musically between 1964 and 1967.)"