From: victor.volkman@hal9k.ann-arbor.mi.us (Victor Volkman) 
Newsgroups: alt.tv.prisoner
Subject: MUSIC FAQ, PART I
Date: 1 Jan 93 20:13:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: HAL 9000 BBS, W-NET HQ, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Reply-To: victor.volkman@hal9k.ann-arbor.mi.us (Victor Volkman) 

            THE UNOFFICIAL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
                     ABOUT MUSIC FROM THE PRISONER
                              RELEASE 0.1

                          BY VICTOR R. VOLKMAN

1.0  Welcome to the FAQ

2.0  Who wrote the music?

3.0  Who is Albert Elms?  (An Interview with Albert Elms)

4.0  Who is Wilfred Josephs? (Excerpt from review by Howard Foy)
     Who is Wilfred Thomson

5.0  What is on the soundtrack recordings?

6.0  How do I buy the soundtrack recordings?

=================================================================

1.0  Welcome to the FAQ

Most of you are familiar with the original PRISONER FAQ from
alt.tv.prisoner.  You may well ask:  "Why is there a FAQ on the music,
surely there is enough information already?".  We all want information
and I have been compiling it for some time.

First off, I do not want to detract from the official FAQ, which stands
very well by itself.  Second, I think that audio is at least one-half of
the message.  Certainly the audio portion of the PRISONER is an equal
match surrealistic, moody, and triumphant nature of the stories.

My primary sources of information in this endeavor include the
following:

* NUMBER SIX -- the official publication of SIX OF ONE fan club
* ONCE UPON A TIME -- an amateur newletter of American origin
* THE PRISONER INVESTIGATED -- an excellent video documentary (4 hrs).
* THE PRISONER SOUNDTRACK -- official CD recordings, Vols. I-III

In deference to the questioning nature of the PRISONER (e.g.  "Who is
#1?"), I have posed all the information in a question-and-answer format.
If this becomes too obnoxious, I'll change it.

I will happily accept updates from anyone with an even partially
documented source of information for evaluation and inclusion into the
FAQ.  Send comments, criticism, and flames to
sysop@hal9k.ann-arbor.mi.us.  Thank you!


2.0  Who wrote the music?

There are several key people in the story behind the PRISONER
soundtrack.  Here's a brief summary of each:

ALBERT ELMS:  Perhaps the second-most influential of the composers who
worked on the PRISONER.  He was responsible for much of the "incidental"
(background) music throughout the series.

RON GRAINER:  The best known and most influential of the composers.  He
was a professional soundtrack composer and did many of the TV series of
the 1960's.  It is his musical numbers for the opening theme and closing
credits which set the distinctive sound for the PRISONER.

WILFRED JOSEPHS:  Originally contracted to do the PRISONER opening
theme, his work was subsequently rejected by McGoohan himself.

WILFRED THOMSON:  Sound editor for the PRISONER.  The resourceful man
responsible for creating the unique sound of Rover and many other sound
bites.  Basically, his role is the non-musical portion of the
soundtrack.


3.0  Who is Albert Elms?  (An Interview with Albert Elms)

Excerpted from "Once Upon a Time", Issue #32

                           An Interview with
                         A l b e r t   E l m s
                                   by
                             David Walters

When ``Arrival'' was at the screen room stage, the main theme was yet to
be decided on.  All I had was the original theme by Bob Farnon, which I
hasten to add was disliked intensely by Pat and the production team.  At
the time, though, it had not been totally rejected, and seeing as Farnon
had been paid for the piece, I decided to use it.  Although it made an
eerie type sound, it needed what I fondly call ``plonkety plonk'' music,
which is often used for extra footage to use up screening time.  This is
usually the hero walking to his car or kissing the girlfriend in this
case, McGoohan's walk around the Village.

    I often (other series) based the incidental on the main theme, but
for obvious reasons I couldn't use that this time.  So, after watching
the rough cuts, I got the feeling of a fantasy type theme, so I sat down
at my piano and started ``plonking.''  Now, I don't know why but I
played the opening bars of ``Pop Goes the Weasel,'' and that's it
really.  It was as simple as that!

    Some episodes were easy to do, like the one where he comes back to
London after making his escape on a raft.  I got the feeling of Robinson
Crusoe, hence my Hawaiian theme, or the fairground music in the episode
where he's telling the spy story to some kids.

    Others were bitches to do and Pat was so intense in selecting the
inci- dentals.  The Bizet episode, of which I conducted the music for
the Bizet records No. 6 plays, when No. 6 tells the band leader to play,
that was my sound track.  The band at Portmeirion were miming!

    Now then, you'll have to tell me about the ``Once Upon A Time'' one,
it was a long time ago.  (After a brief description of the storyline.)
Ah, now that's the episode where Pat buggered about with the soundtrack.
I had a brief from upstairs that this was the cliffhanger episode that
would lead to series two.  But little did I know that Pat and David had
other plans!  I was home one night, it must have been about three weeks
after the completion of series one of ``The Prisoner,'' when Pat rang
and invited himself to dinner the following weekend.

    He sat in that chair there and told me about his trouble with
Markstein and others.  He said ``It's all got out of hand, Berty.  They
want to make it into a Bond movie and if there's one thing is ain't,
it's another `Goldfinger.'  I'm putting the bloody thing to sleep be-
fore it gets up and bites back.''

    I said, ``Are you going to leave it there without any explanation?''

    ``If Lew lets me, yes I am,'' he replied.

    ``Bloody hell, Pat,'' I said; ``They will do their nuts.''

    ``I know,'' he said and grinned at me.

    After dinner, we sat in my lounge and talked about old times.  He
told me that if he had to do a last episode, he wanted me an MD. I told
him about my new contract on ``The Champions,'' but I told him I could
do both with a push.

    It must have been another six weeks before I knew for sure that
``The Prisoner'' was not finished, and I stalled my job on ``The
Champions'' to complete ``The Prisoner.''  Ironically, it was Bob Farnon
who filled in for me by doing episode one of ``The Champions.''

    I knew Pat wanted ``Once Upon A Time'' as the penultimate episode,
but I didn't know he had messed about with it until it came on the
screen.

    But it was the last episode that got my blood boiling.  You ought to
have seen the out-takes, miles of wasted film and nothing wrong with it
except Pat didn't like it!  By this time, Pat was doing it all; I think
he was afraid of leaving it to anyone else.  He left notes for me
telling me what music he wanted.  He knew that even the people who hated
the series would be watching.  He wanted to shock.

    Of course, what he did was make them angry.

    When I arrived at Elstree, the set was abuzz with ``McGoohan and his
bloody ego,'' and Dennis Spooner knew it would be a tough act to follow.

    One episode of ``The Champions,'' ``The Night People,'' was even set
in North Wales at a fictitious place called Porthgerwyn.  It was not to
copy ``The Prisoner,'' just to add spice to the series, and you know
what they say about imitation.

    Patrick has been a family friend for many years.  We worked together
many times and he is Godfather to my son.  He adores his wife and is a
distant, deep-thinking man.  I think that's why he lives out of the
public eye; he prefers to spend his time with his family and why not?

    Albert Elms was responsible for the incidental music in ``The
General,'' ``A, B & C,'' ``Free For All,'' and ``Once Upon A Time,'' and
Music Director on ``Living in Harmony.''


4.0 Who is Wilfred Josephs?
    Who is Wilfred Thomson?

Excerpt from review by Howard Foy in "Once Upon a Time", Issue #35

(These paragraphs are from a review of the video documentary THE
PRISONER INVESTIGATED created by Steven Ricks.  The title of this review
is "No Prisoners Taken".)

"...Next, discussion turns to the creation of the opening titles theme,
with some interesting revelations by Wilfred Josephs, who was originally
contracted to compose the music.  Apparently, PMcG wanted a theme which
was to be a combination of Beethoven's ``Choral Symphony,'' the folk
song ``Little Boxes'' and in Josephs' words, ``something equally
esoteric'' which he couldn't recall.

Interestingly, too, the Josephs theme was not intended to start halfway
through the titles sequence, as the surviving version in the ``Alternate
Chimes'' would indicate, but on right at the start on Westminster
Bridge, and Steven recreates the full version in the film as Josephs
intended it to sound.

...Sound editor Wilfred Thomson reveals that Rover's distinct sound is
actually a combination of an inner-tube filled with pellets, a man
screaming in a college lecture hall and a monks' chorus played in
reverse."


5.0  What is on the soundtrack recordings?

There are currently three officially released volumes of PRISONER
soundtrack recordings.  Note that these are pure instrumental soundtrack
material -- no singing, no dialog, and no sound effects.  I apologize
for not completing the full soundtrack information, but I wanted to get
the FAQ out into the open.

There are four basic types of musical material to be found:

(1)  Titles:  opening and closing music, alternate theme takes
(2)  Brass Band:  lots of rousing brass pieces great for marching!
(3)  Prisoner Music:  composed especially to match dramatic scenes
(4)  Library Tracks:  canned recordings not written for THE PRISONER
             
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