Thunderbirds
By bringing his ambitious, action-packed sci-fi visions to life via detailed, miniature props and puppets (a process he dubbed "Supermarionation") UK producer Gerry Anderson carved out one of TV's most unique bodies of work. The genre arguably reached its zenith with the 1965 debut ofThunderbirds, the spectacular saga of the Tracy family their air-sea-land-space spanning organization, International Rescue. This collection marks the debut soundtrack release of music by series composer--and longtime Anderson collaborator--Barry Gray. Culled from a treasure trove of long-neglected original recordings, the music here is book-ended by the show's signature, energetic theme march, and encompasses everything from Gray's trademark, '60s-urgent action cues to cocktail jazz and exotica--though few as kitschy as an undercover Lady Penelope'sDietrich-esque vocal turn on "Dangerous Game." The producers have carefully utilized the nine episodes for which Gray wrote complete scores (the remainder of the show's music was largely edited from those sessions) as their source material here, producing a loving, remarkably pristine-sounding collection supplemented by colorful, well-annotated notes.--Jerry McCulley