The Production GuideMusic
by Martin Willey
The Production GuideNote that while Space: 1999 is owned by ITV Studios Global Entertainment (formerly Granada Ventures, Carlton, Polygram and ITC), the music rights belong to Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Lew Grade's ATV Music ranged from television soundtracks to the Lennon/McCartney song catalogue, but in the 1980s Grade was forced to sell, and by 1985 it was owned by pop singer Michael Jackson. In 1995, Sony purchased a 50% stake. Since Jackson's death in 2009, his share passed to his estate, with Sony finally completing a buyout in 2018.
The episodes recorded for the episodes were:
| Date | Episode(s) | Location (& time) | Group size | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 11th December 1973 | Space 1999 opening/closing titles | Anvil, Denham 0900-1300 | 52 | Four different versions of the theme were composed- only one was used |
| Thursday 14th March 1974 | Matter Of Life And Death | CTS Wembley 0900-1300 | 32 | |
| Friday 15th March 1974 | Breakaway | CTS Wembley 1400-1800 | 32 | |
| Thursday 25th April 1974 | Black Sun | CTS 0900-1800 | 38 | |
| Monday 6th May 1974 | Ring Around The Moon | CTS Wembley | ? | not by Gray; Alan Willis with Vic Elms |
| Tuesday 25th June 1974 | Another Time, Another Place | CTS Wembley | 52 | |
| Wednesday 20th November 1974 | The Troubled Spirit | CTS Wembley | ? | not by Gray- written & performed by Jim Sullivan. |
| Tuesday 3rd December 1974 | The Full Circle | CTS Wembley | ? | Composed and arranged by Gray in Guernsey |
Barry Gray and music editor Alan Willis made extensive use of Gray's incidental tracks for previous Gerry Anderson series, from Supercar (1960) to The Secret Service (1969), although none from Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons or the previous series, UFO. Gray used his electronic score for a 30 minute documentary for the Hoover Keymatic washing machine in 1960. These cues were used as incidental electronic effects in Supercar, Fireball XL5, Joe 90, Doppleganger and notably the end titles of UFO. Gray played all the instruments himself, with a Vibraphone, Ondes Martenot, Miller Spinetta and guitar.
Denham film studios was opened in 1935 but the last film was made in 1952. In 1966 the Anvil Films production company took over, making it an important studio for recording film scores (including Star Wars). In 1980 the studios were sold for redevelopment, and Anvil moved to Abbey Road Studios. The Art Deco building where Rank Film Laboratories made the distribution prints for Space: 1999 is all that remains of the studio.
CTS Studios at Wembley was the first purpose built recording studio in the UK and opened in 1972. It was named for the parent company, Cine-Tele Sound Studios Ltd. Around 1976 it was renamed as the Music Centre, Wembley, and would be used for the Year 2 music.
The library music used was as follows:
| "Adagio for strings and organ in G Minor" composed by Tommaso Albinoni, arranged by Alain Lombard (published by Delyse [Envoy] Recording Co.) | Dragon's Domain |
| "Picture Of Autumn" composed by Jack Arel and Pierre Dutour (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Testament Of Arkadia |
| "The Latest Fashion" composed by Giampiera Boneschi (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Force Of Life |
| "Undersea" composed by Chuck Cassey (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Guardian of Piri |
| "Time Capsule" composed by John Cacavas (Chappell Recorded Music Library) (title was incorrectly recorded as "Celestial Mirror" on cue sheets). | The Infernal Machine |
| "The White Mountain" (introduction) composed by Frank Cordell (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Mission Of The Darians |
| "Drumdramatics No.1" composed by Robert Farnon (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Ring Around The Moon |
| "Outer Space" composed by Robert Farnon (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | The Infernal Machine |
| "Experiments In Space- Dorado" composed by Robert Farnon (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | End Of Eternity |
| "Experiments In Space- Malus" composed by Robert Farnon (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | End Of Eternity |
| "Experiments In Space- Vega" composed by Robert Farnon (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Mission Of The Darians |
| "Dark Suspense No. 1" composed by Beda Folten (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | The Infernal Machine |
| track from Supercar "Celestial Theme" by Barry Gray (8 October 1960) | The Last Sunset |
| track from Stingray "Ghost Of The Sea" by Barry Gray (22 November 1966) | Missing Link Mission Of The Darians |
| track from Stingray "Raptures Of The Deep" by Barry Gray (10 January 1964) | The Last Sunset |
| track from Thunderbirds "Terror in New York City" by Barry Gray (5 April 1965) | The Infernal Machine |
| track from Thunderbirds "End of the Road" by Barry Gray (7 May 1965) | Death's Other Dominion |
| track from Thunderbirds "Edge of Impact" by Barry Gray (18 June 1965) | The Last Sunset Death's Other Dominion |
| track from Thunderbirds "Desperate Intruder" by Barry Gray (2 July 1965) | Voyager's Return |
| track from Thunderbirds "The Imposters" by Barry Gray (6 November 1965) | Earthbound |
| track from Thunderbirds "The Mighty Atom" by Barry Gray (1965) | Ring Around The Moon |
| track from Thunderbirds "Operation Crashdive" by Barry Gray (1965) | Voyager's Return |
| track from Thunderbirds Are Go! by Barry Gray (October 1966) | Matter of Life And Death |
| track from Thunderbird 6 by Barry Gray (1 February 1968) | The Last Sunset Voyager's Return Collision Course The Full Circle |
| track from Joe 90 "Operation McClaine" by Barry Gray (16 February 1968) | Collision Course |
| track from Joe 90 "Big Fish" by Barry Gray (20 March 1968) | Collision Course Death's Other Dominion |
| track from Joe 90 "King For A Day" by Barry Gray (18 April 1965) | The Last Sunset |
| track from Joe 90 "Arctic Adventure" by Barry Gray (22 May 1965) | Collision Course Death's Other Dominion |
| track from Secret Service "A Case For The Bishop" by Barry Gray (12 November 1968) | Missing Link The Last Sunset |
| track from Secret Service "Last Train to Bufflers Halt" by Barry Gray (10 January 1969) | Missing Link Alpha Child War Games |
| "The Astronauts" composed by Mike Hankinson (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | War Games |
| "Mars, Bringer Of War" composed by Gustav Holst, arranged by Malcolm Sargent (published by EMI Music For Pleasure) | Space Brain |
| "Appassionata" composed by Serge Lancen (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Testament Of Arkadia |
| "Videotronics No. 3" composed by Cecil Leuter (aka Roger Roger) (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Force Of Life |
| "Videotronics No. 3" composed by Cecil Leuter (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | End Of Eternity |
| "Lunar Landscape" composed by Roger Roger (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | The Infernal Machine |
| "Stratosphere" composed by David Snell (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | End Of Eternity |
| "Mission Control" composed by Harry Sosnik (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | The Infernal Machine |
| "Cosmic Sounds No. 1 and No. 3" composed by Georges Teperino (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | Force Of Life |
| "Cosmic Sounds No. 1" composed by Georges Teperino (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | End Of Eternity |
| "Cosmic Sounds No. 3" composed by Georges Teperino (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | The Last Enemy |
| "Subterranean" composed by Joe Venuto (Chappell Recorded Music Library) |
The Infernal Machine |
| "The Monsters" composed by Ivo Vyhnalek (Chappell Recorded Music Library) | The Infernal Machine |
Music by episode:
| Breakaway |
|
| Matter Of Life And Death |
|
| Black Sun |
|
| Ring Around The Moon |
|
| Earthbound |
|
| Another Time, Another Place |
|
| Missing Link |
|
| Guardian of Piri |
|
| Force Of Life |
|
| Alpha Child |
|
| The Last Sunset |
|
| Voyager's Return |
|
| Collision Course |
|
| Death's Other Dominion |
|
| The Full Circle |
|
| End Of Eternity |
|
| War Games |
|
| The Last Enemy |
|
| The Troubled Spirit |
|
| Space Brain |
|
| The Infernal Machine |
|
| Mission Of The Darians |
|
| Dragon's Domain |
|
| Testament Of Arkadia |
|
Research by Chris Bentley, Ros Connors and C M Ford for FAB magazine and the Fanderson Year 1 soundtrack CD
The episodes with individually composed scores were as follows.
The Music Centre at Wembley was formerly named CTS Studios (from the parent company, Cine-Tele Sound Studios Ltd.), where most of the Year 1 tracks were recorded. The Wembley studios, opened in 1972, were the first purpose built recording studio in the UK (not converted from another building), and would later pioneer digital recordings. Mostly used by TV and film scores, it was also used for rock sessions, notably on several Queen albums.
The Olympic Studios in Barnes were opened in an old theatre in 1966. Among the first bands to become associated with it were the Rolling Stones, and Mick Jagger helped design studio 2.
| Date | Episode(s) | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 20th January 1976 | Opening and closing titles | Olympic Sound Studios, Barnes | |
| Wednesday 17th March 1976 | The Metamorph, | Olympic Sound Studios, Barnes | |
| Wednesday 21st April 1976 | The Exiles, | Olympic Sound Studios, Barnes | |
| Tuesday 4th May 1976 | One Moment Of Humanity, | The Music Centre, Wembley | |
| Friday 2nd July 1976 | The Taybor | The Music Centre, Wembley | |
| Monday 11th October 1976 | Space Warp | The Music Centre, Wembley | (as the music was recorded out of sequence, it was also used on the prior episode The Beta Cloud). |
Episodes using library music:
|
Spazio 1999 compilation movie theme and incidental music (Italy) |
Ennio Morricone |
|
Year 2 end titles (Italy) |
S.O.S. Spazio 1999 by Oliver Onions, composed by F. Migliacci, C. De Natale & M. De Angelis |
|
Some episodes of Year 1, all Year 2 (Germany) |
Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene II |
|
One episodes of Year 1 (Germany) |
Meco disco version of Star Wars |
|
Titles (Japan) |
Song composed by Ichiro Araki, sung by Tsunehiko Joshino |
|
Destination Moonbase Alpha compilation movie |
Title music is by Mike Vickers (credited as "Mike Vikkers") End title song is Space by Guido and Maurizio de Angelis and sung by Oliver Onions (a pseudonym used by the de Angelis brothers) |
|
Alien Attack compilation movie |
Title music is Giants Causeway by Nick Ingman, end title score is Disco Dynamite by Keith Mansfield. Background music is Universe and (briefly) Threat to Universe both by Richard Hill. |
|
Cosmic Princess compilation movie |
The title music is an incidental track from Another Time, Another Place. The original Wadsworth year 2 incidental music is supplemented by tracks from Barry Gray:
|
|
Journey Through The Black Sun compilation movie |
The title music uses elements from Barry Gray's incidental music from Thunderbirds and UFO. The original Barry Gray year 1 incidental music is supplemented by tracks from other Barry Gray-scored series:
|
Copyright Martin Willey