OFFICIAL BATMUSIC THREAD ADD TO IT WHEN YOU WILL

[1966.batmobile]

I will have to double check if it was not when they fought The Joker. I thought it was when Batgirl started.

[Pat The Batman Fan]

you could make a whole CD just from the fight music. An Old Macdonald theme for Egghead, chimes of a clock for Clock King. And plenty of others.

This is so true. I definitely will be addressing this point in my doc. I would love for this project to act as a catalyst for finally getting the music released properly. It's always a possibility, and never say never.

[Pat The Batman Fan]

Glad you took things in the spirit in which it was intended. I believe the best way to get the best results is to be honest. It's hard though because I don't want to discourage anyone. Yes? I like the chapter title. I believe it was one of the Ron Hicklin singers that made that remark? Anyway, good project and again, I'm all about help, so use me as a resource anytime.

Oh Pat, the three people you mention are the main ones, but don't forget that Warren Barker did the music for the Marsha Queen of Diamonds/Marsha Scheme of Diamonds episodes. Why? I have no idea. No one seems to know why Riddle didn't score it. Maybe you do? It could be that since his Bookworm cues were also used in the Black Widow episodes, they didn't want to do that again? I was always a little upset that Black Widow used the Bookworm's theme. I was very disappointed at the young age of 9 when I put those two together.

John

Excellent observations John. I spoke with Ron and he did relay the "Word and Music" story to me. Indeed that's where the title comes from. Will definitely have to investigate the Warren Barker mystery further.

There's a lot of layers to the story, and many, many people to talk to. And just for some more background, I started this journey about 5 years ago and made quite a bit of headway with it. I talked to quite a few very interesting people. Unfortunately my father passed away rather suddenly, just as I had scheduled my first interviews so everything ground to a halt.

But I am determined to get it made- I feel it's a karmic imperative. The first album I ever owned was Neal Hefti's "Batman Theme and 11 Hefti Bat Songs". My preschool teacher gave me her copy because she knew I was such a little Bat-fan. My Mom and I recently wracked our brains and finally remembered her name. I tracked her down and will be reaching out to her soon... hopefully we can include her in some way, as she was the one who set me on this path.

I'm scheduling interviews again now and will be posting snippets of them online as we go. I'll make sure to keep you guys updated. I'm just coming off two major film dates (my day job is industry stuff) and a nasty, week-long flu virus so I'm really having to ramp up my schedule, but I will try and keep you all in the loop as best I can. Please feel free to post any comments or suggestions and by all means PM me any time.

I'm very, very excited to be bringing this project to life at last. It will be a very fun film but rest assured it will not be a fluff piece. I will definitely be delving into some abstruse areas, and doing my best to make all the connections that need to be made to tell the whole story. I take the responsibility very seriously, and I believe the final product will be something that both casual and hardcore fans will really enjoy.

[1966.batmobile]

Ok, I checked. Not the Joker fight music, the Batgirl fight music, at least in her first appearance. I always liked this tune.

[John Mack]

Ok, I checked. Not the Joker fight music, the Batgirl fight music, at least in her first appearance. I always liked this tune.

Oh ok...Billy May. Yep. Extremely cool baby.

John

[John Mack]

Just a bump up top. Many people talking about the music in the COFFEE TABLE BOOK thread and didn't know this existed.

John

[Bat-Tiger]

I'm glad to see some enthusiasm for the underrated music of this series. It wasn't until I was older that I noticed the changes in the "Batfight" music in some episodes.

My favorite version is the surf rock theme used in "Surf's Up..." I even dug the country theme used in the Ma Parker episode, it adds a little something to the scene.

[The Joker]

Love the music from the series too! As a kid that TV Series Soundtrack album was my lifeline to the show until it aired again after school. I wore that album out playing it on my folks' big old wooden stereo console. The photograph of Batman and Robin in the Batmobile on the album's cover is probably my favorite because of this. I would stare at that cover front and back while listening to the music, sound effects, dialogue and iconic Dozier narration over and over and over. Naturally, of course, I would close my eyes and envision the characters and the scenes coming to vivid life. It was definitely my Batman fix until the next episode's broadcast. I really dug the different villains' themes and thought they were very cool. Always liked the Nelson Riddle and Neal Hefti "sounds" though I really didn't realize the music as such back then. Growing older I became a Big Band Jazz fan and to this very day a HUGE Count Basie fan and a big Frank Sinatra fan. So my appreciation of Messieurs Riddle, Hefti, and also Billy May stemmed from the great collaborations they had over the years arranging for Mr. Sinatra and, in the case of Mr. Hefti, Mr. Basie. One thing that always bothered me though with the TV Soundtrack album was the exclusion of The Joker (obviously my favorite) from the recording. I learned later on that although THE JOKER IS WILD and BATMAN IS RILED episodes were broadcast before the Mr. Freeze and Zelda episodes the album recordings went by production dates and the Joker episodes were produced later. Always wished the Joker was on that record as a kid however. Really great Bat Music memories though!!!

P.S. In regards to the Bat Fight music, I prefer the version from the BATMAN Movie used later on. The original Bat Fight music was pretty much a re-hash of the Batman Theme I thought. The Movie version added an extra dimension to the music score and more tempo IMO.

[I act the riddler]

Always like the soundtrack to the show.

[Bat-Tiger]

Pardon me if this has been brought up before, but does the main theme seem to be a little sped up (for lack of better term) at times?

[John Mack]

In the reruns I noticed it. Not so far on the DVDs. I did notice that the ending theme on some episodes was very "tinny" like too much treble had been used, but that may be just a case of age.

I think the photo from the ST is one of the best as well. Hmmm....I know I've seen it before someplace!

John

[BATWINGED HORNET]

In the reruns I noticed it. Not so far on the DVDs. I did notice that the ending theme on some episodes was very "tinny" like too much treble had been used, but that may be just a case of age.

I think the photo from the ST is one of the best as well. Hmmm....I know I've seen it before someplace!

Heh-heh!

I wonder if anyone knows how many "Dynamic Duo on Batmobile off road" were shot? I've seen the shot of the actors standing on the hood, as well the pic used for the album, but any others out there?

[Bat-Tiger]

Here's a clip of my favorite Batfight music. I hope this doesn't break any rules.

[John Mack]

BUMP. Yes, a thread for the music does exist. If you think there needs to be a permanent "Batagory" for Batmusic just like there is for crafts, PM Scott and let him know what you think. I think Lee would agree? Yes?

John

[BATWINGED HORNET]

As much '66 merchandise that has been produced, I still find it strange that no complete TV score has been considered. I am aware of the dismissive opinion of one person associated with a certain soundtrack company (that Batman's music was repetitive), but that cannot be the sentiment shared by others in that field. More than toys, stationary, and trinkets, the soundtrack is a legitimate part of the series as much as the visual side, and certainly helped sell & define the series.