Classical Composer reacts to All Along the Watchtower from Battlestar Galactica (Bear McCreary)
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- #allalongthewatchtower #battlestargalactica
In this #throwback edition of #thedailydoug, I'm sharing my reaction to composer Bear McCreary's version of All Along the Watchtower, featured in the television show Battlestar Galactica. Of course, I know the original from Bob Dylan and some other covers of the song, but this one really struck me. It's a great piece for a soundtrack! I hope you enjoy!
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Fun fact: This theme isn't just part of the soundtrack, it actually is an important part of the show's plot. My favorite tv show of all time.
They sprinkled bits of this song throughout the season, that moment that it all finally came together in the episode was amazing, cementing this song into my mind. This song became a very important cast member, and the reveal was an epic moment in the series. Please, if you like Sci-fi, Battlestar Galactica is one of the best TV series of all time, an expansive character driven show that shows off outstanding acting and writing.
isnt it obvious? OSTs are always in the show
And the reveal, y'all, the reveal- still gives me chilllls.
@@cnote3492 My favorite series of allllll time.
it can NOT be said enough how absolutely excellent this show is. It delves into the human persona on an existential level while simultaneously being terrified for the continued existence of the human race
it is truly an epic story
more discussion is welcome on it at any time
BSG is well worth the time for any sci-fi fan. Excellent show.
and that song underlines the very essence of the story it tells
@@BeginBye Sorry about My recall. Loved the show(10k beers ago), don't remember this cover. I know it now. Thanks to the Dougsters(heads).
100% It's probably the best sci-fi series of the 21st century - so far.
@@Inquisitor6321along with The Expanse.
@@emjem99 The Expanse is a great one too!
IT'S IN THE FRAAAKIN SHIP!
The way they integrated this into the show and made it integral to one of the most important plot points of the entire thing was just masterfully done. To this day, BSG has remained my favorite TV show of all time.
Back when it was airing, I came across a leak describing what would happen in this episode and thought, "this is the most ridiculous, outlandish thing, there's no way this leak is true." Lo and behold, I watched the episode when it aired and my reaction was, "holy crap, they're actually doing it AND IT WORKS" 🤯
This series had no right to be as good as it was... but boy, it was INCREDIBLE. And the music plays a HUGE part in the series. One day, I would LOVE to hear your opinion of the Farscape theme song because I simply cannot fully comprehend its oddity.
Oh yeah! Farscape's theme is something else
@@hughjassol-0- Hear, hear! 👍
Farscape in general is something else! I love that show. BSG and Farscape are my two favourite sci fi series for sure. I guess TNG would be third. But there are some I've not seen and probably should. Like DS9 for example haha. And anything remotely recent.
@@PiousMoltar take some time for The Expanse. I feel like the BSG and Expanse fans Venn Diagram is almost one circle. But I also know I'm weird because I actually preferred DS9.
The live version featuring Katee Sackhoff is amazing.
The live version is a BEAST.
czcams.com/video/FVkiI9Vm7mE/video.htmlsi=BDWBzg0w76SFtx9m
This song was a “character” in the show. Introduced to us bit by bit over a series of episodes until the grand reveal.
Ron Moore’s BSG one of the best sci-fi shows ever. Well worth the ride.
I re-watch the whole series every couple of years.
Ronald D Moore was the showrunner for Galatica, he was a producer/writer for TNG, DS9. Wrote some of my favourites, like Data's Day, Relics (Scotty), Tapestry (Picard's A Wonderful Life), Trouble with Tribles. All great, saying that Galatica, is very different, serious sci-fi while struggling to stay alive on the run, but one of the best. Finished the series when they wanted to, which is rare nowadays.
He definitely took the DS9 semi-serialized format and brought it to the next level with this amazing show!
@@GeeVanderplas Yup, and by the time he was working on _Voyager,_ Moore had grown incredibly dissatisfied with all the _hand-waiving_ (especially the liberal use of "technobabble" to explain anything that was _actually_ unexplainable) that was being used in the _Trek_ shows. Luckily for everyone, out of this frustration, the _Galactica_ remake was born, within Moore's singular vision.
@toni.tapola yes, reading his comments on Voyager was painful
@@GeeVanderplas That it was ☹.
It's in the FRACKING SHIP!
There's so much amazing music in BSG - to the point of where in some places they started cutting the show to the music, in some cases (like AATWT here) blurring the line between diagetic and non-diagetic music. And the group of musicians he built met the challenges of the ambitious score. For the culmination of the Watchtower themes, check out "Kara's Coordinates"
The musical pinnacle of the show is the Diaspora Oratorio , though.
Either imagined it or there's some Philip Glass in there too - Metamorphosis Moderate??
i would argue that passacaglia is better, that might be my favorite song of all time
@@andrewkemp2238 yes, that was used as a song by Kara's father (in Season 2, I think).
Others have mentioned it but it's so true: this track is not just the background of a cool scene, it's practically a character revealing a great and terrible secret.
The scene in which this song plays in the series… one of my top three tub moments ever.
Love the series and love the music. The remnants of mankind in a last ditch battle against their own creation, the Cylons. It doesn't get more epic than that. So say we all!
So say we all!
I mean, battle... might not be the right word. Utter rout with a few skirmishes along the way seems a tad more accurate.
So say we all!
So say we all!!!
"So say we ALL!!!" ✊
"The Cylon Intro" is actually the Song "Heeding the Call", where four of the final five Cylons find out that they're Cylons, while they're reciting the first few lines of "All Along the Watchtower". The song is what woke them. It's one of the rare moments in Movie/Television where the music itself becomes kind of a character in the show. The final episode of the show ends with the Jimi Hendrix version.
You should really watch it. It's great. Although the story drags a bit in the 3rd and 4th season, the character development is awesome. And the show doesn't paint black and white there's a lot of grey areas, where you'd ask yourself 'how would I act in that situation'? One of my top 3 shows of all time.
I wasn't planning to begin rewatching BSG tonight, but ...
all this has happened before and will happen again
BSG is imo THE Best series ever made, hands down. I always re-watch it, at least once or twice a year (that includes the Movie and Caprica, the pre-quel too.) 🍻
BSG is a fantastic show, not least because it’s a sonic adventure. I think I have never seen such a smart and effective use of music. You would enjoy it, I think
A Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, even. ; )
can we get more battlestar galactica stuff please? :p
There's a very nice live version by Bear and orchestra on youtube as well, great violin solo in that one if I recall correctly.
That tv series had excellent music throughout. Super memorable music, and show. Definitely worth watching.
BSG what a fantastic show!!! excellent writing
Bear writes some fantastic video game music,too!
Thanks so much for reacting, and for including the Cylon intro… it sets the scene perfectly. Those of us who loved the show can envision exactly what's going on as it plays. :)
BSG is in my top 5 shows of all time, and Bear's soundtrack is a huge, huge part of that. My favorite track of his from the show is probably "Something Dark is Coming" (from season 2).
I love BSG so much. Still remember very vividly how I had the full lightbulb moment way back when I watched it first and the lyrics kicked in the first time and I was like "WAIT WHAT!?!?" It all came together in that scene so beautifully. Still gave me goosebumps watching Doug's video today.
If more die-hard BSG fans out here are into podcasts & want to hear fantastic insights into the filming, comments by directors, script writers etc: look up & listen to the podcast "Battlestar Galacticast", hosted by Mark Bernarden (a screen writer for other projects & ardent BSG fan) and Tricia Helfer (the actress playing number 7 = the blonde Cylon). They talk through each & every episode share important insights, discuss the implications. They're really easy to listen to & provide a ton of information & entertainment.
this moment in the show, when this song plays, is absolutely one of the most INCREDIBLE MOMENTS IN SCI-FI HISTORY! god I just teared up at the crescendo! fuck so gooooood!!!!
You should try his Passacaglia (together with The Shape of Things to Come), it's excellent...
So the brilliant thing about the show (as others have said) is that this song wasn't just part of the soundtrack or OST but part of the plot (diegetic) as well. If i recall correctly, There is a point (during the intro section I believe) where the show runners asked "Can we make this louder?" when the mixing was already all the way up
What a great series, has its detractors towards the end, I'm not one of them. It's more a hard drama set in space than a traditional scifi story. Make sure you watch the miniseries before season 1 '33' and keep an eye out for a cartain (blink and you'll miss it) Firefly class cargoship out the wibdow in the doctors scene in the first miniseries episode.
When this screen plays out it's like 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
This song turns out to be pivotal to the story arc of the entire show.
Battlestar Galactica is a treat. I just re watched it for the first time since it came out, with my gf who'd never seen it and isn't into sci-fi. She was alternately laughing and crying by the end, in love with all of the characters, and was raving about it to all her friends.
It's a really great show, and the music is just one of many great things about it. People often get it mixed up with Stargate and are dissuaded from watching it because of that association, which I get because Stargate was lame. There's no connection. Watch Battlestar Galactica, Doug. Treat yourself.
the tie in with this song, was mind blowing
I really enjoy the opening of this thematically within the show, trying to avoid spoilers, its like having that earworm of song that you dont know the name of nor the lyrics but can only remember one refrain from the bridge or the opening verse. Some characters are experiencing it and its only when they all realise whats going on and come together the full tune coalesces @5:24 and they each bring their derivative of the tune to the table it all clicks and they remember the whole 'song'
Greetings from France ! Loved your reaction. My favorite version of this song, from a really great sci-fi show... even 15 years later.
I've never seen a piece of music become as integral to a show as this did. It wasn't just a soundtrack but a plot point. Stunning. (And this is my favourite version of the track full stop; sorry Bob, sorry Jimi).
Just watched the vid now and you love sci-fi but haven't watched BSG? Oh boy... you're in for a treat if you do watch it (and start with the miniseries).
This was a pivotal scene in the series, and a total mind***k when we watched it -- especially since the ending of the show suggests that the song already existed when Bob Dylan "wrote" it.
In other words, it Dylan didn't create it -- it was revealed to him. :)
This is an amazing interpretation, imo. My favorite piece from the show is the Roslin and Adama theme, but that is in part related to the shows context.
BSG is my all-time favorite show. It's well worth viewing, a great treatise on a post-9/11 apocalyptic series.
Roslin and Adama is one of my favorit love themes ever. Especially the "So Much Life" version from the finale.
Definitely make time for BSG; it repays the effort. Has its issues (of course) but overall a superior series, rooted in the paranoia of 9/11 and a changing world.
the fact it took nearly a whole season to reveal what the song actually was..from "people" humming it, to playing it on a piano with one finger, to the full blown attack sequence!
After all these years... this is still my favorite version of this song.
Loved his Battlestar themes, so talented. This has some great sound design. Freakin' Phrygian, man... to Ostinato.... great commentary. Enjoyed.
1) WATCH THE DANG SHOW
2) Bear is pretty amazing- and his music enhances the show in some spectacular ways.
Bear's work on BSG was absolutely fantastic. There's a lot of that drawn out atmosphere that's in this cover throughout the soundtrack. For most of the other tracks on the show though it's his use of drums that really stands out
battlestar is one of those shows that I would like to forget so I can rewatch it again
God listening this takes me back to such a huge reveal on the series. The series was amazing and part of that was its stellar soundtrack. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it even without any knowledge of why so many of us fans find it impactful. Really interesting review, I'm going to go check out your other videos
Jimi's version I like the best .
If you want to stick with Bear for a bit, there's the OST song "Dirty Hands", and there is a live version of the BSG Orchestra playing the song "Baltar's Dream" - it's... transcendental.
Loved to hear your analysis of one of my all-time favourite tracks. Bear really reinvented it in his own way making it really groovy and his brother Brandon sang it perfectly ❤❤
Absolutely love this version, especially the live version
I was BLOWN AWAY when this happened in BSG. Passacaglia was my favorite.🥲
Oh god the chills... the memories ofthis song :x
I can't tell you how fast I clicked play! I loved BSG and this reveal, oohh-weee, gives me chills.
This is from my all-time favourite TV show, and this rendition of this song is one of my favourite pieces of music ever recorded.
Oh wow🎉 thanks for this analysis
It's in the Frakking Ship !
What a great arrangement. I really enjoyed that.
BSG is a must watch along with The Expanse, two of the best SCI FI tv shows produced so far.
Not sure if it's been said, Ron Moore was the primary writer/producer for BSG. He cut his teeth on Star Trek. And Bear did all the music for the show except the mini series (although he was a part of that). He took over from episode 1 on to the end.
Of all the versions/covers of this song, this is my favorite. Hard to beat.
As most pointed out, it's an excellent show. And this piece plays in one of the most critical "holy crap" bunch of scenes
I also tend towards TV shows that Bear McCreary has worked on. Another of my favorites is the Pirate era "Black Sails". The shows intro theme makes wonderful use of a dubiously tuned upright piano and gets one in the right mood for the upcoming episodes. czcams.com/video/XFTcA4QLHw0/video.html
Go watch! The song is a plot point! The Bear amazingness is a gift that keeps on giving. Watchtower-related tension starts to build with hints throughout the season and climaxes in "Kara's Coordinates."
It would be nice to see a comparison between the Battlestar Sonatica versions and the OST versions of some other tracks, Bear's solo piano performances on CZcams are awesome, Something Dark is Coming and Prelude to War are particular favourites of mine :)
BSG was an excellent series, well worth watching.
Another show's music that might be of interest is Babylon 5, scored by Christopher Franke of Tangerine Dream.
He did an epic job, especially in the Season 5 finale.
(Babylon 5 is still my favourite SciFi show, I haven't found another that quite matches it's epic scale).
Very interesting rendition! I've only heard Dylan, Hendrix, and U2 do this song.
Hendrix really took the song over.
Yes I did see Sharpe, great show, great books, and great audiobooks.
Make some time. The series is outstanding!!!!
Watch the show man, start with mini series well worth it.
Fantastic show with awesome music, they way they used it in the show was fantastic. Give it a watch sometime.
This must be the sound that's happening when the Cylons are doing their stuff!
That is so like late 70"s Hawkwind stuff, Lighthouse being a good example
Parts of this remind me of his opening credit music for the show Black Sails, which may be my favorite TV music of all time.
Another show with Bear McCreary soundtrack is Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles. In addition to the excellent soundtrack, it features Summer Glau (River Tam from Firefly) as a terminator. She's a better Terminator than Arnold!
went from BSG to watching The Walking Dead..and Bear was doing music on both!
Yeah, there is some really really good BSG soundtrack music.
This is definitely one of the best. Other ones i like are 'The Shape Of Things To Come' and Passacaglia. However they are more instrumental, not really this type of song.
Excellent sci-fi shows to watch are Battlestar Galactica, The Expanse and The Silo. All have good music and and excellent plot/acting. The Expanse intro sequence always gets me so excited.
" My name is saul tigh , I am an officer of the colonial fleet , whatever else I am whatever else it means that's the man I want to be...
And if I die today , that's the man I'll be "
@Doug Helvering: If you've not seen and heard it yet you may REALLY enjoy "So Say We All: Battlestar Galactica Live - "All Along the Watchtower" (feat. Katee Sackhoff)". It's a live performance with McCreary and crew!
Highly recommend BSG based on what you've said. Bear's music is an ever-present and integral part of the series (except the pilot miniseries). Additionally, BSG was co-helmed by Ronald D Moore, who you already know as the executive producer of Outlander. AND, icing on the cake, Ronald D Moore got his start as a writer for Star Trek: TNG and Star Trek: DS9. He was a writer for Star Trek: Voyager briefly, but left over creative differences-including the lack of realism with which the series treated the challenges that would face an isolated ship out in space. Part of his approach to BSG was to apply that realism he felt was lacking in Voyager, with episodes addressing the need to find water, fuel, and other resources.
In case you would like to watch the great Battlestar Galactica series: definitely start with the 3 hour 'miniseries'. It serves as a pilot and sets up the whole show.
this version means a lot to bsg fans....well to me anyway. highly recommended
I'm a massive star trek fan but I have to say that the battlestar galatica remake is possibly the best sci fi series made to date. I've watched it 4 times and it never gets boring.
So you've never watched battlestar galactica? Get on it Doug! There's a reason why it's commonly ranked #1 sci fi tv show of all time.
Battlestar Galactica is one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time. Specifically, the 2000s era reboot. The creators did an unbelievable job, reworking the original premise of the 70s original show. Well worth the watch. It is a complete series, which was created with a planned beginning and end, that leaves nothing hanging… I was never cancelled. It was completed.
There are so many fantastic songs in BSG. Would love to watch you react to Prelude to War (I believe it is in season 2).
BSG is indeed outstanding. And so is Babylon 5.
He should Listen to Prelude to War
Before this, Hendrix was my favorite. But this....this just hits me
Enjoyed your four chord song comment. I'm a rubbish guitarist but played this acoustic for my father (an actual musician) with 3 chords and he loved it when i just played 2 minutes of downstrokes to finish. Took him back a few decades.
As for bsg, the beauty of the reveal of the song was quite something. That intro you listened to was woven into one or two episodes and then as an intricate plot reveal occurred, so did the song (altho I'm guessing most older music fans will have picked it earlier).
Edit, if you're considering doing more soundtrack reactions, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Where Eagles Dare. Possibly my favourite title to a film
A lot of the songs for the show are really good.
Bear Mcreary is a threat composer. He did the theme to West World, so darn good.
Westworld is by Ramin Djawadi
@@TK949 yeah you're right. My mistake. Another tv show that Bear McCreary worked on was Black Sails. The theme song to that show is so good.
You should definitely watch Battlestar Galactica .
It's terrific , and his soundtrack to it is excellent as well .
Thanks !
There used to be a live concert series for just the music from Battlestar Galactica... you will love all the music throughout the show
This is the context, in short 3 minutes (actual scene):
czcams.com/video/xgDEMrsTY8c/video.html
This tune has a huge importance for the story of the show, it's not just going along with the scene.
For me, this is best series ever made for tv. I'm so happy, that you'v picked this one for your reaction.
Babylon 5 season 1 opening credits / main theme is up there with anything Bear M' has done - the musical themes of that piece are so in tune with the overall show and story line - not quite to the level of Kara's Coordinates and the infamous "it's in the frakkin ship" but still, pretty epic! 🙂
Great show music. Many of this shows themes used sticks and sitar sounds. There is a very tribal sound used for the shows non-orchestral music. Would love to see you react to his Sonata piece from season 3, Battlestar Sonatica.
When I saw the reaction was for the Battlestar Galactica version I had to listen to your review I'm glad I watched and you didn't disappoint.
I'm going to share a little bit of what you need to watch for, without giving you any spoilers.
First of all I'm old enough that I watched Battlestar Galactica in the late 70s which was freaking awesome but I was 11 years old and heavily influenced by Star Wars. The show was cheesy but that's not how I remembered it. For me my brother and my best friend it was our universe.
The reboot that this song is from is what I envisioned Battlestar as is a kid. It wasn't, the Battlestar is a serious and dark sci-fi / drama.
When you go to watch Battlestar make sure you watch the miniseries first. Episode one is actually episode 3 and it will make no sense whatsoever if you don't watch the miniseries first. That is extremely important. The miniseries introduces you to all these significant characters. And it sets up the entire story.
The best written show of all time as West Wing, Newsroom is close, both of those are written by Aaron Sorkin who is probably the best writer in Hollywood.
Battlestar Galactica is well written enough to be considered one of the greatest dramas of all time not just sci-fi. A great example of this is season 3 episode 4 the Adama maneuver. There is a lot of sci-fi that has Space Battles, this episode has the best space battle strategy of any show or movie in history and it will take your breath away. I don't want to give any more information because I want you to be watching for it but not aware of what is going on until you see it.
Now, for the music you just reviewed. It isn't just one episode. This music is an integral part of a reveal that takes a very long time to come to fruition. It is so extraordinary well done and interlaced through a number of episodes that it is Epic Mastery of writing, composing, acting and cinematography. It is what sets Battlestar Galactica apart from almost any other Sci-Fi TV show. I'm not exaggerating, I've watched a lot of sci-fi over the last 45 years.
It is important towards the end of the series as well. So as you're watching it and given the fact that you are a composer you will notice the music probably without me telling you. Hopefully someday you can post a video with your reaction to the entire series and the relationship between the music and the show. I would absolutely love to see that. And one final omage to the old show, in the miniseries they actually have a scene that plays the original theme music from the show in the late 70s, that made me smile when I saw it.
Ron D Moore is the producer of both Outlander and BSG, so you should definitely give it a watch!
This was such a mind-blow experience when I finally realized what song they were building up to over the episodes.
Bear does such an amazing job. If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and check out his work on the Black Sails soundtrack. The theme itself is killer and it just gets better and better.
Agreed. It was an amazing reveal
Bear's music in BSG is a character on it's own.
"Will someone turn of that music!" ;)
Battlestar Galactica is a PHENOMENAL Sci Fi series... It was so good, it ruined anything less that great Sci Fi for me... the acting / writing / special effects / and... yes... music... were all top--notch. It's become one of my all-time favorite TV series... period... and well worth checking out.
Another absolutely brilliant score for a film... Yan Tiersen's amazing work for the film "AMELIE" (Probably my favorite film score of all-time). A joyous and beautiful romp which perfectly accompanies that amazing film.
Cheers!
Battlestar Galactica is the best sci fi show ever. I you highly recommend you watch. It is like a space drama
Bear’s scores for DAVINCI’S DEMONS were magnificent and also some of AGENTS OF SHIELD