Airwolf Themes

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Airwolf Themes soundtrack
Airwolf Themes soundtrack cover
Original 2CD Special Limited Edition Cover.
Soundtrack
Released US:February, 1999
UK:February, 1999
Recorded November 1998
Genre Soundtrack
Length 73.32 minutes
Label GER Soundtracks - GERCD3
Producer Mark J.Cairns
Gerry R. Forrester

Airwolf Themes is a 2CD soundtrack album for the high-flying, mid 1980s American action television series series Airwolf (1984-1986) The program concerned a supersonic military helicopter, codenamed Airwolf, and her crew as they undertook various missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War theme.

The soundtrack was created over a five year period by "Airwolf" Superfan, Northern Ireland-based graphic designer, Mark J. Cairns in collaboration with original composer Sylvester Levay, with a Foreword by the series' creator, Donald P. Bellisario.

Contents

[edit] The soundtrack's creation

After the original CBS series was cancelled in 1986, Mark J. Cairns headed the International Airwolf Appreciation Association for nearly 10 years (from 1988-1998) so he had an in-depth knowledge of the series including its music cues. There had been other cover versions of the distinctive Levay-penned main theme over the years but these tended to be quite different from the sound and feel of the original score. Due to various licensing issues at the time, Cairns decided in early 1994 to produce his own high-quality soundtrack for the series using the episodic scores from the first three seasons of the series to create the first 22 synthesizer-based tracks on the soundtrack, including various medleys and character themes. This was produced entirely by ear on Yamaha and Korg synthesizers, sequenced on an Apple PowerMac.

[edit] Finding Levay

But by early 1997, Cairns had felt there was something lacking in the production - the mainly orchestral themes, so a search was made for both the show's two main original composers, Sylvester Levay and Udi Harpaz. Levay had left Hollywood in the early nineties to move to Germany and Harpaz had moved back to Israel, so tracking them down had proven difficult to this point until Cairns found an on-line discussion fan forum for the first of Levay's musicals, Elisabeth (Musical), allowing him and fellow producer, Gerry R. Forrester to finally make initial contact.

They subsequently contracted Levay to create three special bonus medleys which would be mainly orchestral-based scores, composed and arranged from his character-driven 1st season works from the series. Levay then used the 80-piece Munich Philharmonic orchestra during a recording session on 29th November, 1999 at SL Studios in Neuhausen, Germany. The tracks were subsequently mastered by Bernie Grundman in Hollywood, California (the engineer responsible for Michael Jackson's best-selling album of all time, Thriller and Bad albums. Cairns' CD1 was engineered and mastered at Einstein Studios in Antrim, Northern Ireland.

[edit] 2CD Special Limited Edition

Once production of the two separate CDs was completed, including a 20-page liner booklet containing an exclusive Levay interview, the 'Airwolf Themes: 2CD Special Limited Edition' finally shipped during February 1999 to those who had reserved them six months before-hand, mostly Airwolf Appreciation Association' members although afterwards remaining copies shipped to many other countries purely from direct sales over the internet. Only 1000 copies were ever made.

[edit] eBay phenomena World Record soundtrack

By the turn of the Millennium the 'Airwolf Themes: 2CD Special Limited Edition' had become very collectible gaining regular eBay bids (being sold by people who'd reserved and bought more than one copy) in the region of $350-$510 per set. On the 18th March, 2000 the bids culminated in a new record[1] for a television soundtrack when a set sold for $715.03 on eBay. This was subsequently broken on 25th March, 2004 when a Washington-based seller sold his spare 2CD set for $765.03[2], and then for a third time $981.74[3] on the 10th March, 2006 remaining the 'Most Expensive Television Soundtrack of all Time'.

[edit] Re-Release for Digital Downloads

Airwolf Themes cover for the 2008 re-release
Airwolf Themes cover for the 2008 re-release

'Airwolf Themes' was re-released on 20th December 2007 as a digitally-remastered, downloads-only version through Pinnacle-Digital.com/7-Digital. It has been released in AAC, MP3 and Windows Media Audio/WMA audio formats. It was later released via Apple iTunes Store during January 2008. Further outlets have been added since then.

[edit] Sequel Soundtrack

A sequel soundtrack 'Airwolf Themes: Volume 2' is currently in production for release in late 2008. Polish-born musician Jan Michal Szulew (his name in English is pronounced similarly to Yann Shoo-leff) will be the main arranger this time with Mark J.Cairns taking a production role.

[edit] Track listing

'CD1 by Mark J.Cairns'

  • Main Theme -- 3rd Season Opening titles (1:01)
  • 'THE AMERICAN DREAM' (5:26)
  • 'ANNIE OAKLEY' (4:36)
  • 'DAMBREAKERS' (3:24)
  • 'DESPERATE MONDAY' (4:43)
  • 'DISCOVERY' / 'HAWKE'S RUN' (3:33)
  • 'FALLEN ANGEL' (3:54)
  • 'FIGHT LIKE A DOVE' / 'BITE OF THE JACKAL' -- "Coming Down" (1:30)
  • 'FORTUNE TELLER' (4:37)
  • 'HAWKE's RUN' / 'KINGDOM COME' -- "Try and cut 'em off!" (2:23)
  • 'THE HUNTED' (2:41)
  • 'HX1' (2:37)
  • 'INN AT THE END OF THE ROAD' (3:37)
  • 'MAD OVER MIAMI' / 'PRISONER OF YESTERDAY' -- "South America" (3:42)
  • 'PILOT' / 'MOFFETT'S GHOST' -- "Moffet's Theme" (6:13)
  • 'NATURAL BORN' (2:09)
  • 'ONCE A HERO' (2:38)
  • Main Theme -- 1st Season Closing titles (1:26)
  • 'SHORT WALK TO FREEDOM' (6:19)
  • 'SINS OF THE PAST' (2:16)
  • 'SWEET BRITCHES'--"Opening Chase" (1:34)
  • Main Theme -- 2nd/3rd Season Closing titles (3:02)

'Special Bonus CD2 by Sylvester Levay'

  • Main Theme -- Extended Aerial ("Red Star Test Run" -- 'PILOT' Film Version) (3:35)
  • 'ECHOS FROM THE PAST" -- Medley ("St John's Theme" / "Gabrielle's Theme") (3:33)
  • 1st Season – Medley ('ONE WAY EXPRESS' / 'MIND OF THE MACHINE' / "Moffet's Theme" / "Eagle's Serenade") (4:50)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Soundtrackguide.com.: "[1]", 2007
  2. ^ "AirwolfThemes.com", 2004
  3. ^ "AirwolfThemes.com", 2006

[edit] External links