When I was a kid, I bought a reel-to-reel tape recorder for the express purpose of recording music from the cartoons I watched on the TV. I played those recordings again and again, until the tape wore out. I’ve missed that music!
I was happy to receive a promotional copy of a music collection that not only gave me goosebumps, but it also intrigued me because I’d never heard of some of this before! And that’s saying something! Thanks to Beth from the Krakower Group for making them available for review! Here’s what I thought of the collection!
THE MUSIC OF DC COMICS: VOLUME 2
Label: WaterTower Music/DC Comics
Artists: Various
Cover price: $11.99
Previously in MUSIC OF DC COMICS: Whether it’s in the panels of a comic or the frames of a TV show or film, heroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and The Flash are always a sight to behold. But let’s not overlook how they sound. Whether it’s the iconic, influential work of master composers like John Williams, Shirley Walker or Hans Zimmer, the retro kitsch associated with shows like 1966’s Batman or 1973’s Super Friends, or the poppy, irresistible hooks of the recent DC Super Hero Girls theme, “Get Your Cape On,” DC has a long legacy of unforgettable music.
Containing over 60 minutes of music, The Music of DC Comics: Volume 2 features Danny Elfman, Junkie XL, Sun Ra, and Mark Hamill, among others. It includes 11 never-before-released recordings from the DC Archive, such as the themes and narration from 1949’s Columbia Pictures serial Batman and Robin, 1958’s The Adventures of Superpup, 1978’s Challenge of the Superfriends and ‘The Ballad of Batman’ from 2002’s Batman: The Brave And The Bold.
It is a collection for DC Comics fans, created by a DC Comics fan – Executive Album Producer Peter Axelrad produced both this album and The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection.
WHAT I WAS HAPPY TO HAVE
So many of these tracks were pieces of music I really loved, much of it from the Bruce Timm/Paul Dini era of animated shows and direct-to-DVD movies.
For instance, the theme music from Batman: The Animated series still gives me chills. I hear it, and my mind automatically fills in the visuals, the Dark Knight moving in the shadows, the first appearance of that now-classic Batmobile, and the fact that there was no title saying “Batman” in it. I still love it!
I also love the theme to the now-on-The-CW Supergirl series. I would hear little snippets of it on some videos, but never the whole thing. To hear it all now makes me ready for the return of the show on its new network this Fall.
With the popularity of The Flash on that same network, it’s great to hear the Danny Elfman theme from the 1990s show. Too cool!
And I love the song “Get Your Cape On” from the new show focusing on the girls and women of the DCU, DC Super Hero Girls. Fun!
WHAT I’D NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE
One of the true delights in this collection is the number of things I’d never heard of before!
For instance, there’s music from the 1950s The Adventures of Superpup. I immediately had to look that one up, and it was a real show. I want to find out more, of course!
There are also tracks from the recent Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, and I hadn’t heard the entire soundtrack, so I’d missed these. Pretty good! They make me even more anxious to get the Ultimate disc coming out very soon!
There’s a variety of offerings, from vocal segments to theme music to Mark Hamill singing “Jingle Bells” in that initial “Christmas With The Joker” episode of B:TAS. Just when you think every piece will be about a minute long, you get a more in-depth song, so it entertained me tremendously!
THE PLAYLIST
So, what’s in the collection? Here’s the playlist:
1. The Baby From Krypton Intro (from Superman Radio Show) – Bud Collyer (1940)
2. What Are You Going To Do When You Are Not Saving the World? (from Man of Steel) – Hans Zimmer (2013)
3. Superman Theme (from Ruby-Spears Superman) – John Williams (1988)
4. Superman The Animated Series Theme – Shirley Walker (1996)
5. The Flying Sequence / Can You Read My Mind? (feat. Margot Kidder) – John Williams (1978)
6. Fight Night (from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) – Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL (2016)
7. Batman Theme – Neal Hefti (1966)
8. Batman The Animated Series – Danny Elfman (1996)
9. The Ballad of Batman (from Batman: The Brave and the Bold) – Dynamic Music Partners feat. John DiMaggio (2002)
10. Batman and Robin: Batman Takes Over (Intro) – Mischa Bakaleinikoff (1949)
11. Why Do We Fall? (From Dark Knight Rises) – Hans Zimmer (2012)
12. Christmas with the Joker / Jingle Bells Batman Smells – Shirley Walker feat. Mark Hamill (1992)
13. Joker is Wild – The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale: Sun Ra and the Blues Project (1966)
14. Mischief (Harley Quinn’s Theme) [from Infinite Crisis Videogame]– Matthew Harwood (2015)
15. Lex Luthor’s Lair – John Williams (1978)
16. Penquin Makes Moves (from Gotham) – Graeme Revell and David E. Russo (2015)
17. Penquin’s Umbrella – The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale: Sun Ra and the Blues Project (1966)
18. Challenge of The Superfriends – Hoyt Curtin (1978)
19. The Theme of The Justice League of America – Arthur Korb (1966)
20. Supergirl Theme – Blake Neely (2015)
21. Robin’s Theme – The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale: Sun Ra and the Blues Project (1966)
22. The Adventures of Superpup – TV Pilot (1958)
23. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Theme – Blake Neely (2016)
24. Metamorpho – Arthur Korb (1966)
25. Get Your Cape On – Jordyn Kane (2015)
26. The Flash TV Series Theme – Danny Elfman (1990)
27. The Flash vs Arrow – Blake Neely (2014)
28. Wonder Woman – Arthur Korb (1966)
29. Wonder Woman TV Series Season 3 Theme – Charles Fox and Norman Gimble (1978)
The disc also includes a fold-out poster!
BOTTOM LINE: Music I Love with New Songs
I never can get enough of this kind of music, and I love the DC pieces especially!
Want to get your own copy? The Music of DC Comics: Volume 2 has been released on CD and as a digital download as of July 15, and can now be ordered at iTunes and Amazon. You can listen to samples at each location! Vinyl lovers can look for a double vinyl version of the album to be made available soon. It might also be in your local comics shop before long, too!
If you enjoy superhero music as much as I do, get this collection! It will transport you back to when you first heard these songs or catch you up on new pieces of music that will become favorites as well! At least, that was my experience! Oh, and be sure to pick up the previous release, The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection!
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Wayne Hall creates the Wayne's Comics Podcast. He’s interviewed Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, John Layman, Kyle Higgins, Phil Hester, Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray, David Petersen, Christos Gage, Mike Grell, and Matt Kindt. On this site each week, he writes his "Comics Portal" column (general comics comments and previews) and reviews comics.