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March 27th, 2020 32 comments

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Doctor Who The Visitation Original Music Soundtrack CD

Available to order from www.amazon.co.uk

The Visitation is the first commercial release of Paddy Kingsland’s vintage Doctor Who synth score, to be made available in physical, digital and vinyl formats.

Based on Eric Saward’s book, The Visitation is set in England during the height of the 17th Century Great Plague. The story follows The Doctor and his companion fighting Terileptic, a group of fugitive aliens plotting to make the Earth their new home by spreading a deadly plague. Directed by Peter Moffatt, the atmospheric period drama was initially broadcast on BBC 1 from 15th to 23rd February 1982 in four twice-weekly parts, and featured Peter Davison as the fifth Doctor.

Paddy Kingsland’s arrival at the BBC radiophonic Workshop coincided with the advent of the synthesiser. Paddy explains “…some of the early ones didn’t have a keyboard and were simply another way of generating electronic tones with the latest controls added to it. But when they added keyboards on, you could just play a tune – whereas John Baker would spend a day cutting tape together to make that type of sound.

Starting in 1975 with the score for The Changes, followed by The Hitchhicker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1981) and 29 episodes of Doctor Who (1980 to 1984), Paddy Kingsland’s keyboard fanfares quickly became the sound of early 1980s TV that influenced future generations of musicians.

Paddy Kingsland reminisces about the process for The Visitation score: “We decided early on that the music should have a period flavour together with the usual high tech (at the time!) synthesiser sounds. Peter was my favourite Doctor Who director and was always enormously encouraging and positive… he generously gave me the freedom to do my own thing, but always knew if something needed to be adjusted.”

“I had about a week to put together the music for an episode before going to the dub… the score is quite sombre although there are elements of “yea verily” type music to set some scenes, which have a lighter texture. I played all the parts, using the synthesisers of the day, Oberheim, Roland and ARP, adding bass guitar plus drums and cymbals… not to mention my trusty Fender Mustang guitar.”

Doctor Who – The Visitation, produced by Mark Ayres, archivist of BBC Radiophonic Workshop, will be released, together with the score for Doctor Who – The Sun Makers on 1st May, 2020.

Paddy Kingsland’s score for The Changes was released on Silva Screen Records in April 2018 in digital format and as a Record Store Day limited vinyl edition.

Tracklisting:

  • 1. Doctor Who 1980 (Opening Titles)
  • 2. Have you Seen the Sky?
  • 3. Heathrow, 1666
  • 4. Richard Mace & The Miller
  • 5. A Fascinating Wall
  • 6. An Incredible Illusion
  • 7. Death in the Cellar
  • 8. Activation
  • 9. Grim
  • 10. The Poacher and his Friends
  • 11. Looking for the Miller / Not Again!
  • 12. Trouble at the Mill
  • 13. Laying a Trap
  • 14. More Trouble at the Mill
  • 15. Oh for a Proper Key
  • 16. The End for us All
  • 17. A Final Visitation
  • 18. Almost Your Old Self
  • 19. Eureka!
  • 20. The Sonic Booster
  • 21. Almost as if we were Expected
  • 22. The Great Fire
  • 23. Doctor Who Closing Title Theme
  • 24. Activation (Unused Version 1)
  • 25. Not Again! (Unused Version 1)


Categorised under: CD, Music soundtracks

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32 comments

  • The Ergon

    April 16th, 2020 - 11:28am

    This is being despatched to me from silva screen today. No mention yet of The sunmakers.

    Reply
  • Gareth Pugh

    April 1st, 2020 - 3:27pm

    If you want both on vinyl, then SoundOfVinyl.com have a ‘buy both’ bundle offer for £20.95 plus a fiver P&P right now.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      April 5th, 2020 - 10:05pm

      Is there a catch, or do you literally get everything you would as if you had ordered them separately?

  • The Ergon

    March 27th, 2020 - 9:52am

    What about that, very crafty. You can,t qualify for Free delivery unless you,re signed to Prime. I notice they only do it with one of the items.Sorry, it looks like i,m waiting for zoom or until Silva screen to put it up. And they wonder why i don,t shop with Amazon nowadays.

    Reply
    • Duncan Parsons

      March 27th, 2020 - 10:09am

      I thought it had been like that for ages.

    • booboo

      March 27th, 2020 - 10:11am

      i don’t have prime on one account and its showing free delivery if you order both?

    • booboo

      March 27th, 2020 - 10:34am

      looking again they seem to have removed the “group together” option

    • philip shaw

      March 27th, 2020 - 3:16pm

      I’ve just added them to my basket, ignored the prime option, gone for 3 to 4 day delivery, and therefore because I spent over £20 free delivery.

    • The Ergon

      March 27th, 2020 - 8:34pm

      Thats what i did and ordered separately and it did say qualifies for Free Delivery but when i headed to checkout for some reason it put it at £29+. Tried again and did the 3-4 option and did appear at £26+.

  • Stanley Gleed

    March 19th, 2020 - 9:00am

    Unfortunately, from what we know, not many Dudley Simpson scores have survived, despite being Doctor Who’s longest running composer.

    Not counting the 80s (because all the music from the 80s exists) the only fully surviving story soundtracks that we know exist are:
    . The Daleks – Tristram Cary
    . The Edge of Destruction – Stock Music
    . The Rescue – Tristram Cary
    . The Web Planet – Les Structures Sonores
    . The Space Museum – Stock Music
    . Galaxy 4 – Les Structures Sonores & Trevor Duncan
    . Mission to the Unknown – Trevor Duncan
    . The Daleks’ Master Plan – Tristram Cary
    . The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve – Pierre Arvay
    . The Ark – Tristram Cary & Robert Farnon
    . The Gunfighters – Tristram Cary, Donald Cotton & Rex Tucker
    . The War Machines – Stock Music
    . The Tenth Planet – Stock Music

    . Power of the Daleks – Tristram Cary
    . The Highlanders – Stock Music
    . The Moonbase – Stock Music
    . The Faceless Ones – Library Music
    . Tomb of the Cybermen – Stock Music
    . The Abominable Snowmen – BBC Sound Library
    . Enemy of the World – Béla Bartók
    . The Web of Fear – Stock Music
    . Fury from the Deep – Dudley Simpson
    . The Wheel in Space – Brian Hodgson
    . The Dominators – Brian Hodgson
    . The Mind Robber – Brian Hodgson & Anton Bruckner
    . The Invasion – Don Harper & John Baker
    . The Krotons – Brian Hodgson
    . The Seeds of Death – Dudley Simpson

    . The Silurians – Carey Blyton
    . Inferno – Stock Music
    . The Mind of Evil – Dudley Simpson
    . The Sea Devils – Malcolm Clarke
    . The Mutants – Tristram Cary
    . Death to the Daleks – Carey Blyton

    . Revenge of the Cybermen – Carey Blyton & Peter Howell
    . Terror of the Zygons – Geoffrey Burgon
    . The Seeds of Doom – Geoffrey Burgon
    . The Sun Makers – Dudley Simpson
    . Shada – Mark Ayres & Keff McCulloch

    However, I’m sure that many classic scores can and will eventually be recreated. The only 80s score that doesn’t exist is Mindwarp but a new recording was commissioned from composer Richard Hartley and, along with Mark Ayres, was re-recorded in order to present it in a new 5.1 mix and can be heard on the 5.1 mix and on the Isolated Score option on the Season 23 box set.
    Because of this, I am sure that some of the more similar soundtracks could too be re-recorded. Stories scores like:
    . The Time Meddler – Charles Botterill (Percussions) & Stock Music
    . The Underwater Menace – Dudley Simpson
    . The Macra Terror – Dudley Simpson & John Baker
    . Terror of the Autons – Dudley Simpson
    . The Claws of Axos – Dudley Simpson
    . Colony in Space – Dudley Simpson
    . The Dæmons – Dudley Simpson
    . Day of the Daleks – Dudley Simpson
    . The Curse of Peladon – Dudley Simpson
    . The Time Monster – Dudley Simpson

    Even the slightly more complicated story scores could be re-scored. This is Classic Who. The show already had a tight budget so it couldn’t afford an orchestra (why do you think many 60s stories uses Stock Music) so practically every score could be recreated.

    Reply
  • James17

    March 17th, 2020 - 9:53pm

    Really hope we get a daemons one some day, it’s got quite a good score but its never been released. And it’s my fav so would definitely pick it up!

    Reply
    • Stanley Gleed

      March 19th, 2020 - 2:53pm

      Unfortunately, from what we know, not many Dudley Simpson scores have survived, despite being Doctor Who’s longest running composer.

      Not counting the 80s (because all the music from the 80s exists) the only fully surviving story soundtracks that we know exist are:
      . The Daleks – Tristram Cary
      . The Edge of Destruction – Stock Music
      . The Rescue – Tristram Cary
      . The Web Planet – Les Structures Sonores
      . The Space Museum – Stock Music
      . Galaxy 4 – Les Structures Sonores & Trevor Duncan
      . Mission to the Unknown – Trevor Duncan
      . The Daleks’ Master Plan – Tristram Cary
      . The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Eve – Pierre Arvay
      . The Ark – Tristram Cary & Robert Farnon
      . The Gunfighters – Tristram Cary, Donald Cotton & Rex Tucker
      . The War Machines – Stock Music
      . The Tenth Planet – Stock Music

      . Power of the Daleks – Tristram Cary
      . The Highlanders – Stock Music
      . The Moonbase – Stock Music
      . The Faceless Ones – Library Music
      . Tomb of the Cybermen – Stock Music
      . The Abominable Snowmen – BBC Sound Library
      . Enemy of the World – Béla Bartók
      . The Web of Fear – Stock Music
      . Fury from the Deep – Dudley Simpson
      . The Wheel in Space – Brian Hodgson
      . The Dominators – Brian Hodgson
      . The Mind Robber – Brian Hodgson & Anton Bruckner
      . The Invasion – Don Harper & John Baker
      . The Krotons – Brian Hodgson
      . The Seeds of Death – Dudley Simpson

      . The Silurians – Carey Blyton
      . Inferno – Stock Music
      . The Mind of Evil – Dudley Simpson
      . The Sea Devils – Malcolm Clarke
      . The Mutants – Tristram Cary
      . Death to the Daleks – Carey Blyton

      . Revenge of the Cybermen – Carey Blyton & Peter Howell
      . Terror of the Zygons – Geoffrey Burgon
      . The Seeds of Doom – Geoffrey Burgon
      . The Sun Makers – Dudley Simpson
      . Shada – Mark Ayres & Keff McCulloch

      However, I’m sure that many classic scores can and will eventually be recreated. The only 80s score that doesn’t exist is Mindwarp but a new recording was commissioned from composer Richard Hartley and, along with Mark Ayres, was re-recorded in order to present it in a new 5.1 mix and can be heard on the 5.1 mix and on the Isolated Score option on the Season 23 box set.
      Because of this, I am sure that some of the more similar soundtracks could too be re-recorded. Stories scores like:
      . The Time Meddler – Charles Botterill (Percussions) & Stock Music
      . The Underwater Menace – Dudley Simpson
      . The Macra Terror – Dudley Simpson & John Baker
      . Terror of the Autons – Dudley Simpson
      . The Claws of Axos – Dudley Simpson
      . Colony in Space – Dudley Simpson
      . The Dæmons – Dudley Simpson
      . Day of the Daleks – Dudley Simpson
      . The Curse of Peladon – Dudley Simpson
      . The Time Monster – Dudley Simpson

      Even the slightly more complicated story scores could be re-scored. This is Classic Who. The show already had a tight budget so it couldn’t afford an orchestra (why do you think many 60s stories uses Stock Music) so practically every score could be recreated.

  • Shaun

    March 13th, 2020 - 6:47pm

    Oh, so The Visitation is based on Eric Saward’s book! That made me laugh…

    Reply
  • Hi

    January 18th, 2020 - 12:38pm

    I hope for logopolis is next or two doctor or mark of the rani

    Reply
  • Anonymous

    January 12th, 2020 - 5:33pm

    I wish we could have a vinyl release for heaven sent with a red and light blue vinyl design to match the doctor and Clara

    Reply
  • Anonymous

    January 10th, 2020 - 12:40am

    Have to admit I wasn’t overly keen on the 80’s who music. I preferred Dudley Simpson’s scores and the earlier music over the Synythiser heavy 80’s era. I loved the Paul mcgann music purely because it sounded “full” if people know what I mean. And of course the new who era music has been great. Now, that all said I’m very happy for people who like this style of music as I’m sure they will treasure this album. I’ll probably get the sun makers album if I have the funds but I hope people who buy this one love it and get more from the 80’s era.

    Reply
    • Neil

      January 12th, 2020 - 5:10pm

      Agree with a lot of this, but think Murray Gold’s scores soon became far too bombastic, and was never too keen on his arrangement of the theme music post-Tennant. Have to say I am really enjoying the incidental music so far from Jodie’s era, and probably my favourite version of the theme music since the show returned.

    • Anonymous

      January 12th, 2020 - 8:20pm

      Oh I agree Murray’s music could be a bit overblown but I still like it. Loving Jodie’s music.

    • Jo

      January 13th, 2020 - 3:26pm

      The 80s OST’s do tend to include the SFX officially which is a great deal, i think dudley simpson himself is a great composer but the only scores i remember from him is genesis of the daleks and the minds of evil. Which sadly got wiped and the main reason why the 80s scores get more releases it because they are the only ones that survived throughout the series.

      Maybe except Mindwarp which i heard is lost forever, i am not too fond of murray gold music i feel like he tries so hard to be like john williams and i often prefer the dudley orchestra over his work.

      I like earlier scores from the mid 2000s to early 2010s, but afterwards the scores get less interesting to me mainly they followed a lot of the cliche and trophy scores that we tend to hear in movies.

      We just wait and see for more future release, like i said the synthesizer style is not for everyone which i gladly respect.

  • Nick

    January 9th, 2020 - 11:46pm

    Would love to see Logopolis and Arc of Infinity too!

    Reply
  • Neil

    January 9th, 2020 - 8:29pm

    Interesting choices with these. ‘The Visitation’ in particular. Would love to see releases of “Logopolis” and “Castrovalva” next…

    Reply
    • Philip Shaw

      January 9th, 2020 - 9:03pm

      Suprised to see this as I thought ‘The Five Doctors’ was the Peter Davison release…

    • Anonymous

      January 10th, 2020 - 8:12am

      They don’t just do one release for each Doctor.
      Also, The Caves of Androzani was released years ago.

    • philip shaw

      January 10th, 2020 - 10:19am

      I’m sure in this present run they were doing one for each classic Doctor which the LP versions made a tardis design on the spines. So hence I thought five doctors was Davisons. I know they have done other releases, I have them all, I was meaning this present run…

    • Anonymous

      January 11th, 2020 - 2:57am

      A part of me suspects that the reason Five has two releases is because the TV Movie soundtrack is a bit of a different kettle of fish.

  • Ian Cotterill

    January 9th, 2020 - 6:35pm

    This soundtrack looks fun, though I was personally hoping for something like a music release of ‘The Trial Of A Time Lord’ with the re-recorded score for ‘Mindwarp’. Ah well, maybe next time.

    Reply
    • Philip Shaw

      January 9th, 2020 - 9:01pm

      There is still hope as the sixth Dr release is still to come…

  • The Ergon

    January 9th, 2020 - 6:22pm

    I love the classic incidental stuff, who did the artwork for the covers?

    Reply
    • The Ergon

      January 9th, 2020 - 6:24pm

      Oh hang on , Is this music or the Stories with linking Narration?

    • booboo

      January 9th, 2020 - 6:29pm

      music

    • Ian Cotterill

      January 9th, 2020 - 6:32pm

      I prefer the cover design for this release and ‘The Sun Makers’ to what we got for ‘The Five Doctors’ soundtrack.

    • James

      January 10th, 2020 - 1:46pm

      Mark Ayres confirmed on Twitter that Clayton Hickman designed the covers for these two releases

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