![[Christopher Franke's picture]](https://members.tripod.com/~inamoena/chris2.gif)
Review by Rotwang
To say Christopher Franke, synthesizer pioneer, and former member of Tangerine Dream is immensely prolific, is a dramatic understatement. In his brief solo career after leaving Tangerine Dream, where he was for eighteen years (with some 70-odd releases with the band), Franke has had nineteen (at the time of this writing; two more releases are due out within the next few months) releases, most on his label Sonic Images, which he founded in 1991. Currently, his most recent releases are the first five CD's in a limited-edition series called "Babylon 5-The Cult." Franke, who composes the music for the science-fiction television series Babylon 5, has been gaining many new fans in recent years because of his dark, industrialized score for Babylon 5. In 1995, Franke released "Babylon 5," an album using the themes and music from the series, but reworked into a four-movement electronic symphony (preferring long, uninterrupted pieces of music over short musical cues). In early 1997, Franke released a second album for the series with the newer, more operatic music from Babylon 5 entitled "Messages from Earth," again reworked into four movements, but now interspersed with the four title themes from the series. After much critical acclaim and becoming one of Sonic Images' most popular titles, "Messages from Earth" has made way for a limited set of five 30-minute EP's, available only through the label, comprising of the original episodic scores from the series. The first five releases (the success of these releases will determine if Franke will continue the series) were released in September of 1997, after the demand of many fans who wanted to have an episodic sountrack for the series. The releases are (named for the episodes in which the scores are from), "Severed Dreams," "A Late Delivery from Avalon," "Walkabout," "Shadow Dancing," and "Z'ha'dum."
Severed Dreams
"Severed Dreams," the first disc in the series, contains the music from one of Babylon 5's most ambitious episodes. The text inside the CD case explains how with the extreme amount of effects shots during this episode's epic battle sequences, the finished product was only delivered two hours before it's satellite uplink. This hard work paid off for Babylon 5's crew, earning the episode the 1997 Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation" giving the series some much-needed publicity. Musically, "Severed Dreams" is very driving and epic, complimenting the episodes battle scenes, giving it a faster pace and more militaristic feel (great use of a synthesized military snare)than the other discs in the series. The climax track, appropriatly titled "The Big Battle," has a very industrial sound due to its liberal use of clanging metal and all-out drum machine madness resembling some of Hans Zimmer's synth scores. This fast industrial theme is intersperced with strains of Franke's lovely "Requiem for the Line" remixed with a heavily treated sampled choir and a sample resembling a sledge hammer resulting in a sound totally unique to Franke. Because this CD, like the rest of this series, is not available in stores, I would recommend buying "Messages from Earth" first, which is available in any music store (nobody knows how to categorize it, so try both "Babylon 5" under soundtracks and Christopher Franke under "New Age"), if you haven't heard Franke's music, because this set is really intended for die-hard Christopher Franke and Babylon 5 fans. Most of the source material for "Messages from Earth" comes from these episodes, so if you really enjoyed the style of "Messages from Earth," which resembles "Susperia de Profundis"-era Die Form, I would highly recommend this set to you, as it contains three and a half hours more hours of Franke's unique dark industrial opera sound, which comes from the flood of inspiration from the series (he's also a fan) he's had during his stint as the composer.
A Late Delivery from Avalon
The second disc in the series is my personal favorite. The episode, "A Late Delivery from Avalon," revolves around a war veteran who goes insane from the guilt of believing that he accidently started a bloody war. This veteran believes he is the legendary King Arthur and has constant flashbacks, allowing Franke to show off his remarkable ability to combine different genres of music. Franke started with the usual dark industrial sound of Babylon 5 with all of the metal clanging, atonal strings, electronic effects and trademark sampled choir but adds dreamlike Celtic instruments (whistles, lyres, and what sounds like an electronic bagpipe sound) and choir voices (both Celtic and Medieval) with a few Asian(?) sounds that remind me of Blade Runner. What results is a darkly ambient piece along the lines of Love is Colder than Death and Die Form, but with a sound that is obviously Franke's. If you only get one of the discs in the set (they can be purchased separately), this is definately the one I would get. "A Late Delivery from Avalon" is a masterpiece, a moody ambient soundscape that combines the sounds of the past with the sounds of the future. I must say, I really enjoed this CD.
Walkabout
I found "Walkabout" to be a bit uneven. This particular episode involves one of the characters having a fling with a drug addicted singer. This CD features the two songs sung by the singer in the episode, which sound something like those "soft rock" hits of the 1980's. These songs interrupt the dark, moody, futuristic Franke mood which comprises the rest of the disc. The CD does have it's moments, however. I particularly liked the use of the treated choir which has a very haunting sound, even more so than in the other discs. There is one crescendo which sends chills down my spine that mixes the choir with a trademark Franke sound: an electronic metallic sound that defies description. However these great moments are far too intersperced and the rest of the disc has a very generic feel to it (generic for Christopher Franke, anyways).
Shadow Dancing
"Shadow Dancing," number four, has a different feel than the previous three. It uses less of the overtly electronic and industrial sounds and concentrates on a more orchestral feel with more choir strains and subtile electronic sounds mixed with orchestral samples to give a more apocalyptic tone. The introduction of a quiet staccato piano-esque theme is very effective and reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann's scores for Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers. As the episode progresses, there is a confrontation with The Shadows, villains which have inspired Franke to do some of his most beautiful and dark music. The disc climaxes with a return back to the industrial music from the orchestral sounding stuff, intersperced with that mysterious piano theme mixed with the treated choir. During the fast paced segments, there is no shortage of metal beating, choir screaming (and moaning, too), reversed sounds, and even alien-sounding screams (the sound the Shadows make as they invade your mind). This is a very lovely work with different moods and elements put together to give the listener very hopeless feelings during the first half with the constant droning of strings playing compositionally minimal, emotionally churning one and two-tone themes, but then switching to a very aggressive industrial sound that makes the listener feel as if something is beig done about the hopelessness brought upon earlier. The disc then goes into some more reflective themes to look back on the sonic journey just taken, while still retaining an apocalyptic feel. The last few minutes reinforce this brooding feeling with the return of the piano theme one last time.
Z'ha'dum
Named for the homeworld of The Shadows, "Z'ha'dum" picks up where "Shadow Dancing" left off. The beginning of "Z'ha'dum" starts with same themes as the end of "Shadow Dancing," only darker and more ominous. The first two-thirds of "Z'ha'dum" is very dark, consisting almost entirely of deep, moaning strings, with the choir coming in at the most appropriate moments, but only for a few seconds at a time, giving a very gothic feel to this disc. Like "A Late Delivery from Avalon," "Z'ha'dum" is very ambient in nature, and even the climax (which was the season finale, where one of the lead characters commits suicide in order to destroy The Shadows), while faster in pace, flows in a more poetic fashion, in the style Franke has most of his non-soundtrack works. The climax track "Into the Abyss," is one of the best Franke songs I've heard, although most of it was reworked into "Severed Dreams" an epic 15-minute long song off of "Messages to Earth." Still, "Z'ha'dum" does not disappoint, and is one of the strongest discs in this series.
Overall, I must say I enjoyed "Babylon 5-The Cult" very much, and definately recommend it to any Christopher Franke fan. If someone reading this review feels they may enjoy this music after reading the descriptions of the music, but is not familar with Franke's sound, should definately get "Messages from Earth" before going through all the trouble (you can only get the ordering information off of the Sonic Images website) and money (the discs are about $10 each) of getting this set. If you like "Messages from Earth," I would highly recommend this set as an extention to "Messages to Earth" to anyone interested in three and a half more hours of Christopher Franke at his darkest. "Messages from Earth" is definately faster and more extreme than "Babylon 5-The Cult," however, "Babylon 5-The Cult" is darker and more ambient with a much slower and somber mood. Because it is a score, it also sounds a bit movie-like, while "Messages from Earth" is more frantic and symphonic. Both "Messages from Earth" and the set deliver and should please anyone in the mood for music that is dark, driving, imaginative, and hybrid. Christopher Franke is truly a grand master at using his synthesizers (he's been doing it since the 1960's) and will continue to stay far in advance of his countless, and more popular imitators.
Relevant Links...
Sonic Images, Christopher Franke's label
Official Tangerine Dream Homepage
Background and pictures from Christopher Franke's Homepage.