"THE TRIPODS” - POOL OF FIRE SUITE

MUSIC INSPIRED BY THE UNMADE THIRD SERIES

COMPOSED BY KEN FREEMAN

Based on the classic novels by John Christopher and first broadcast in 1984 in a primetime BBC1 slot, The Tripods gripped the nation and soon garnered a cult following. It was the BBC’s most adventurous production yet with critics hailing it as ‘A minor masterpiece’.

This magical sci-fi series stirred the imagination of a generation almost 20 years ago and still has a strong following now, with many fans petitioning for the DVD release. To coincide with the long awaited DVD release of series 1 & 2 Demon/2entertain are releasing an audio download album to digital music stores.

The album to download: The Tripods: Pool of Fire suite, written and produced by Ken Freeman, is a newly composed, sensational musical representation inspired by the unmade third series. The music takes you on a captivating journey from the initial mood of fear and determination in the freemen’s mountain hideout, to the exciting portrayal of the dangerous attack and eventual destruction of the last Tripod city and beyond.

 Things have come on a long way since Ken Freeman composed the original Tripod recordings in 1985. Then the violin sounds were made using a string ‘symphoniser’ and a Yamaha ‘CS80’. The brass was created on a Rhodes ‘Chroma’ and the percussion on a Linn drum machine. However the most effective instrument was the Synclavier II, a very expensive piece of kit which gave the music a distinctive SF feel, epitomised by  the scary opening noises. Everything was recorded onto a Fostex B16 analog multitrack tape recorder with interlocked Umatic video. Now it’s all computerised produced digitally using Steinberg’s ‘Cubase 4’ and plugin synths on a self built PC. Compared to the 80s, the composer had an unimaginable array of sounds to play with, but amazingly, he still couldn’t satisfactorily replicate the earlier Synclavier sounds. Without the original sounds it would have been difficult to link the feel of the new suite to the original soundtrack. Ken had sold his Synclavier some years ago but luckily he was able to track one down again.  Additionally, his 24 year old floppy disks still worked so he was able to bring the authentic ‘Tripod’ sounds back to life once more.

Release Date: 23 Mar 2009

UPC/Barcode: 5032698622320

·       New soundtrack album to download by original composer Ken Freeman inspired by the Unmade Third Series of ‘Tripods’ released 23rd March

·       Release coincides with the long awaited DVD release of ‘Tripods’ Series 1 & 2 from 2entertain on 23rd March