FIRST TIME ON VINYL EVER!!! (Except for a strange Fanderson 7" of the theme tune done ages and ages ago that you won't find now)

This one of the most stupid things I have ever done. I wanted to issue this recording ever since I first started making records and saw that it was possible. I found out who owned it. I got permission, then waited for the masters to be cleaned up. And I waited. Really patiently. And I waited some more and some more. And now, about six years later, we have a limited number of the original UFO TV soundtrack issued. And I'm making a loss. Just for you. It was one of those situations where I just got in too deep (emotionally) and had to carry on with the job and get it done, mainly for myself. And anyone else who wanted to listen. There will be no CD, so don't ask.

If you know nothing about this seminal cult series, read this:

UFO. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s live action Sci-Fi monster from 1969, and if you ask me certainly the sexiest series on TV ever. One series, 26 episodes in all filmed on earth, below sea and in space. Set in the futuristic 1980s it follows the constant battle of S.H.A.D.O. (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation) a secret organisation defending earth against a trend of invading extra terrestrials. As to why the aliens were invading is up for some speculation, but it does seem as if they were a dying race looking for a new home, or at least some kind of help. Production design on the series was raised to a whole new level for British TV, with awesome vehicles and hardware, cars with gull-wings and offices decked out in Joe Columbo with walls plastered with plasma screens. When it came to wardrobe, Sylvia Anderson went all sexy - lots of zips, collarless tops, purple wigs, hip shades from the future and if you were the on the crew of Skydiver, expect to be kitted out in fishnet. And yes, even the lovely ladies wore fishnet, adding to the almost endless (and possibly accidental) phwoar factor throughout the series. Notable cast members included Ed Bishop as Ed Straker, George Sewell, Gabrielle Drake (Nick's Sister!) and a whole host of space suited green Aliens.

Now I'm really sorry. There are no pictures of Ed Straker, Gabrielle Drake, no SID, no aliens in red suits, birds in fishnets, no, nothing like that on the artwork at all because it was too expensive just to make it, let alone add some pictures which I would have had to license for loads of money. And it's the music that's important here. I mean it's a record isn't it.

So, to the music. Which is amazing. Barry Gray at his finest, and possibly grooviest. Lots of hammond played by Harry Stoneham, and lots of Ondes Martenot played by an old lady to make all the spacey weird bits. Boy is this record good. Here's a sexy tracklisting if you're interested:

SIDE ONE

1: UFO Main Theme
2:Yellow Alert
3: Red Alert
4: Sky One
5: The Long Finger Of Tragic Coincidence
6: Commercial Break Sting (1)
7:Straker's Theme
8: Strange Bedfellows
13: UFO End titles

SIDE TWO

1: The Co Pilot's Sister
2: Welcome To Shado
3: Commercial Break Sting (2)
4: Shallow Re-Entry
5: Extra Sensory Perception
6: A Rose For Silvia
7: The Cottage
8: The Trip
9: UFO End Titles

Looks groovy doesn't it.

And here are some notes about Barry Gray: The musical genius from Blackburn who was introduced to Gerry Anderson by the author Roberta Leigh in 1957. She had been impressed by Gray’s arrangements for a Vera Lynn Children’s LP and wanted him to musically direct her new TV series "The Adventures of Twizzle" that Anderson was to produce. A fine working partnership was struck and from then on Gray composed all the music for Anderson’s Supermarionation TV and film masterworks. The live action UFO was produced in 1969. After this, Gray went on to write the incidental score for Space 1999 (Season One), and then retired to Guernsey. He died in April 1984 leaving behind some of the greatest British film and television music of our time.

When this LP was issued - and I say now, without the aid of press or radio airplay because I couldn't afford that kind of promotion, I started getting some fantastic UFO related things through the post. This strange Barry Gray related piece of paper is brilliant: