Please help me find a section of music

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

K'Tesh

.....OpenRocket's ..... "Chuck Norris"
TRF Supporter
Joined
Mar 27, 2013
Messages
22,448
Reaction score
14,747
Back in the late 80's a friend of mine turned me on to this music that was very heavy into synthesizers. He copied off a track for me on cassette, but I lost it soon after I switched to CDs. I think it was Tomita, but I can't be sure. When I returned from England, he had already moved on, and I've completely lost all contact with him.

The tune starts out with what I mentally imagine as a probe setting down on a planet and reporting back to its HQ in a synthetic voice (much like the probe droid in The Empire Strikes Back). It is not this interpretation of "Holst's Mars Bringer of War", but very similar.

[video=youtube;hsZqXdPZb8s]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsZqXdPZb8s[/video]

Anybody know which tune I'm looking for?

Thanks!
Jim
 
Last edited:
It is Iso Tomita, and his interpretation of Gostav Holsts's "the Planets" The first 3 minutes is his own introduction, the first movement of the suite, "Mars, the bringer of War", starts at approximately 3:05.

I had the album on vinyl. I'm not sure if I still have it as all my vinyl is in storage as I don't currently have a way to play them.
 
Funny thing about that album, I got it at a very early age. When one day I heard the orchestral version on the radio, I was floored. It was a long time before I listened to the Tomita version. While I now can appreciate the incredible inventiveness and playfulness of Tomita, I found especially the orchestral version of Mars to be everything one might be looking for in synth music or heavy metal bombast. Planets is truly incredible work and if you ever have a chance to see it performed live, be there. I was fortunate enough to see it twice, including by the National Symphony near front row ... they even did the fadeout at the end with shutting the door slowly on a chorus in a closet.
 
Okay. I'm confused now. You say it's not Tomita's "Mars, The Bringer of War" and include a video to demonstrate that you know what you're talking about. From there, everyone tells you that the video, labelled "Tomita Planets - Mars, The Bringer of War" is, in fact, "Tomita Planets - Mars, The Bringer of War".
 
Okay. I'm confused now. You say it's not Tomita's "Mars, The Bringer of War" and include a video to demonstrate that you know what you're talking about. From there, everyone tells you that the video, labelled "Tomita Planets - Mars, The Bringer of War" is, in fact, "Tomita Planets - Mars, The Bringer of War".

I know... It's very similar (possibly an alternate version), but not the same piece as in the video. Man I wish I hadn't lost that cassette. From what I remember, it didn't have the music box like intro, nor the "aliens" singing to each other. It started with the sounds that are very much like the 2:10 minute mark of the Mars piece, but then the probe "lands" and "reports in" for IIRC 30 seconds or longer, following that, it doesn't launch into Holst's tune.

In re-listening to the Tomita piece, there are elements buried in it that may be from the version I'm remembering (the Morse code bits).
 
Last edited:
OK - a bit of clarification here. Are you asking about the introduction that sounds like a music box at the beginning? If so, that is the second theme from the movement "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity". And the two "voices" at the beginning are doing the preflight check just before the countdown and blastoff. I have most of the Tomita Albums - many on CD. I also have a London Symphony Orchestra recording of the Planets as well - fantastic piece of music.

Interestingly, Tomita's Planets was not available for a time because Holst's daughter objected strongly to what he did with the music. From Wikipedia: "This album sparked controversy on its release, as Imogen Holst, daughter of Gustav Holst, refused permission for her father's work to be interpreted in this way. The album was withdrawn, and is, consequently, rare in its original vinyl form."
 
OK - a bit of clarification here. Are you asking about the introduction that sounds like a music box at the beginning? If so, that is the second theme from the movement "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity". And the two "voices" at the beginning are doing the preflight check just before the countdown and blastoff. I have most of the Tomita Albums - many on CD. I also have a London Symphony Orchestra recording of the Planets as well - fantastic piece of music.

Interestingly, Tomita's Planets was not available for a time because Holst's daughter objected strongly to what he did with the music. From Wikipedia: "This album sparked controversy on its release, as Imogen Holst, daughter of Gustav Holst, refused permission for her father's work to be interpreted in this way. The album was withdrawn, and is, consequently, rare in its original vinyl form."

No, I'm looking for a piece that starts with the probe "landing" and communicating with its HQ. No music box, no aliens "singing" to each other.
 
I remember that part, but don't remember where it occurs in the music. I'll listen to the album when I get to work (got the album on iPod) and get back to you on it.
 
Just finished listening to it, and the part you are looking for is about 5:30 into Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity. Sounds like a conversation between the capsule and CapCom. It is pretty much the same theme that I was talking about earlier and sounds very similar to the pre-launch "conversation" at the beginning of Mars.

For what it is worth, iTunes does have the entire album available, with an added track that was not on the original album.
 
Last edited:
My Tomita introduction what "Pictures at an Exhibition"

Gotta love the MOOG synth, circa '72 or 73..

I also was listening to "Snowflakes are dancing" around that time too..
 
Back
Top