There have been 6 different
releases of Cosmos, that I know of, so far.
The first version was the
original P.B.S. series, which had 13 episodes each of which was 60 minutes
long. The second came about when it was sold to other broadcasters and the
episode lengths had to be reduced to about 48 – 50 minutes, possibly to
accommodate commercials. The third version was released in 1985 on video in
which some of the original music was changed and additional footage added. The
fourth version was a special edition of Cosmos to coincide with the passing of
Halley’s Comet in 1986. Specially commissioned music by Vangelis, known as
“Comet”, was used instead of some of the favourite originals including the
theme music and updates on scientific facts. The fifth version was essentially
the same as the third, with some additions due to the fact that the series was
bought by the Turner group in 1989. The sixth version is the DVD edition which
is virtually a culmination of all that came before it. Rights to much of the original music could not be obtained so
alternatives were used. More footage has been added and a special edition
soundtrack CD released. One of the advantages of the DVD is, for the lovers of
its music, the addition of being able to listen to the soundtrack by itself,
minus the talking, if you so desire. Some of the rarer pieces are obtainable
from the DVD.
This is a listing of the
complete music used on the first original P.B.S. series of "Cosmos".
Below I’ve divided it into it’s episodes for easier access. I’d like to stress
that this is not in relation to the DVD, although it may act as a guide, as in
some areas the sequences are very similar. I’ve tried to incorporate the music
in its original order, or what I believe it to be as no-one else seems to
recall the original sequence, which seems a shame. From the moment I saw the
very first episode in 1981 I was captivated, not only by the incredible stories
and images, but as a composer and musician myself, by the amazing diversity of
music used for the soundtrack. As soon as it was released on record I purchased
it. I enjoyed hearing the music that had become so familiar to me, but it
wasn't enough. I felt that it lacked some of the most definitive pieces. I was
eager to find out what other music had been included, so I decided to go
through the series and catalogue each piece no matter how small. Although I
knew some of the pieces, there was great deal that was entirely unknown to me.
Since 1981 I have listened to
hundreds of recordings, made some exciting discoveries and turned up a lot of
dead ends. After decades of searching without any real guide, certainly nothing
like the internet to assist me, I'd compiled about 80% of all music used. It
wasn't until the beginning of 1999 that I was able to get onto the Internet and
with a little searching found that someone had uploaded the original cue sheets
for the series. Finally, these cue
sheets allowed me to confirm my finds and gave me the names of the remaining
pieces. Now I've compiled about 99% of all music used on the original series.
The only trouble remaining was that the order on the cue sheets was not the
same as they appear in the series. Some pieces listed are so small in duration,
perhaps only a few seconds long, and mixed with other pieces that I feel they
can be omitted if desired without affecting the continuity. Others may be only
10 or 15 seconds long but have relevance to that episodes theme.
The episodes below are what I
have compiled over the intervening years, giving the composer, song title and
album info. There are some pieces I'm not sure about so they have been left
blank. Some pieces are merged with others and some are so small they almost
seem insignificant. If anyone can assist or need my assistance please contact
me at Cosmic Voyager. It will help not only myself but
also many others who have a similar passion for this music.
Most of the Recordings can be
purchased from CD Universe or Amazon, but some of the more rare pieces may only
be found at particular sites. GEMM is probably the best place to search for the
hard to find recordings. Those living in
Enjoy!
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