Jay Gets a D

Today I'm moving on to disc two of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Collection -- Volume 1. If you missed my write-up of the first disc, here's what the heck I'm talking about.

Disc two of the set features music by Jay Chattaway. He was originally brought on to the series for one episode, "Tin Man," filling in on an occasion when Ron Jones had asked for time off. Sadly, this was probably the final nail in the coffin for Ron Jones' relationship with Star Trek, because I gather the producers liked what they heard. Partway through the next season, they brought Jay Chattaway on full time.

Some of the best Jay Chattaway music (including that "Tin Man" score) has appeared on previously released soundtrack albums, leaving slimmer pickings for this compilation. In fact, Chattaway manages to out-McCarthy Dennis McCarthy here. The Chattaway material on this disc is largely shapeless and bland, with one episode not even distinguishable from another. A real disappointment.

But there are a few good moments if you sift through the disc. The album begins with music from "Remember Me," and as it was only Chattaway's second contribution to the show, he hadn't quite fallen into the norm. There's a nice, punchy cue used for the climax of the episode.

There are a few tracks from the episode "Darmok," including some interesting tribal overtones in the scene where Picard and the alien captain swap stories. (Similar instrumentation peppers a cue from "Journey's End.")

Some interesting tracks come from "The Inner Light," one of the series' best episodes. The memorable, melancholy flute melody is presented in its entirety. There's also a fun, vaguely Rennaissance Festival-esque track used to score the alien village.

Unfortunately, the rest of the album ranges from bland to disappointing. You won't be able to tell the difference between the vanilla music for the episodes "The Host," "I Borg," and "The Chase."

Two other scores just represent missed opportunities. "Relics" brought the character of Scotty onto The Next Generation, but the musical samples here barely use the iconic, classic Trek theme. (I imagine this was at Rick Berman's bone-headed request.) Then there's "Starship Mine," an episode conceived of as "Picard stars in Die Hard." I wistfully wonder at the kick-butt score Ron Jones might have delivered as I listen to the drab Chattaway music that could have fit any episode.

Regrettably, I found the Jay Chattaway material to be the biggest disappointment in this collection. Maybe that's in part because the Dennis McCarthy material delivered a bit above my expectations. In any case, this disc is a grade D+ snooze.