The Mini-Albums

by **shaqui** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 9:05 am

What does anyone think of these? They were produced with the original cast, and written by two 'TV21' stalwarts, Angus Allan and Richard O'Neill, but they rarely if ever get mentioned or commented on?

Any thoughts, anyone?

by **Kambei** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 10:26 am

The first four are good additions to the series. The last one, Captain Scarlet vs. Captain Black is not as good, I feel. Some of the sound seems wrong, and in places, Captain Black sounds more like Shere Khan from the Jungle Book.

by **shaqui** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 10:33 am

The story under-ran, so the sound was slowed down for the second part to stretch it to the required 21 minutes. This fault was on the original release, and never corrected for the 1993 re-release. Is the one on the DVD still the same?

by **Marion** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:46 pm

I think part of the problem with the audio adventures is that they use the minimum number of actors to play all parts!
You have Captain Blue interrupting himself - when Ed Bishop plays the chairman of a meeting as well as Captain Blue - and in one story - about Docotr Brodski - Liz Morgan plays Rhapsody and Destiny (as usual) and Doctor Brodski - so she spends much of the story talking to herself

The story where Black kidnaps two children is graced by some truely World-Class Bad Acting...
They're wonderful -
I love 'em :grin:

by **shaqui** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:51 pm

Marion wrote:...and in one story - about Docotr Brodski - Liz Morgan plays Rhapsody and Destiny (as usual) and Doctor Brodski - so she spends much of the story talking to herself

Does anyone else think the Dr Brodski part, especially as a Mysteron, comes perilously close to being gay in some scenes. I can't think of any other instance where a woman has even remotely kind of come on to another woman in an Anderson series. Maybe it was just Liz Morgan's way of wanting to sound sultry and menacing but I still think 'how did they get away with that' in the late 60s...

:shock:

by **Kambei** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:53 pm

I'm with Marion. I think they are great and actually add something to the show. Shaqui, the DVD version seems very sporadic. At times, the voices seem very odd. When Black is enticing the children into the SPV, like I said he sounds more like George Saunders playing Shere Khan, and the other actors sound odd at times, too.

by **shaqui** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 12:59 pm

Kambei wrote:I'm with Marion. I think they are great and actually add something to the show. Shaqui, the DVD version seems very sporadic. At times, the voices seem very odd. When Black is enticing the children into the SPV, like I said he sounds more like George Saunders playing Shere Khan, and the other actors sound odd at times, too.

I've not heard the version on the DVD, so don't know if they tried to correct the speed fault. But it highlights why Black spoke so little in the series. It was a brave attempt to give the character a lot of dialogue, and come to a compromise regarding how Black would sound otherwise.

I like 'Captain Scarlet is Indestructible' because of Brodski - curiously unlikeable as a human but oddly sensual as a Mysteron! It's a pity it resorts to a 'blow the living hell out of it' ending as I would have preferred a more character driven finale.

You're right that 'Captain Scarlet vs Captain Black' doesn't quite work. it has some interesting moments but is something of a let down.

But 'Captain Scarlet of Spectrum' works well, even if you forgive the rushed finale, and the fact a huge chunk of Mars must have been blown up at the end!

by **Maltray** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 1:25 pm

shaqui wrote:
Kambei wrote:I'm with Marion. I think they are great and actually add something to the show. Shaqui, the DVD version seems very sporadic. At times, the voices seem very odd. When Black is enticing the children into the SPV, like I said he sounds more like George Saunders playing Shere Khan, and the other actors sound odd at times, too.

I've not heard the version on the DVD, so don't know if they tried to correct the speed fault. But it highlights why Black spoke so little in the series. It was a brave attempt to give the character a lot of dialogue, and come to a compromise regarding how Black would sound otherwise.

I like 'Captain Scarlet is Indestructible' because of Brodski - curiously unlikeable as a human but oddly sensual as a Mysteron! It's a pity it resorts to a 'blow the living hell out of it' ending as I would have preferred a more character driven finale.

You're right that 'Captain Scarlet vs Captain Black' doesn't quite work. it has some interesting moments but is something of a let down.

But 'Captain Scarlet of Spectrum' works well, even if you forgive the rushed finale, and the fact a huge chunk of Mars must have been blown up at the end!

That maybe but I think it could have been a much better ending than the "Inquisition" Yeah I did feel the end of 'Captain Scarlet of Spectrum' was a bit to rushed myself.

by **Kinggodzillak** » Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:06 pm

shaqui wrote:Does anyone else think the Dr Brodski part, especially as a Mysteron, comes perilously close to being gay in some scenes. I can't think of any other instance where a woman has even remotely kind of come on to another woman in an Anderson series.

I've not listened to that one for a while, but I remember getting the same vibe from it. Particularly when they were alone on the ghost train together...

"Are you pleasantly scared, my dear?"

You can almost imagine she had her hand on Rhapsody's knee or something...

by **TheBus #36** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 9:23 pm

Does anyone know if these albums are available for download on any music websites, I have tried iTunes and MSN but they don't have them.
TheBus #36

by **James. C** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 3:08 am

Well I've made mp3s of them so I could burn them to CD, but they're like 40mb each and I have dial up. Sorry...

by **Shade** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:26 pm

IIRC, I got the DVD with the slowed down episode on it, and I think the sound fault had not been corrected! I was annoyed in 1993 when four of the mini-albums were re-released on a two-cassette compilation and I heard the sound go funny. I'd bought the tapes in September but kept them back until Christmas of that same year, listening to an episode a day - well, it seemed like a good idea at the time! So I couldn't take them back for a possible exchange or refund as I'd had them too long!

Curses!