Sold Date: July 12, 2021
Start Date: January 25, 2021
Final Price: £22.99 (GBP)
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The musical soundscape created by Barry Gray for Fireball XL5 features

a rich tapestry of themes and playful instrumentation. Much like his

previous work for AP Films, Supercar, Barry Gray leans upon the Jazzy

musical language of Hollywood to bring to life the vivid marionettes and

miniature craft, with compositions ranging from brassy heroic percussion

to playful humorous cues. The unique nature of the series’ otherworldly premise however allowed

the composer to balance his silver screen classicism with a progressive

use of electronically augmented instruments, namely the Ondes Martenot.

Invented in the 1920s by French cellist Maurice Martenot, Barry Gary

studied the keyboard-like instrument with its creator in Paris. The

“wavering” sound the Ondes Martenot made was perfect for bringing to

life the various alien and mysterious situations encountered by the World

Space Patrol . These minimalist alien vignettes perfectly conveyed the

emptiness of space and could be suitably unsettling when employed to set

a scene of peril. This contrast of detached electronic music with the familiar anchor of

Jazz served the series well. To further add warmth to proceedings, each

episode would close with an undeniable pop

song, in the charming Fireball. The gentle love song featured the dulcet croon of Don Spencer

and would be one of Barry Gray’s finest pop moments – ensuring that the series

lingered in viewers heads.

SIDE A

01. Fireball XL5 Main Theme

02. The Mystery of Planet 46 from Planet 46

03. Formula 5 from The Doomed Planet

04. Rogue Planet from The Doomed Planet

SIDE B

01. Exploring the Tanker from The Hypnotic Sphere

02. Hypnotised from The Hypnotic Sphere

03. Travelling Light from Space Vacation

04. Ninety’s Dream from A Day in the Life of a Space General

05. Zero G (Single version)

06. The Cholorphon from Plant Man from Space

07. Spectre of Electon from Ghosts of Space

08. End Titles: Fireball

SIDE C

01. Circus Dreams from Flying Zodiac

02. Platonia Treachery from Planet of Platonia

03. Flat Jazz from Flight to Danger

04. Trapped from Space Monster

05. This is the Twist from Space Monster

SIDE D

01. Fireball End Titles: Instrumental from Space City Special

02. Ice Skating Waltz from Drama at Space City

03. Aphros Theme from Prisoner on the Lost Planet

04. Aquaphibian from XL5 to H2O

05. Foiled! from XL5 to H2O

06. Back to the past from 1875

07. Fireball (Single version)