2001 moon rocket bus with Alex North

The moon rocket bus sequence with Alex North's rejected score

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Alex
• North
• 2001
• kubrick
• space
• odyssey

[antismatic]

Too morose. Not wondrous enough. It would be an interesting experiment, nevertheless, to prepare a cut of this film with North's score and show it to someone who had never seen the original. Then show that person the original, and ask him his opinions.

[Pouffecal]

As a genius, Kubrick needed other genius for his soundtrack. It's obvious that Alex North is a honest and faultless musical hack, but in no way a genius as Strauss and Ligeti are. North would have been perfect for "Airport 75" or "Towering Inferno". But "2001" was just about to take on the big boys. 

[Charlemagnum1]

i prefer the blue danube

[fiandrhi]

This is the wrong footage for this music!

[leofilm]

but this isn't the rocket bus scene. THIS MUSIC would've made more sense dubbed on top of the actual rocket bus scene -- where they're on their way to the burial site, in the moonbus -- instead of for this scene, where the orion touches down on the moon -- especially considering the music kubrick used for the rocket bus scene (strange choral music) was so similar.

[darkkramer666]

sounds like Trek on acid - AWFUL crap music - than Christ Kubrick changed it.

[EllesmereIslander]

The general run of opinion is that Kubrick made the right call in keeping the original track and dumping Alex North's score.

North's score would have suited a typical sci-fi film, but somehow it fails to capture the epic grandeur and grace of Kubrick's track.

[larrypearce2]

Might as well used a Theremin. This singer also was brilliant in Alexander Courage's "Star Trek" main title theme music.