Flying High
I wrote about Michael Giacchino's work on Lost last spring, noting its notably prominent place in contemporary television scoring. Not only is the music relied on to carry the emotional impact of the show--often in relatively lengthy montages carried greatly by the music--but Giacchino's developed an extensive library of themes to signify characters, groups, locations, various forms of mystery, danger and just about everything else that's factored into the ongoing story.
That's not to say that the way Giacchino goes about forming and using his themes can't sometimes be a bit...harried. Several themes started as one-off pieces that later returned with more specific associations. "Ocean's Apart" (track 20), for instance, became Juliet's theme after debuting in a scene that only tangentially involved the character. (There are also themes that were created with certain associations and shifted to slightly different ones as the storyline evolved, not unlike Obi-Wan's theme from Star Wars becoming the Force theme for the rest of the franchise. This has happened mostly in the later seasons.)
I decided last year that I'd make two mixes, one for the first three seasons and another for the last three; the releases for seasons 4 & 5 and the notably outstanding scores for many episodes in the final season have borne that out as a Very Good Call. Perhaps once everything that's going to be released is released, I'll regret some omissions or inclusions for the purposes of thematic continuity between both mixes, but as things stand now I think this Volume I stands on its own as a damned fine listen.
Note: While I've tried to avoid spoilers in the notes below, the "so-and-so's theme mixes with that-there-theme" type of spoiler couldn't be avoided without abandoning the notes altogether. Still, there's only one thing I'd consider a BIG spoiler coming from that.
Flying High
The Music of Lost Volume I: Seasons One, Two & Three
Music by Michael Giacchino
33 tracks, 80:45
01. Win One for the Reaper - "White Rabbit" (2:14)
02. Credit Where Credit is Due - "Pilot, Part I" (2:15)
03. Kate's Motel - "Born to Run" (1:51)
04. Crocodile Locke - "Walkabout" (1:29)
05. Parting Words - "Exodus, Part I" (5:19)
06. Peace Through Superior Firepower - "Man of Science, Man of Faith" (1:21)
07. In with a KABOOM! - "A Tale of Two Cities" (0:27)
08. Hold the Phone - "Through the Looking Glass" (1:47)
09. The Hunt - "Live Together, Die Alone" (0:21)
10. Bon Voyage, Traitor - "Live Together, Die Alone" (4:23)
11. Navel Gazing - "Whatever the Case May Be" (1:46)
12. Juliet is Lost - "One of Us" (1:07)
13. The Final Countdown - "Orientation" (1:31)
14. Just Another Day on the Beach - "The Other 48 Days" (2:42)
15. Paddle Jumper Reprise - "Greatest Hits" (1:56)
16. I've Got a Plane to Catch - "Exodus, Part II" (2:33)
17. World's Worst Landscaping - "Everybody Hates Hugo" (1:08)
18. Shambala - "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" (1:56)
19. Hurley's Handouts - "Everybody Hates Hugo" (4:32)
20. Ocean's Apart - "Stranger in a Strange Land" (2:38)
21. Romancing the Cage - "I Do" (1:32)
22. The Last to Know - "The Whole Truth" (2:13)
23. Fetch Your Arm - "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" (1:33)
24. Act Now, Regret Later - "Through the Looking Glass" (0:29)
25. Looking Glass Half Full - "Through the Looking Glass" (4:01)
26. The Gathering - "Collision" (4:15)
27. Flying High - "Through the Looking Glass" (4:29)
28. Island Trek - "Through the Looking Glass" (3:24)
29. Hollywood and Vines - "Pilot, Part II" (0:54)
30. Distraught Desmond - "Flashes Before Your Eyes" (2:18)
31. Dharmacide - "The Man Behind the Curtain" (3:11)
32. Under the Knife/Teaser Time/Under the Knife - "I Do"/"Not in Portland"/"I Do" (5:36)
33. Locke'd Out Again - "Deus Ex Machina" (3:36)
For a long time, I was well and truly lost (har de har) as to how the disc ought to begin. In fact, I had the final 20 minutes edited together before I seriously admitted that I couldn't work backwards forever and had to make some strict decisions about the beginning if I wanted the completed CD to have a coherent structure, something I've tried to consider more deeply with each project. Since the show doesn't have a main title cue per se, and the end title cue would hardly be an appropriate starting point for an album, I was very unsure of how to go on.
Eventually I decided to begin the mix with a suite presenting several of the major themes that would recur on this disc (and, presumably, the second volume) using their initial appearances from the first season. This show is greatly concerned with context--how characters acknowledge (or run away from) their pasts, how they make peace with or struggle with their present circumstances, how the contents of the flashbacks may or may not inform characters' decisions in the main storyline, how the flashbacks as a narrative device can be used to influence viewers' conceptions of certain characters, etc.--something which I wanted to reflect in this five-track introductory suite. There are many themes that will be introduced after this suite, of course, but I think these selections cover a lot of the thematic ground of the first year and set the stage for much of what comes later.
The first track, "Win One for the Reaper," presents what would eventually become the Life and Death theme (named for the track "Life and Death" from the season one soundtrack, not included on this disc, as well as the theme's propensity for showing up for characters' death scenes and, less often, during scenes in which characters' lives are merely endangered), a wavering piano melody that in this selection hints at the greater emotion and drama it will convey later on. That leads into "Credit Where Credit is Due," which debuted in the first music-carried montage in the pilot and became the main theme of the show; I used to think that this theme was tied more tightly to the survivors of Oceanic fight 815, but while rewatching the series recently I've found that it really is the main theme.
"Kate's Motel" is the first character-specific theme introduced on this disc, with a Bernard Herrmann-inspired winding melody and slower counterpart which can show up together or individually for the character. (It's been said that the winding part of the theme is also inspired by the Dies Irae, but I think that's a bit of a stretch...as much of a stretch as the idea that the descending-third motif in The Lord of the Rings is also a Dies Irae reference.) "Crocodile Locke" then introduces the character theme for John Locke, a mysterious and possibly eerie four-note melody backed in this instance by a rhythm tapped out on wood blocks. This rhythm continues into the first couple of measures of "Parting Words," the climactic cue of the introductory suite, an innocent and ultimately triumphant setting of the theme for the survivors' attempts to leave the island. Using three melodies which are gradually combined with each other, the cue builds momentum and shifts from touching to determined to strident. Six years after "Exodus" was originally broadcast, this is still picked out by many fans as their favorite musical sequence in the entire show (I personally have a couple of other contenders on this disc, but we'll get to those later) and has capped off both concert arrangements of the show's music.
As the last horn note of "Parting Words" is ending, the orchestra suddenly skews into "Peace Through Superior Firepower," which opens a short section of action music. Quick string cuts and grunting trombone rhythms combine with high-pitched percussion (performed on pieces of metal taken from the airplane wreckage sets in Hawaii and shipped to California for Giacchino to use in his orchestra) in a chaotic passage before the five-note Island mystery theme arises on the harp. The brass returns, leading to a thunderous crescendo and the show's trademark trombone fall-off, used for many commercial breaks and episode-ending cliffhangers, particularly in the early years. "In with a KABOOM!" briefly introduces the Others' action theme, three sets of eight alternating notes followed by a winding passage somewhat similar to one part of Kate's theme. (Structural Note: after the introductory suite from season one came the first cue from season two, followed by a segment of the first cue from season three.) Pounding percussion leads into "Hold the Phone," a slower, more determined version of the Others' action theme. The tempo of the alternating notes quickens until it's interrupted by a brief section of "The Hunt," with some primitive-sounding percussion and a fanfaric introduction of Ben's theme. "Bon Voyage, Traitor" follows with some slower-tempoed explorations of this theme which was initially associated with the Others in general in the final episodes of season two, but over the course of the third season shifted to the character of Ben specifically. Another fanfare leads to a string/brass crescendo; out of the wake of this, in the final 1:45 of the track, emerge two appearances of Desmond & Penny's beautiful love theme, one of my very favorites from the show.
As a final grunting trombone passage ends, the music transitions to "Navel Gazing," a pleasant variation on the main theme ("Credit Where Credit is Due"). This respite from drama and tension is brief, however, being overtaken by "Juliet is Lost," a slower version of the Island mystery theme than was previously heard in "Peace Through Superior Firepower." (And yes, the brief horn passage thirty seconds into this track is the beginning of Spock's theme from Giacchino's Star Trek score.) "The Final Countdown" follows with several tense versions of Locke's theme. The sound effect used on the show for transitions between the present story and flashbacks aides the transition into "Just Another Day on the Beach," which builds tension with piano, strings and more airplane-sourced percussion leading into an epic string rendition of the main theme. "Paddle Jumper Reprise" picks right up with a reprise of the Others' action theme, first in full action mode and then in a more restrained arrangement in the low registers of the harp. (In his Lost work Giacchino often uses the harp in more prominent and versatile ways than many other composers. In the video podcast on the show's score, he specifically mentions the ability of the harp to subtly maintain tension in a scene just by repeating one low note for several measures. The harp player, he said, has wound up with one very sore finger.)
A crescendo of the main theme gives way to "I’ve Got a Plane to Catch," which, while certainly fast-paced and exciting in a way, is more playful than anything preceding it. While it doesn't contain any themes, it's the first in a sequence of four tracks associated with the character of Hurley. (I originally wanted to group all of the Hurley tracks together in the middle of the CD, but I wound up using this group of four and another couplet later on to begin and end a more protracted placid section.) "World's Worst Landscaping" follows with a brief passage that initially seems tense, but which builds to Hurley's first theme, a fun harmonica melody played over a twinkling piano ostinato. A brief trombone version of Hurley's theme leads into "Shambala," a peaceful guitar-and-string version of the melody from the Three Dog Night song of the same name, used in the show to lead out of a brief snippet of the single used as diegetic music. Another track which significantly utilizes the acoustic guitar, "Hurley's Handouts," presents a lengthy meditation on Hurley's secondary theme, derived from "Parting Words" but taking the melody in a different direction. This is another perennial favorite and a particular standout from season two (which when the corresponding soundtrack came out seemed to have less to offer than season one...but then again, I've needed some time to let each successive CD sink in before really ferretting out all of the highlights).
After the final Hurley track (for now) comes "Ocean's Apart," which as I implied above is one example of a piece that was used to accompany a montage before returning and being attached to something more specific, in this case Juliet. In any case, in case you were getting tired of shorter themes (Hurley's theme comes in groups of four notes, Locke's theme is essentially four notes, the island theme is five notes, Ben's theme is six or seven notes) Juliet's theme is a gorgeous long-lined melody, and this arrangement is beautifully powerful. "Romancing the Cage" picks up with a sensitive version of Kate's theme, blossoming into a love theme--I refer to it in general terms both because I want to avoid spoilers and because it was used on the show for a parent-child relationship before being identified with a romantic relationship. Before the love theme can be completed, though, "The Last to Know" interjects with another love theme, this one specifically for Jin & Sun.
This placid section of the mix starts to come to a close with a tense passage in "Fetch Your Arm" leading to a somewhat more dramatic of Hurley's primary theme than was heard earlier. "Act Now, Regret Later" follows with an unexpectedly action-oriented version of Hurley's theme. The tension continues in the beginning of "Looking Glass Half Full" with string rhythms leading to a short reprise of Desmond's theme followed by an action theme which, for whatever reason, has been used in each season finale form the second season to the fifth (it's one of the things I cut out of "The Hunt"). As this action theme abates, Charlie's six-note theme rings out on the harp and violin, but the piano melody is pulling the cue in a different direction: it's the baseline of the Life and Death theme. The piano plays the full Life and Death melody as Charlie's theme plays against it in the strings and again on the harp; eventually the strings join in the Life and Death theme to end the track.
As Life and Death fades away, "The Gathering" begins with a similarly sensitive piano-and-harp version of "Parting Words." Rather than heading toward Hurley's version of the theme this track follows the progression of the original, but in a more restrained way, becoming more sweeping than bold. The titular track for this collection, "Flying High" begins with similar restraint, starting with solo piano and growing into a rising motif in the strings, specifically tied to Jack's destiny. The main theme enters over gently driving percussion, leading to a separate performance of another rising motif (which can be heard on the harp in the background of "Credit Where Credit is Due") and, at the end of the track, the first appearance of what I call the journey theme on this mix. The journey theme is composed of a "bottom line" and a "top line", each of which sometimes appears separately; the bottom line appears far more frequently and is more readily available on the existing score releases. "Flying High" ends with the full theme growing in tempo until reaching a crescendo, at which point "Island Trek," a suite of several short appearances of the bottom line ("The Good Shepherd," "An Other Dark Agenda," "The Only Pebble in the Jungle", "Early Mourning Mystery"), takes over. This theme is used in particularly versatile ways for various scenes of Our Heroes trekking through the jungle. At one point the theme peters out into the survivor's theme before returning in a playful piano guise; it is again interrupted, this time by a reminder of Ben's theme. This leads to "Hollywood and Vines," the original appearance of both parts of the journey theme from the show's pilot episode. Here it's presented as more straightforwardly adventurous. A discordant, sliding string note leads to "Distraught Desmond," a more reflective and tragic version of the character's love theme.
Next is what might be my favorite single track in all of the released Lost music, because of the extent to which it shows the power of leitmotif when used well and the effect that it had in the episode it comes from. Until now, in the show as well as on CD, Ben's theme has always been primarily a gigantic snarl from the orchestra, whether on the trombone or the strings. "Dharmacide" begins with that same snarling version, growing in sheer noise until stopped by a note from the harp. The piano then shines through with a new version of Ben's theme--a touching, melancholic, tragic take on what has until now been presented as solely evil. The strings follow with an even warmer version of the now-full-length theme. The difference is stunning. Because of the nature of the show and the character, though, by the end of the piece the strings have slid back into a more sinister guise.
As we leave Ben's theme (almost) as we'd found it, "Under the Knife" begins the endgame of the disc with an eight-note rhythm. This rhythm repeats in the trombone, strings and percussion, briefly moving out of the brass while Ben's theme rings out again in a familiar arrangement on the trombone; a crescendo leads to the fade into "Teaser Time," another track using the same tension-building rhythm. I sandwiched part of the track into "Under the Knife" both as a way to skip some material from the latter track and to get an extended arrangement of the tension-building motif. An eight-note action motif for Jack (which sounds a little like the winding portion of the Others' action theme) interrupts, but Ben's theme briefly rings out again. We move back into "Under the Knife" with some quieter versions of the eight-note motif on plucked strings. The harp and strings begin the backing melodies for Life and Death while the percussion continues its rhythm; soon Life and Death takes over and the piano enters with part of the full theme. A pulsating rhythm punctuated with Jack's action motif leads to a trombone crescendo and the final track of this compilation. "Locke'd Out Again" presents a more outwardly emotional theme for Locke than the four-note one previously used. Rising string and piano lines lead to a magnificent cycling string theme. (This theme was used in the first season for two incredible scenes involving the character; after that, unfortunately, only the building string & piano figures returned.) This theme continues in the strings until the rising figure returns in the piano to add to the drama, but it gives way to the more tentative string passages from the beginning of the track and then a throbbing loosely associated with general Island mysteries.
And of course, it wouldn't be part one of a Lost compilation if it didn't end in the same manner as so many episodes: the trademark trombone falloff followed by a low pounding. This particular pound is taken from the season two finale, sourced from "Bon Voyage, Traitor."
That's not to say that the way Giacchino goes about forming and using his themes can't sometimes be a bit...harried. Several themes started as one-off pieces that later returned with more specific associations. "Ocean's Apart" (track 20), for instance, became Juliet's theme after debuting in a scene that only tangentially involved the character. (There are also themes that were created with certain associations and shifted to slightly different ones as the storyline evolved, not unlike Obi-Wan's theme from Star Wars becoming the Force theme for the rest of the franchise. This has happened mostly in the later seasons.)
I decided last year that I'd make two mixes, one for the first three seasons and another for the last three; the releases for seasons 4 & 5 and the notably outstanding scores for many episodes in the final season have borne that out as a Very Good Call. Perhaps once everything that's going to be released is released, I'll regret some omissions or inclusions for the purposes of thematic continuity between both mixes, but as things stand now I think this Volume I stands on its own as a damned fine listen.
Note: While I've tried to avoid spoilers in the notes below, the "so-and-so's theme mixes with that-there-theme" type of spoiler couldn't be avoided without abandoning the notes altogether. Still, there's only one thing I'd consider a BIG spoiler coming from that.
Flying High
The Music of Lost Volume I: Seasons One, Two & Three
Music by Michael Giacchino
33 tracks, 80:45
01. Win One for the Reaper - "White Rabbit" (2:14)
02. Credit Where Credit is Due - "Pilot, Part I" (2:15)
03. Kate's Motel - "Born to Run" (1:51)
04. Crocodile Locke - "Walkabout" (1:29)
05. Parting Words - "Exodus, Part I" (5:19)
06. Peace Through Superior Firepower - "Man of Science, Man of Faith" (1:21)
07. In with a KABOOM! - "A Tale of Two Cities" (0:27)
08. Hold the Phone - "Through the Looking Glass" (1:47)
09. The Hunt - "Live Together, Die Alone" (0:21)
10. Bon Voyage, Traitor - "Live Together, Die Alone" (4:23)
11. Navel Gazing - "Whatever the Case May Be" (1:46)
12. Juliet is Lost - "One of Us" (1:07)
13. The Final Countdown - "Orientation" (1:31)
14. Just Another Day on the Beach - "The Other 48 Days" (2:42)
15. Paddle Jumper Reprise - "Greatest Hits" (1:56)
16. I've Got a Plane to Catch - "Exodus, Part II" (2:33)
17. World's Worst Landscaping - "Everybody Hates Hugo" (1:08)
18. Shambala - "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" (1:56)
19. Hurley's Handouts - "Everybody Hates Hugo" (4:32)
20. Ocean's Apart - "Stranger in a Strange Land" (2:38)
21. Romancing the Cage - "I Do" (1:32)
22. The Last to Know - "The Whole Truth" (2:13)
23. Fetch Your Arm - "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" (1:33)
24. Act Now, Regret Later - "Through the Looking Glass" (0:29)
25. Looking Glass Half Full - "Through the Looking Glass" (4:01)
26. The Gathering - "Collision" (4:15)
27. Flying High - "Through the Looking Glass" (4:29)
28. Island Trek - "Through the Looking Glass" (3:24)
29. Hollywood and Vines - "Pilot, Part II" (0:54)
30. Distraught Desmond - "Flashes Before Your Eyes" (2:18)
31. Dharmacide - "The Man Behind the Curtain" (3:11)
32. Under the Knife/Teaser Time/Under the Knife - "I Do"/"Not in Portland"/"I Do" (5:36)
33. Locke'd Out Again - "Deus Ex Machina" (3:36)
For a long time, I was well and truly lost (har de har) as to how the disc ought to begin. In fact, I had the final 20 minutes edited together before I seriously admitted that I couldn't work backwards forever and had to make some strict decisions about the beginning if I wanted the completed CD to have a coherent structure, something I've tried to consider more deeply with each project. Since the show doesn't have a main title cue per se, and the end title cue would hardly be an appropriate starting point for an album, I was very unsure of how to go on.
Eventually I decided to begin the mix with a suite presenting several of the major themes that would recur on this disc (and, presumably, the second volume) using their initial appearances from the first season. This show is greatly concerned with context--how characters acknowledge (or run away from) their pasts, how they make peace with or struggle with their present circumstances, how the contents of the flashbacks may or may not inform characters' decisions in the main storyline, how the flashbacks as a narrative device can be used to influence viewers' conceptions of certain characters, etc.--something which I wanted to reflect in this five-track introductory suite. There are many themes that will be introduced after this suite, of course, but I think these selections cover a lot of the thematic ground of the first year and set the stage for much of what comes later.
The first track, "Win One for the Reaper," presents what would eventually become the Life and Death theme (named for the track "Life and Death" from the season one soundtrack, not included on this disc, as well as the theme's propensity for showing up for characters' death scenes and, less often, during scenes in which characters' lives are merely endangered), a wavering piano melody that in this selection hints at the greater emotion and drama it will convey later on. That leads into "Credit Where Credit is Due," which debuted in the first music-carried montage in the pilot and became the main theme of the show; I used to think that this theme was tied more tightly to the survivors of Oceanic fight 815, but while rewatching the series recently I've found that it really is the main theme.
"Kate's Motel" is the first character-specific theme introduced on this disc, with a Bernard Herrmann-inspired winding melody and slower counterpart which can show up together or individually for the character. (It's been said that the winding part of the theme is also inspired by the Dies Irae, but I think that's a bit of a stretch...as much of a stretch as the idea that the descending-third motif in The Lord of the Rings is also a Dies Irae reference.) "Crocodile Locke" then introduces the character theme for John Locke, a mysterious and possibly eerie four-note melody backed in this instance by a rhythm tapped out on wood blocks. This rhythm continues into the first couple of measures of "Parting Words," the climactic cue of the introductory suite, an innocent and ultimately triumphant setting of the theme for the survivors' attempts to leave the island. Using three melodies which are gradually combined with each other, the cue builds momentum and shifts from touching to determined to strident. Six years after "Exodus" was originally broadcast, this is still picked out by many fans as their favorite musical sequence in the entire show (I personally have a couple of other contenders on this disc, but we'll get to those later) and has capped off both concert arrangements of the show's music.
As the last horn note of "Parting Words" is ending, the orchestra suddenly skews into "Peace Through Superior Firepower," which opens a short section of action music. Quick string cuts and grunting trombone rhythms combine with high-pitched percussion (performed on pieces of metal taken from the airplane wreckage sets in Hawaii and shipped to California for Giacchino to use in his orchestra) in a chaotic passage before the five-note Island mystery theme arises on the harp. The brass returns, leading to a thunderous crescendo and the show's trademark trombone fall-off, used for many commercial breaks and episode-ending cliffhangers, particularly in the early years. "In with a KABOOM!" briefly introduces the Others' action theme, three sets of eight alternating notes followed by a winding passage somewhat similar to one part of Kate's theme. (Structural Note: after the introductory suite from season one came the first cue from season two, followed by a segment of the first cue from season three.) Pounding percussion leads into "Hold the Phone," a slower, more determined version of the Others' action theme. The tempo of the alternating notes quickens until it's interrupted by a brief section of "The Hunt," with some primitive-sounding percussion and a fanfaric introduction of Ben's theme. "Bon Voyage, Traitor" follows with some slower-tempoed explorations of this theme which was initially associated with the Others in general in the final episodes of season two, but over the course of the third season shifted to the character of Ben specifically. Another fanfare leads to a string/brass crescendo; out of the wake of this, in the final 1:45 of the track, emerge two appearances of Desmond & Penny's beautiful love theme, one of my very favorites from the show.
As a final grunting trombone passage ends, the music transitions to "Navel Gazing," a pleasant variation on the main theme ("Credit Where Credit is Due"). This respite from drama and tension is brief, however, being overtaken by "Juliet is Lost," a slower version of the Island mystery theme than was previously heard in "Peace Through Superior Firepower." (And yes, the brief horn passage thirty seconds into this track is the beginning of Spock's theme from Giacchino's Star Trek score.) "The Final Countdown" follows with several tense versions of Locke's theme. The sound effect used on the show for transitions between the present story and flashbacks aides the transition into "Just Another Day on the Beach," which builds tension with piano, strings and more airplane-sourced percussion leading into an epic string rendition of the main theme. "Paddle Jumper Reprise" picks right up with a reprise of the Others' action theme, first in full action mode and then in a more restrained arrangement in the low registers of the harp. (In his Lost work Giacchino often uses the harp in more prominent and versatile ways than many other composers. In the video podcast on the show's score, he specifically mentions the ability of the harp to subtly maintain tension in a scene just by repeating one low note for several measures. The harp player, he said, has wound up with one very sore finger.)
A crescendo of the main theme gives way to "I’ve Got a Plane to Catch," which, while certainly fast-paced and exciting in a way, is more playful than anything preceding it. While it doesn't contain any themes, it's the first in a sequence of four tracks associated with the character of Hurley. (I originally wanted to group all of the Hurley tracks together in the middle of the CD, but I wound up using this group of four and another couplet later on to begin and end a more protracted placid section.) "World's Worst Landscaping" follows with a brief passage that initially seems tense, but which builds to Hurley's first theme, a fun harmonica melody played over a twinkling piano ostinato. A brief trombone version of Hurley's theme leads into "Shambala," a peaceful guitar-and-string version of the melody from the Three Dog Night song of the same name, used in the show to lead out of a brief snippet of the single used as diegetic music. Another track which significantly utilizes the acoustic guitar, "Hurley's Handouts," presents a lengthy meditation on Hurley's secondary theme, derived from "Parting Words" but taking the melody in a different direction. This is another perennial favorite and a particular standout from season two (which when the corresponding soundtrack came out seemed to have less to offer than season one...but then again, I've needed some time to let each successive CD sink in before really ferretting out all of the highlights).
After the final Hurley track (for now) comes "Ocean's Apart," which as I implied above is one example of a piece that was used to accompany a montage before returning and being attached to something more specific, in this case Juliet. In any case, in case you were getting tired of shorter themes (Hurley's theme comes in groups of four notes, Locke's theme is essentially four notes, the island theme is five notes, Ben's theme is six or seven notes) Juliet's theme is a gorgeous long-lined melody, and this arrangement is beautifully powerful. "Romancing the Cage" picks up with a sensitive version of Kate's theme, blossoming into a love theme--I refer to it in general terms both because I want to avoid spoilers and because it was used on the show for a parent-child relationship before being identified with a romantic relationship. Before the love theme can be completed, though, "The Last to Know" interjects with another love theme, this one specifically for Jin & Sun.
This placid section of the mix starts to come to a close with a tense passage in "Fetch Your Arm" leading to a somewhat more dramatic of Hurley's primary theme than was heard earlier. "Act Now, Regret Later" follows with an unexpectedly action-oriented version of Hurley's theme. The tension continues in the beginning of "Looking Glass Half Full" with string rhythms leading to a short reprise of Desmond's theme followed by an action theme which, for whatever reason, has been used in each season finale form the second season to the fifth (it's one of the things I cut out of "The Hunt"). As this action theme abates, Charlie's six-note theme rings out on the harp and violin, but the piano melody is pulling the cue in a different direction: it's the baseline of the Life and Death theme. The piano plays the full Life and Death melody as Charlie's theme plays against it in the strings and again on the harp; eventually the strings join in the Life and Death theme to end the track.
As Life and Death fades away, "The Gathering" begins with a similarly sensitive piano-and-harp version of "Parting Words." Rather than heading toward Hurley's version of the theme this track follows the progression of the original, but in a more restrained way, becoming more sweeping than bold. The titular track for this collection, "Flying High" begins with similar restraint, starting with solo piano and growing into a rising motif in the strings, specifically tied to Jack's destiny. The main theme enters over gently driving percussion, leading to a separate performance of another rising motif (which can be heard on the harp in the background of "Credit Where Credit is Due") and, at the end of the track, the first appearance of what I call the journey theme on this mix. The journey theme is composed of a "bottom line" and a "top line", each of which sometimes appears separately; the bottom line appears far more frequently and is more readily available on the existing score releases. "Flying High" ends with the full theme growing in tempo until reaching a crescendo, at which point "Island Trek," a suite of several short appearances of the bottom line ("The Good Shepherd," "An Other Dark Agenda," "The Only Pebble in the Jungle", "Early Mourning Mystery"), takes over. This theme is used in particularly versatile ways for various scenes of Our Heroes trekking through the jungle. At one point the theme peters out into the survivor's theme before returning in a playful piano guise; it is again interrupted, this time by a reminder of Ben's theme. This leads to "Hollywood and Vines," the original appearance of both parts of the journey theme from the show's pilot episode. Here it's presented as more straightforwardly adventurous. A discordant, sliding string note leads to "Distraught Desmond," a more reflective and tragic version of the character's love theme.
Next is what might be my favorite single track in all of the released Lost music, because of the extent to which it shows the power of leitmotif when used well and the effect that it had in the episode it comes from. Until now, in the show as well as on CD, Ben's theme has always been primarily a gigantic snarl from the orchestra, whether on the trombone or the strings. "Dharmacide" begins with that same snarling version, growing in sheer noise until stopped by a note from the harp. The piano then shines through with a new version of Ben's theme--a touching, melancholic, tragic take on what has until now been presented as solely evil. The strings follow with an even warmer version of the now-full-length theme. The difference is stunning. Because of the nature of the show and the character, though, by the end of the piece the strings have slid back into a more sinister guise.
As we leave Ben's theme (almost) as we'd found it, "Under the Knife" begins the endgame of the disc with an eight-note rhythm. This rhythm repeats in the trombone, strings and percussion, briefly moving out of the brass while Ben's theme rings out again in a familiar arrangement on the trombone; a crescendo leads to the fade into "Teaser Time," another track using the same tension-building rhythm. I sandwiched part of the track into "Under the Knife" both as a way to skip some material from the latter track and to get an extended arrangement of the tension-building motif. An eight-note action motif for Jack (which sounds a little like the winding portion of the Others' action theme) interrupts, but Ben's theme briefly rings out again. We move back into "Under the Knife" with some quieter versions of the eight-note motif on plucked strings. The harp and strings begin the backing melodies for Life and Death while the percussion continues its rhythm; soon Life and Death takes over and the piano enters with part of the full theme. A pulsating rhythm punctuated with Jack's action motif leads to a trombone crescendo and the final track of this compilation. "Locke'd Out Again" presents a more outwardly emotional theme for Locke than the four-note one previously used. Rising string and piano lines lead to a magnificent cycling string theme. (This theme was used in the first season for two incredible scenes involving the character; after that, unfortunately, only the building string & piano figures returned.) This theme continues in the strings until the rising figure returns in the piano to add to the drama, but it gives way to the more tentative string passages from the beginning of the track and then a throbbing loosely associated with general Island mysteries.
And of course, it wouldn't be part one of a Lost compilation if it didn't end in the same manner as so many episodes: the trademark trombone falloff followed by a low pounding. This particular pound is taken from the season two finale, sourced from "Bon Voyage, Traitor."