I couldn't really resist posting this. Another lovely title sequence. This time by Jerome Gask. Hints of the paranormal, Eastern Block animation, psychedelia, Stan VanDerBeek, stark letraset op-art graphics..... what more could you ask for? A Dudley Simpson soundtrack perhaps?
I've been meaning to post this since I started. The show is terrible (although it gave me some nightmares as a kid) but the title sequence is absolutely, untouchably brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI kinda feel compelled to offer a different perspective on the original TP show...while the acting isn't always great and the "special effects" strictly low-budget, the actual writing is incredibly radical and subversive; critiquing power structures, questioning authority and existing social relations (and this is not just me "reading into it" as later interviews with the TP writers confirm this)
ReplyDeleteThis was the case with a lot of early/late seventies UK childrens TV sci-fi such as Tomorrow People, The Changes and Children Of The Stones. Its almost as though kids tv in the seventies was ascribed a low hegenomic value and as such was not scrutinised for any "radical content"...after all, its just kids TV! I credit these shows and the band Crass with the building blocks of my current world-view!
On a separate note,as I am sure you know, TP used quite a lot of Delia Derbyshire's Electrosonic 1972 album for sound effects ...the actual TP soundtrack is well worth listening too as it includes some extra tracks such as the wonderful theme (at least we agree on that!)
If you go to Veoh.com and install their webplayer (don't install the 'compass' feed they offer you, its not worth it) and make sure you have the latest Flash installed, you can watch all the original episodes and scare yourself silly all over again!
I completely agree that there was something strangely subversive about Children of the Stones and the Tomorrow People. (The episode in which the young Russian defectors' head explodes terrified me.) Somehow, courtesy of Nickeloden, we got these shows in the States. I wouldn't get into Crass for about another decade, but watching these shows instead of the usual tripe probably shaped my worldview. Incidentally, I later became a huge fan of Delia Derbyshire and amazing BBC Radiophonic Workshop. I had no idea that she was behind the music for the Tomorrow People, but I'm not surprised at all.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that there was something strangely subversive about Children of the Stones and the Tomorrow People. (The episode in which the young Russian defectors' head explodes terrified me.) Somehow, courtesy of Nickeloden, we got these shows in the States. I wouldn't get into Crass for about another decade, but watching these shows instead of the usual tripe probably shaped my worldview. Incidentally, I later became a huge fan of Delia Derbyshire and amazing BBC Radiophonic Workshop. I had no idea that she was behind the music for the Tomorrow People, but I'm not surprised at all.
ReplyDelete