The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I suspect that only fans of TV series The League of Gentlemen or UK band The Divine Comedy will recognise the name Joby Talbot; arranger for song writer Neil Hannon in the latter and composer for the former. A couple of his classically works have been released on CD and he is currently the first composer in residence for Classic FM. Rather more familiar will be Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy which, as one online reviewer aptly described, is a kind of Monty Python does sci-fi crossed with The Fifth Element - at least for this film version. It has previously appeared as a book, radio and TV series, as well as comics and a stage show. Comedy sci-fi is a difficult genre, but Adams' tale of Arthur Dent is a classic. However, nothing springs immediately to mind in regard to the music; the aforementioned Fifth Element has its quirky Eric Serra score (but with some more typically epic sci-fi thrown in) while at the other end of the spectrum, Red Dwarf riffs on Mahler for its opening fanfare, but is best known for Howard Goodall's amusing end credits song.

Although ostensibly a comedy, there are a few bigger themes at work here and so Talbot does have a few chances to go all out for larger scale sci-fi, but the opening is a lot more silly. As the voice of the Guide, Stephen Fry has a little dialogue over The Dolphins which is a delightful introduction to the titles song So Long & Thanks for All the Fish and gives the silly lyrics a little more meaning and punch. Talbot's tune is rollocking fun and implants itself in the memory very swiftly. It's a touch unfortunate that the melody makes only a handful of brief appearances elsewhere because, for such a jaunty tune, it works well under many different circumstances, even for the wistful Careless Talk. Arthur Wakes Up immediately sums up the overall tone; bemused, comedic and a dash of epic apocalypse. Curiously, two of the non-score songs are placed directly afterward so one has to wait a couple of tracks for the crushing Destruction of the Earth.

Journey of the Sorcerer is the only musical link to the original television serial, using the theme based on the song by Bernie Leadon (originally performed by the Eagles, no less) which, in the somewhat eclectic mixture, fits in nicely, although again, it could have been worked in effectively a few more times. Indeed the overall impression is of wishing Talbot had used his themes a little more often since those present are fine, they just don't appear often enough and the short tracks don't leave quite enough room for maneuver. With so many tracks at under a minute, some are rather transitory, although some make a mark; the actively cheesy spacey sounds of the titular eighth cue or the stirring Huma's Hymn are notable exceptions. Unfortunately, a few of the intervening tracks aren't so memorable, but every time things appear to be flagging, little moments pop up such as the amusingly raucous finale to Trillian & Arthur Reunited.

The handful of longer tracks do comprise some of the finest material, notably the genuinely exciting Capture of Trillian and the occasionally spectacular Earth Mark II. The album closes with a reprise of So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, performed by Neil Hannon, in rather more laconic fashion than the chorus line opener. He (and several others) contribute to the campaign singalong Vote for Beeblebrox while Stephen Fry, with a little input from Alan Rickman (Marvin's voice in the film), intones a dead pan ode to everyone's favourite Paranoid Android in Reasons to be Miserable. Which is, incidentally, all set to a thumping beat. It sounds like it should be awful, but you'll be too amused to care. The placing of the non-score songs (Magic Moments and so forth) could have been more thoughtful and a couple of the tracks could be omitted for a tighter final result, but a few listens through reveal a diverse, fun score as unpredictable as the Guide itself.