Parallel Time

Sorry to rehash this again, but I just got out my copy of the CD, "Original Music from Dark Shadows, volume 4," dated 1990 on the Media Sound Records label (once distributed by MPI).  I gather this is now out of print.

Anyhow, the final track on this disc, track 28, is a 2.24 minute version of Ode to Angelique arranged for solo piano.  Part of it was heard several times on the series when Bruno would be seen tickling the ivories (as we used to say) with what seemed to be not just his favorite, but his ONLY composition (I think he played it so much because he knew how much Quentin loathed it).

I played the track through and it's just piano--no music box or other sound effects.  Really very pretty music.

Let's hope this track is included on the massive new set Darren mentioned in an earlier post.

Best, G.

That's very interesting, Gothick - not only because it's on your copy of the 4th CD - but because my copy of that CD has only 24 tracks.  :-

I just double-checked, and those last 4 tracks have an asterisk which marks them as "bonus tracks."  I presume they are bonus to the previous release which must be the one you have.

Does yours include a couple of extremely rare photos in the inlay "booklet" (which is only two pages in mine)?  Mine has a shot of Joe giving Maggie a kiss (from a 1968 publicity session from which another picture of the two together has been much more widely circulated), a picture of Quentin in his post-werewolf shredded clothing posing in the drawing room set, shots of Gregory Trask and Magda, and a photo of Liz and Carolyn together from Episode 2--all seldom if ever seen elsewhere (by me).

Best, G.

I just double-checked, and those last 4 tracks have an asterisk which marks them as "bonus tracks."

Oh, I didn't doubt for a second that your CD has 28 tracks. You certainly wouldn't make something like that up - especially when you were specifically reporting that Track 28 was the piano version of Ode to Angelique. 

Does yours include a couple of extremely rare photos in the inlay "booklet" (which is only two pages in mine)?  Mine has a shot of Joe giving Maggie a kiss (from a 1968 publicity session from which another picture of the two together has been much more widely circulated), a picture of Quentin in his post-werewolf shredded clothing posing in the drawing room set, shots of Gregory Trask and Magda, and a photo of Liz and Carolyn together from Episode 2--all seldom if ever seen elsewhere (by me).

The only pic in that group that mine has is the one of Quentin. And the only other rare pic is one of Sarah dressed in her nightclothes. The other 10 pics are all ones we've seen elsewhere, either before or since.

I have the CD and mine has the full 28 tracks as well.  Hopefully the upcoming release from MPI will have all the music in it. Though I wonder if it'll contain the non-Cobert tunes such as the original Josette's music box theme.

I just got out my copy of the CD, "Original Music from Dark Shadows, volume 4," dated 1990 on the Media Sound Records label (once distributed by MPI). Anyhow, the final track on this disc, track 28, is a 2.24 minute version of Ode to Angelique arranged for solo piano.  I played the track through and it's just piano--no music box or other sound effects.  Really very pretty music.

Yes indeed Gothick, not only is that track my favorite version of Ode To Angelique, it's my favorite track period for all 6 CD's that I own. 

That's very interesting, Gothick - not only because it's on your copy of the 4th CD - but because my copy of that CD has only 24 tracks.  :-

That's strange MB, when did you buy your CD?  Perhaps it was before they issued the version we have?

not only is that track my favorite version of Ode To Angelique, it's my favorite track period for all 6 CD's that I own.

Oh, thanks for rubbing it in that it's your favorite track on all the CDs - and I don't have it!   

That's strange MB, when did you buy your CD?  Perhaps it was before they issued the version we have?

I'm not sure of the exact time. I remember buying the vinyl versions of Volumes 2-4 when they first came out between '86 and '88. And I could swear I bought the CDs when they were first offered by MPI back around, I'm thinking, '92?

Some day when I've got time, I'll have to dig out my old MPI catalogues to see what they say...

At first I was very interested in the mysterious room of parallel time, and how people could watch their counterparts live different lives, but once Barnabas arrived in that actual time, it became quite boring.

Upon Alexis's arrival, I thought "Oh boy, it's Angelique up to one of her tricks again, pretending to have a twin sister for some possible vicious scheme." [spoiler]But once Angelique came back and killed Alexis I felt bad for poor Alexis and that I had spent so much time thinking she was Angelique. How terrible was it of Angelique to kill her own sister!  [/spoiler]

It became rather tiring to see that angry Quentin, and no other variation in his character. It was so different from the Quentin we are all used to. And Maggie, being treated so terribly by Quentin and Angelique, it's no wonder she left for a while.

I didn't really care for Willie and Carolyn as a couple, not really sure why, they just didn't seem to fit.

[spoiler]And for a long time Willie was holding barnabas captive, and after a few episodes without barnabas I started missing him.  I kept wondering when Barnabas would return.

Although one interesting point was how Willie forced Barnabas to tell his story, and Barnabas obliges. It was fascinating to see him under Willie's control.

Then enter Roxanne! Barnabas and Julia go to Stokes's house to get rid of the life force that is sustaining Angelique, but once Barnabas sees how beautiful she is he instantly decides not to kill her. There has to be some other way. So if she was just a plain girl, it would have been all right to get rid of her? Is that all that motivates Barnabas, is outer beauty?  [/spoiler]

Don't get me wrong, I love Barnabas, but sometimes he can be so annoying when he starts waxing poetic about the flawless beauty of a woman, as if that's the only important quality in women.

So he falls in instant love with her, notice that this happened with Quentin and Amanda in 1897 as well, after only knowing Roxanne for a very short time. How can he know he loves her. He knows nothing about her, but of course she's beautiful, so that's reason enough, right? 

These characters didn't inspire any kind of caring, and I just wanted it to be over so we could return to the RT characters we do care about.

All in all I felt PT was very disappointing and a waste of time. They should have stayed in RT and done something more creative.

I just ended boxset 19 and started boxset 20. Oh the Pain!

If this whole storyline was nothing but Quentin being a jackass, I'd gladly skip it. Not having seen these episodes since my original run on Scifi, I had forgotten how truly painful some scenes were. Mostly any scene with Quentin in it. I did get quite a kick out of the "How dare you woman!" line. Hysterical. If I were Maggie I would have STAYED in New York with my sister. Every little thing he just flies off the handle at her, and I can't tell you how much I wish somebody would deck him one. He totally deserves it. Obviously, the man has issues.

I am however, sitting through it, and so far for two reasons. One, I forgot how fantastic John Karlen was as the drunken author William H. Loomis, which makes me yearn to see 1840 again, and two, I really like Chris Pennock in villanous roles, so I'm looking forward to the Jekyll & Hyde thing.  Oh and also, I can't wait to see Julia [spoiler]kill "herself" with a fire poker.  [/spoiler]

All right, I'm now about half way through the storyline, the night of the big costume party. Chunks of this storyline plod along like wading through oatmeal, but parts of it are fantastic too.

[spoiler]Yeager's confrontation with Horace: Great scene. The atmosphere, the fog, the actors, everything was terrific. Very spooky and very sinister. I must say I wish they had kept the actor who played Horace Gladstone around longer, he was a great... well not villan, but not so morally-upright character.

Yeager/Cyrus' obsession with Maggie: Cyrus rubbing Maggie's gloves all over his face, not to mention Yeager licking his lips while he dry humped Maggie down on the docks, and then licking his hands after he had escaped to the lab.... it makes your skin crawl. Chris Pennock must have had an absolute BLAST playing Yeager. I must also add Yeager's blue checked suit to this list because really... it's not only stylish, it's got flair! What happened to Sabrina at this point?

The return of Barnabas:  I always love Barnabas when he is being covert and sly. He's got domination over William again, and their interaction is fantastic. He suspects all is not right with the "twin sister of Angelique" and is trying to figure out what the hell is going on in the house. It was like a drought without him and I realize now that it would have been hard for the show to continue beyond the point it did if JF chose to leave.[/spoiler]

Quentin and Maggie however I just want to throttle. Maggie is bearable when she stands up for herself. Quentin... dear God. The man actually told his wife to "go to her room." Also Buffie Harrington. I really like Elizabeth Eis, and I love the scenes later where she stands up to Yeager... though why she didn't call the cops after he beat the hell out of her (and possibly more) I don't know.

Parallel time is one of my favorite storylines. For starters, it manages to tell
a pretty good story without the presence of most of the core characters.

And it gives a lot of the cast a chance to do something a bit different. Nancy is wonderful as Carolyn Loomis. Her drunken scenes are hysterical. It's nice to see a nasty Julia. Louis Edmonds seems to have a lot of fun as this Roger. And Lara's Alexis is some of her best work.

I think that a more fitting end for PT would have had Alexis return to reclaim her life force from her sister.