Human Target: Season 1 (Limited Edition)

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing Bear McCreary’s work from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles to Battlestar Galactica: The Plan and Razor and found his style to be very cinematic and adaptive for whatever project he’s working on. With Human Target McCreary works with a full 48 piece orchestra, not common in television, and creates a soundtrack that boosts him from extraordinary orchestrate to legend. When I listened to this immaculate three disc work of art I’m reminded of John Williams who gave us the themes for Star Wars, Superman, and many memorable films that are easily recognizable by their timeless theme songs. When we think of the stories and characters from these films the theme songs usually go hand in hand. What McCreary does here is the same and received an Emmy Award Nomination for his Theme Song.

I have to be honest when I say that I’ve never watched an episode of Human Target. When it came out I kind of just shrugged and moved on. After hearing the soundtrack I’m wondering just what it is that I’ve been missing. McCreary puts together an ambiance of action, romance, anger, the mystical. While most of your average television shows will use popular artists Human Target adds the depth of McCreary creating a soundtrack for emotion that surpasses how you would imagine all of the above. Without a doubt this is music meant for cinema. Big budget, big screen, larger then life and sadly in limited print. The amount of units created for this edition of the soundtrack ends at 2000 units. I am very fortunate to have been able to not only own one of those copies but to have been given the opportunity to enjoy music from an artist whose name, I believe, will once again spark interest in the way music is written for film.

On a side note, in typical Fox fashion, Fox has opted to remove McCreary and his theme song from the show along with show runner Jonathan E. Steinberg. Replacing Steinberg is Matt Miller (Chuck) who has brought on Chuck composer Tim Jones. Simply go to Youtube and listen to the Season One theme song and then find the Season Two theme song. Yikes! Needless to say fans have aired their dislike for the way the show has begun in its second season under new management and petitions have gone up all over the net to correct what’s been done. If Fox can’t see how integral a part McCreary has been for the show by creating music that by far surpasses conventional TV show themes then I’m afraid like Firefly, Kitchen Confidential, Wonderfalls, and Arrested Development, TV may lose yet another groundbreaking show under Fox's watch.