The Prisoner Music Archive

by Larry Hall with contributions from Victor R. Volkman

Section Two Page One

The Soundtrack Recordings

There have been three officially released commercial volumes of PRISONER soundtrack recordings on CD and cassette, plus a re-issue of the three Silvascreen CDs in September 2002. Prior to this there was a vinyl LP, produced intially for Six Of One members, and a "bootleg" CD derived from the remastered tapes used for the LP. The latter was used as a 'master' to produce the original Silvascreen CD volume 1, and the same tracks were re-used and split across the 2002 re-issue CD collection, along with library music from Chappels.

Apart from the TV version of the title theme, all tracks are instrumental soundtrack material only, although the 2002 re-issue did include snatches of dialogue and some sound effects.

THE PRISONER ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK LP

The following notes were included on the LP packaging, from Eric Mival, music editor on THE PRISONER itself, and Larry Hall, who was producer on this remastered album.

"The music for THE PRISONER was a very mixed bag. It took the efforts of three composers just to get the title theme right - Robert Farnon's offering was deemed unsuitable, Wilfred Josephs almost got it, and then Ron Grainer took a whistled phrase from Patrick McGoohan and came up with the theme we know and love, although he still had to bow to Patrick's re-arranging of it. Robert Farnon and Wilfred Josephs were joined by Albert Elms to write the incidental music, throw in The Beatles, Vivaldi, Bizet and a host of Chappells British and French library music composers and you get an amazing range of talent and style.

To put all this diverse range of music on one disc would be impossible so this first collection is devoted to the specially written and/or recorded pieces which were used as the mainstay of the series. This was exacted by yours truly, selecting appropriate pieces, cutting, extending or repeating them to fit in as undetectable a manner as possible. Albert Elms section M65 take 3 became my favourite chase music and was originally used in "Free For All" (see side 1 track 6). I would have liked to have used more of Wilfred Josephs' haunting music but he left the production early on and there was never enough to create a continuity with it. Why should I have worried though? You can't have a more diverse patchwork of music in "Fallout", and on reflection this was the episode which pleased me the most.

It was on the penultimate episode "Decree Absolute" (better known as "Once Upon A Time") that I learnt a salutary lesson. Although shown late in the series it was the first to be dubbed and full of enthusiasm I'd painstakingly laid down fourteen musical tracks. Lee Doig, the film editor, said that we actually needed very few of them. Although at the time I disagreed, hindsight tells me he was right because if the dialogue and acting are strong the need for music is minimal

After completing work on THE PRISONER I was offered another series to music-edit. I felt I had to turn it down, for anything else was bound to be an anti-climax. THE PRISONER was a rarity and even as we worked on it we knew it was something special, something head and shoulders above the average. Like the first audience we were not sure what it was all about, and even suspected that Patrick wasn't too sure either. During "Fallout" Pat and I discussed using the Beatles song "All You Need Is Love". He was concerned that using it might date the series as music often does. I told him that I didn't think it would. Somehow, although both The Beatles and THE PRISONER are locked in a sixties time capsule, they still appear as relevant and stimulating as when they first went on the air - and as the years go by THE PRISONER especially becomes more and more so."

ERIC MIVAL Chesham Bois December 1985

"Virtually all the music on this album was written specifically for THE PRISONER and none of the pieces were given actual titles at the time. A numbering system was used but this was inconsistent between different recording sessions, Even the main theme is known simply as "A1 M1" or B1 M1" depending on which session you listen to.

Therefore, purely as an identification guide, the track listing refers to specific bits of action within an episode where that particular piece of music was used to noticable effect. Most of the pieces were used in other episodes and you might prefer your own choice.

Also, while some attempt has been made to group the pieces in episode order, it should be appreciated that occasional juxtapositions have been made to preserve a musical balance between the tracks."

LARRY HALL
Sheffield, December 1985


Original Music from The Prisoner, Volume One

The original LP sleeve was a sumptuous affair. It was a gatefold, with an outer sleeve illustrated with prison bars, opening from the centre to reveal the front cover proper. The inner protective sleeve had several "Prisoner" photos and production notes. A second pressing just had the main illustration (right)
The tracklist below is exactly the same for the LP, bootleg CD and Silvascreen CD vol 1.
 LP and Bootleg CD cover Silvascreen CD1 cover

T EPISODE TITLE TIME COMPOSER
1 Arrival Main Titles 2:23 Ron Grainer
2 Arrival Number 6 Approaches The Escape Helicopter 1:58 Wilfred Josephs
3 Arrival Village Band March into Main Square 1:48 Strauss (arr Elms)
4 "Alternative" Chimes Alternative Main Titles 2:19 Wilfred Josephs
5 A, B & C No 6 and B Dance At Engadine's Party 1:24 Albert Elms
6 Free For All Escape Attempt By Moke And Speedboat 2.54 Albert Elms
7 Free For All Mechanical Band Play In The Cat And Mouse 1:37 Albert Elms
8 Free For All The Election Won, No 6 Takes Office 1:29 Albert Elms
9 Free For All Violence Erupts In The Rover Cave 1:47 Albert Elms
10 The General The Art Seminar Around The Fountain 0:42 Albert Elms
11 The General Top Hats Approach Security Clearance 0:52 Albert Elms
12 The General Villagers Celebrate Passing Their Exams 2:05 Albert Elms
13 The General No.6 Is Taken To Meet The General 0:41 Albert Elms
14 The General Destruction And Aftermath 2:37 Albert Elms
15 Fallout Main Theme and Fallout Reprise 3:37 Ron Grainer

This was the end of side one on the original LP and the tracks in the table below made up side two. CD's, of course, have all the tracks on one side.

16 Many Happy Returns No.6 Searches the Gunrunner Boat 2:00 Albert Elms
17 Dance Of The Dead Carnival Procession Around The Square 2:22 Albert Elms
18 Dance Of The Dead No.6 Steals The Lifebelt 1:44 Albert Elms
19 Checkmate Conspirators Attack The Searchlight Tower 1:46 Albert Elms
20 Hammer Into Anvil No. 6 Is Followed To The Stone Boat 2:28 Bizet (arr Elms)
21 Hammer Into Anvil Village Band Play The Farandelle 0:47 Bizet (arr Elms)
22 Hammer Into Anvil No.14 Attacks No.6 In His House 3:59 Vivaldi (arr Elms)
23 The Girl Who Was Death At The Cricket Match 2:00 Albert Elms
24 Once Upon A Time No.6 Is Regressed Back To Childhood . . . 2:10 Albert Elms
25 Once Upon A Time . . . And Starts His Schooldays 0:42 Albert Elms
26 Arrival Closing Credits 1:09 Ron Grainer

NOTES:
Track order
Many of the musical pieces appear in more than one episode so tracks are credited by the episode in which they first appear or where that particular piece of music was used to particularly noticable effect. That is why "Main Titles" is listed under Arrival rather than the 13 episodes in which it was also used.

Track Titles
Virtually all the music on Volume 1 was written specifically for THE PRISONER and none of the pieces were given actual titles at the time, intead a numbering system was used. Therefore, purely as an identification guide, the track listing refers to specific bits of action within an episode where that particular piece of music was used to noticable effect. Many of the tracks were used in more than one episode but no attempt has been made to list them all.
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