If you’re a massive geek, like I am, then I will bet you Yuna’s left ear lobe that you’ve probably been watching The Railway – Keeping Britain On Track on BBC Two, riiiight?
It has thus far proved to be a fascinating series, and not just another fly on the wall type documentary, with this one actually proving to be really interesting and giving us a real flavour of what it is like across different parts of the network – I’m captivated by it!
There has been some criticism that it does seem to make commuters look to be the ‘bad guy’ and that we’re only seen to be complaining, but at the same time, people as a whole are unpredictable, especially in large numbers, which must make things very difficult to manage for trains staff, and so I think that it is intriguing to see the efforts that do go on behind the scenes that perhaps don’t get noticed by the majority.
One of the show’s biggest assets, for me, are the wonderful compositions by Andy Cowton (who has also worked on quite a few other TV programmes too).
Here are a few posted below, unfortunately they’re not available for download via Soundcloud, but totally do keep coming back to my page to listen to them!!!
My absolute favourite is ‘Xmas Getaway’.
Thank you Gari for making it possible to hear the exceptional musical accompaniment to the The Railway series, itself a masterwork.
Hearing these compositions without the other sounds and images of the film
shows how these compositions are up there with Steve Reich and John Adam
as significant modern works on their own.
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Hi Michael,
Very glad to hear that someone else thinks so too! Absolutely think these compositions shine on their own right and absolutely deserve to be heard without a voice over on the top of them 🙂
Hope that Andy Cowton scores more of these type of programmes in the future so that I encounter him again! He also did the Aylesbury YOI series that was on ITV recently too (ITV Player) 😀
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Absolutely concur with comments above 🙂
Andy, your music is a gem, adding so much to the mood and feel of the series, being used at exactly the right moments to evoke atmosphere and adding a feel of memorable quality to it all.
In fact, I like “Xmas Getaway” so much that I actually looked forward to it, each time it reappeared as I watched each programme, and found myself smiling with its optimistic, cheerful tone.
Well done on such memorable music – rarely have I ever enjoyed such music more and found it so memorable.
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Andy, there are two things I enjoyed: The series and your music. Do you have any plans to put the music played on the programme on cd. I would definately buy it. Or, if that is not possible, could you arrange to put it on Spotify, and can download if required. Great combination.
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A musician myself, I appreciate good TV and film music. I am 65 yrs old and have never heard a theme which is more appropriate to its subject. It just sounds to me like an old fashioned steam train chugging happily up a gradient and all the folks on board having a jolly good time. Well done, Mr Cowton, look forward to whatever you do next.
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Absolutely agree, eapecially with regards to the steam train! The idea of a steam train slowly starting up and chugging along is exactly what I picture!
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