Inspector Gadget French Soundtrack
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I have long been a Shuki Levy aficionado, but damned if I could unearth any of his numerous scores. He's mostly known for writing TV themes, something he currently holds the world record for, but he was almost as prolific when it came to composing the music for a variety of cartoons and anime adaptations, mostly during the '80's and '90's.
I was doing a periodic search one Saturday morning to see if any of his soundtrack material turned up. My expectations were low. Through the years of querying, the most I'd been able to get was a link to his homepage which offers a collection of some of his more popular themes for download. But on October 10th, 2009 — after nearly 25 years of dreaming — I finally struck pay dirt with the Inspector Gadget - Original TV Series Soundtrack.
This wasn't the Holy Grail of Shuki Levi's works (which, incidentally, is what started me down this road) but it was definitely among the top of my list. Saban Records released this record back in 1983, but it was only available outside the US before the French version, Inspecteur Gadget - Bande Originale de la Serie TV, was posted online sometime in '08. I suspect it probably originated here — which is where I found it — and then quietly spread across the torrent scene unbeknownst to me for over a year until my fateful visit to Niki's Transformers Music & Media Site.
This LP is completely instrumental, save for of the three French vocal tracks that kick off the album. Those familiar with some of Shuki Levi's work will instantly recognize his style. There were a few tunes here that reminded me of some of his other projects. For example, in certain parts of “Gadget On Mars” or in the hypnotic opening bars of “Ghost” I can easily hear echoes of the Voltron score; while “Gadget With The Incas” has a distinct Mysterious Cities of Gold feel.
Most of the tracks are variations of the main Inspector Gadget theme. Selections like “Gadget in Japan” “Heroes in African Jungle” “Gadget in Trouble” “Arabian Desert” or “Sophisticated Gadget” come to mind; however, the magic of Shuki's compositions is that each variation never feels repetitive and many of these songs, like the soundtrack in general, are interspersed with other leitmotifs such as the menacing MAD theme that was frequently played whenever the MAD villains were enacting their nefarious schemes. What I find interesting is the fact that the totally unrecognizable “MAD's Theme” doesn't feature one iota of this music. My guess is that this piece was either only featured in the French or other international versions of the cartoon and was excised from the US release, or was simply an unused music cue.
The soundtrack's overall tone is light and upbeat — it is Inspector Gadget after all — but everything, including the French vocals (which are my least favorite of the bunch) is deftly woven, multilayered synthpop.
One of the standout tracks is “Chocolate Factory,” which I've been playing in my head every now and again since the '80s. I've wanted this song for so long, one might think that finally getting it would be a let down, but I was thrilled to discover that it was even better than I remembered. It usually played while Gadget was involved in some form of manufacturing peril — hence the title. In the cartoon you couldn't hear all the nuanced details scattered throughout this infectiously danceable, funk-infused piece. “Look Out” is also another one of my all-time favorites. It's essentially “Penny's Theme,” but has a stronger sense of urgency and is broken up by an unusually affecting, sweetly melancholy bridge that briefly transitions into the MAD theme (not to be confused with “MAD's Theme”) before returning to the primary melody. Anyone who's watched the cartoon will instantly recognize this track as it was one of the most frequently played cues in the series. Another favorite is “Gadget in Trouble,” which begins with sweeping strings and majestic horns before segueing into the MAD theme, quickly followed by the familiar Gadget theme.
As much as I enjoy this soundtrack, there are (like anything else) are few caveats. Firstly, it's too damn short, which brings me to my second quibble: I want more! This album only covers the first season of the show, but the second season, which took on a distinctly anime-esque tone both in story and animation style, actually featured new music. Lastly, I wished they had included the instrumental version of “Brain's Theme,” which aside from being one of my favorite tracks, was also one of the more prominently played cues on the cartoon. Nitpicking aside, this long awaited release is an essential addition to any cartoon music/synthpop lover's collection, and given the deplorable dearth of material available, Shuki Levi fans will be hard pressed to find a more complete album from his animation heyday.