The musical soundscape created by Barry Gray for Fireball XL5 features a rich tapestry of themes and playful instrumentation. Much like his previous work for AP Films, Supercar, Barry Gray leans upon the Jazzy musical language of Hollywood to bring to life the vivid marionettes and miniature craft, with compositions ranging from brassy heroic percussion to playful humorous cues. The unique nature of the series’ otherworldly premise however allowed the composer to balance his silver screen classicism with a progressive use of electronically augmented instruments, namely the Ondes Martenot. Invented in the 1920s by French cellist Maurice Martenot, Barry Gary studied the keyboard-like instrument with its creator in Paris. The “wavering” sound the Ondes Martenot made was perfect for bringing to life the various alien and mysterious situations encountered by the World Space Patrol . These minimalist alien vignettes perfectly conveyed the emptiness of space and could be suitably unsettling when employed to set a scene of peril. This contrast of detached electronic music with the familiar anchor of Jazz served the series well. To further add warmth to proceedings, each episode would close with an undeniable pop song, in the charming Fireball. The gentle love song featured the dulcet croon of Don Spencer and would be one of Barry Gray’s finest pop moments – ensuring that the series lingered in viewers heads. -SILVA SCREEN

01. Fireball XL5 Main Theme 02. The Mystery of Planet 46 from Planet 46 03. Formula 5 from The Doomed Planet 04. Rogue Planet from The Doomed Planet 05. Exploring the Tanker from The Hypnotic Sphere 06. Hypnotised from The Hypnotic Sphere 07. Travelling Light from Space Vacation 08. Ninety’s Dream from A Day in the Life of a Space Genera 09. Zero G (Single version 10. The Cholorphon from Plant Man from Space 11. Spectre of Electon from Ghosts of Space 12. End Titles: Fireball 13. Circus Dreams from Flying Zodiac 14. Platonia Treachery from Planet of Platonia 15. Flat Jazz from Flight to Danger 16. Trapped from Space Monster 17. This is the Twist from Space Monster 18. Fireball End Titles: Instrumental from Space City Special 19. Ice Skating Waltz from Drama at Space City 20. Aphros Theme from Prisoner on the Lost Planet 21. Aquaphibian from XL5 to H2O 22. Foiled! from XL5 to H20 23. Back to the past from 1875 24. Fireball (Single version)