SHERLOCK SERIES 1 – 3 (VINYL)
Let’s be honest: Silva Screen could have put out a Sherlock 7-inch with the opening and end titles on one side and The Game Is On on the flip, and people still would’ve rabidly purchased it. Of course, they also could’ve gone the exact opposite direction of such minimalism and put out every piece of music on double LPs, and fans would’ve gone equally berserk.
David Arnold and Michael Price’s music has been an integral aspect of the Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories from the very beginning. The first time The Game Is On played, one’s hair stood on end, ears perked up, and it was very much an “Oh, what’s THIS, then?” kind of situation.
This single vinyl LP collects four pieces from each series of the BBC program, along with the opening and end titles. It manages to hit the highlights and provide a well-rounded overview of Sherlock‘s music, while still sounding like a proper album, rather than a hodge-podge conglomeration of disparate pieces.
The use of the LP sides as a way to create mirroring is rather delightful. You’ve a violin piece as the penultimate track on both sides – Irene’s Theme and Waltz For John and Mary, respectively. One does really wish that The Woman and SHERlocked were back-to back, rather than bridging the two sides, however. They pair so wonderfully, and really represent some of the most heartbreakingly emotional work Arnold and Price have done across the entire series. The swells in the piece cause a little lump to get caught in one’s throat, and the eyes to dampen ever-so-slightly.
Unfortunately, the mastering on the LP isn’t as great as it could be. The louder portions sound wonderful, but the more minimalist, quiet portions – such as the middle of Pursuit – are nearly inaudible. The Woman is the rare track that moves from quiet, mood-setting strings to louder bombast without one needing to straining their ears for the entirety. Given that there’s little in the way of liner notes, it’s difficult to ascertain whether or not this was mastered for vinyl, but it’s more than likely not.
How It Was Done and God Rest His Soul, from Series Three, are obviously quite big and pounding, and demonstrate the need to simply accept the fact that the volume ought to be cranked right up to eleven. When one realizes that it all sounds wonderful at a volume just shy of damaging one’s hearing, all problems with levels cease to be.
The 180-gram pressing is absolutely rock-solid, and as was said, sounds wonderful once blasted to the rafters. The cover art by Alice Xhang is fabulous, and comes as an art print insert, since it’s absolutely the sort of thing any fan would want hanging on their wall.
INFO: SHERLOCK SERIES 1 – 3 (VINYL) / COMPOSER: DAVID ARNOLD, MICHAEL PRICE / LABEL: SILVA SCREEN RECORDS / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
