1990s Towers Street Soundtrack

[Rowe]

Hi all, whilst listening to the aforementioned track during a long car journey, @Cheese and I got talking about the different sections and which attractions they were from. Whilst there are some I can identify (i.e. Peter Rabbit & Friends on Ice, Haunted House's Final Chase), I'm uncertain about others.

Also, whilst I'm here I guess I may as well mention that, whenever I do have a theme park playlist on shuffle (whether it's all tracks or exclusively anything 10+ minutes), that I never skip it. I love it dearly.

So, my two Qs are:

1. Is there indeed a list on what attraction music is in the '90s Towers Street soundtrack?

2. Does anyone else still dearly love the track and listen to it every time it crops up in their own playlists? Or just likes it from a respectable distance?

 

[Ash]

Absolutely, I’ve drawn the comparison a few times but compared to the proper orchestral scores used at Efteling, Alton has really gone backwards. Although a HQ version only exists of the main theme from Graham smart, I’d give anything to hear the rest in better quality.

As mentioned I think it uses:
0:00-1:46 Towers st theme
1:46-2:09 Toyland Tours
2:09-4:40 Old McDonalds Farm
4:40-5:30 fill
5:10-6:40 Peter Rabbit theme
6:40-9:10 ITHOMK
9:10-10:09 fill
10:09-12:44 HH
12:44-13:23 towers street theme
Repeat

It’s probably one of my most listened to pieces of music. The it’s like a memory time machine for me, of the plaza in the morning at the start of the day, or the end of a long day plodding up towers street.

Into the mid 00s it was butchered and replaced with some complete tat. Although i did enjoy the “resort soundtrack” from around 07 I think it was.

Combined with the destruction of the ticket booths, a lot of the charm of the entrance plaza was taken away, and now like a lot of things, with its dodgy planters, awful plastic security tents, absurdly long single queue and lack of festoon lighting. It’s a downgrade.

Returning some of the “Victorian charm” to Towers Street the plaza and returning TWODW/Cred St/CCL/The Land of Make Believe back to Talbot St would be a big positive step.

 

[RoyalFool]

^ pretty much nailed the track list, it has a couple of different McDonald farm area tracks, the haunted house exit queue music, copious amounts of HOTMK and it's own little "The adventure begins" towers street segments.

I still listen to it a lot, I got to go once a year if I was lucky (on my birthday is the weather held up!) and would listen to this tune on the way out, then hum it in the car on the way home in the hopes of learning how to play the main bit on the keyboard at home, but my memory wasn't good enough for a 3 hour car ride so could only ever recall a few notes, then kicked myself for the rest of the year until I got to go again.

First thing I did once I got the internet (yes I'm old) was email the composers etc who were often kind enough to send me a copy. The full track is 25 minutes long, the 2nd half is mostly reprise versions of the first half.

 

[NuttySquirrel]

Thought it might be worth adding that the 4:00-5.:30 section (between Old McDonald's Farm (or is it Toyland Tours?) and Peter Rabbit) is a very old folk song called Over the Hills and Far Away. The tune dates back to the 17th century and as with many folk songs there have been various lyrics.

One version some might recognise from the Sharpe series:


From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOeYPpOblAw


Another was woven into an 18th Century Opera and takes the form of a rather sweet duet:


From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJLZl7O9op0


It's a lovely old tune, I'd be curious to know if anyone has any more knowledge of how it was used at Towers and whether it was associated with any particular areas/attractions or just used as part of the Towers Street suite.

 

[Squiggs]

It's a lovely old tune, I'd be curious to know if anyone has any more knowledge of how it was used at Towers and whether it was associated with any particular areas/attractions or just used as part of the Towers Street suite.

I think, it was used in at least one of the version of the Peter Rabbit show. Not entirely certain, though.

 

[Squiggs]

Sorry, double post. I instantly realised I probably had a more certain answer, as I have a copy of the Peter Rabbit and Friends on Ice programme.

Over the Hills and Far Away was adapted for the opening scenes of the original Peter Rabbit and Friends on Ice show. I think it was sampled in both the opening scene 'A Countryside Picnic' as well as Peter and Lucie's Duet, which follows directly after, including some quality lyrics, such as:

"We'll be friends and dance for joy,
Human girl and rabbit boy,
Holding hand we'll dance all day,
Over the hills and far away."

 

[NuttySquirrel]

some quality lyrics, such as:

"We'll be friends and dance for joy,
Human girl and rabbit boy,
Holding hand we'll dance all day,
Over the hills and far away."

Thanks @Squiggs, interesting to find a further set of lyrics if perhaps not quite as poetic as "Were I laid on Greenland's Coasts"! I feel I need to know more about this cross-species relationship now...