Sharpe - Over The Hills And Far Away (Music From The TV Series) - Original TV Soundtrack

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	all the classics  -  powerful stuff
Disadvantages:	producers have messed around with the instrumentals

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Anyone who has heard the opening bars of Sharpes theme music and felt the stirrings of power and passion that it brings to the room has to buy this cd! I own the boxset of the series so this cd is the perfect compliment. I received the cd as a gift and did not even know it existed until then.

The cd features songs from the ITV series 'Sharpe' which tells the stoies of Sean Bean as Major Sharpe (his rank alters throughout the series though) leading his riflemen though glorious battles and many storylines. His main friend is sergeant Harper, and the othermain characters in the group we get to know are rilfleman Harris and of course rifleman Hagman who sings his uplifting songs as they march onward to another adventure. These are the songs that feature on the cd plus more besides.

There is the classic Sharpe's theme to start here which brings a welling in the stomach every time, I have to listen with the volume turned right way up high. The other tracks are others from the series, fans will remember Hagman's excellent lyrics, particularly on Over the Hills and Far Away, no doubt the most famous of them all. Rambling Soldier is probably my favourite, it shows off Tam's voice and I love the lyrics. Broken Hearted I will Wander features a woman's singing who I believe is the folk singer Kate Rusby, which is a lovely touch and breaks up the sound of the overall cd well. The gorgeous Irish tone to the voice adds authenticity and I think this song is really emotional and beautiful. Love Farewell is also a special song with again stunning vocals.

The track listing is as follows for anyone who is looking to find out if a certain song from the series is included:
1. Overture: Sharpe's Theme / Prelude
2. I'm Ninety Five Today
3. Over The Hills And Far Away
4. Spanish Sword
5. Rogue's March
6. Collier Report
7. Bird In The Bush / The Colours
8. Spanish Bride
9. Shilling
10. Gentleman Soldier
11. Bugle Call / Money Musk (Regimental Double Past)
12. Broken-Hearted I Will Wander
13. Badajoz
14. Rambling Soldier
15. Huntsman's Chorus/The Italian Song
16. Johnny Is Gone For A Soldier
17. Forlorn Hope
18. Love Farewell
19. Sunset
20. Sharpe's Theme/Sharpe's Song

As you can see there are a lot of tracks on the cd. John Tams's voice seems slightly more reigned in than when he is rifleman Hagman marching through the wilderness with the men on Sharpe! The only negative is that the producers have added bits to some of the songs, some extra instrumental parts that are not originally there and some purists won't like this. For example the drums alongside Tams's voice on Over the Hills, some could say takes away from the emphasis on the strong vocals. It did not bother me too much though, just added a touch of something new and different.

Overall this cd is good for sharpe fans as it just instantly brings to mind the gorgeous Sean Bean and gets me in the mood for historical adventures of passion and honour and glorious battles!! However its also great for non-sharpe addicts too especially if they like folk music, as there are some really beautiful songs here, nice for background music or to play more loudly for the passionate ones.

You can pick this up for a fiver, so definitely great value.