"Cosmos" Episode Guide & Music Catalogue

This groundbreaking documentary series from 1980 has a deliberate poetic pace designed to inspire thoughtfulness and wonder in its audience, which works excellently under the reigns of host, narrator, and lead writer Dr. Carl Sagan. Presented here we will find not only the pinnacle of late 1970's astronomy, brought to life with actual photos, data, and very elaborate special effects sequences, but also many historical astronomical achievements, re-enacted on film. The initial 13-episode show became so well-received, beloved, and continually revisited by its fans, that all new episodes were finally prepared and broadcast in 2014, now with Neil deGrasse Tyson as host. -Lyratek Main Page

-Astronomy
-The Universe
-Cosmos
-How the Universe Works

-Science Fiction

COSMOS

 (1980)
by Carl Sagan
A Personal Voyage

This box set includes the
13 episodes below...

U.S.

Canada

U.K.


All 13 episodes written by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan & Steven Soter
hosted and narrated by Carl Sagan

Episodes:
1

The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean

 (60 min.)
In the premiere episode, host Carl Sagan takes viewers on a poetic journey in his "ship of the imagination" from outside the galaxy to the Earth, examining many celestial phenomena along the way. Completing this journey by the midpoint, we switch gears to learn how the circumference of the Earth was measured in 300 BC, to marvel at the lost Great Library of Alexandria, and finally, Sagan introduces the now infamous cosmic calendar.

- more details

2

One Voice in the Cosmic Fugue

 (60 min.)
(The Chemistry of Evolution)
This episode concerns the composition and origination of life, examining natural and not-so-natural selection, DNA, and the chain of evolution from algae to amphibians to mammals to humans - all mapped out on the cosmic calendar. Sagan's colleague Bishun Khare recreates the Miller-Urey experiment to artificially create the molecules of life. Finally Sagan speculates on the "sinkers, floaters, & hunters" - lifeforms that might be possible in the gas clouds of Jupiter.

- more details

3

Harmony of the Worlds

 (58 min.)
(Johannes Kepler vs. Superstition)
The difference between astronomy and astrology defines this episode, as does the historic struggle of Johannes Kepler to invent one out of the shreds of the other. Key points discussed include the various existing and possible interpretations for the same constellations, the Anasazi calendar as measured by sunlight in their temples, the question of whether the Sun or the Earth was at the center of celestial motions, and the struggle of Copernicus in championing the better answer. The life of Kepler dominates later screen time, culminating in his laws of planetary motion, and his novel of travel to the moon - Was it the very first sci-fi novel ever?

- more details

4

Heaven and Hell

 (61 min.)
(Comets, Impacts, Venus)
This episode touches on asteroid and comet impacts, beginning with Soviet scientist L.A. Kulik's investigation of the Tunguska event in Russia in 1908, proceeding to an impact on the moon observed by Canterbury monks in 1178 A.D., and then discussing the process of impact cratering on Callisto, Phobos, asteroids, the moon, and Earth. Erosion is demonstrated with a visit to the sphinx in Egypt. The episode also focuses on Venus, as our knowledge progressed from observation by telescope, to the concept of spectrograph light analysis, to the data briefly gathered by the ill-fated Venera landing probes. Sagan also stresses the importance of allowing, rather than suppressing, wild theories, adding that "Science is a self-correcting process".

- more details

5

Blues for a Red Planet

 (61 min.)
(Rockets to Mars)
It's all about Mars in this episode, as one can guess from the title. Historical speculation from H.G. Wells, Orson Wells, Percival Lowell, Robert Goddard, and even Carl Sagan himself builds enormous anticipation, until finally: the payoff. The automated Viking Lander missions to Mars are dramatized, and we see the first photos taken from the surface, and taste the ambiguity of the initial experiments. We also learn of mission contributor Wolf Vishniac, whose early forging into astrobiology and the study of extremophiles was not without sacrifice. Will we go on to colonize or even terraform Mars?

- more details

6

Travellers' Tales

 (61 min.)
(Voyager at Jupiter, Huygens in Holland)
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft gets 20th century Humanity's first close-up look at Jupiter's moon Europa, and this episode takes us right inside the mission scientific headquarters at Jet Propulsion Laboratories in July 1979 as the pictures come in and Sagan assists the science team in analyzing and theorizing about its icy crust. History in the making! The episode also discusses Io and touches on other planets and moons of the outer solar system. Early segments also portray the age of enlightenment in 1600's Holland that saw astronomer/inventor Christiaan Huygens flourish.

- more details

7

The Backbone of Night

(59 min.)
(Brooklyn, Greece, Philosophy of Science)
This episode takes its title from a tribal description of our Milky Way Galaxy, as we delve into the mythology of stars as cultures changed over time. Sagan takes us to the Ionian Islands to discuss many famous and not-so-famous Greek philosophers, where many familiar conflicting viewpoints crystallized. How many of these historical figures actually suppressed more truth than they publicized? Sagan's assertions are intriguing. Finally, we return to Sagan's sixth grade classroom in Brooklyn, where he teaches the young students about the coronagraph and star-wobble techniques that he hopes may one day lead to the discovery of exoplanets....

- more details

8

Journeys in Space and Time

 (61 min.)
(Lightspeed Lag, Einstein's Relativity, Interstellar Propulsion)
This episode tackles Einstein's relativity, light speed problems, the vastness of space, time travel, and other big questions of physics. The episode also tackles the recognition that constellations change over time.

- more details

9

The Lives of the Stars

 (59 min.)
(Atom Production, Stellar Phenomena)
King Sagan has his apple pie at Cambridge University, to commemorate the fact that so many discoveries concerning the structure of atoms were made there. After covering the basics about protons, neutrons, and electrons, and introducing us to the 92 natural elements, we pay homage to their creation in the stars, and the episode devotes itself almost entirely to stellar phenomena. We learn about the many different types of stars, and how differently they each form, die, and transform. The episode also touches on gravity, black holes, and possible wormhole travel.

- more details

10

The Edge of Forever

 (63 min.)
(Galaxies, Universes, and Dimensions)
This episode goes for the BIG concepts - galaxies, quasars, the Big Bang, the structure and possible oscillation of the universe, alternate universes, and other dimensions. The classic story of Flatland is here to extrapolate the existence of a fourth spatial dimension, along with a 3D "shadow" of a 4D cube. Sagan recounts the story of Milton Humason and Edwin Hubble discovering galactic redshifts in the 1920's, as well as travel to India to note the uniqueness among religions of many Hindu beliefs that parallel modern astronomical theory.

- more details

11

The Persistence of Memory

 (58 min.)
(Intelligence, Whales, Brains, and Libraries)
This episode focuses on intelligence in its varied forms. After introducing the logical "bit" as a unit for measuring information, Sagan takes us through comparisons of the amount of information stored in DNA of species of increasing complexity, the brains of various species, and finally, books, libraries, and cities. We explore the history of whales, their culture, and what they might make of us humans whose presence has suddenly become so much more disruptive. Finally, we take a look at the information stored on the golden record on the Voyager probes leaving our solar system, and what future aliens who discover it might make of us.

- more details

12

Encyclopaedia Galactica

 (61 min.)
(UFOs, Aliens, and Communication)
The focus here is on the search for intelligent life, with Sagan supporting the approach of depending on interstellar radio communication, while curtly dismissing all evidence from UFO encounters that don't fit comfortably within his scientific religion, even as the Betty and Barney Hill encounter is dramatized in some detail. The journey of Champollion in using the Rosetta stone to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics is also re-enacted. Sagan then takes us through the infamous Drake equation for predicting the number of intelligent civilizations in the galaxy, and makes two calculations with an important difference. We also imagine the exploration of the galaxy from the point of view of two different exploring species who meet each other, and then share their common Encyclopaedia Galactica with Earthlings, which Sagan then browses on the computer in his "Ship of the Imagination".

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13

Who Speaks for Earth?

 (62 min.)
(Cultural Leadership and Wisdom)
This episode stresses the importance of wisdom in leadership, how very different first meetings between various cultures on our world could be glorious or disastrous depending on the approach of each leader or spokesperson. It asks the question of what first impression we will give when we encounter an off-world culture for the first time, or indeed, if we will even still be around for such a day, or if we will nuke ourselves or otherwise destroy our environment and natural habitat.

- more details

1980 Episode Rankings

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A Special Edition (1986)

 (6 episodes @ 44 min. each)
This is probably the most unique of the many versions of original Cosmos, because the format and sequence of information changes SO MUCH, and because Carl Sagan is back with his writing team, shooting new segments that will be slotted in with the classic footage to bring the programs up to date for 1986, updates that have NOT appeared anywhere on the 2000 Collectors' Editions on DVD and VHS.

Here, we examine how footage from the original 13 episodes has been divided up into these six shorter episodes, and take a detailed look at the music to try to find all 21 of Vangelis' infamous unreleased "Comet" cues...

- more details



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COSMOS

 (2014)
A Spacetime Odyssey
with Neil deGrasse Tyson

This box set includes the 13 episodes below...

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Blu-ray U.S.

Blu-ray Canada

Blu-ray U.K.

All 13 episodes written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter
starring Neil deGrasse Tyson (host)
with vintage footage of Carl Sagan

also features Patrick Stewart, Alexander Siddig, Kirsten Dunst, Richard Gere, Cary Elwes, Martin Jarvis, Seth MacFarlane, and Marlee Matlin.

1

Standing Up in the Milky Way

 (44 min.)
directed by Brannon Braga 		original air date: 2014 March 9
2

Some of the Things That Molecules Do

 (44 min.)
directed by Bill Pope 		original air date: 2014 March 16
3

When Knowledge Conquered Fear

 (44 min.)
directed by Brannon Braga 		original air date: 2014 March 23
4

A Sky Full of Ghosts

 (44 min.)
directed by Brannon Braga 		original air date: 2014 March 30
5

Hiding in the Light

 (44 min.)
directed by Bill Pope 		original air date: 2014 April 6
6

Deeper, Deeper, Deeper Still

 (44 min.)
directed by Bill Pope 		original air date: 2014 April 13
7

The Clean Room

 (44 min.)
directed by Brannon Braga 		original air date: 2014 April 20
8

Sisters of the Sun

 (44 min.)
directed by Brannon Braga 		original air date: 2014 April 27
9

The Lost Worlds of Planet Earth

 (44 min.)
directed by Brannon Braga 		original air date: 2014 May 4
10

The Electric Boy

 (44 min.)
directed by Bill Pope 		original air date: 2014 May 11
11

The Immortals

 (44 min.)
directed by Brannon Braga 		original air date: 2014 May 18
12

The World Set Free

 (44 min.)
directed by Brannon Braga 		original air date: 2014 June 1
13

Unafraid of the Dark

 (44 min.)
directed by Ann Druyan 		original air date: 2014 June 8




Music from the Original 1980 Series:

There have been several special albums put out containing various tracks of music used in Sagan's original 1980 Cosmos series. The newer 2-disc version has much more music than the others, but fans were generally not pleased with the noisy transitions between the tracks, often spoiling the beginning or end of each piece.

Strangely, all versions seem to have become rare collectors' items by now, with some ridiculous prices being charged.

However, many of the pieces by individual composers are also more widely available on their own albums - see way below for more....



Cosmos (1980)

Original music soundtrack.
with tracks composed by

Vangelis
Wm. Jeffery Boydstun
Dmitri Shostakovich
Larry Fast (Synergy)

Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000)
Antonio Vivaldi
Wolfgang A. Mozart
Johann S. Bach

Audio CD


Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

2-Disc Edition for 2002:

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

The Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of
the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Track Listing:

DISC ONE:
1. Supposedly "Heaven & Hell, Part 1" (Vangelis, 4:09)
2. Symphony No. 11 in G Min. "Year 1905" (Shostakovich, 5:38)
3. Alpha (Vangelis, 5:42)
4. (Depicting) Cranes in Their Nest (Yamaguchi, 1:00)
5. Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K.622 (Mozart, 7:53)
6. Pachelbel: The Pachelbel Canon (Galway / Spreen, 5:08)
7. Metamorphosis (Boydstun, 3:34)
8. The Sea Named "Solaris" (J.S. Bach / Isao Tomita, 6:04)
9. Partita for Violin Solo No.3 in E (Bach, 2:53)
10. The Four Seasons: Spring (Vivaldi, 3:21)
11. Sonata C-Dur Trompete, Oboe, Basso Continuo (Finger, 1:21)
12. Concerto for Mandolin & Strings in C Major (Vivaldi, 2:34)
13. Tale of Tsar Saltan: Suite, Op.57 II (Rimsky-Korsakov, 6:35)
14. Legacy (Larry Fast [Synergy], 5:47)
15. Russian Easter Festival Overture (Rimsky-Korsakov, 7:44)

DISC TWO:
1. Pulstar (Vangelis, 5:13)
2. "Vishnu" Symphony No.19, Op.217 (Alan Hovhaness, 4:02)
3. Melancholy Blues (Bloom, Melrose, Schoebel, 2:59)
4. Aquarius (MacDermot, Ragni, Rado, 3:56)
5. Beaubourg, Part 2 (Vangelis, 3:14)
6. The Planets - Mars (Gustav Holst, 7:09)
7. Alien Images 1 (Boydstun, 3:24)
8. Fly...Night Bird (Buchanan/Roussel/Newmark/Weeks/Silva, 7:43)
9. Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer? (Vangelis, 2:50)
10. The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky, 10:31)
11. Prayer of St. Gregory (Hovhaness, 4:45)
12. Bulgarian Shepherdess Song (Traditional, 5:01)
13. Comet 16 (Vangelis, 3:48)




(Gottfried Finger's Sonate in C-Dur [C Major]
is accidentally listed as D-Dur [D Major]
on the packaging for this album,
even though the recording is still in C Major.)

Single CD Edition for 2000:

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

The Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of
the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Track Listing:


1a. Supposedly "Heaven & Hell Pt. 1" (Vangelis, 3:39)
1b. Symphony No. 11 (Shostakovich / Houston Symphony, 2:29)
1c. Alpha (Vangelis, 2:48)
2a. Depicting the Cranes in their Nest (G. Yamaguchi, 0:59)

2b. Canon in D (Pachelbel / Academy St.Martin Fields, 3:24)

2d. The Sea Named "Solaris" (J.S. Bach & / Isao Tomita, 3:38)
3. Partita No. 3 (J.S. Bach / Arthur Grumiaux, 2:53)
2c. The Four Seasons - Spring No. 1 (Vivaldi / LA Chamber, 3:22)



4b. Legacy (Larry Fast / Synergy, 2:22)
4c. Russian Easter Festival Overture (Rimsky-Korsakov, 3:03)



4a. Symph. 19 "Trekking Theme" (Hovhaness / Sevan Phil., 1:49)


5b. Beaubourg, Side 2 - Ominous [edited] (Vangelis, 1:38)


5a. Fly Night Bird (Roy Buchanan & Roussel + 3 others, 1:26)
6a. Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer? - Main Theme (Vangelis, 4:07)
5c. The Rite of Spring (Stravinsky / London Symphony, 2:12)

6b. Bulgarian Shepherdess Song (Traditional, 2:19)


4d. Inside the Heart of the Universe (Toru Takemitsu, 1:30)
6c. Heaven & Hell Part 1 [Reprise] (Vangelis, 1:49)
(This disc has 6 tracks total, most of which hold
many selections from a variety of artists.
Each of the 6 tracks has its own concept:

1. Space/Time Continuum
2. Life
3. The Harmony of Nature
4. Exploration
5. Cataclysm
6. Affirmation

(These track concept titles should not be confused
with the proper title for each piece of music.)



The following albums appear to have identical content:

Original CD Edition for 1994:

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of
the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan


Original Vinyl Edition for 1981:

U.S.

U.K.

Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Film Score of
the PBS Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan




When investigating the detailed music of "Cosmos", it seems obvious that one's first port of call will be the electronically enhanced recordings of Vangelis.

However, before we get to him, let's have a look at the work of the composer who appears to have had an extremely important crack at scoring new music directly to picture: Wm. Jeffery Boydstun. Though this was done to replace "found music" from commercial albums that could no longer be legally used at the time, much of Boydstun's work has since become definitively original "Cosmos" material even more so, and remains in place on current presentations of the series...


Wm. Jeffery Boydstun
From the Cosmos

Original music
composed by
Wm. Jeffery Boydstun

Mp3 Download Album

There doesn't appear to be an audio CD version of this album.

Click on the U.S. Amazon symbol to go directly to the page to purchase mp3 downloads of individual songs, or to listen to samples.

2006 January Edition:

U.S.

"From the Cosmos" [Album]

All Tracks by Wm. Jeffery Boydstun

Track Listing:

1. Alien Images 01 (3:40)
2. Alien Images 02 (1:41)
3. Before Science (4:59)
4. In Motion Delta 01 (3:16)
5. In Motion Delta 02 (2:24)
6. In Motion Delta 03 (3:23)
7. Life Cycle (1:37)
8. Metamorphosis (5:03)
9. Mind Games (3:17)
10. Nufari (4:48)
11. Shadows (5:04)
12. Timesteps (4:00)
13. Evolution (6:15)
14. Tamara (4:08)

Total Time: 53:36

Wm. Jeffery Boydstun seems to have had a rare opportunity to actually score much of his music to picture for "Cosmos", and that music is presented here on this album.

The album gives us some themes used often across "Cosmos", such as three "In Motion Delta" tracks which can fit together to form one long piece, and "Metamorphosis" which is often used for the Cosmic Calendar as well as many other sequences. There is yet another version of "Metamorphosis" called "Shadows", which is identical except that the ticking synth percussion has been left out - I actually prefer the "Shadows" version of this theme. It appears in episodes 12 and 13 of "Cosmos", and I've a feeling it would've been used earlier if they'd figured it out sooner.

Other pieces demonstrate that they were composed for very specific scenes. "Alien Images" 1 and 2 are used during the opening of episode 12. The track "Before Science" contains two cues, one used during the opening of episode 3, and the second appears about half-way through the episode. The song "Nufari" also starts out early in the third episode, while "Life Cycle" covers the dramatic opening of episode 9.

I think my favourite piece though has to be "Evolution", which covers a lengthy sequence early in episode 11 where we explore first outer space, and then the variety of life forms under the sea. This was clearly scored to picture, and uses a variety of moods, styles, and instruments. Excellent!

I have not been able to find any uses of "Mind Games", "Timesteps", or "Tamara" in Cosmos, but it's likely they did appear as replacements in some mid-eighties versions of the show, before much of the original music was restored for the latest versions. "Tamara" in particular is a nice instrumental piece of up-beat synth pop which I enjoy listening to often.


Although it appears that Vangelis himself also had a chance to score new music for "Cosmos", and possibly directly to picture as well, these additions for the 1986 Halley's Comet special versions are difficult to document. As far as we can tell, the only one to be officially released on an album is "Comet 16", and only on the official two-disc "Cosmos" compilation listed above. Though five more pieces of music claiming to be Vangelis "Comet" movements have cropped up on faked releases, it seems likely that these have been scraped from the DVD's isolated music/sfx track, as one of them slowly cross-dissolves into the Synergy piece that came afterwards in the episode.

At any rate, Vangelis's major contributions to "Cosmos" are much better represented by all the various albums that the show's creators drew from when they first put the series together. It is more revealing to go right back to the album that started it all...


Vangelis
Heaven and Hell

Original music
composed by Vangelis
(originally recorded in 1975)
Audio CD

Heaven and Hell: Remastered Edition

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Heaven and Hell (1989 CD):

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Heaven and Hell: Remastered Edition

All Tracks by Vangelis
This album available on CD, mp3, vinyl, and cassette.

Track Listing:

Track One: HEAVEN and HELL (Part One)
1. Bacchanale
2. Symphony to the Powers B (Movements 1 and 2)

3. Movement Three (from Symphony to the Powers B)
4. So Long Ago, So Clear

Track Two: HEAVEN and HELL (Part Two)
7. Intestinal Bat
8. Needles and Bones
9. Twelve O'Clock

10. Aries
11. A Way

Vangelis - Heaven and Hell Audio CD

All Tracks by Vangelis
This album available on CD, mp3, vinyl, and cassette.

Track Listing:

Track One: Heaven and Hell - Side A (21:58)
--Bacchanale (4:40)
--Symphony to the Powers B - Movement 1 (3:56)
--Symphony to the Powers B - Movement 2 (4:13)
--Symphony to the Powers B - Movement 3 ("Cosmos" Theme) (4:03)
--So Long Ago, So Clear (4:58)

Track Two: Heaven and Hell - Side B (21:16)
--Intestinal Bat (3:18)
--Needles and Bones (3:22)
--Twelve O'Clock Part 1 [Hellish] (3:12)
--Twelve O'Clock Part 2 [Heavenly] (5:36)
--Aries (2:05)
--A Way (3:45)

This is the album from which the main theme of "Cosmos" was taken.

It is somewhat blunt to refer to the Cosmos theme as "Heaven and Hell, Part One" as often happens, because as it turns out "Heaven and Hell, Part One" refers to the entirety of SIDE A of the original vinyl LP album - a good 22 minutes of music containing some wildly different pieces. Of course, it doesn't help that the labeling of this and many other of Vangelis' albums is so lazy and clumsy, and you may often find entire sides being sold as a single track, both on CD's and in digital mp3 downloads.

Since it is high time that a better breakdown appears on the internet, I'll attempt one here. The actual titles are taken from a listing that appears only on the remastered version of the album, and can be considered "official".

Heaven and Hell, Part 1 / Side A:

  1. "Bacchanale" (4:40). It takes some time to get to the good stuff on this album. "Bacchanale" begins the CD, and truthfully is not that great a piece. I found the composition to be exceedingly silly and completely ineffective at engaging any emotion. The execution also seemed crude and under-rehearsed, with the pounding chorus vocals out-of-sync with the cheesy 70's synth that tried to keep pace.
  2. Symphony to the Powers B - Movement 1. There's about 19 seconds of creative piano play in the middle of this otherwise drab continuation of crude overblown choral orchestration. It is less indicative of "Heaven" as it is religious inflexibility. The break between movements 1 and 2 is not obvious - I'm going to guess that it is 3:56 into this piece, with the final chord of movement 1 echoing over the gentle hook of movement 2.
  3. Symphony to the Powers B - Movement 2. At last, we improve. I like this part of the piece, which now resembles a good, interesting, classical piece of music in its composition, realized with the unique sound of Vangelis plus choral accompaniment. My guess is that movement 2 lasts approximately 4:13.
  4. Symphony to the Powers B - Movement 3 (4:03). Now this is the beloved theme from "Cosmos", inextricably fused to Carl Sagan's vision of humanity logically slowing down to appreciate the awe of the universe from a standpoint of peace and goodwill. Excellent.
  5. So Long Ago, So Clear (4:58). Not being a big fan of sung music, I thought I wouldn't like this, but Jon Anderson does quite good work here, the lyrics seem tasteful, and with so many choral vocals on most of the other tracks on this album already, this does turn out to be one of the better selections here. Good.

Heaven and Hell, Part 2 / Side B:

  1. Intestinal Bat (3:18) delivers some quiet and very experimental music, evoking a spooky, suspenseful mood, perfect for movie scoring. Apparently this did feature in early versions of Cosmos, episode 12, but later versions use tracks by Boydstun instead.
  2. Needles and Bones (3:25). This is a lively ol' jig played on echoing marimba and tin triangles, or bones and needles, plus other percussion and synth. Weird. You can picture dancing, smiling skeletons having a laugh here.
  3. Twelve O'Clock - Part 1 (Hellish - 3:12). Unlike early parts of Side A, there's a high degree of artistry on display here... used to produce a sound of sickness, decay, and despair. You can hear the frustrated struggle between insects and the corpses of the undead that they've come to feast on here. Oh my! Yes, well done, but I don't think I'll be listening to this very often.
  4. Twelve O'Clock - Part 2 (Heavenly - 5:36). This may be the most beautiful piece on the entire CD after the Cosmos theme, a simple but gorgeous harmony swelling up from hauntingly ethereal choirs and a vocal solo by Vana Veroutis. This soothes the soul, for sure, but may leave you a bit sad if you repeat it too often. Don't be surprised if you have a hard time getting it out of your head afterwards.
  5. Aries (2:05). A loud piece, with a pompous synth brass and pounding big band drum, as though announcing a marching parade of ... rams?
  6. A Way (3:45). The start of this is really merged with the previous track, but it's a nice and rather quiet way of segueing out of the album and ending on a sweeter new age note. More of a mood setter than any kind of memorable melody or song.

Vangelis
Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer?

Original music
composed by
Vangelis

Audio CD / mp3 Album

"Cosmos" uses not only the Main Theme from this album, but also portions of Part One's long mid-section as well.

An alternate title for this album and the film it came from is "Ignacio".

U.S.
CD

mp3
Canada
CD
U.K.
CD

mp3

CD

This is another Vangelis album with all the selections for each side of the original vinyl LP crammed together into a single track for CD and mp3 versions. For my own sanity, I have invented some titles purely on my own - They should be considered "unofficial", just aids in helping us identify different parts of the music. Sandwiched between the two versions of the main theme on Part 1 is essentially one big piece of music, which I have arbitrarily split into four.
Also, "Rattle Your Pots" and "Twist Your Pan" can easily be considered one long piece.

Track Listing:

1. Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer? (Part 1 / Side A) - 21:20

  • Main Theme (4:18)
  • Ancient Angles (4:33)
  • Eye of Refuge (4:06)
  • Moon Cheese (1:54)
  • Affirming Nebula (2:46)
  • Main Theme Embellished (4:09)

2. Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer? (Part 2 / Side B) - 18:17
  • 70's Mental (3:49)
  • Rattle Your Pots (2:48)
  • Twist Your Pan (3:01)
  • Libra Lullaby (3:35)
  • Horologium Holiday (5:14)

The Main Theme and "Ancient Angles" portions feature often in "Cosmos", but episode 7 also features "Libra Lullaby" from side 2, and a tiny snippet of "Eye of Refuge".


Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No. 11
"The Year 1905"

Original music
composed by
Dmitri Shostakovich

Audio CD / mp3 Album

U.S.
CD


mp3

Canada
CD
U.K.
CD


mp3


This is another important selection of "Cosmos" music, where additional subdivisions between portions of its fairly long movements are advantageous for figuring out exactly which bit of music was used where.

Though this recording by the Houston Symphony Orchestra isn't the exact performance used on the episodes of Cosmos today, it is the exact one used in the official single-disc Cosmos compilation albums listed above. This performance is also listed in the cue sheet for episode 7 of the very first broadcast of Cosmos in 1980. As we have subdivided it here, Part A of Movement 1 is exactly the amount of the composition that appears in the first episode.

But of course, why stop at Part A? Part B begins with a gentle melody on woodwinds that "Cosmos" often attached to Johannes Kepler, hence it practically became his "theme", and indeed, all parts of this symphony's heavily atmospheric first movement were used throughout Cosmos.

Additionally, portions of the wilder second movement also appeared in Kepler's episode, making the entire glorious symphony quite collectible.

Album Contains:

Movement 1. The Palace Square (Adagio) - 15:04

  • Part A (5:37)
  • Part B - Kepler's Theme (5:51)
  • Part C (3:48)

Movement 2. The 9th of January (Allegro) - 19:51
  • Part A (3:24)
  • Part B (2:09)
  • Part C (5:30)
  • Part D (1:23)
  • Part E - Action (3:50)
  • Part F - Quiet (3:52)

Movement 3. Eternal Memory (Adagio) - 11:33
  • Part A (4:32)
  • Part B (7:01)

Movement 4. Alarm (Allegro non troppo) - 15:50
  • Part A - Alarm (8:43)
  • Part B - Requiem (4:39)
  • Part C - Finale (2:39)


Vangelis
Beaubourg

Original music
composed by
Vangelis

Audio CD / mp3 Album

Beaubourg (1990 CD):

U.S.
CD

Canada
CD
U.K.
CD

mp3

Track Listing:

1. Beaubourg (Part 1 / Side A) - 18:00

  • Bonkers (4:34)
  • Cracked and Shattering (7:43)
    • [includes "The Rev Ballet" (1:25) excerpt]
  • Contemplations (1:21)
  • SOL Prospects (4:18)

2. Beaubourg (Part 2 / Side B) - 21:00
  • Tube Dance (2:22)
  • Champollion Intrigued (3:18)
  • Way Out (5:17)
  • Forlorn (1:47)
  • Strumboline (1:12)
  • Winky and Whacky (3:53)
  • Ominous (2:58)


This is another Vangelis album with all the selections for each side of the original vinyl LP crammed together into a single track for CD and mp3 versions. Indeed, trying to listen to the whole thing in one go may drive a person crazy. Each side seems to begin with some of the most challenging material on the album, and end with its most atmospheric. For my own sanity, I have identified naturally occurring subdivisions in the music, and invented some titles purely on my own.

Portions used in "Cosmos" include "SOL Prospects", "Ominous", bits of "Champollion Intrigued" and
"Contemplations", and the final sting(s) of "Winky and Wacky".

Beaubourg: Remastered Edition

U.S.
CD
Canada
CD
U.K.
CD

mp3


The diverse collection of "world music" on Voyager's Golden Interstellar Record
proved to be useful for the soundtrack of Sagan's first Cosmos series,
as most episodes feature one or more tracks from this album...

Murmurs of Earth
Voyager Golden Record

2-disc CD album

This album contains music, sounds, picture data, and greetings in multiple languages that were on the Voyager Interstellar Record launched with the two Voyager spacecraft now traveling beyond the edge of our solar system.

U.S.

When looking for the music collected on Voyager's Golden Record, BE WARNED - There are several different albums out there that all look very similar, but may be quite disappointing. There's one widely available version with a NEARLY identical cover that has just the sounds and greetings on it - no music whatsoever! This version with the music AND COMPUTER DATA now seems to be a very rare out-of-print version.

However, a re-mastered compilation, new for 2018, is available from the listing below:

Track Listing:

Disc 1:
1. Computer Data (photos, etc.)
2-4. Greetings from the peoples of Earth
5. The Sounds of Earth
6-16. Music

Disc 2:
1-16. Music

(In no particular order,) Voyager's Record includes:

J.S. Bach - Brandenburg Concerto #2, Mv. 1
J.S. Bach - Partita #3 "Gavotte en Rondeau" (Arthur Grumiaux)
J.S. Bach - Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 Prelude and Fugue #1
Beethoven - String Quartet #13 Cavatina
Beethoven - Symphony No. 5
"Flowing Streams" (Bo Ya / Kuan P'ing-hu)
"Kinds of Flowers" (Mangkunegara IV) (Indonesian Gamelan)
Senegal percussion
Solomon Island Panpipes
Zaire Pygmy girls' initiation song
Australian Aboriginal songs: "Morning Star" and "Devil Bird"
"El Cascabel" (Lorenzo Barcelata)
Johnny B. Goode" (Chuck Berry)
New Guinea Men's House Song
Crane's Nest performed by Goro Yamaguchi
Mozart - Die Zauberflöte: Aria No. 14
Tchakrulo - Georgia Men's Choir
Peruvian Panpipes and Drums
Peruvian Wedding Song
Louis Armstrong - "Melancholy Blues"
"Mugam" (Kamil Jalilov) - Azerbaijan
Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring, Sacrificial Dance (4:35)
Bulgarian (Shepherdess) folk song (Valya Balkanska)
Navajo Night Chant
"The Fairie Round" (Anthony Holborne)
"Jaat Kahan Ho" (Kesarbai Kerkar) (India)
Blind Willie Johnson - "Dark Was the Night"


Voyager Golden Record
40th Anniversary re-release
NEW for 2018 February

2-disc CD album
with hard-back book
Ozma Records

This album contains music, sounds, and greetings in multiple languages that were on the Voyager Interstellar Record launched with the two Voyager spacecraft now traveling beyond the edge of our solar system.

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

When looking for the music collected on Voyager's Golden Record, BE WARNED - There are several different albums out there that all look very similar, but may be quite disappointing. There's one widely available version that has just the sounds and greetings on it - no music whatsoever!

Quite a few of these same recordings were used on the soundtrack of Carl Sagan's original Cosmos series.

Track Listing:

1. Greeting from UN Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim
2. Greetings in 55 languages
5. UN Greetings / Whale Songs
4. The Sounds of Earth

5. J.S. Bach - Brandenburg Concerto #2, Mv. 1
6. "Kinds of Flowers" (Mangkunegara IV) (Indonesian Gamelan)
7. "Cengunmé" - Senegal percussion
8. "Alima" Zaire Mbuti Pygmy girls' initiation song
9. Australian Aboriginal songs: "Morning Star" and "Devil Bird"
10. "El Cascabel" (Lorenzo Barcelata)
11. Johnny B. Goode" (Chuck Berry)
12. Mariuamang - New Guinea Men's House Song
13. Crane's Nest performed by Goro Yamaguchi
14. J.S. Bach - Partita #3 "Gavotte en Rondeau" (A.Grumiaux)
15. Mozart - Die Zauberflöte: Aria No. 14

16. Tchakrulo - Georgia Men's Choir
17. Peruvian (Ancash) Panpipes (Roncadoras) and Drums
18. Louis Armstrong - "Melancholy Blues"
19. "Mugam" (Kamil Jalilov) - Azerbaijan
20. Igor Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring, Sacrificial Dance (4:35)
21. J.S.Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2 Prelude+Fugue #1
22. Beethoven - Symphony No. 5
23. Bulgarian (Shepherdess) folk song (Valya Balkanska)
24. Navajo Night Chant
25. "The Fairie Round" (Anthony Holborne)
26. "Naranaratana Kookokoo" - Solomon Island Panpipes
27. Peruvian Wedding Song
28. "Flowing Streams" (Bo Ya / Kuan P'ing-hu)
29. "Jaat Kahan Ho" (Kesarbai Kerkar) (India)
30. Blind Willie Johnson - "Dark Was the Night"
31. Beethoven - String Quartet #13 Cavatina


Vangelis
Albedo 0.39 (1976)

Original music
composed by
Vangelis

Audio CD

"Cosmos" fans will be particularly interested in "Alpha" which was used often throughout the series, and "Pulstar" which was used in episode 8.

Albedo 0.39 Remastered Edition:

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Albedo 0.39 Remastered Edition

All Tracks by Vangelis
This album listed on CD only.

Track Listing:

1. Pulstar
2. Freefall
3. Mare Tranquillitatis
4. Main Sequence
5. Sword of Orion
6. Alpha [remastered]
7. Nucleogenesis (Part One)
8. Nucleogenesis (Part Two)
9. Albedo 0.39

"Alpha" is noticeably different in its remastered form, with a greater variety of new instruments and sweeteners joining in on each subsequent verse.

Albedo 0.39 (1989 CD):

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Vangelis - Albedo 0.39

All Tracks by Vangelis
This album available on CD or MP3 download.

Track Listing:

1. Pulstar (5:45)
2. Freefall (2:20)
3. Mare Tranquillitatis (1:45)
4. Main Sequence (8:15)
5. Sword of Orion (2:05)
6. Alpha [original] (5:45)
7. Nucleogenesis (Part One) (6:15)
8. Nucleogenesis (Part Two) (5:50)
9. Albedo 0.39 (4:30)

Both the original and the remastered versions of "Alpha"
can be heard in modern presentations of "Cosmos".
(In other words, you may want them both.)


Vangelis
3CD Box Set
"Original Album Classics"
  • Heaven and Hell
  • Albedo 0.39
  • Spiral
U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Track Listing:

DISC ONE - HEAVEN AND HELL:
1. Heaven and Hell Part 1 / So Long Ago So Clear
2. Heaven and Hell Part 2

DISC TWO - ALBEDO 0.39:
1. Pulstar
2. Freefall
3. Mare Tranquillitatis
4. Main Sequence
5. Sword of Orion
6. Alpha
7. Nucleogenesis (Part One)
8. Nucleogenesis (Part Two)
9. Albedo 0.39

DISC THREE - SPIRAL:
1. Spiral
2. Ballad
3. Dervish D
4. To the Unknown Man
5. 3 + 3


Now, if you go looking for Cosmos music by Vangelis, one album that may come up early in your search is this:


Vangelis
Cosmos

Original music
composed by
Vangelis

Audio CD

This album contains several tracks that were used on Cosmos, plus much music that was NOT part of the Cosmos TV show. It was previously released as
"Vangelis - Greatest Hits"

Click on the U.S. or U.K. Amazon symbols of the Greatest Hits version of the album to purchase mp3 downloads of individual songs, or to listen to samples.

This Edition 2000/2001:

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Cosmos [Album]

All Tracks by Vangelis
This album available on CD only.

Track Listing:

DISC ONE:
1. To The Unknown Man
2. 12 O'clock
3. Bacchanale
4. Pulstar
5. Beaubourg
6. Dervish D

DISC TWO:
7. Spiral
8. Alpha
9. Albedo 0.39
10. A Way
11. Heaven and Hell, 3rd Movement (Theme from "Cosmos")
12. So Long Ago, So Clear
13. Ballad
14. Sword of Orion

Vangelis - Greatest Hits 1990:

U.S.

Canada

U.K.

Vangelis - Greatest Hits

All Tracks by Vangelis
This album available on CD or MP3 download.

Track Listing:

DISC ONE:
1. To the Unknown Man (9:02)
2. 12 O'Clock [Part 2 - Heavenly] (5:18)
3. Bacchanale (4:39)
4. Pulstar (5:46)
5. Beaubourg (Excerpt including Side 1: Bonkers) (10:34)
6. Dervish D. (5:15)

DISC TWO:
1. Spiral (6:56)
2. Alpha (5:45)
3. Albedo 0.39 (4:21)
4. A Way (3:27)
5. "Cosmos" Theme [Heaven and Hell, 3rd Movement] (4:03)
6. So Long Ago, So Clear (by Jon & Vangelis) (5:01)
7. Ballad (8:26)
8. Sword of Orion (1:58)

As you can see, it is often less expensive to go for the version labeled "greatest hits" rather than the one labeled as "Cosmos".

In any case, I can presently only confirm that five of these tracks feature music used in modern DVD presentations of Sagan's TV series:

  • Alpha
  • Pulstar
  • Spiral
  • A Way
  • and of course, "Theme from Cosmos"
Two more featured only in the original 1980 versions of the show:
  • Sword of Orion
  • 12 O'Clock [Part 2 - Heavenly]
Even then, you'll still be missing out on many of this composer's iconic contributions to the series.
Additionally, one might be tempted to think that the Beaubourg track was also a part of "Cosmos".
However, if the Beaubourg excerpt is merely the first 10:34 of Side 1 as it appears to be,
you wouldn't actually be getting any part of that album that was actually used in "Cosmos".

A closer look at a couple of rare classics:

"Alien Earths" - A tour of early exoplanet findings by their discoverers.

Cosmos: a Special Edition (1986)
Details of the Vangelis "Comet" version...

The "Far End of the Universe" documentary reviews:
What is the ultimate cosmology of the entire universe? How did it begin, and what do we know about how it might end?

Cosmos 10: The Edge of Forever - Galaxies, Universes, Dimensions

The Universe: "Cosmic Apocalypse" with Season 2 rankings

"Venus Greenhouse" reviews:

Tales of harsh environments, such as a "runaway greenhouse effect" on Venus, can trigger our worries of achieving truce and harmony with our own environment here on Earth. But can we respond thoughtfully and carefully, or will we panic and do something silly?


Cosmos 4: Heaven and Hell - Comets, Impacts, Venus
Cosmos 13: Who Speaks for Earth? - Cultural Leadership and Wisdom
The Universe 7: "Mercury & Venus: The Inner Planets"

From an examination of our fluctuating ambitions towards exploring Mars,
to an investigation of long-term atomic construction in many different types of stars and other phenomena,
Cosmos delivers some of its best and most popular episodes:
Cosmos 5: Rockets to Mars

Cosmos 9: The Lives of the Stars

The "Intelligent Life" reviews:
How much polarization still exists in the Human attitude towards
Extra-Terrestrial life? How many conflicting beliefs do we still entertain?
Is there a way to reconcile these differences?
Here, we examine several documentaries with different slants on the issues:

Cosmos 11: The Persistence of Memory
Cosmos 12: Encyclopaedia Galactica
The Universe 13: Search for E.T.
Ancient Aliens 1: Chariots, Gods, and Beyond

How well do modern scientists really know their Einstein? How many of the popular oft-recited mantras actually CONTRADICT his theories?

Cosmos 8: "Journeys in Space and Time"

The Universe: "Light Speed"

Our expanded listings contrast the music of the
2000 Collectors' Edition with the original 1980 soundtrack.... and reveal a few previously undocumented inconsistencies.

Cosmos 9: "The Lives of the Stars"


Discover more music specific to each episode on our data capsule reviews,
beginning with episode 1: "The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean"



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