At last, the eagerly awaited sequel to the original Airwolf Themes 2CD set! This looks like it will be one of only a handful of merchandise/events released to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the series but even so, this one is a real treat and when it arrived, I felt like I did in the late '90s when I had just become a fan of the show! With the original Airwolf Themes, Mark Cairns displayed a dedication, talent, and attention to detail which were truly astounding. Recreating episodic themes which are largely buried under dialogue and sound effects is not an easy task, but Mark managed to do it to a level of accuracy which most Airwolf fans had only dreamed about. Not only that, but he also brought us four tracks conducted by Sylvester Levay himself, and produced a glorious accompanying booklet, and put all of this together professionally in a beautiful package. The bar had well and truly been set, so it's perhaps fitting that it should be Mark who would then raise it! Mark has once again done a sterling piece of work in recreating a whopping 20 episodic themes from throughout the series' first three seasons, many of which have been on the 'wish-list' of countless Airwolf fans for a very long time! In this release are some of the more memorable episodic themes, such as those from And They Are Us, Mind Of The Machine and Airwolf II, as well as some great renditions of orchestral pieces like the music playing in Hawke's Cabin at the end of Echoes from the Past and of course the legendary Eagle's Cello Theme. We even get the Song of the Revolution from Proof Through the Night... Dom was humming a Communist song and you may well be too after listening to the track! Overall there's a nice variety both in track selection and performance, and Mark for the second time has done a first-rate job. Then we come to the other disc (which is actually Disc 1), which even in a by the fans, for the fans release is most definitely for the true fans. A cynic, someone who doesn't really like the show or hasn't even seen it before (sadly, these people do exist!) would possibly label this disc as being simply 22 versions of the same tune. But fans of the series know that three years of airtime produced many, many variations on a Main Theme... there's synth versus orchestral, there are ascending and descending bridges, lots of little nuances and everyone has their favourite. For the monumental task of trying to please everybody, Mark delegated the Main Themes side of things to talented long-time Airwolf fan, Jan Michal Szulew, and it seems his trust was well founded. Jan is no stranger to producing Airwolf music, having done so in a fan capacity even as far back as the 90s, and he has done some fantastic work here, covering both the TV and 'Movie' versions of the Pilot episode, the slow version of the theme heard in 'One Way Express' as Hawke thinks things through during a short flight in Airwolf (a personal favourite theme of mine!) as well as various aerials, trailer and credits music from Seasons 1-3. I can honestly say I don't think there is a single stone left unturned on this disc, but with one of Jan's own mixes on the CD too, I'm sure we'll see some more work from him down the road and I'm certain we'll all be looking forward to it. The packaging on this release is beautifully done, with a booklet containing several previously unreleased photos and an interview with composer Udi Harpaz, making this a must-have addition to any Airwolf merchandise collection. As an added bonus, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the CD comes with pack of Collector's Cards, showcasing the new range of Airwolf paintings by artist Roger Shore now available as posters through Airwolf Themes; as the proud owner of two older posters featuring Roger's work, it was lovely to see that particular project resurrected. In closing I would like to thank Mark and Jan for their hard work and dedication in bringing us this particular labour of love which I only wish my great-grandfather Francis could have listened to - he used to refer to Airwolf (in his strong Irish accent) as The best show on the television and would occasionally sit the 18-month-old me on his knee when watching it. I'm very proud to have supported the project, as I am proud to have been an Airwolf fan for so many years. And if any of you reading this are still trying to make your minds up... you don't want to miss out and eventually have to pay inflated prices on eBay, trust me, this is well worth it. Or as Colonel Vidor would have put it: "This is where you get your moneys worth, sweetheart... with interest!"

Rob Cassidy

Wow, okay. I just finished listening to this the whole way through. Although I enjoyed greatly the first [Airwolf Themes] CD set from 1999, honestly there are only a few tracks that were ever in regular rotation for me. The synths weren't close enough to the original recordings, and the mastering level was overall quite low. and while Sly's bonus CD was a treat especially for the cello solo again, the close fidelity to what I heard and remembered on the show just wasn't there. It was incredible to have Mind of the Machine in Sly's 1st Season Medley, but it was soooo different from the original recording. For this new release... MY GOD. I'm astounded. Beside myself. I've been waiting five long years with Jan's Main Themes EP on repeat, waiting, reading the Airwolf Blog updates, listening to each new teaser as they were slowly unveiled. It was worth it. I will say that this is absolutely as close to the original recordings as we are ever going to get. I dare any listener to select a handful of standouts Airwolf II, And They Are Us, Mind Of The Machine, Proof Through The Night, the Pilot Orchestral Suite and tell me this is not exactly what you hear when you're watching the show on disc. Since we've all been listening to Jan's work on the Main Themes EP for several years now, frankly, Disc 1 had fewer surprises for me here. I knew his style, his mastery of the equipment, and so on. but what REALLY has impressed me is Mark's Disc 2. HOLY HOLY. Is this the SAME GUY that made that album back in 1999? Are you kidding me? Airwolf II is NOTE FOR NOTE perfection. Mind Of The Machine is GLORIOUS. I don't know how he did all this (just guessing five years of hard work) but I am more than BLOWN AWAY. Thank you Mark and thank you Jan for what you have given us Airwolf fans all over the world. I find it incredibly difficult to pick favorites, but I'll list a few per season that gave me absolute SHIVERS: Original CBS Airwolf Seasons 1~3 music covered. SEASON 1 Personal Recommendations: Airwolf Main Theme PILOT Kafir Palace Raid + Red Star Rest Run Airwolf Main Theme PILOT Orchestral Theme Airwolf Main Theme PILOT Closing Theme Airwolf Main Theme Season 1 Slow Main Theme SEASON 2 Personal Recommendations: SWEET BRITCHES Epilogue Airwolf Main Theme Season 2 FALLEN ANGEL / HX 1 Airwolf Main Theme Season 2 + 3 Generic Closing Theme (extended) CONDEMNED SEVERANCE PAY SEASON 3 Personal Recommendations: THE HORN OF PLENTY AIRWOLF II Airwolf Main Theme PILOT, Season 3 Journey to Red Star [MOVIE] / EAGLES Aerial Theme (extended) HALF-PINT Le Vans Theme HAWKES RUN

Davey Jones