Varèse Sarabande release a single CD of music from The West Wing, from composer W.G. Snuffy Walden...

This is a bit of a strange release... and I'm not really sure why this album has been reissued. In 2017 the label released a 2-CD album (44 tracks - 1 hr, 48 min, 17 sec) of music from The West Wing. This new release has the same album cover, but has condensed the music down to a single CD (29 track - 1 hr, 10 mins). Surely, if you're a fan of the show and enjoyed the music, then the 2-disc edition would be the one you'd want to go for.

The previous release (which was a long time in coming) was apparently "Curated by fans, for fans," so this watering down of that album seems rather odd. Not only are there less tracks, but the track list has been reordered - which, to be fair, I felt made it flow a little better.

But if you put aside that head scratcher for a while, the question is is the music worth owning? The short answer is "Yes". The full answer is "Hell, yes!"

There's a lovely nostalgia surrounding this album. If you enjoyed the series, then a lot of this music will transport you back in time. Walden delivers so many intricate themes. Tracks like 'The 14th Amendment' made me realise how similar in style some of the music is to shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, mostly because they both focus on the trumpet as an instrument to signify both power and loss. They also both use the string section and drums quite prominently.

If you're a fan of the show you should really try to get hold of the 2-disc release. But if you're tight on money, then this single disc release packs enough quality in to ensure you won't be disappointed.

8

Darren Rea