tour of duty.. music matters..
So.. one of my favorite shows when I was growing up was Tour of Duty… it ran for 3 seasons, and followed a platoon of soldiers through the Vietnam war… So, I was pretty excited that Sony decided to release the entire series on DVD last year, which I then bought for Andy for his birthday since he was a huge fan of the show too.. We used to have to tell our mom ahead of time what TV shows we planned to watch that week, since she didn’t let us just “channel surf”, so.. Tour of Duty was one of those shows for sure..
Now, I understand that re-watching shows from your youth sometimes doesn’t really withstand the time. Like, when I saw MacGyver again a few years ago, man, I really didn’t realize just how cheesy that show was. But after a few decades, MacGyver looks soooooo cheesy.. And what’s up with the re-use of like the same asian actors over and over and over agian?
Anyway, back to the Tour of Duty DVDs.. I noticed something was wrong when I first started watching the show.. The theme song for the show was “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones, and it was such a perfect song to open every week’s new show.. On the DVDs, that awesome song has now been replaced by this cheesy, generic tune. Yuck. So, from the very first second that we started watching, it was all wrong.. I watched a bit of the first season, and then.. put the DVDs away for almost the whole year, and tried to start watching them again today.. I realized now that it wasn’t just the theme song that they’ve replaced.. but ALL of the period music from the original series has been replaced by super cheesy generic music. AAARRGH. How f’n frustrating is this?!? The show is marginally watchable now, but man, with the original music intact, I’m sure it would still be awesome..
If you don’t think music makes a difference, here are the two intros…
With generic cheesy music
And.. with the original music
Hmm.. which is better? (damn, that stones song is good)
Anyway, someone actually has put together a petition to convince Sony to release Tour of Duty with the original music, but I dunno.. maybe they don’t really care, they already have my money. And, would I buy the whole series again? I dunno. Argh. They should let me upgrade the crappy version that I bought already.
Ok, I’m done ranting.. but honestly, it’s annoying to have 14 DVDs that you don’t even really want to watch.. Serves me right, I guess I should have just Netflixed it.
August 22nd, 2006 at 8:15 am
The theme song was the BEST part of that series. Yes, it was a good show, but TNT (or some similar cable channel) was running it in syndication a few years ago and like McGeyver, it’s not nearly as good a few decades later. That being said, Paint It Black is still AWESOME, and I actually credit this show with getting me interested in the Stones (pathetic, I know).
Obviously Sony thought they could save some money here by not licensing the songs for DVD release, but how lame is that?!?!?
November 9th, 2006 at 4:33 am
I totally agree with you guys. For Christmas the last few years, my brother and I have been getting the seasons for our Dad. We used to watch the show with him with the original theme of course. We thought that our memories were wrong about the theme song and that we were imagining it. Were is that Sony protest? I want in!!
December 12th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
I am so glad I read about the music deletion. As a Vietnam Helicopter pilot, I loved the songs as they were the period I was there. The Music IS what we remember and they have trashed what I believe to be the best depiction of the Vietnam War ( until they changed their direction and had too many China Beach dramatics)!!!!! Maybe someday I can buy the Real Deal!!??
March 22nd, 2007 at 2:05 pm
whats the song at the end of the credits on tour of duty not paint it black
April 24th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
The ‘generic’ music you’re referring to was written by the composer of the show’s original music writer Joseph Conlon. The theme was featured at the end of each original episode during it’s initial season one run on CBS during the 1987/88 run. I also remember it from a two hour VHS movie I saw back in the early nineties.
I thought it was something else that was being featured. This is NOT a cheesy opening, but rather, Joseph Conlon’s own original composition for the end title track on all original 22 episodes from the first season. Conlon then wrote a toned down version for seasons two and three.
May 1st, 2007 at 9:46 pm
yes but does the song have a name????
May 16th, 2007 at 1:59 am
Really?? Toned down music?? I also can’t remember the SONG that played at the end of each show….I was sure it was a well known song……not some obscure composition…….it is killing me I can’t remember what is was…….IT was a powerful emmotive ending!!
May 26th, 2008 at 3:20 am
The opening song was one thing, but the add-on theme now runs throughout the series, within each episode. Somehow we’ve got this idea that the pan flute or some similar airy toodely flute is The Instrument played in the Vietnam region, much like banjos are exclusive to the Ozarks and polka music is the sound of Wisconsin. It is too bad that someone felt it would be acceptable to substitute the flute music into the Tour of Duty series. When you see the platoon sergeant emerging out of the bush with his emotionally troubled (and now dead) comrade on his back, and then load the soldier’s body into the Huey to the tune of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”, now that was powerful.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:48 am
look personall i think that the paint it black opening was better but, the show is still awesome i love it! on the first episode pilottheres a rock and dolll tune played when they are flying out on their first miision in the hueys and its also in Saigon Part 1 when there flying out in that. can some1 please tell me what this tune is its really good !!
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:59 pm
this is horrible. without the original music the show sucks. the whole idea was the sixty’s feel of the show. now its pointless. nothin g fits. i wasted my money