Gil Melle: 1931 - 2004

By: Randall D. Larson
Date: Thursday, November 04, 2004

Composer Gil Melle, an innovator in mixing electronic and orchestral music, died last Thursday, October 28 of a heart attack at his home in Malibu, California. His work in the early '70s included a trio of high-profile films for television: MY SWEET CHARLIE, THAT CERTAIN SUMMER, and FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY. His most well-known film score was THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, which was surprisingly his only soundtrack LP (the STRAIN record was notable in that the first edition included a hexagonal-shaped vinyl record, housed in an innovative hexagonal-shaped, fold-open jacket. Later releases had the same fold-out jacket but included a regular round record.)

As an innovator in the use of electronic music in films of the 1960s, Melle contributed to a great many science fiction, fantasy, and horror television and feature film scores including NIGHT GALLERY (theme and episodes), THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN (original TV-movie), A COLD NIGHT'S DEATH, THE QUESTOR TAPES, KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, STARSHIP INVASIONS, WORLD WAR III, and many others. Melle's efforts preceded almost everyone else's experiments in electronic film music, and resulted in the first true electronic film score.

Tune in to Soundtrax next week as we pay our respects in tribute of Gil and his Music ala' Melle, including Part 1 of a mostly-unpublished retrospective interview with the composer.


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