Dear Blogcritics readers, I must begin with a confession. Aside from only catching a few impressive minutes here and there, I have never seen an entire episode of Mad Men. Just like as a film buff, I refuse to watch a movie if I’ve wandered in even a minute late, when it comes to television series — especially ones as highly acclaimed as creator Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men — I don’t want to try and just fill in the blanks by leaping in half-heartedly mid-season.
Obviously, needless to say, I’m incredibly thrilled that the first season has been released this summer on DVD. Now if only everyone would stop adding it to their Netflix queues, hopefully, I’ll become quickly initiated into the film’s early 1960s-era New York City setting surrounding successful ad man Don Draper who works for the fictitious Madison Avenue agency Sterling Cooper.
After its debut was met with sixteen Emmy nominations, two Golden Globe awards, and one prestigious Peabody, creator Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men quickly became the hippest topic around the water cooler. And given Weiner’s background working on David Chase’s The Sopranos which changed the way that music was woven into a storyline (just in that tremendous opening credit sequence alone) in a show that ultimately produced two soundtrack albums, it’s no wonder that Mad Men: Music From The Series, Vol. 1 is a proverbial knockout, especially when you factor in the era of its source material.
Additionally, much like The Sopranos, one is instantly aware given a first listen that this will be one of several volumes offered by Mad Men. In fact, my only complaint is that in less than forty minutes in length, it’s far too short and I realized at once that I wanted to hear more. For Mad, the music is so crucial to establishing not only a sense of time and place but mood that it serves as an incredibly vital, yet easy to overlook subtle extra character. In fact, as Matthew Weiner wrote in the liner notes, the show’s music “is never an accident,” with his pointed philosophy to “do as much to enhance the feeling of the period while offering an artistic commentary to the themes of each show.”
![Mad Men - Season One [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vhtc7Lj0L._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - Manuel Rodriguez
Here's a bit of trivia for you. The opening string-orchestra-theme music from "Mad Men" is actually stolen from the first six bars of the introduction to an arrangement by Enoch Light (of Enoch Light and the Light Brigade) of "Autumn Leaves". The introduction which eventually was used as the "Mad Men" theme quits where the "Autumn Leaves" tune begins and then just repeats for another 8 bars with a heavy Latin/Rock percussion track superimposed over it. I just happened to be listening to the CD "The Most Beautiful Music in the World" by Enoch Light and the Light Brigade when I suddenly recognized the theme music from "Mad Men" (but without the heavy percussion). Curiously, the CD (PRD 5109) was released on the Project3Records label in 1992. The actual recording may be from the 1970's or even earlier (it is discontinued now). Enoch Light recorded in the early 1960's for the Command label (subsequently bought by American Broadcasting Company). So he was certainly prominent during the time frame in which "Mad Men" takes place.
2 - Jen
Wow, that is fascinating. You have a great ear for music. Now I can't wait to check out that particular track... interesting. Thanks for the post and Happy New Year!