ROBERT REED, TOM NEWMAN, LES PENNING – THEME FROM DOCTOR WHO – INDIE

What we have here is an EP featuring two different mixes of a very interesting take on the famous Doctor Who theme, which is both instantly recognisable but also very different indeed. My normal rule of thumb on cover versions is that musically they should stay true to the original without sounding anything like it, and this hits that out of the park. Imagine Mike Oldfield being asked to recreate it in his own image and then you may get close to hearing what this sounds like. Both Tom Newman and Robert Reed have then provided their own mixes of the take, and it is intriguing to hear what they have both done with it. Then on top of that there are two more songs from each of the three, with one of Tom Newman’s unavailable elsewhere (and once you have heard “Happy Chickens” you will understand why, and Robert teasing us with a segment from the yet to be released ‘Sanctuary III’. If ever anyone was taking up the baton passed by Mike Oldfield in the Seventies then it is Robert Reed, and I look forward to the album with great interest. This is well worth getting if you have ever loved Doctor Who, Mike Oldfield, or fo course anything by the three guys involved – quite superb.

Physical copies of all of Rob’s releases are available through his site, but if you are interested just in digital then visit https://robertreed.bandcamp.com

8/10 By Kev Rowland