2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984) Original Music

When director Peter Hyams was looking for music for his movie '2010: The Year We Make Contact', he knew he could never use classical music without being seen as a Kubrick copycat. An original score was of course the only obvious option.

Hyams contacted Genesis keyboard player and composer Tony Banks regarding an original score in early 1984, having been impressed by Banks' theme for the 1978 Jerzy Skolimowski movie The Shout. Banks and Hyams met in March 1984 and had by all accounts a fruitful discussion.

They quickly agreed on the project. "The guy chose me because he really loved the theme from The Shout," Banks said, "he could sing it! I couldn't believe that as it was difficult to sing anyhow, it hasn't got much of a melody. I thought that I was on to a winner here as that was like stuff I could write in my sleep. I met him and things went well and then I went home and made a demo of about five or six pieces."