SECOND SEASON:

The second season is much more orchestral than the first season, with relatively few keyboards/synthesizers used, and a lot of tense horns and cheesey-sounding strings. The first and second season themes sound rather odd when juxtaposed; it can make one of the second-season cartoons suddenly seem hokey when a first-season theme is used after a second-season one. I apologize for my dirth of second-season examples, but I don't have many of the episodes on tape.

Industrial Theme: sound clip (only the first few seconds; ignore the rest.) Starts off with some very low brass. Moderate, a serious, 'work' sort of piece; the best part is some swelling horns and strings near the end. Piece ends on an upbeat note. This piece was a big contributer to the sometimes darker feel of the second season. Often seen as the beginning of a flashback. Also used for space shots. Somewhere in the beginning of Cosmic Rust; Dweller in the Depths when we break from the battle on Cybertron to check in with the Quints; Chaos, first scene of the planet Dread; FFoD 1 when the Sweeps are inside Unicron's head (the swelling horns are right before Cyclonus activates the monitor); end of Rodimus's Matrix-given history lesson in FFoD 4; end of Ultimate Weapon, when Rodimus calls Galvatron's bluff; KtVS 2, when the Autobots are constructing the Aerialbots.

The Parade theme: sound clip Self-explanatory. Starts off with a very marital sounding drum, then some flutes; upbeat, peppy. Heard during the Decepticon Day scene of Megatron's Master Plan; during Rodimus's speech at the Intergalactic games in FFoD part 1; Thief in the Night, during the scene in Red Square, before Trypticon steals the Kremlin; the closing scene of Chaos, when everyone is riding in Skylynx and Kup starts telling stories again; KtVS 2, when the Aerialbots introduce themselves (anybody notice that you can't see Fireflight at all when he states his name? Or was that just on the SciFi Channel? :).

Tension Builds -- dramatic, off-key piece which alternates frequently from loud and fast to quiet and slow. Ends with some wierd synthesizer and a tense bass build-up which is the most commonly heard part of it (or is the build-up part of the Clumsy Theme from Season 1? I honestly can't tell.) Tension Builds is heard in FFoD 5, the end of the game of cog football; end of Atlantis, Arise! when the water is blowing up; Starscream's Ghost, when the Skuckzoid gets his gun eaten, looses his grenade, then jumps on Octane and starts punching him; KtVS 2, when Vector Sigma gives life to the Aerialbots.

For comparison purposes, here's a list of when Tension Builds and The Clumsy Theme each have that bass ending played after them:
*Tension Builds w/ end: Atlantis, Arise!; Starscream's Ghost; KtVS 2
*Clumsy Theme w/ end: Only Human; Rebirth 1

Maybe it's all one piece, which was never played in unedited form?

Attack Theme: starts with some tense high string flourishes. Eventually evolves into a horn-driven piece. Final battle of Trans-European 2000, when Menasor causes the pearl to break loose from its casing; Dark Awakening, after Kup yells "Charge!" during the tomb battle; Chaos, when Sky Lynx enters the first battle; FFoD 2, when Galvatron blows up the storm on Jupiter; FFoD 5 when Trypticon attacks Autobot HQ ("Autobots, we've GOT to hold that thing off till the cog arrives!" I love that line); again when Sky Lynx arrives on Io and blows up all the little red thingys.

Our Heroes at Work: the quintessential second-season piece. Upbeat horn piece; starts with cheesy trombones underlain by tense strings, then some very inspirational horns come in. Dinobot Island 2, when Prime and co land and attack Megs.

The Great Heroes Theme: sound clip. Starts off with some tense but grandious horns; pauses briefly with a bit of piano. Middle contains some very energetic strings, and a series of brass and string blasts as a finale. Commonly a lead-in for a commercial. Heard in FFoD 2 when Galvatron destroys the planet Thrall (not Throb, not Thrull, THRALL!! As in "to hold in thrall". ;) FFoD 3's beginning, when the Autobots are escaping from Quintessa; FFoD 5 as Trypticon approaches the disabled Metroplex ("If Skylynx don't show, call this the end!"). Killing Jar, before the first commercial break, when they're caught in the electron storm; Only Human, when the Autobots are put through the Synthoid chambers; Trans-European 2000, from when Dead End blows away Swiper and Sunstreaker, to when Motormaster trashes Wheeljack; the Rebirth 1, the first part of the attack on Cybertron, when Sixshot blows away the Aerialbots.

Into Battle: sound clip. Worried piece. Frantic bass strings are quickly joined by a tense, choppy horn section echoed by tenor strings. Has a carnival-like horn in the middle, then goes into a pathos-evoking string bit, then ends on an upbeat note. Autobezerk, the attack scene in the canyon (when Ramjet hits Megatron, and Starscream is left behind); Dark Awakening, starting when Rodimus realizes the 'cons are on-board the tomb. The Golden Lagoon's beginning, when Blitzwing and co. attack the Autobots. Atlantis, Arise!, the underwater fight scene (with Brawn, Bumblebee, Wheeljack, and Hound), and again beginning when the Dinobots attack the shield; FFoD 1's battle scene at the Olympics, both before and after the commercial break; beginning of FFoD 2 when Rod and Grim are getting clobbered by the 'cons, and again when the Sharkticons finally attack Magnus and co. in the pit, and Springer and co. arrive; FFoD 3 when the 'cons attack the Earth space platform; KtVS 2, when the Aerialbots come out of nowhere to blast the Stunticons, ending when Menasor and Superion form; TRoOP 2, when Galvatron is battling the infected 'cons on Charr.

Offense: starts off sounding very much like Into Battle, but it's more stuccato, peppier, more upbeat, and slower, with percussion; then a single horn comes in, followed by strings (which are really great, BTW). Has a neat little flute bridge near the end; ends with 'last-minute crisis', and an upbeat note. Heard in full when they get out of the electron storm in Killing Jar; Chaos, when Kup blasts the creature with the giant cannon and the 'bots escape from the planet; FFoD 2 when they attack Quintessa and pull Magnus et. al out of the Sharkticon pit; when Superion fights Menasor in KtVS 2; FFoD 4 when Wreck-Gar saves the bots on Goo; FFoD 5 when Sky Lynx and co. fight the Predacons.

Defense: tense battle piece, starting with meduim stucato strings, then trombones or something come in. Ends downbeat. Briefly heard as the rockaroid approaches Charr in FFoD 1; Dark Awakening when the tomb crashes into the sun, and continued as the escape ship crashes on Cybertron; IS when the 'bots go to rescue Wheeljack and Ironhide; KtVS 2's recap of KtVS 1; FiaLTC, when A-3 whips out the Coda Remote or whatever it's called and whups up on the guardians; when 'bots are driving to D.C. in AA! (check out the "exit ramp" that Bumblebee takes. I bet that thing causes a lot of accidents; it's worse than Highway 40 in St. Louis. :)

?? When Ratchet and Wheeljack arrive with the antidote in Insecticon Sydrome. Sounds like a variant of the above piece.

On the Run: tense, almost desparate battle piece; has a 'pause' near the end with cool, fast horns playing a single note. Ends on a note of crisis. Near end of Make Tracks, when Raul distracts the 'cons from the out-of-power Tracks; Chaos, when Kup's explanation is interrupted by Blast-Off and Runamuck's attack; Burden Hardest to Bear, when Bruticus and Defensor are fighting.

Losing Battle: Dark, tense, fast. Ending part of Rodimus and Optimus's battle in Dark Awakening; Hoist Goes Hollywood, when Dirge crashes; Insecticon Syndrome, when the log goes sailing over the waterfall (presumably taking the Autobots with it); Killing Jar, after the derilict is destroyed; beginning of Carnage in C Minor, when the 'cons are preparing to fire the giant rocket. Maybe the same as FFoD 1, when Outback's explosive downs Ramjet and Dirge, but I'm not sure -- the ending of this one seems longer than the others.

Brutalities of War: sound clip. Despartely tense horn piece. Killing Jar, as the derelict crashes into the black hole; first part of the third-season narrative trailer about the Decepticons; Chaos, first part of the battle at the mine (aka the Really Big Fight at the End); FiaLTC, during the big fight between the rebels and the guardians; TRoOP 2, when the giant spider attacks the 'bots.

New Hope: tense horns, building up to something. Fight or Flee, when Sandstorm powers up the escape shuttle ("Come on, don't let me down!"); Killing Jar, when the radio message from the derilict arrives.

Danger Afoot: Very energetic but downbeat, worried. Contains cool, rapid bass strings near the end (do-do-doot, do-do, do-do do-do do-do doooo). FFoD 2 right before Kup's "rush 'em and pray!" bit; EtNb, when Nightbird gets her sword back from Prime; Key to Vector Sigma 2, when Shockwave radios Megatron, who is flying around on Earth; FFoD 1, when Blaster and Outback are using the "Decepticon detector"; Webworld, when Cyclonus and the Sweeps finally free Galvatron from the purple stuff.

Investigation: A slow version of Danger Afoot. dark, slow, slightly ironic piece, dominated first by muted trumpets, then by mid-range bass strings. Chaos, when they arrive on Goo and Blurr turns the goo off. Somebody wanna find me some more examples of this one?

All or Nothing: crisis snippet. Fight or Flee, when Divebomb fires at Sandstorm's ship and misses.

Unspoken Subtleties: sound clip #1 || sound clip #2 (first few seconds only). Dark piece, starts quiet and slow with high echoing, slimy-sounding keyboard notes underlain by bass strings, then more tense horns come in. Has really neat rising bass strings near the end. Dweller in the Depths, when the Quints offer the power core to Galvatron; Chaos, on Goo right before Blastoff and Runamuck (that's the white one, for you non-Battlecharger fans out there) attack; FFoD 1, when Dead End opposes giving up energon; "Prime Target" after Prime has escaped the net, and the Triple Changers arrive.

Cooperation: Upbeat all-synth piece. Heard during the negative universe scene of Killing Jar; Dark Awakening, after the 'bots crash on Cybertron; Burden Hardest to Bear, when Sky Lynx lands with Rodimus and Kup.

Consideration: really cool synthesizer piece. Quiet, mellow. KtVS 2, after the Stunticons have been driven off (or just called off, depending on who you listen to); Chaos, when Kup is taking readings and spouting technobabble on Goo, right before he says "Death crystals!"

Fatal Decision: sound clip. The orchestral version of Consideration. Slow, serious; starts with ironic-sounding horns, then develops into a more serious piece, with low bass strings carry the best parts of the melody. Big Broadcast, when Rodimus is bored, and Sky Lynx arrives with news; FFoD 3 when Galvatron gives up chasing after Blurr and Wheelie; IS when 'cons get into Iron Mountain while the Autobots dig out of the rubble; CiCM when they're looking for Alegra and Blaster starts babbling about the planet's culture; briefly in TRoOP 2 as Optimus takes the Matrix from Rodimus.

Fighting Against Fate: sound clip #1 || sound clip #2. Similar to Fatal Decision, but darker, more desolate. Starts with a triad of rolling synth notes, then a deeper synth cuts in and builds up as more instruments come in, climaxing with tense muted horns. Megatron's Master Plan 1 when the Autobots board the rocket and leave earth; KtVS 2 when the Autobots roll out to stop Megatron from using the key's power; near the end of Burden Hardest to Bear, when Galvatron confronts Scourge; TRoOP 1, when Ratbat reports back to Soundwave; beginning of "The God Gambit", when the sky god is being readied for worship; "Child's Play", when the Autobots at HQ are searching for their missing comrades.

Still Advancing: sound clip. Starts off tense and quiet with low horns, then takes a relieving turn with high-pitched horns. "Prime Target" when Optimus frees himself from the electric net, and briefly again when Bumblebee radios Prime, awakening him (and continued in the next scene?)

Waiting to See: sound clip (ignore the first few seconds). Slow piece. Starts with a single, long drawn-out, odd-sounding, ringing synth note, then some strings and horns come in. "Prime Target" as the Triple Changers wait to ambush Prime, just before he passes up on freeing the captive girl; "Nightmare Planet" as Springer tries to think of a way out of the prison cell.

That Was Unexpected: Odd, ironic, slightly peppy piece with stuccato horns. "Prime Target" when Astrotrain blasts Optimus in the back, before Chumley puts him down.

Catching Up: sound clip #1 || sound clip #2 (first few seconds only). Tense, fast-paced piece. Starts with mid-range strings followed by high, then horns come in. Heard in "Aerial Assault" as the junk-car caravan prepares to depart.

Planning: sound clip. Dark, slow, ironic, slightly upbeat at the end. Starts off with rising bass strings (has a little flute run in it, too), then quiet, marital horns. DitD when Rodimus and Perceptor watch the energy drain; FFoD 1 when Perceptor is looking at the remains of a Sharkticon; FFoD 2 when Cyclonus and the Sweeps leave Charr, and again when Rodimus wakes up; Chaos, during Kup's Ik Yak story; Ultimate Weapon, when Galvatron kicks the unconscious Stunticons; ETNB as Nightbird makes her way into Autobot HQ, when Prowl and Spike are in the elevator; Forever... when Beta introduces the 'bots to her fellow rebels; Madman's Paradise, when the 'bots examine the dimensional chamber; TRoOP 2, when they're first shown walking through the caverns, and they come to the giant spider web.

Dark Corridors: Marital, desolate. Starts with drums, then swelling horns with underlying keyboards which carry the tune for most of the piece. Ends tense. When Nightbird gets past the floor tiles in ETNB; Dweller in the Depths at the end of the Quint flashback; Quintesson Journal, just before Sky Lynx bursts in (when the conference is "hereby reconvened!"; KtVS 2, when Ratchet is first seen repairing Omega Supreme; DitD, when Galvatron and co. can't find their way out of the caverns.

Dark Discovery: sound clip. Dark, quiet, trebling bass horn swells, then high-pitched strings. Hoist Goes Hollywood, after Dirge crashes; Burden Hardest to Bear, when Dead End and Wildrider find the Matrix; Quintesson Journal, when the two warring sides contact the Quints for a second time ("Delivery is confirmed, your destination."); "The God Gambit" when Jero shows the energy crystals to Astrotrain.

What to Do Now?: Dark, brooding piece starting with low strings, ending with dripping guitar notes over quiet keyboards. Just before Galvatron attacks the sweeps in FFoD 2; Starscream's Ghost, when Cyclonus has "captured the traitor" in the crypt; Thief in the Night, when Abdul is talking with his advisors about how much oil Trypticon and Octane are using up; Madman's Paradise, when Daniel and Grimlock fall through the disk into the alternate dimension, and again when they are first shown in the castle listening to the Red Wizard's tale; first scene with Quintessons in Dweller in the Depths, when they're watching the power core on screen; The Rebirth 1, when the 'cons find Scourge unconcious in the plasma energy chamber.

Domain of Evil: sound clip. downbeat, tense, dark. Starts with brooding bass keyboards playing a single chord, with a couple of runs of tenor strings over them, then overlying high horns come in. Nightmare Planet, when Springer and Razorclaw are tossed in the dungeon by the dragon, and again after "the fantasy is over", when the Predacons try to combine but can't; FFoD 1, when the Schuckzoid communicates with the Quints (who are still shadowy bad guys at this point); Dweller in the Depths, when Quints are almost to Cybertron and the two-faced one requests a chance to destroy the creature; FFoD 3, during the Quints' "quiet chuckle"; FFoD 5, when Blitzwing overhears the Quint's plans; Big Broadcast, when Cyclonus tries a second time to convince Galvatron; Ultimate Weapon, when Trypticon can't transform right.

Assessing the Damage: short, dark piece, with off-key horns or synth. Dweller in the Depths, after Arcee has blasted the creature through the wall; FFoD 2, when the rockaroid deposits Grimlock and Rodimus on the ground; Key to Vector Sigma 2, when Alpha Trion speaks from within Vector Sigma; Money is Everything, starting when the Quints blow up Dirk's ship; as Rod and UM arrive at Metroplex with Trypticon's cog in The Ultimate Weapon; FFoD 2, when the rockaroid sets Grimlock and Rodimus down on the planetoid.

Looking In: sound clip. Quiet, somewhat lonely or desolate piece. Begins with something like an electric piano, and a bass sax or obo playing a trilling note over it; ends with a low-key resolution in horns. Opening shots of "The Core" showing the river and waterfall.

Crushed: sound clip #1 || sound clip #2. An odd, frantic piece driven by strings, to match the odd situations it is typically shown with. Desertation of the Dinobots 2 when Spike and Carly do in the Sentinel by crushing it in a doorway; Golden Lagoon, when Omega Supreme fights and is defeated by the Decepticons ("Results: disapointing!"); FFoD 4, when Trypticon transforms for the first time; FFoD 5 when the minibots stage their ambush on Trypticon, and he transforms to dinosaur mode; Autobot Run, when the 'bots use the Transfixatron against Devastator.

Out of Control: odd, tense, stuccato piece, horn-driven. FiaLTC, when the Quint scientist is explaining all the disasters that are about to happen; Burden Hardest to Bear, when Hot Rod trashes Scourge in the RBFATE.

Race Against Time: Tense piece which starts off with cheezey keyboards, then trilling flutes and horns join to add even more tension. One of the best second season themes. Desertion of the Dinobots 2, starting when Spike picks up Carly and carries her; Enter the Nightbird, just before Nightbird disapears into thin air inside Autobot Headquarters; Golden Lagoon, while the 'cons are standing on top of the fallen Omega Supreme; FFoD 1, during the race scene with Jazz; Quintesson Journal, when the 'bots first find the journal; Chaos, when they find Sky Lynx injured; TRoOP 2, when Jessica and Galvatron are infected. One of the relatively few second-season pieces that was common in the third season.

Prelude to Grand Events: sound clip. Starts off grandiose but tense, with alternating tenor and bass horns; ends with despairing, disastrous feel, full of base strings, horns, and maybe a synthesizer. Megatron's Master Plan 1, the end, when Megs sets the Autobot ship on a course into the sun; Insecticon Syndrome, when Bombshell re-assembles Shrapnel; Chaos, after Sky Lynx and co drive off the Predacons and pull Blurr out of the mud (when Grimlock announces that "it time to destroy that monster Chaos"); Dark Awakening, when Op and Rod first battle on the flagship; Fight or Flee, when Galvatron gives the order to "turn the molecular cannon on them!"; TRoOP 1, when the 'bots get trashed by Superion and Defensor gets contaminated (darnit, that made me mad. Defensor shoulda been able to whip Supe, no problem. Anyway, I'd have rather seen the Protectobots journey with Prime to Charr than Kup et al.)

The Big Explosion Theme: sound clip (BE Theme starts after the pause.) Lots of horns, wraps up with tense strings. Heard whenever there's a catastrophic explosion. Heard in its entirety at the end of Fight or Flee, as Paradron explodes; at the end of Traitor, when Megatron blows up the electrocells; end of FFoD 2 as Quintessa explodes; Dark Awakening, when the Autobot flagship blows up the incoming interceptor ship with Rodimus and co. aboard; Atlantis, Arise! when SubAtlantica pops up out of the ocean; in Insecticon Syndrome when Bombshell cerebro-shells Starscream; Chaos, when Kup finally faces the monster; FFoD 3 when Blurr and Wheelie land on Io.

Trapped: tense battle piece. Starts with tense ascending mid-range strings; ends on a note of tense crisis. ETNB, when Nightbird is trapped in the canyon, and the Autobots jump up the cliff in succession; in Quintesson Journal, when Cyclonus and the Sweeps attack Sky Lynx, who then gets pulled through a warp gate by the Quints; FFoD 1 when Springer and Arcee take off after the ship which has just defied the quarentine.

Incoming: sound clip. Another battle piece; tense and fast. Starts with tense, high strings; ends upbeat. Very beginning of FFoD 1, as we watch Unicron blow up; the "She was playing robotoppossum!" scene from Enter the Nightbird; beginning of Chaos, when Blast Off attacks the Skuckzoid; Insecticon Syndrome when the Insecticons bust out of the power plant and trash Wheeljack and Ironhide; during the "year 2000" part of the third season trailer where the narrator rambles on about the Decepticons; Madman's Paradise, when Grimlock is first shown fighting, and is wondering where the Red Wizard is.

Digging Out: dark, sad piece, but ends upbeat. Enter the Nightbird, in the 'con base after Prime has lost his laser rifle; The Master Builders, when they're digging through the wreckage looking for Grapple and Hoist; Quintesson Journal, when all the guys at the conference are lying around unconscious; Chaos, when Blast Off lands and gets the gun; FFoD 1, after the torch is put out and the battle at the stadium ends; Dweller in the Depths, when Springer breaks them out of the debris pile; Dark Awakening, as the Autobots fly into the tomb. Something similar but with a keyboard is heard in Chaos, when Kup finishes telling the story of his run-in with the monster.

Holding Action: sound clipTense, franic, downbeat battle piece; ends upbeat. Heard as the 'bots fight the Stunticons in KtVS 2; FFoD 5 when Trypticon destroys Autobot HQ; Enter the Nightbird, when the 'bots and 'cons fight (I think! The soundtrack to ETNB is very faint, very hard to hear), and Megs frees Nightbird; when the 'cons withdraw from Junkion in Big Broadcast; first scene of "Prime Target", when the Russian jet is shot down.

Calm Before the Storm: Starts off with tense bass strings, then quiet tenor horns. Ultimate Weapon, when Rod and Magnus drive up to Vortex; Meg's Master Plan 2, in the factory right before the earth jets attack; KtVS 2 when the 'bots arrive at the military base; DitD when Galvatron and co. leave Cybertron, and the creature bursts to the surface; heard completely in Forever is a Long Time Coming when Beta blasts the guardian to save Blaster and co. from being stepped on.

Decepticon Victory: Starts as a slow, tense, dark piece with stuccato horns; then there's a very quick acending scale of horns and flutes, and it ends with climactic, distastrous horns. Usually a lead-in to a commercial. Megatron's Master Plan 2, when the Autobot ship is destroyed; Killing Jar, when Marissa undergoes her 'betrayal' bit with her father; FFoD 2, when Galvatron is on Thrall beating up on Cyclonus; Dark Awakening, when the Quints unleash their attack on the Autobot fleet; Golden Lagoon, when the 'cons attack the dummies at Autobot HQ; when Hoist drops Spike and Carly into the pit of 'flesh-eating lava' in Hoist Goes Hollywood; heard completely in Thief in the Night when the Aerialbots spy on the 'cons and get attacked by Trypticon.

Betrayal: Starts off quiet and happy, then devolves into a despairing piece, with high-pitched strings repeating a simple rift over and over. Ends with a strained but relieving change of tone. Atlantis, Arise! when, in D.C., the 'cons and the SubAtlanticans are plotting against each other; heard in its entirety during Starscream's Ghost, starting when Kup sees the 'cons leaving the planet, up until Rodimus lets them go; Thief in the Night, when Octane and Trypticon are chowing down on energon, and Octane announces that "His Excellency wants a new palace! So we'll GET him a new palace."; the Rebirth 3, when the 'cons "rip out their power packs!" to fuel the engine. I'm not sure if the bit at the end -- a bunch of strange, upbeat, high-pitched strings and stuccato horns -- is part of it. This bit is heard in FFoD 3, after Rodimus stops the garbage machine; Thief in the Night, after Trypticon has brought Fort Knox to Carbomia and Abdul decides to let them stay a while longer.

The Sports Theme: Upbeat, sorta goofy. Starts off with mid-tone horns, then strings or other horns echo them a couple of notes below. Turns slightly serious at the end as the horns go through a series of down-notes. Not to be confused with the Parade Theme. Heard in the 'funhouse' scene of Nightmare Planet; in Atlantis, Arise! when Hound and the Dinobots are playing football; in Triple Takeover during the football game; in Spike and Prime's one-on-one in The Master Builders; FFoD 3, when the 'bots land on Goo ("This isn't a planet. I dunno *what* it is!")

Sojourn: sound clip. Starts with a synthesizer, then briefly becomes a traveling, horn-driven piece; then turns upbeat and jaunty. FFoD 1 when Blaster and Outback are landing in their ship and arguing with that Abdul guy; Desertion of the Dinobots 1, when they're driving in Carly's car to find the Dinobots ("Me Swoop want to hear 'brilliant' part!")

Situation Reversed: Starts upbeat, with flutes and horns; takes a downward turn during a pause with piano. Near end, has almost overwelmingly swelling horns; ends tense with horns. Heard in Only Human when Michelle reveals her betrayal to Rodimus; Atlantis, Arise! when Nerguel knocks out the 'bots, and Wheeljack tries to radio Optimus; FFoD 2 when Galvatron attacks the Sweeps; FFoD 3 when Blurr and Wheelie bail out of the shuttle; FFoD 5, during the recap of the previous episodes, again when Skylynx approaches Metroplex, and again after Spike destroys the switch, and the Quints escape; Madman's Paradise, when the tree warriors overpower Grimlock.

Comic Relief: jaunty piece, starts off with very distinct bass stuccato strings (ie, dunt-dunt-dunt...), overlain with an obo. Ends with slightly mysterious-sounding strings. Atlantis, Arise! when Wheeljack and co. drive into the ocean; Quintesson Journal after Galvatron pounds on the thing and shouts "this is WORTHLESS!"; FFoD 3 when Galvatron goes through the warp gate to attack earth; Big Broadcast when Sky Lynx brings Superion back to Cybertron.

Turning the Tables: Begins very quiet and still and tense, with horns; then suddenly turns into a sort of parade or victory march. Heard entirely in Fight or Flee when Sandstorm and Ultra Magnus dodge the Constructicons' missle and throw it back at them; Atlantis, Arise! when Prime calls for volunteers to check out the mysterious energy readings; CiCM's end, when Blaster erases Soundwave's tapes.

Desolate Place: a solo Chinese flute, I think. Plays in The Ultimate Weapon when First Aid arrives at the junkyard; Face of the Nijika, when Katsudan is explaining to Perceptor that Nijika hasn't moved or spoken for a long time; Burden Hardest to Bear, during the first part of the scene in the dojo, right before Hot Rod has his little chat with the sensai.

Gothic Destruction: sound clip. Cool, worried piece. Starts off with cool obos, then becomes a battle piece with energetic horns and strings. Has an awesome bridge done with a bass piano or some sort of percussion near the end; ends on a note of crisis. One of the best of the second season. When Wreck-Gar is captured in the Killing Jar, and again when they fly through the black hole; in Only Human, before they're nearly squashed by the garbage compactor; FFoD 1's end, when Rodimus and Grimlock are blasted off the cliff; Atlantis, Arise! when the Autobots attack Subatlantica; Secret of Omega Supreme's beginning, when they move the asteroid into orbit; Trans-European 2000, when Bluestreak first battles the Stunticons; The Rebirth 1, when the 'con clones are stealing the key.

Third World: slow, exotic-sounding flutes or something. "Burden Hardest to Bear" (opening scene); "Microbots" ?????; "Trans-European 2000" ????.

Autobot Preparation: upbeat horn piece. Heard in KtVS 2, when Silverbolt finally changes the other Aerialbots' minds; Dinobot Island 2, when the Autobots fly off to fight Megatron at Dinobot Island; Fight or Flee, when Rodimus is handing out assignments just before the attack on Paradron; TRoOP 1, when the Autobots first enter the lab building to rescue Optimus.

Final Battle: Downbeat action piece. Starts quiet with a trilling obo overlying mid-range keyboards, playing a single chord several times. Slowly builds up with lots of horns and a piano-like synthesizer instead of bass strings. Best used at the end of Dark Awakening when the flagship crashes into the asteroid; also heard in Atlantis, Arise! when the 'cons are making energon cubes; Quintesson Journal, when 'cons land to examine the journal; FFoD 2 when the rockaroid plucks Grimlock and Rodimus off of Charr; ETNB when Starscream escapes from his cage; end of TRoOP 1, when Optimus is reactivated.

Resolution: sound clip. Very short piece heard as the plot wraps up. Starts off with a synthesizer, ends with a brass and string winddown. Dinobot Island 2, when the bots destroy Megatron's energon cubes; KtVS 2, when Megatron recalls the Stunticons from their first attack against the Autobots; FFoD 2, after Spike, Kup, and Magnus have been dumped into the pit ("Pay us no mind. We just... like to watch."); Nightmare Planet, when the giant Galvatron picks up Rodimus and Headstrong.

Farewell: sound clip. Relieving, almost romantic piece, dominated by strings. End was excerpted sometimes for the end of episodes. End of Dark Awakening, when the 'bots watch the explosion of the detonator; Thief in the Night, the last scene where Abdul is making all sorts of strange promises and Metroplex is putting all the monuments back.

Bad Joke: maybe a one-timer; sounds like it came out of Scooby Doo or something. Peppy horns. Final scene of Insecticon Syndrome, when the 'bots are standing around laughing at Spike's dumb one-liner and striking goofy poses (look at Optimus if you don't know what I'm talking about.)

Generic Rock Song #2: Has a horn section and is actually a pretty cool piece of psuedo-jazzy music. Watch Autobop if you want to hear it played over and over again. Watch Blaster Blues if you want to hear it played at the same time as Generic Rock Song #1.

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On to the third season themes