The front cover of the original 1979 UK release of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with cover art by English art design group Hipgnosis.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (appended with "Part One" for the subsequent Canadian release) is the adaption of the first four radio episodes into a double LP. It was originally released by Original Records in the United Kingdom in 1979, and in 1982 in the United States and Canada.
Plot[]
The script in the first double LP very closely follows the first four radio episodes, although further cuts had to be made for reasons of timing.
Despite this, other lines of dialogue that were indicated as having been cut when the original scripts from the radio series were eventually published can be heard in the LP version. The Simon & Schuster cassettes omit the Veet Voojagig narration, the cheerleader's speech as Deep Thought concludes its seven-and-one-half-million-year programme, and a few other lines from both sides of the second LP of the set.
Cast[]
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The back cover of the original 1979 UK release of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with cover art by English art design group Hipgnosis.
Most of the original cast returned, except for Susan Sheridan, with Cindy Oswin taking her place.
Other casting changes in the first double LP included Stephen Moore taking on the additional role of the barman, and Valentine Dyall as the voice of Deep Thought. Adams' voice can be heard making the public address announcements on Magrathea.
Behind the scenes[]
Because of copyright issues, the music used during the first radio series was either replaced, or in the case of the title it was re-recorded in a new arrangement. Composer Tim Souster did both duties (with Paddy Kingsland contributing music as well), and Souster's version of the theme was the version also used for the eventual television series.
Paul Neil Milne Johnstone complained about his name and then-current address being included in the recording. This was corrected for a later pressing of the double-LP by "cut[ting] up that part of the master tape and reassembl[ing] it in the wrong order"
The inside of the original 1979 UK release of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, with art by English art design group Hipgnosis.
Sequel[]
A sequel LP, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Part Two: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, was released in 1980.
Notes and references[]
- All images sourced from the unofficial Hipgnosis website hipgnosiscovers.com.