The Lesser-Known John Colby Trilogy - Part I

Song - Terminator

Artist(s) - John Colby

Released - N.A.

Primetime Usage - 1992-93

Contained on - N.A. (Sound Clip)

Featured Highlight - Bills @ 49ers, 1992


As I hinted in the previous post, the first of the forgotten John Colby Primetime songs may have a thematic connection to Arnold.  "Terminator" has the most heavily electronic sound of the set.  This may also explain why it was phased out pretty quickly, an idea I touched on in my Leading from the Front post.  It's also oddly upbeat for it's name, especially when compared to the dark, brooding, and heavy synth associated with the first Terminator movie.  Unlike the better-known Colby songs, these ones are only available in partial form on John Colby's website (AFAIK).  I've never encountered full-length cuts anywhere on the net.

Terminator's featured highlight is the Super Bowl we all thought would happen but never did.  In 1992, Buffalo visited Candlestick Park and knocked off the 49ers in a game that had over 1000 yards and zero punts.  This result also personified the early-'90s Bills' tendency to always beat NFC teams in the regular season, but never beat them in the postseason.

FOOTBALL!!!!!!

Song - Leading from the Front

Artist(s) - John Fiddy & "Sammy Burdson" (Gerhard Narholz)

Released - 1985

Primetime Usage - 1989-90

Contained on - SON 234 (Success Story Vol. 2), Sonoton SCD 34 (Success Story Vol. 5&2)

Featured Highlight - Saints @ Buccaneers, 1989


In retrospect, it makes sense that NFL Primetime stopped using a lot of the tracks from the Sonoton music library after a couple years.  It was the '90s, most of the Sonoton stuff was super synth heavy, and '80s synth was soon to be rendered passé with the rise of the grunge movement.  There's one Sonoton track, however, that stands out among the rest in begging the question:  "why in the hell would they stop using that?"  "Leading from the Front," by the familiar pair of Fiddy & Burdson/Narholz, screams "FOOTBALL!!!!!!" more than perhaps any other song used in the entire history of NFL Primetime.  It has a decidedly more American—even "southern-fried"—sound than the Euro-themed tracks that dominate the Sonoton pantheon and, as a result, it works well for just about any NFL game ESPN would wish to highlight.  It's just a shame they ditched Leading from the Front after just two years on Primetime because I'm sure it would've been regarded on the level of International Statement & Powersurge if it had lasted to the more popular era of the show.

Fitting the style of Leading from the Front, here's a tough, hard-hittin', quarterback-injurin' highlight featuring two southern teams.  Enjoy this, and enjoy the 2016 NFL season!