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Friday, May 23, 2008Ennio Morricone Psichedelico Jazzisticoél / Cherry Red Records Following on, here's a quick look at another Ennio Morricone compilation CD, but substantially different from The Legendary Italian Westerns. These tracks are taken from the late sixties and early seventies, and while not quite as 'psychedelic' as the title would imply, they are certainly surreal, and in places have an almost dream like quality. But these dreams aren't always nice dreams. As some of this music is taken from Giallo films, the music is often creepy and, at times, abbrasive. But is one of the many charms of this release – the diversity of sounds and musical styles on it. Sometimes the music drifts into religous choral sounds, backed up with church organ, and at other times it slips into very sinister carnival music. There is one track that can only be described as an 'organ freak out'. There's even some straight ahead 70's grinding funk. Also, as you'd expect from Morricone, there is a wide variety of pianos and keyboards. If you have heard only Morricone's soundtracks for The Mission and a few Spaghetti Westerns, you may be in for a bit of a shock listening to this. These tracks aren't all nice melodies (although there are those on the album too). But the bulk of these tracks, mess with your head. If that's a mind space that you like being in, then you'll find a lot to enjoy here. Track Listing 1. Plume Di Cristallo from L'Uccello Dalle Plume Di Cristallo 2. Non Rimane piu Nessuno from L'Uccello Dalle Plume Di Cristallo 3. Corsa Sui Tetti (AKA Black Glove Underground Pt. 1) from L'Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo 4. Come un Madrigale from Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio 5. Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio from Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio 6. Sauna from Metti Una Sera A Cena 7. Alla Luce Del Giorno from Metti Una Sera A Cena 8. Uno Che Grida Amore from Metti Una Sera A Cena 9. Sospesi tra le Nuvole from Forza G 10. Forza G (Psichedelico Jazzistico) from Forza G 11. L'Assoluto Naturale from L'Assoluto Naturale 12. Studio di Colore from L'Assoluto Naturale 13. Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto from Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto 14.Terraza from Il Gatto 15. Marianzela e la Seduzione from Il Gatto Labels: Composer: Ennio Morricone, Soundtracks posted by David at 12:48 AM | 0 Comments | Wednesday, May 21, 2008Ennio Morricone The Legendary Italian WesternsBMG / RCA 1990 When it comes to film composers, very few people are as prolific and as popular as Ennio Morricone. And as popular and as diverse as Morricone is, his most successful soundtracks are his scores to countless Spaghetti Westerns. This compilation CD collects the cream of the crop and whacks them on one very enjoyable CD. The opening track, ‘A Gringo Like Me’ has to be one of the toughest drinking songs ever written. It extols all the virtues and requirements it takes to be a man in this rough old world. How’s this for lyrics: Keep your hand on your gun. Don’t you trust any one. Be the first one to fire. Every man is a liar. Don’t be a fool for a smile or a kiss, or your bullet might miss... keep your eye on your goal. There’s one thing that’ll save you your life, It’s your hand on your knife... and the Devil in your soul. I know, I know...it’s pure poetry. But in their defence, the liner notes state: “They were often written by lyricists whose command of the English language was at best primitive...” But the lyrics don’t really matter. It’s the tunes underneath, and what great tunes they are! After ‘A Gringo Like Me’, which is from the movie Gunfight At Red Sands there are three tracks from Guns Don’t Argue. One of the three, ‘Lonesome Billy’ is from the same lyrical school as ‘A Gringo Like Me’. Then we’re into the big guns (if you’ll pardon the clumsy western analogy). Next we’re treated to seven tracks from A Fistful Of Dollars. If that doesn’t get you whistling, nothing else will. The next four tracks are lifted from the film, A Gun For Ringo which starred Giuliano Gemma. Following this, we return to Eastwood territory with a fine selection of cuts from the For A Few Dollars More soundtrack. Here you get a bit of everything, from the twangy title tune, the showdown and even the musical pocket watch. After that there are a few short brackets. First one number from Ringo Rides Again and then two tracks from 7 Guns For The MacGregors. Next is the song ‘From Man To Man’ from Death Rides A Horse, which starred John Philip Law who sadly passed away last week. Despite all the different roles that Law played, Sinbad, Pygar (the angel in Barbarella) - to me, he’ll always be Diabolik. The CD closes out with four tracks from Once Upon A time In The West. I really love the track, ‘Man With A Harmonica’. If I could have a theme played every time I walked into a room, this would be it. But I guess it could get a bit annoying after a while...but I think it would impress people that don’t know you. Whoa...let’s not mess with this guy. He’s one tough hombre. Listen to his theme music! I guess the big gaping hole on this compilation is that there are no tracks from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, but that’s not to denigrate the tracks on this album. They are all pretty good, but the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is probably Morricone’s most recognised musical work, and as such, it seems like a strange omission. If you’re a Morricone lover, but you don’t want to buy all the soundtrack albums individually, then this compilation isn’t a bad fall back position. Labels: Composer: Ennio Morricone, Soundtracks posted by David at 5:27 AM | 1 Comments | Wednesday, February 20, 2008The Silencers
Dean Martin As Matt Helm Sings Songs From “The Silencers”
LA Gloria Records 1966 (New Zealand pressing) Produced by Jimmy Bowen. Arranged by Ernie Freeman and Gene Page.  When The Silencers was released at the cinemas in the mid sixties, two albums were released to accompany it. First there was Elmer Bernstein’s soundtrack album, which features the incidental music and a few numbers by Vicki Carr (Carr dubbed the singing for Cyd Charisse in the film). The second was Dean Martin As Matt Helm Sings Songs From “The Silencers”. It looks like a soundtrack album, but it is just Dean Martin singin’ a few songs that were featured in the movie – BUT with a difference. In the movie, Matt Helm spends a bit of time fantasising about bikini clad dolly birds. During the fantasies, he sings a few old standards, but with cheeky revised lyrics. But here on the album, the songs are performed straight. These are the notes from the back of the album cover...they are written in some weird sixties 'hip' jargon which at times borders on indecipherable...fun, none-the-less. 'DEAN MARTIN, in his neat role as super secret Matt Helm - sophisticate of the world, gutty guy, virile adventurer, devil with the dollies - "thinks" snatches of favorite songs thruout "The Silencers". These "think" songs explode in this album. Martin sings out loud all of the evergreen pops from the film, and sings them with some of the most exciting, hit-sounding arrangements ever suscitated. Backed by the big bands of Ernie Freeman and Gene Page, Martin goes moseying through the grand songs from "The Silencers", and does it with the same easy style that has recently made him into America's most consistent best-selling recording artist. Surrounding his songs are four Elmer Bernstein-authored instrumentals, all themes from the picture, performed in lofty swinging style by the Freeman-Page orchestras. In "The Silencers", Martin plays no poor man's secret agent. Martin secret agents right: dressed up snappy by Sy Devore...chased by nasty Chinese bandits...surrounded by kiss-n-kill cuties...ambushed in motel rooms with supine Slaygirls...every girl he meets makes Apassionata Von Climax look like one runt kid. Fun as females can be, they can also be nasty-deadly, as "The Silencers" proves. But songs by Martin can never be deadly, nor nasty. This zingy album proves that. It's the nicest thing that ever happened to a super secret agent.' TRACK LISTING: Side One 01 The Glory Of Love 02 Empty Saddles In The Old Coral 03 Lovey Kravezit (Instrumental) 04 The Last Round Up 05 Anniversary Song (Instrumental) 06 Side By Side Side Two 01 South Of The Border 02 Red Sails In The Sunset 03 Lord, You Made The Night Too Long (Instrumental) 04 If You Knew Susie 05 On The Sunny Side Of The Street 06 The Silencers (Instrumental) If you’re a fan of Dean Martin, then this album is okay. If you’re after a ‘soundtrack’ album, then you’re bound to be disappointed. The four instrumentals featured on the album aren’t really from the film either. Labels: Soundtracks posted by David at 3:48 PM | 3 Comments | Thursday, February 14, 2008Dick Smart 2.007 / Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die
Mario Nascimbene
 Here’s two soundtracks to Eurospy films from the sixties, composed by Mario Nascimbene. Both movies are set in Rio, so their soundtracks feature a lot of Latin American bossa nova lounge grooves.First up, Dick Smart 2.007 Composed and arranged by Mario Nascimbene. Orchestra conducted by Roberto Pregadio. Released by Hexacord. Dick Smart is a pretty wild Eurospy production directed by Franco Prosperi. It features Richard Wyler as swinging sixties dilettante, womaniser, and part-time spy, Dick Smart. Smart is hired by the CIA, for a fee of one million dollars, after five atomic scientists go missing from around the world. Nascimbene’s score is very good, and the hook will get stuck in your head for days, even weeks perhaps. You will find yourself humming the theme after you’ve finished listening to the album. As the film is primarily set in and around Rio, the soundtrack features a lot of Latin beats, like Sambas and Bossa Novas. Each track gives away it’s musical style in it’s title ‘Samba For Dick’, ‘Bossa For Dick’ etc... There are no vocals until the end track. The male vocal is quite flat – it almost seems spoken. But the instrumentals are quite good, although slightly repetitive, but it is a soundtrack, so you’d expect that a few musical motif’s are repeated. If the album has a weakness, it is that sometimes the instrumentals tend toward ‘elevator music’ with weird sixties electronic sound effects over the top. At the end of the CD, there are some musical cues and control room dialogue from Nascimbene. It is an interesting curio – but doesn’t add much. But still it isn’t a bad album. If you’re a fan of Eurospy Soundtracks, I’d buy this one. I wasn’t disappointed. Track listing: 01 Main Titles Theme 02 Dick Smart Investigates 03 The Amazing World Of Dick Smart 04 The Chase #1 05 Discotheque Party 06 Dick Smart In Action 07 Swimming Pool Bossa Party 08 The Chase #2 09 My Name Is Smart...Dick Smart 10 Samba For Dick 11 The Chase #3 12 The DS 2.007 Shake 13 Kiss Kiss, Girl Girl 14 Bossa For Dick 15 Background Exotica 16 The DS 2.007 Shake #2 17 Finale 18 Il Tuo Sguardo Atomico – End title Song Next, Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die Composed and arranged by Mario Nascimbene. Released by Avanz Records  Firstly, I’ll admit that I haven’t seen Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die, so it’s difficult to place the music in context with the film, but as a stand alone listening experience, this is great. It is better than the Dick Smart soundtrack, but is similar in so many ways. Once again, the film is set in Rio, so the soundtrack has a Latin American feel to it. Although there is a lot more variety on the Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die soundtrack. The closing title song, although not listed on the album, is performed by Lydia Macdonald (I think. Please correct me if you know otherwise). Macdonald, while hardly a household name these days, was a very busy girl in the 1960’s especially singing title songs to Eurospy films. She can be found singing ‘Don’t Ever Let Me Go’ on the soundtrack to Requiem For A Secret Agent; ‘Nothing To Fear’ from MMM Missione Morte Molo 83, and the title track to From The Orient With Fury.As with the Dick Smart, Kiss The Girls also has a few weird sci-fi electronic soundscapes. No doubt, if I had seen the film I’d know what these are. Most likely they are from scenes in the film, where the chief villain is test firing his latest hi-tech weapon. These call be a little bit grating. They aren’t really ‘lounge’ tunes, and as such aren’t really easy listening. But on the whole, this is a pretty good soundtrack album. It’s a bit harder to track down than Dick Smart, but once again, if you are a fan of this type of soundtrack, this is worth hunting down. Track listing: 01 Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die (Main Titles) 02 Kelly Captured 03 Carnival In Rio 04 Scientist's Laboratory 05 Love Scene 06 Susanne's Revelation And Arrest - Escape 07 Car Chase 08 Kelly's Pursuit - Frozing The Girls 09 Kelly Captured (Alternate Version) 10 Frozing The Scientist 11 Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die (With Harps) 12 Susanne And Kelly 13 Guaracha (Version 1) 14 Guaracha (Version 2) 15 Kiss The Girls And Make Them Die (Finale) Labels: Soundtracks posted by David at 6:56 PM | 0 Comments | Tuesday, February 12, 2008Zulu
Original Soundtrack Recording & Selection Of Zulu Stamps
John Barry (1964)  One Saturday morning, in the not so distant past, I was scrounging around the record bins at a local fete when I came across the Soundtrack to Zulu. Strangely, I wasn’t too familiar with the music. Why is this strange? For one, I am a huge fan of John Barry, and secondly, when I was at college, I shared a house with a bloke whose favourite film was Zulu. He’d drag out his old VHS copy at all hours. In the middle of the night, I’d wake up in terror, hearing strange chants emanating from the lounge room. To cut a long story short, I picked up a copy of the album. Hey, it was only two dollars!Since that day, I have found out that there are all sorts of re-issues, and re-recordings of the Zulu Soundtrack. The one I am talking about here is the 1964 version, with narration by Richard Burton (well you’d want that, wouldn’t you?), and on the second side of the album, what is described as a selection of Zulu Stamps. Well they are not exactly ‘Zulu Stamps’. They are sixties pop reworkings of John Barry’s themes from the movie. They do have an African influence, but they are hardly traditional ‘Zulu’ music. Here’s a snippet from Cy Endfield’s liner notes. ”A number of these great traditional dance and song themes have been studied by the brilliant composer and arranger John Barry, who scored the film, and converted to a music so that all of us who listen to this record can do a little dancing of our own. If you learn the Zulu Stamp you will be doing some of the exciting, groovy dance movements that the Zulus themselves use.” With an enticement like that, I am sure that many bored sixties housewives, while their husbands were at work, and their kids were at school, urged on by the primitive jungle rhythms would throw themselves around the lounge room doing the Zulu Stamp. The music on the first side of the album, however is quite brilliant. Not that I expected anything less from Barry. It is good stirring stuff, that reflects the bravery of the men who held their positions at Rorke’s Drift as wave after wave of Zulu warrior swept down upon them. I know that sounds pompous, but those who have seen the film will know what I mean. TRACK LISTING: Side One: Original Soundtrack Recording 1. Main Title Theme – Isandhlwana 1879 (Narration by Richard Burton) 2. News Of The Massacre – Rorke’s Drift Threatened 3. Wagons Over 4. First Zulu Appearance And Assault 5. Durnfords Horse Arrive And Depart – The Third Assault 6. Zulu’s Final Appearance And Salute 7. The V.C. Roll and Men Of Harlech Side Two: Selection Of Zulu Stamps 1. Stamp And Shake 2. High Grass 3. Zulu Stamp 4. Big Shield 5. Zulu Maid 6. Monkey Feathers Labels: Soundtracks posted by David at 2:33 AM | 0 Comments | Friday, February 8, 2008Agente Speciale LK (1967)
Bruno Nicolai
1999, Dagored CD Re-issue  Agente Speciale LK, or Lucky The Inscrutable as I call it, is a strange little film that was directed by Jess Franco, and released in 1967. Just mentioning Franco’s name either conjures up fear or perverse delight. But generally, Franco’s films, despite what you may think of their content, usually had pretty good soundtracks. This one is composed by Bruno Nicolai.The film itself is a weird hybrid of comic book and spy movies. It stars Ray Danton as ‘Lucky The Inscrutable’, a super hero - spy who wears superman style costume with a large ‘L’ on his chest. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the soundtrack is light hearted and pop oriented – albeit sixties Italian pop, rather than cool spy jazz. It includes some sixties choral singing – Light ‘Bub-adubba-das’ lilt over the top during action sequences – and deep ‘Bum, Bums’ resonate in the title song. The style is more like Hugo Montenegro (Matt Helm phase) than Nicolai’s sometimes partner, Ennio Morricone. I must admit when I saw the film, I didn’t think the music was that bad at all (hence, why I bought the album), but as a listening experience on it’s own without visuals, I was fairly disappointed. It is quite cheesy in places. But it does take the smorgasbord approach. Unlike some soundtracks which keep repeating the same theme over and over again, here each track is very different. If you don’t like one, you may like the next. The standout track for me, is ‘Lopagan Island’ which is a jaunty calypso style number with Edda Dell’Orso’s soprano voice warbling over the top. The CD is almost worth it, for this track alone (only it is too short). Who is Edda Dell’Orso I hear you ask? Thanks to her collaborations with Ennio Morricone, on the soundtracks to Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns, she is often referred to as ‘The Voice Of Italian Cinema’. You might not know her name, but anyone who has listened to The Good, the Bad & The Ugly or Once Upon A Time In The West soundtracks, will recognise her voice. The tracks are: 1. Lucky Theme Song 2. Carnival Fanfare & Party 3. Group Therapy 4. Lucky & Cleopatra/Circus Fight 5. Secret Reunion “Lucky Theme” 6. Lucky In Rome 7. Lovely, But Dangerous 8. Spy Chase 9. Parachute Down/Mission Danger/Patrol Pursuit 10. Funny Trains 11. Lucky & Yaka Love Theme 12. Escape & Last Goodbye 13. Lopagan Island 14. Bossa For Lucky/Showgirl Dance 15. Lucky Tango/Lucky & Madame Linda 16. L.K. Shake 17. Gold Glasses/Escape From The Base/Death Of Goldglasses 18. End Titles Lucky Theme Song 19. The Lucky Suite As each track is so different it is hard to classify or compare this album to something else. On the whole, I find it a bit abrasive. It isn’t smooth ‘lounge music’. If you are a fan of Eurospy soundtracks (and you’ve got spare cash to throw away) if you see it, buy it. It’s worth a listen, and I am sure one of the tracks will grab your attention, but I wouldn’t spend hours searching the net for a seller. Labels: Soundtracks posted by David at 4:01 PM | 0 Comments | Thursday, September 13, 2007Kriminal
Roberto Pregadio and Romano Mussolini. 1966, Beat Records (CD, Re-issue). Buy it from Movie Grooves.
 Since we just reviewed the movie Kriminal, I thought now would be a wonderful time to review the recently released (in Europe, anyway) soundtrack to the movie. The soundtrack was composed by the team of Roberto Pregadio and Romano Mussolini. Although his name isn't bandied about nearly as much as the heavy hitters of Italian movie music (Morricone, Bacalov, Umiliani, Piccioni, Ortolani -- you know the usual suspects, and if you don't, you will learn them quickly), but thanks to this CD and some tracks I've recently stumbled across on a variety of compilations, I'm discovering he's quite the under-appreciated gem of a composer. His work on this soundtrack faces the somewhat unenviable task of being well suited for a movie about a good looking guy who dresses up in a skeleton costume to fulfill his duties as the world's greatest thief when he's not busy hitting on swingin' 60s chicks. The good news, of course, is that any soundtrack capable of actually capturing that concept is going to be ultra swanky, and Pregadio and Mussolini prove to be up to the task.The opening theme is a superb example of the sort of swinging cocktail jazz number a movie like this -- or any of the colorful Eurospy and fumetti-inspired movies from the same era -- really need to properly set the tone. Big band swing mixed with continental jazz and funky Hammond organs -- not to mention more than a little influence from John Barry's work on the James Bond movies. Suffice it to say that if you were a guy in a skeleton costume and you wanted to have a proper introduction, this theme would do the trick. The remainder of the twenty-eight tracks follow suit, a mix of groovy jazz and instrumentals that are, depending on what you need them for, perfect for escaping from the police, shooting it out with the police, sneaking into a mansion, romancing a scantily clad bombshell, or just kicking back poolside as you wear your silk scarf and scope out the bikini-clad bottoms parading past you. It's a very playful soundtrack, obviously, more so than Ennio Morricone's score to Danger: Diabolik -- which I mention here since the comic book (fumetti) character of Diabolik was the main reason anyone thought to create the ghoulish Kriminal, who is basically Diabolik but with a skeleton on his costume and a less swanky lair. The soundtrack CD comes to us as an import courtesy of Beat Records, who also released the soundtrack to Satanik, a movie based on another character created by the guy who created Kriminal (incidentally, that's a spectacular soundtrack and a crappy movie). Unlike some obscure soundtracks to crazy European movies, this is an actual soundtrack recording, and not something someone just pulled from the movie and taped together as best they could. Sound quality is exceptional, and the Cd is well worth adding to your collection even if you aren't prone to dressing up in a skeleton suit and crawling through the windows of beautiful women after you've just successfully escaped execution by hanging for trying to steal the Crown Jewels of England. Labels: Soundtracks, Swingin' posted by Keith at 4:33 PM | 0 Comments | Monday, August 20, 2007Hammer Film Music, Volume 2 Here's the second volume of the out-of-print disc of themes from Hammer Horror's best (and worst) films.Track Listing: 1. The Satanic Rites Of Dracula-John Cacavas 2. Demons Of The Mind-Harry Robinson 3. The Mummy's Shroud-Don Banks 4. Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell-James 5. Dracula Has Risen From The Grave-James Bernard 6. The Witches-Richard Rodney Bennett 7. The Vengeance Of She-Mario Nascimbene 8. The Evil Of Frankenstein-Don Banks 9. The Plague Of The Zombies-James Bernard 10. Fear In The Night-John McCabe 11. Frankenstein Created Woman-James Bernard 12. The Pirates Of Blood River-Gary Hughes 13. To The Devil A Daughter-Paul Glass 14. Quatermass 2-james Bernard 15. The Curse Of The Warewolf-Benjamin Frankel 16. The Abominable Snowman-humphrey Searle 17. Dracula AD 1972-Michael Vickers 18. The Hound Of The Baskervilles-James Bernard 19. Vampire Circus-David Whitaker 20. The Lost Continent-Roy Phillips 21. Slave Girls-Carlo Martelli 22. The Phantom Of The Opera-Edwin Astley 23. Crescendo-Malcolm Williamson 24. Rasputin The Mad Monk-Don Banks 25. One Million Years BC-Mario Nascimbene Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GHPP2UWA Labels: mp3s, Soundtracks posted by Keith at 11:58 AM | 0 Comments | Wednesday, August 15, 2007Hammer Film Music Collection, Vol. 1 Thought I'd dust this one off and let it lumber forth from deep within its musty crypt. We here at Teleport City are vociferous supporters of old Hammer horror films, and part of what made those movies so fabulous -- aside from the stars, sets, and extra-large heaving bosoms --- was the music. The Hammer sound was pioneered by composer James Bernard, who wrote the scores for the bulk of the studio's most famous films, including Horror of Dracula, Curse of Frankenstein, and plenty more. Following Bernard's lead, a slew of composers (or decomposers, so many of these being vampire films -- har har har!) turned in great scores, with styles ranging from the thunderous classical anthems to the ill-advised but never-the-less hilariously enjoyable action film funk of movies like Dracula AD 1972 and Satanic Rites of Dracula, with plenty of weird stuff in between. witness, for example, the swingin' jet set theme from Moon Zero Two, or the laid-back ballad from The Lost Continent.The two-volume Hammer Film Music Collection from 1998 is hands down the best collection of themes from a variety of Hammer films, focusing on gothic horror, naturally, but also including science fiction, swashbuckling adventure, and psychological thrillers. It's a shame that these collections are so rare, but I guess the world isn't crying out for anthologies of old-fashioned scary movie music. Luckily, we're out of step with the world and more than happy to indulge. So here's volume 1. Volume 2 will follow shortly. Track Listing The Devil Rides Out - James Bernard Twins Of Evil - Harry Robinson The Mummy - Franz Reizenstein Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter - Laurie Johnson Dracula - James Bernard Moon Zero Two - Don Ellis Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed - James Bernard When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth - Mario Nascimbene The Kiss Of The Vampire - James Bernard The Gorgon - James Bernard Scars Of Dracula - James Bernard Hands Of The Ripper - Christopher Gunning The Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb - Carlo Martelli The Vampire Lovers - Harry Robinson Creatures The World Forgot - Mario Nascimbene The Curse Of Frankensein - James Bernard Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde - David Whitaker Lust For A Vampire - Harry Robinson Quatermass And The Pit - Tristam Cary Countess Dracula - Harry Robinson She - James Bernard The Brides Of Dracula - Malcolm Williamson Blood From The Mummy's Tomb - Tristram Carry The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires - James Taste The Blood Of Dracula - James Bernard Download: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T2Z2LADA Labels: mp3s, Soundtracks posted by Keith at 5:22 PM | 3 Comments | Monday, August 6, 2007Grindhouse: Planet Terror/Death Proof This summer began with me seeing Hot Fuzz and Grindhouse, then going on a two-week long, bourbon fueled adventure through Kentucky. That some good summerin' right there, and while they weren't my soundtrack for the road trip -- mostly because I didn't have them at the time, and also because I was listening to a whole lot of Skynard -- I thought it was a good time, here in the dog days of August, to get around to reviewing the soundtracks for Robert Rodriguez' Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof.Planet Terror was one of my favorite films of a summer where I saw a whole lot of films I liked that a lot of other people didn't care for. Whatever, man. It's summer, and I you want to spend it sitting in a cramped arthouse theater watching people smoke and talk about ennui, that's cool, brother. But I'd rather see pirates, big robots punching each other in the face, Bruce Willis punching people in the face, Bruce Willis punching giant robots in the face (hopefully, some day), Matt Damon punching people in the face, and Timothy Dalton impaling his face on a miniature church steeple. Planet Terror was my kind of movie, and in introduced me to a new fetish I didn't even realize I had (chick with big machine gun for leg fetish -- thanks, Robert. How the hell am I going to indulge that one? As if "hot Mexican chick with throwing knives strapped to thigh" wasn't proving difficult enough). The movie was a throwback to the slapdash, nigh incomprehensible Italian zombie/gore films of the 1980s that came to us courtesy of guys like Claudio Fragasso and Bruno Mattei, complete with myriad subplots that seem to have nothing to do with anything else in the movie. Rodriguez' soundtrack to Planet Terror captures the spirit of the synth-driven prog-funk whatever the hell that stuff was that guys like Fabio Frizzi (Zombie), Walter Rizzati (1990: Bronx Warriors), and Goblin cranked out to accompany similar movies, though just as Planet Terror features many touches that are more Rodriquez than vintage grindhouse, so too does the soundtrack feature a number of flourishes that may not be "authentic" for the period but are still well worth hearing. The action starts with the Grindhouse/Planet Terror credit theme -- a sleazy bump-n-grind masterpiece that perfectly matches the sleazy bump-n-grind it accompanies on-screen. Within the context of the old Italian exploitation films, it may seem out of place, but keep in mind that those things would often throw in heavy metal or calypso and other styles from left field that didn't jibe with the rest of the soundtrack. After the opening, we settle into a nice collection of synthesized horror music (composed by Rodrigues working with Carl Thiel and genre staple Graeme Revell, among others), with occasional barn burning variations of the main theme. Rose McGowan -- who was never anyone I thought much about until I saw her as a stripper with a machine gun for a leg, has a couple numbers as well. It's possible that you can't really enjoy the soundtrack as much if you haven't seen the movie to place it in context. I can't really say, since I've seen the movie. I do love the soundtrack, though, and if you are a fan of the prog-synth weirdness that accompanied movies like Alien Contamination (which is the soundtrack this most reminds me of), then you will probably enjoy at least most of the Planet Terror soundtrack.  While Rodriquez composes and performs all the music in his movie, Tarantino assembles his soundtracks the way he assembles his movies: out of bits and pieces of other soundtracks. The results are usually pretty good, and Death Proof is a pretty rad assembly of songs and snippets from other movies (though some of the music he took from Italian cop films is missing from the soundtrack). Jack Nitzsche's "The Last Race" kicks things off with a revving engine, just as things should be kicked off. The rest of the soundtrack is pretty steadily enjoyable procession of old rock, soul, and the obligatory co-opted Ennio Morricone tune ("Paranoia Prima" this time around). Besides "The Last Race," I think "Baby, It's You," "The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)," and "Hold Tight" are among the standouts, but really, this is one of my favorite soundtracks in a long time. Like many people, it's impossible for me to compliment anything Tarantino does without first expressing how much I dislike the guy. And I do dislike him, but that doesn't matter, really, because he's rich and doesn't know me, and I don't hang out with him. I've liked all but one of his films (Pulp Fiction just doesn't do it for me, and I don't even think Four Rooms counts) and love all the soundtracks he's put together. Plenty of movies throw a bunch of either non-descript new songs or recognizable nostalgic oldies together and call it a soundtrack, but few (other than, perhaps, Martin Scorsese) do it with as good an ear as Tarantino. For one, the songs work well and make sense within the context of the movie. And for another thing, he just picks damn good music.I went in to Grindhouse pretty skeptical of whether or not I'd like it. I turned out to be very enthusiastic about it -- Planet Terror more than Death Proof, but Death Proof has grown on me over time. My enthusiasm extends to the soundtracks, both of which, while radically different from one another, are well worth having. I intend to take Planet Terror with me to a strip club and request a lap dance to the main theme. Usually, I try to con them into playing the full version of "Inna Gadda Da Vida." That never works out for me, though. Now bring on Machete! Labels: Soundtracks posted by Keith at 1:02 PM | 0 Comments | Wednesday, July 25, 2007Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People Whenever you venture into the realm of Japanese science fiction soundtracks, the shadow of Akira Ifukube is going to loom heavily over everything you do. Ifukube, who was one of Japan's most prolific soundtrack composers, wrote scores for a variety of movies -- including many of Akira Kurosawa's best-known films -- but is best known for his work on the Godzilla series. Starting with the original film and spanning decades, Ifukube's compositions practically defined Japanese sci-fi and monster movie music, and their influence continues to this day. Even when Ifukube wasn't responsible for a score -- and given the sheer number of them he composed, it's rare that he wasn't -- it's obvious that whoever was the composer was putting no small amount of effort into drumming up a soundtrack that was, at the very least, reminiscent of Ifukube.The good of this is that it sort of created this whole genre unto itself, with its own expectations and traditions. When you hear a Japanese sci-fi score from the 50s, 60s, or 70s, you know exactly what you are listening to. Additionally, Ifukube's phenomenal skill as a composer means the standards of quality were set extremely high -- even if the standards for the movie itself were considerably lower. The bad of it is that there are a whole slew of top notch composers who are largely unknown by many fans of these movies, or whose work is often mistakenly attributed to Ifukube. Take Sadao Bekku, for example. Bekku was largely a concert composer, but he worked on several film scores, the most notable of which was for the bizarre but highly enjoyable sci-fi horror film Matango -- known to many by the more sensational titles Fungus of Terror or Attack of the Mushroom People. Directed by acclaimed Japanese genre director Inoshiro Honda in 1963, it's easy to assume that Honda -- the man who directed about as many Japanese sci-fi films as Ifukube scored -- tapped Ifukube for the score. And certainly there are moments when there is similarity between Bekku's composition and those of Ifukube. Both men, after all, were maverick composers who thrilled at incorporating off-kilter elements into their more classical arrangements. For Honda, it was everything from Ainu language lyrics to spooky Theremin noodling for anytime aliens were up to no good. Bekku, similarly, was fond of incorporating jazz into his scores. And both men worked at an extremely high level of excellence. Because of the zany title and the strange subject matter, Matango the film is rarely recognized for what it is: one of the all-time great films in the sci-fi horror crossover genre. Similarly, Bekku's score for the film often fails to receive the recognition it deserves, simply because it is the score to a film about a self-destructive group of people stranded on a tropical island where they are preyed upon by a deadly fungus, probably from space, that turns them into shroom-headed monsters. With such an outrageous description, you wouldn't expect to get the downbeat, moody, atmospheric classic that the movie turns out to be. Bekku's score matches the film perfectly. The opening theme is a familiar Japanese sci-fi style song, followed by Bekku indulging his taste for jazz with a couple tracks that capture the breezy, decadent lifestyle of the characters before the trouble begins. There's even a jaunty ukulele number. The soundtrack quickly takes a turn for the sinister, however, and becomes increasingly tense, dark, and creepy as it progresses, keeping pace with the events on the screen as the characters descend into madness and the rampant eating of nightmarish space mushrooms. When, for the final track, the score returns to pieces of the finger-snapping title theme, it's become undeniably infused with a malevolent, haunting quality. Matango is one of the finest horror or sci-fi soundtracks out there, and it deserves to be held in high esteem. Sadao Bekku only worked briefly in film before returning to the world of classical concerts, but even if Matango was his only contribution to cinema, it would be worth it. Strange and eerie, packed with atmosphere, and deft at creating a light and swinging mood that quickly becomes increasingly warped and terrifying, if you dig horror/scifi sound tracks, this should be high on your list. Track Listing 1. Opening 2. Title Frame 3. Sea Breeze 4. Dark Clouds 5. Jibing 6. Adrift 7. The Transistor Radio 8. The Illusion 9. The Ukeleles 10. An Isolated Island Shrouded In Mist 11. Setting Foot On The Desert Island 12. The Seven Wanderers 13. The Shipwreck 14. Matango 15. Inside The Flames Of Disaster 16. With Memories 17. The Desert Island Enigma 18. Shadows In The Dark 19. In The Rain 20. The Matango Throng 21. When Reason Fails 22. Sakuda's Betrayal 23. The Matango In The Rain 24. The Matango Woman 25. A Million And One Matango 26. The Two Remaining People 27. Skuda's Will And Testament 28. Murai And Akiko: The Matango Attack 29. The Terror Of Matango 30. Akiko Gets Taken Away 31. Pushed To The Extreme 32. Ending 33. Transistor Radio Copy Labels: Soundtracks posted by Keith at 4:53 PM | 0 Comments | |
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