January 2012
12 posts
STELVIO CIPRIANI MARK IL POLITZIOTTO
A title that loses a lot in translation; Mark the Cop by Stelvio Cipriani is a nice album to a film that is apparently pretty decent, The soundtrack borrows heavily from the American Blaxploitation sound, with more than a little echo of Marvin Gaye’s Troubleman.
In saying that, Cipriani gives the music enough Italian style to carry the moment.
I’m a big fan of Cipriani who, although...
L’Agguato. Stelvio Cipriani. 1975
ARMANDO TROVANAIOLI L'AMORE DICE "CIAO"- from LA...
This soundtrack has quite a cult following and represents the best of the Commedia all’italiana genre. Italian soundtracks are normally, and understandably, linked with Giallo or Politziotteschi, but a little digging brings you to the Italian sunnier version of Abigail’s Party.
This song is the last on the album and is sung by the little know Andee Silver, with a voice as strong as...
L’amore Dice Ciao. Armando Trovaioli. 1968
ARMANDO TROVANAIOLI C'ERAVAMO TANTO AMATI
The picture above of the album soundtrack C’Eravamo Tanto Amati is, unfortunately, not the one I own- I bought my copy some years back which also includes four other Armando Trovanaioli works. It has a pretty ugly sleeve. So,
beautiful tune, worth a listen.
C’Eravamo Tanto Amati. Armando Trovaioli....
BRUNO NICOLAI/ ENNIO MORRICONE SVEGLIATI E UCCIDI
Well, could I tell you a thing or two about the film Svegliati E Uccidi?
Not a thing.
Know a little more about the soundtrack. Written at the time when Morricone was finding his composing feet (if you know what I mean), Svegliati E Uccidi marked an early collaboration between Morricone and his close friend Bruno Nicolai; Nicolai was still very much a newcomer to film music, with Morricone...
Una Stanza Vuota. Bruno Nicolai and Ennio...
December 2011
15 posts
ZBIGNIEW PREISNER THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE
A great film and a great soundtrack.
Director Krzysztof Kieslowski and composer Zbigniew Preisner were close friends and long time collaborators. The soundtrack is unerringly dark and ecclesiastical, with notes of Giallo repetition and decadence, motifs common to Preisner’s work overall.
Don’t think he ever again came close to the quality of this soundtrack.
Les Marionettes, Zbigniew Preisner. (1991)
PIERO PICCIONI & LYDIA MACDONALD SOMETIMES I FEEL...
Another Piccioni tune.
Don’t know when this track was released, but it’s a real gem. From what I’ve read, it’s a traditional African song arranged by Piccioni and featuring one of his favourite singers, Lydia MacDonald… from Edinburgh. How cool is that?
I know next to nothing of MacDonald, but my sense of patriotism is stirred.
This is from an excellent...
Sometimes I feel Like a Motherless Child. Piero...
PIERO PICCIONI MISSIONE MORTI MOLO 83
A book called Death and The Dolce Vita- by Stephen Gundle, was released this year- it details the decay of post WW2 Italy and the seeming panacea of Celebrity.
For those that love the urbane decay of celebrity and all it flotsam, like I do, this is a good book; light on style, but stuffed with intrigue and masqueraded fact. Its kernel is the death of a 21-year-old girl called Wilma Montesi.
From...
Missione Morti Molo 83 Sequence 4. Piero Piccioni...
VANGELIS BLADE RUNNER
The film Blade Runner came out in 1982 and the soundtrack by Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, or Vangelis, was well received.
Yet the actual soundtrack was not released until the mid Nineties. This led to some orchestral versions and bootlegs and whatever. The 2007 edition is a 3 CD piece with some great stuff included.
Heralded by many- with a huge, but pretty much cult following.
...
Dmitris Bar. Vangelis. (1982, 2007)
ALDEN SCHUMAN THE DEVIL IN MISS JONES
An existential porn flick- I’m no aficionado of the genre, naturally, but this must be anomalous?
The soundtrack is incredible.
Sells for a good price these days, but you’d be mad to let it go.
The Teacher. Alden Shuman. 1973.
November 2011
3 posts
PINO DONAGGIO DON'T LOOK NOW
Technically part of the Giallo genre, Don’t Look Now marked Pino Donaggio’s first foray into soundtrack composition.
This is a lovely theme from a once-seen-never-forgotten-movie, from the ‘did-they-or-didn’t-they(?)’ love scene with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie.
John’s Theme (Love Scene). Pino Donaggio....
October 2011
15 posts
AUGUSTO MARTELLI IL DIO SERPENTE
Happenstance: a chance happening of picking up an album with a song on it as brilliant as it is bonkers.
Augusto Martelli’s Il Dio Serpente was composed for the 1970 eponymous film, which took Italian Giallo to the Caribbean. One look at the film’s plot confirms that it took an already mental genre to the very fringes. Almost worth a watch even.
Everything about this album is great- the cover, the...
Djamballa. Augusto Martelli. 1970.
BRUNO NICOLAI LA DAMA ROSSA UCCIDE SETTE VOLTE
With its blood letting, (often Sapphic) eroticism and gothic horror, La Dama Rossa Uccide Sette Volte is representative of the Giallo film genre.
Giallo film scores can stray close to Eurovision geegaw: they can be camp, clownish, mawkishly overblown and the like, but they can, more often than not, hit the beauty point.
This is true of Bruno Nicolai’s soundtrack to La Dama Rossa Uccide Sette...
Servizio Fotografico. Bruno Nicolai. 1972.
VINCE TEMPERA VALERIA DENTRO e FUORI
Valeria Dentro e Fuori is another amazing album from the Cinevox press. Its composer, Vince Tempera, is one of the lesser-known stars who worked with the label.
In most cases an Italian soundtrack, or any soundtrack for that matter, evolves through one central phrase- and this does too; but it does not fall foul of kicking the arse out of it so you feel you’ve bought one album of 45 minutes with...
The Space of a Moment. Vince Tempera. 1972.
MILES DAVIS ASCENSEUR POUR L'ECHAFAUD
Davis found Paris a release from the Waspish prejudice of 1950s America.
He recorded this for Louis Malle’s Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud and it’s maybe the quintessential sound of Parisian Jazz.
The album is pared back and lonely, with Davis’ trumpet line typically reed like and relying on nothing else for its power. The sleeve notes describe that the recording session took place at night in the...
Generique, 1958.
JUDY GARLAND LIVE AT THE CARNEGIE HALL
Variety wrote that the night’s atmosphere was supercharged at either side of the lights and that all was pandemonium.
The crowd were certainly there to pay homage and they were expectant. Over three thousand turned out, including the New York’s great and good, to see the famous two hours of pow and a life transformed that had nearly ended in 1959. The Sixties had started for Judy Garland, like so...
Do it Again!
August 2011
4 posts
Roy Ayers. Ubiquity. 1971
For any remaining follower of this blog… it’s been a while….you’ll know that fLingstuFF is a big fan of Roy Ayers. Ubiquity needs little explanation; well, apart from it’s one of the top albums ever.
Pretty Brown Skin.
His 7th album, from 1971.
To Sean, if you’re reading!
July 2011
19 posts
