ARCHIVE:A

[ New Reviews ]
[ Electro Lounge ]
[ Electro Lounge Archive ]
[ Moog & Mood ]
[ Sound Library ]      
[ Retro Remixes ]
[ Imaginary Soundtracks ]
[ Swank Samples ]
[ License to Score ]
[ Found Wax ] 
[ Series Spotlight ]   
[ Coming Soon ]   
[ Links ]
[ For the Record ]
[ Interviews ]

REVIEW ARCHIVES: 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

"Main Title"

Abominable
Lalo Schifrin
Aleph

Abominable is a new horror movie by Ryan Schifrin, son of Lalo Schifrin, the legendary film and television composer responsible for its score. It's an unusual and novel project just for that fact alone, but the fact that it's a powerful and effective score adds considerable appeal.

Let's face it, Lalo Schifrin hasn't had many plum assignments in recent years. The entertaining but disposable Rush Hour buddy flicks have been his most high profile gigs of the past 10 years. So, perhaps he saw this assignment — his son's first feature film — as an opportunity to create something special. Whether Schifrin was conscious of that notion or not, he's delivered a terrific and terrifying score for Abominable.

The last time Schifrin did horror it was the original version of The Amityville Horror, for which he received an Oscar nom. Like Amityville, Abominable is full of tense moods, shuddering strings, discordant orchestral textures, spidery piano lines, ominous brass, and pulse pounding percussion.

The music moves forward restlessly like a ravenous beast in the night. There is a strong sense of imminent conflict between opposing forces. Even the titles reinforce the violence of the music ("Rampage," "Abduction," "Off-Road Rage").

Nevertheless, Schifrin also creates moments of wonder ("Monster Vision") and even nostalgia (the '50s-style ballad "One Blade of Grass").

Haven't seen Abominable yet because it's only been distributed in L.A. (as of May 2006), and the reviews so far are split to say the least. Whether or not the film makes it into wider circulation remains to be seen. But if you get an opportunity to hear the score do it. Abominable is Lalo Schifrin's best work in many years and among the best horror scores of recent memory.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Phibes Revealed"

"Serpentes"

The Abominable Dr. Phibes / Dr. Phibes Rises Again
Basil Kirchin / John Gale
Perseverance

At first blush The Abominable Dr. Phibes appears to be a version of the Phantom of the Opera. There's a hideously deformed, tortured genius who plays the pipe organ wreaks vengeance upon others whilst carrying on romantically with a young beauty. Of course, in place of an opera house, we have the operating theater. But there's no point in oversimplifying. Dr. Phibes is his own man, or is it "own monster."

Basil Kirchin's score for the first film feels like a blend of minimalist classical with jazzy chamber music. The achingly romantic theme is adapted again and again. According to the liner notes, the film's director wasn't overly fond of Kirchin's contributions and opted to use library pieces and a piece by John Gale, who scored the sequel. This disc includes Kirchin's music only, including tracks that weren't used in the film.

Gale's score for Dr. Phibes Rises Again, with its Latin track titles and choral sections, is far more grandiose. Using a full orchestra, Gale is able to flesh out the action and drama better than Kirchin's score, which seems to focus on interior emotion instead. Plus, Gale uses wider variety of melodies and music styles (classical, lounge, swing, bossa nova) to get the job done.

While Kirchin's theme is gorgeous, Gale's approach is more cinematic.

Both CDs boast thorough (but slightly repetitive) liner notes with film stills and poster art. Well done.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Main Title"

I Quattro Dell'Ave Maria (aka Ace High) La Collina Degli Stevali (aka Boot Hill)
Carlo Rustichelli
DigitMovies

Terence Hill and Bud Spencer made several comedic spaghetti westerns together, including a series of Trinity movies. DigitMovies has released soundtracks for several Hill/Spencer buddy pictures, most recently Ace High (aka Have Gun Will Travel, '68). The film's sequel is Boot Hill (aka Trinity Rides Again, '69), for which DigitMovies also released a soundtrack CD. Both films co-starred Eli Wallach and Brock Peters or Woody Strode to complete band of four.

Unlike the Boot Hill release, Ace High is a two-CD package that features the original Cinevox album tracks as well as the film version of the orchestral score and source music and alternate takes. Master orchestrator Bruno Nicolai conducts the material on Ace High, but not on Boot Hill. In the process of collecting this diverse material DigitMovies rescued music thought lost.

Using chorus (I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni) and orchestra as well as solo instruments such as piano, organ and harmonica (Franco De Gemini), Nicolai lends Rustichelli's music rich textures that tap into the story's adventure, suspense and comedic elements. Like Boot Hill's score, the themes for Ace High sometimes display a bittersweet Italian sensibility backed with waltz-like cadence. At other times, the sound is much more in the traditional expansive western style that suggests big skies and windswept landscapes. Of the two scores Ace High has the stylistic advantage thanks to Nicolai's considerable experience conducting numerous spaghetti western scores for the master of the genre, Ennio Morricone.

* Notably, in Ace High Hill plays a character named Cat Stevens; the pop folk singer of the same name had debuted on record in '67)

[  to the top, baby!  ]

Across 110th Street
J.J. Johnson/Bobby Womack
Beyond/MGM

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Non chiamarmi piu fratello..."

Addio Fratello Crudele
Ennio Morricone
DigitMovies

There are beautiful movie stars and then there is Charlotte Rampling. As one of the stars of Addio Fratello Crudele (aka Tis Pity, She's a Whore, '71), Rampling plays a delectable young woman in an ill-fated incestuous relationship (is there any other kind?) with her brother (played by hunk Oliver Tobias). In the generous promotional stills and poster gallery included in this DigitMovies reissue of Ennio Morricone's soundtrack, we're treated to numerous images of the ivory-skinned and frequently nude actress whose delicate features would certainly inspire lust in any heterosexual male with refined taste.

Morricone's score is perfect for this medieval story of tragic romance. Il Maestro employs Alessandro Alessandroni's Cantori Moderni and a chamber orchestra featuring a variety of distinctive wind instruments as well as layered string parts, acoustic guitar and harp. The themes are — like the story's central love affair — tender, intimate and emotionally complicated. Superficially, the score sounds "medieval," but the use of counter melodies and complex harmonies distinguish the music from mere pastiche and evoke the internal conflicts and emotional torture that ultimately rend the lovers apart.

Would you expect anything less from Il Maestro? It's another quality release from DigitMovies, featuring all but one of the original album tracks (deemed too simplistic for reissue by Morricone him self) as well as several previously unreleased tracks.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Main Title"

"Main Title"

Hold-Up — Istantanea Di Una Rapina /
Adolescenza Perversa
Franco Micalizzi
Fin de Siecle Media

Hot on the heels of its recent CD release of Franco Micalizzi's groovy soundtrack for Superuomini Superdonne Superbotte comes Fin de Sciecle's release of two more restored Micalizzi gems from '74: Hold-Up — Istantanea Di Una Rapina and Adolescenza Perversa.

Micalizzi's score for Hold-Up, a police thriller directed by German Lorente, is a fortunate find for fans of Italian thrillers. Featuring the sensuous vocals by Edda Dell'Orso, this overdue soundtrack features the classic style of the era that mixes warm strings, cool keyboards, moody melodies, scalding guitar stings and a solid backbeat. The main title is certain to remain in your mind long after hearing it — not unlike similar work by Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai. Many of the tracks featured are cue composites, meaning that bits were strung together for a seamless listening experience. Along with memorable melodies one gets the typical slow tension and short sharp action tracks. Hold-Up is a keeper.

So is Adolescenza Perversa, from an erotic drama that Jose Benazeraf made the same year. Of course the lurid title and suggestion of a menage a trois on the cover will be enough to attract fans of erotic Italian soundtracks, and thankfully it isn't merely a tease. Again, we're treated to quasi-erotic vocalisms care of Dell'Orso. This time the musical mood is less concerned with tension and more focused on mellow sometimes melancholic moods and laidback psychedelic grooves. Acoustic guitar and electric keyboards intermingle like lovers, ad occasionally a backbeat propels the pulse. When the mood takes a turn into darker emotional territory it's still drop-dead gorgeous thanks to Dell'Orso's vibrato-laden heavy breathing. If this doesn't turn you into a puddle of quivering jelly nothing will.

There are melodic and orchestral similarities existing between these two scores that could lead some listeners to dismiss Micalizzi as a composer of limited range, but I prefer to hear Hold-Up and Adolescenza Perversa as two sides of the same coin — complementary and equally worthwhile.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Main Title"

Adua e Le Compagne
Piero Piccioni
Cinevox

Piero Piccioni, a favorite film composer with fans of the Easy Tempo/Beat at Cinecitta set, was a jazzer at heart.

Antonio Pietrangeli's Adua and Her Friends ('60) is about a pimp (Marcello Mastroianni) who opens a restaurant to be a front for his brothel when anti-prostitution laws go into effect. But when his ladies acquire a taste for restaurant work they decide to give up prostitution much to their boss's chagrin.

Piccioni's score straight up small group jazz featuring piano, brass, vibes, guitar, double bass and drums. One wouldn't confuse this for the composer's later "groovier" work, but it's well played and has a consistent tone.

It makes one think of a small nightclub with mid-century modern decor and a small combo on a cramped stage. Every guy is wearing a suit with a skinny tie and all the ladies are in evening gowns or perhaps a matching tunic and capri pant ensemble. And everyone is chain smoking.

Adua e Le Compagne is a better jazz album than a soundtrack. It is part of Cinevox's Jazz Soundtracks Series.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

L'Affaire Crazy Capo
Vladimir Cosma
CAM

Although Bruno Nicolai is often noted as being Ennio Morricone's "right hand man" as an arranger and conductor, his own contribution to movie scoring shouldn't be overlooked. He has many OSTs to his credit including this one for a Jess Franco spy caper from 1967. The music is suitably energetic and light hearted. Tracks like "Carnival Fanfare & Party" and "Spy Chase" live up to their titles. Rambunctious rhythms played by small ensembles are complemented by catchy scat vocals and pulsating organ vamps. The music never lets you forget that the movie is a comedic, escapist stuff. Think of Nicolai's Agente Speciale LK as the Italian equivalent to Jerry Goldsmith's scores for the Flint movies.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Agi Murad Il Diavolo Bianco"

"Ester E Il Re"

"Gli Invasori"

Agi Murad Il Diavolo Bianco /
Ester E Il Re / Gli Invasori
Roberto Nicolosi / Angelo F. Lavagnino
Digitmovies

For Digitmovies' sixth volume of Mario Bava movie soundtracks the label has excavated three historical adventure epics from the late '50s and early '60s: Agi Murad Il Diavolo Bianco (aka The White Warrior, '59), Ester E Il Re (aka Ester and the King, '60) and Gli Invasori (aka Erik the Conqueror, '61). Only one of these films, Erik, was directed solely by Bava who otherwise shared the credit with Raoul Walsh and served as cinematographer on Ester, and served as cinematographer and shadow director for Riccardo Freda on White Warrior. Lavagnino's appearance on Ester reflects the co-director credit with Walsh. Otherwise, Nicolosi was Bava's composer of choice from '59 to '64.

History aside, these scores are suitably symphonic in style, with emphasis on heroic themes featuring brass and percussion ("L'attacco dei Russi" from White Warrior) and romantic passages favoring harp, strings and woodwinds ("Una Donna Da Amare" from Ester). Occasionally, there are more mysterious moods (such as "Balletto Nel Tempio" from Ester) where female vocalisms take center stage alongside percolating percussion like something from a Les Baxter exotica record.

The best soundtrack of the three is probably Erik the Conquerer, which was made to capitalize on the popularity of the Hollywood film The Vikings. Stylistically, it's similar to White Warrior and Ester, but is more dynamic in execution and more precise in describing on-screen action. And, as Mario Bava expert Tim Lucas points out in his insightful booklet notes, Nicolosi clearly excels in scoring this type of film as opposed to Bava's early horror films. He simply captures the moods of heroism and romance better than the moods of horror and suspense.

Overall, this is a fascinating volume that includes one excellent score and two decent scores.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Alfie may be Rollins' only soundtrack. As you might expect, it's a thoroughly jazz soundtrack, featuring tasteful orchestration by another jazz great, Oliver Nelson. If you've seen the picture, then you know it stars a young Michael Caine as a hopeless lothario living in mod London. When it comes to the soundtrack, Dionne Warwick fans need to look elsewhere for her Top 40 hit "Alfie", originally used in the movie.

It's been years since I've seen it, so I couldn't tell you if it holds up, but this soundtrack certainly has held up. "Street Runner with Child" is as cinematic as it is jazzy. It is evocative chase music of the highest intensity. Nelson's conducting never gets in the way of Rollins' tenor sax (we're talking THE Tenor Colossus who sparred with John Coltrane on "Tenor Madness" -- and he's still kicking). So, needless to say, this is a phenomenal jazz record and a fine soundtrack to boot.

"Piacere Sequence"

Alla Ricerca Del Piacere
Teo Usuelli
Beat

Silvio Amadio's Alla Ricerca Del Piacere (aka Amuck or Hot Bed of Sex or Leather and Whips, '72) may look like just another sleazy Italian suspense thriller, but look again. It features a score by the little known Teo Usuelli.

This composer's work ranges from early "mondo" documentaries (Naked World, '63) to historical adventure (Strogoff, '70). Few of his scores have been reissued, which makes Piacere an especially welcome release.

Italian soundtrack fans are likely to recognize this film as the source for one of the sexiest film tracks of all time, "Piacere Sequence," which is featured on the first volume of Crippled Dick Hot Wax's excellent compilation series Beat at Cinecitta. It is the one where the sultry female voice repeatedly sighs "sexually" over a slinky groove. Naturally, that track is featured on this CD, but surprisingly enough there is no other cue on this soundtrack that sounds remotely like it.

Most of Piacere consists of variations on its melancholic romantic theme, atonal atmospherics with female vocalisms, bass-driven tension builders or intrigue numbers that pair intricate guitar and bass figures with organ washes. There also is an upbeat bossa nova number. Each type of track is persuasively crafted. Usuelli's use of spare orchestration is quite effective and reminiscent of Piero Piccioni's work. While the famous "Piacere Sequence" is certain to seduce, the rest of this fine score will simply get under your skin.

Alla Ricerca Del Piacere is another welcome rediscovery from the Beat Records catalogue.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

Amo Non Amo
Goblin
Cinevox

[  to the top, baby!  ]

[  to the top, baby!  ]

Anche Se Volessi Lavorare, Che Faccio?
Ennio Morricone
Cinevox

Angeli Bianchi...
Angeli Neri
Piero Umiliani
Right Tempo/Easy Tempo

Piero Umiliani's Angeli Bianchi... Angeli Neri is a soundtrack for a "mondo" type movie with a focus on satanism and witchcraft. It is also an outstanding example of Umiliani's rich compositional style. The disc kicks off with an absolute stunner "Sweet Revelation", sung by Shirley Hammer (who could give Shirley Bassey a run for her money). There are other good vocal cuts as well, but they are wonderfully offset by evocative instrumentals, including a few percussion-oriented numbers.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

Arabesque
Henry Mancini
RCA (Spain)

"A Princess in Distress (Pagoda of Pillagi)"

Around the World in 80 Days
Victor Young
Hit Parade/Eric Records

Back in '56 when Around the World in 80 Days made its star-studded premiere American audiences were fascinated by the romance and adventure of global travel. Trans-Atlantic airline flights were the rage and American tourist dollars were welcome just about everywhere. So, what better way to capture the spirit of the times than with a Technicolor epic that — despite its nostalgic turn-of-the-century setting — tapped into the moviegoer's curiousity about far-off exotic ports of pleasure and travel excitement.

Upon its release 80 Days boasted the most stars and the most costumes to ever appear in a picture as well as the most miles traveled and the most sets ever used to make a film — among other milestones.

Naturally, the soundtrack for this globe-trotting spectacle is stylistically diverse. Victor Young, who scored the picture, was a typical Golden Age studio maestro and an unusually prolific one (350 films in 20 years). Although he originally aspired to be a classical violinist he proved to be a versatile composer and quite a songwriter, credited for such hits as "My Foolish Heart" and "Love Me Tonight." His pop instincts are readily apparent on the main theme from 80 Days, which brims with exuberant optimism and boundless romanticism.

Fans of orchestral exotica (as perfected by Les Baxter during the late '50s) will enjoy the picture-esque tracks that highlight 80 Days, such as "Arrival in Suez," "Bombay Harbour," "India Countryside," "Royal Barge of Siam" and "Yokohama (Temple of Dawn)". Young displays a tremendous gift for, not only evoking a variety of phyiscal settings, but also describing the action so that the listener can follow along without actually needing to see anything.

Actually, Young is noted for having said: "Writing a movie score is like a boy sitting in the balcony seat with a girl. He must be forceful enough to impress the girl, but not loud enough to attract the usher."

In the end, Young isn't as celebrated as several other golden age film composers (Korngold, Steiner, Rozsa, etc.) nor as inventive (Herrmann), but his talent is readily apparent in 80 Days, which receives a deserved deluxe expansion in this well-annotated reissue from Hit Parade/Eric Records.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Mystery"

Arrivano I Titani
Carlo Rustichelli
DigitMovies

DigitMovies continues its series of "Italian Peplum" (aka Sword and Sandal) soundtracks with Carlo Rustichelli's score for Duccio Tessari's Arrivano I Titani (aka Sons of Thunder, or My Son The Hero, or The Titans, '61). This entry is perhaps less familiar than the Hercules volume that started the series, but the music is stylistically similar.

This adventure film music, which is scored in a grand orchestral manner of golden age cinema, offers up mysterious and mystic moods as well as full-on action cues. The best bits evoke the eerie spectical of mysterious realms where vibrato organ tones hang like a mist through which shadowy woodwinds and shuddering strings furtively flit. The more heroic cues are loud and blustery, full of pomp and circumstance.

Featuring 73 minutes of music (including four bonus tracks), Arrivano I Titani is absolutely transporting. Close your eyes while listening to it and it's easy to picture gaudy ancient world technicolor sets resplendant in the trappings of mythic pageantry. You are the hero and the world is yours for the taking.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

Ascenseur pour l'echafaud/Jack Johnson
Miles Davis
Fontana/Columbia

Assault on Precinct 13
John Carpenter
Record Makers

Assoluto Morricone - Best Vol. 1
Ennio Morricone
Cinevox

Having some of the Maestro's most memorable scores in its arsenal, it was only a matter of time before Cinevox unleashed the inevitable 'best of' collection. This handsomely packaged CD covers the years from '69 to '81 -- undoubtedly, one of Morricone's most appealing periods.

It starts off with the compelling theme from L'Assoluto Naturale. The track repeats a melody and builds in intensity in a way not unlike minimalist work of Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Morricone does this often in his scores, but it never sounds like anyone other than himself. For my money, Morricone is better than Glass and Reich at composing memorable themes and variations.

Themes from several thrillers and melodramas follow, and the brilliance of Morricone's mastery shines through. Listen to "L'Ulitimo Treno Della Notte" comes on like a locomotive comic book train out of hell. Harmonicas phase and wail over a rhythm bed as demonic as anything ever written by King Crimson. This track alone is worth the price of admission.

How do they top it? Next track: the mother of all bossa novas "Metti Una Sera a Cena". Sure it's been collected and manipulated any number of times, but it's always worth hearing. It's wistful melancholy air comes across like a long-forgotten and welcome memory.

With 18 tracks in all, Assoluto Morricone is a must for any fan of great movie music.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

L'Assoluto Naturale
Ennio Morricone
Cinevox

She and He, as it was translated for export, is another solid outing for Ennio Morricone. The main theme — a mournful ballad — has found its way onto numerous collections. The version which begins with piano and bass is especially great source material for an adventurous trip hop DJ. It's a terrific theme, but it seems to crop up on most of the 15 tracks. "Studio di Colore" may be its most welcome variation, featuring a driving snare and bass rhythm. On one hand, it's impressive to hear what Morricone can do with a single theme over the course of a score, but one's enjoyment of such a score really depends upon a tolerance for repetition.

"Lost/Hallucinations"

"Time Machine Model"

Atlantis, The Lost Continent / The Power
Russell Garcia / Miklos Rozsa
The Time Machine
Russell Garcia
Film Score Monthly

In '60 and '61, legendary sci-fi/fantasy filmmaker George Pal hooked up with composer Russell Garcia for The Time Machine and Atlantis, The Lost Continent. Legend has it that Garcia’s ’59 sci-fi concept album Fantastica caught Pal's attention and the rest is history.

For The Time Machine, which is based on the H.G. Wells novel and stars Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux, Garcia works his orchestral magic. Garcia’s richly evocative and romantic orchestral score blends English folk-type melodies to capture the story’s initial Victorian setting with more modernistic, Stravinsky-inspired passages for tension and action. The descending, three-note theme for celesta is employed whenever “time travel” is involved. The California-born composer also indulges in sound effects creation for futuristic scenes and time machine operation. He employed three percussionists to create effects by hitting a musical saw with a soft mallet and wavering it, hitting gongs and holding a mike in the center and gradually moving it out to the edge, among other things. Although Garcia re-recorded this score as well as a suite from Atlantis for Talking Rings Records year ago, but the original recording is available from Film Score Monthly, complete with an outtakes suite, thorough liner notes, film stills and art work associated with the production.

While The Time Machine is still regarded as a classic film of its time, Atlantis is pretty well forgotten. It’s fair to say that Garcia’s adventurous but still melodic score outshines the film, which went into production with little known TV stars and a smaller-than-needed budget. For Atlantis, Garcia blends full-blooded, triumphant orchestration with fanfares that evoke ancient pageantry, romantic strings and themes that flirt with the exotic but steer clear of clichés. A good example occurs during the love scene where a submarine approaching in the background is suggested by gentle yet dissonant pulses created by harp and horns that reminds one of underwater sonar bleeps without being obvious about the reference. The Atlantis CD also contains Miklos Rozsa's score for the Pal-produced sci-fi crime thriller The Power.

These FSM releases contain crystal clear recordings, extensive liner notes and plenty of eye-candy.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Il Grande Racket"

Attori a Mano Armata
Various Artists
Amarkord/Mediane

Book and CD combo packs make great stocking stuffers even if Christmas is six months away. Case in point, the poliziotteschi set Attori a Mano Armata will be welcomed by every stocking-hooded hooligan this side of Sicily.

The CD promises rare music from the movies, but wait — let's take a closer look at this handsome little book. If you love '70s movie posters you're in luck, because this book is fully stocked in full color from cover to cover. If you're looking for information about Italy's hard-edged crime flicks then you're out of luck. Information is limited to a short essay and filmographies for the 10 major leading men of the genre — stuff you can easily find on the IMDb.

So, back to the 76-minute CD... it's a great collection — even for fans who have some of the other compilations already (such as Beretta 70, Roma Violenta, Piombo Rovente and Poliziotteschi Graffiti) there's plenty here to warrant the cover price. By my count more than half of the 22 featured tracks are from films that haven't had full soundtrack reissues and several were only released on rare 45s. That said, the quality of the tracks is excellent across the board. We're talking about hard-charging cop funk with occasional sideswipes at progressive rock and bossa lounge.

Attori a Mano Armata will thrill fans of Italian crime cinema. A bit more background info or trivia about the flicks would have been a bonus, not to mention a DVD documentary. Maybe next time?

[  to the top, baby!  ]

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery & The Spy Who Shagged Me (Original Scores)
George S. Clinton
RCA Victor

First off, this isn't a review of the song soundtracks released in tandem with the first and second Austin Powers movies. This IS a review of a recent release collecting George S. Clinton's scores for those movies. (And no, we're not talking about George "Atomic Dog" Clinton, but the Hollywood composer whose web site is listed on the ScoreBaby Links page.) Why RCA Victor chose to release it so long after both movies is a mystery, unless the studio thought it would somehow extend the public's flagging interest in Mike Myers' comic creation.

If you've seen the movies than you know that Clinton's cues are pitch perfect. They evoke the spy movies of the sixties, while providing just enough of a 90s twist on the symphonic spy jazz idiom to remind the listener that they're listening to an Austin Powers movie, not a James Bond, Matt Helm or Derek Flint movie.

Clinton draws on familiar motifs originated by John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini and Quincy Jones, and to great effect. (In fact, Quincy Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova" makes an appearance here, arranged by Clinton.) Barry's Blofeld cues, in particular, provide plenty of inspiration for Clinton's Dr. Evil cues. At times, it seems like Clinton plundered the music straight from the aforementioned sources, with just enough changed to avoid plagiarism. That's not a slam, though, since Clinton's instincts are right on target, making the score an homage, just as each movie is an homage to Bond, et al.

Even if all the Austin Powers hype wore out its welcome by the time the sequel hit the video store shelves, it's hard not to smile listening to this flawless exercise in retro-inspired scoring.

[  to the top, baby!  ]