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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

L'Uccello Dalle Plume Di Cristallo
Ennio Morricone
Cinevox

Otherwise known as The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, this early Dario Argento's groundbreaking giallo (or thriller) benefitted from Morricone's memorable and entrancing score. Listening to the maestro's plaintive, oft-collected theme music, one suspects it's for a sensitive love story. Since Morricone is less associated with Argento than Goblin, it's hard to think of this as an Argento soundtrack, so much as a very competant Morricone score. There are light romantic ballads, followed by off kilter jazz tracks and delirious modern orchestral passages. If you're looking for Club Morricone funk, however, you'll have to look elsewhere.

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"Lungo La Stradina" (MP3 edit)

Uccidete Il Vitello Grasso e Arrostitelo
Ennio Morricone
Digitmovies

With music that wouldn't sound out of place at a modern day Renaissance Fair, Ennio Morricone's score for Salvatore Samperi's giallo Uccidete Il Vitello Grasso e Arrostitelo (aka Kill the Fatted Calf, '69) is a little perplexing. Although the film takes place in modern day Sicily, the score features gentle, feather-light madrigal-esque compositions, highlighting flute and harpisichord.

Once one gets past the seemingly incongruous character of the music it's very easy to become entranced by this score. Released the same year as such Morricone classics as Metti Una Sera a Cena, L'Assoluto Naturale and Le Clan Des Siciliens, Kill the Fatted Calf offers both haunting melodies and disconcerting moods. Like any Morricone score from '69 this one also features tracks that overlay intricate melodies over a rock beat.

Previously released by CAM, paired on CD with Morricone's score for Grazie, Zia ('68), Kill the Fatted Calf is further proof of the composer's genius during his most prolific period.

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Ultime Grida Dalla Savana/Savana Violenta
Carlo Savina/G. & M. De Angelis
CAM

The soundtracks for these two African wildlife documentaries (Final Cry of the Savanah and Violent Savanah) are paired together for obvious reasons, although both the films and soundtracks were by different creators. For the former film from 1974, Carlo Savina provided a generally light and breezy score, complete with bright keyboards, carefree rhythms, high strings, wordless vocals, even whistling. Occasional darkness creeps in, like on "Morte Di Un Animale" (or "Death of the Animal"). There's some quick swinging jazz and even an easy funk number. For "Violent Savanah", the De Angelis brothers provided an somewhat less varied score. Acoustic and Spanish guitar predominate, but are usually complemented by a wide range of light orchestral instrumentation and vocals.

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Una Farfalla Con Le Ali Insanguinate
Gianni Ferrio
Right Tempo/Easy Tempo

Gianni Ferrio's Una Farfalla Con Le Ali Insanguinate is the soundtrack for a Dario Argento thriller otherwise known as The Bloodstained Butterfly, but you'd be hard-pressed to get that from the music, which is surprisingly moody and low key. If you favor funky grooves, look elsewhere. If you enjoy a more serious orchestral approach, this may be your thing.

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Una Lucertola con La Pelle Di Donna
Ennio Morricone
Dagored/Beat

The photo montage on the cover of this soundtrack suggests a mix of sex and danger common to Italian thrillers of the early 70s. And one of the best composers to contribute a score to the genre is undoubtedly Ennio Morricone. Immediately, with the first track, the music establishes a sensual and psychadelic mood, rife with unsettling mystery. As piano and flute establish the theme's underlying pulse, electronic vibrations phase in and out until a wordless female vocal provides a compelling melodic figure, which is soon given a richer instrumental backing. As the rest of score plays on, the listener is offered dissonant tension builders and then funky psychadelic passages. This soundtrack truly sucks the listener in, almost as if the composer wanted to hypnotise his audience. Thankfully, Dagored has included alternate versions of many cuts, making the total running time over 70 minutes. Despite the lack of description regarding the Lucio Fulci movie itself, it's a satisfying disc.

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Una Sull'Altra / Teresa La Ladra /
Tiffany Memorandum
Riz Ortolani
Beat

Fans of Riz Ortolani and Italian beat soundtracks will find plenty to like in this triple feature. In fact, they'll hear a few familiar tunes -- tracks from all three movies appear on the Easy Tempo series, volumes one, six and seven.

Although Dagored recently reissued the score for Una Sull'Altra, getting all three of these scores on one disc is the real deal.

Una Sull'Altra features some of Ortolani's best work. The brass attack that opens the title track sounds like something out of Ellington -- this track really swings. But then Riz puts on the mellow charm with tracks such as "Susan and Jane" -- talk about lush lovin' sounds. He puts the groove on with "Lombard Street" and "The Roaring Twenties". And it just wouldn't be a 60s soundtrack without "Sitar in Blues".

The score for Teresa La Ladra features the big beat psyche dance track "Teresa l'illusa". The other four tracks for this "mini-soundtrack" are demure and forgettable in comparison.

The score for Tiffany Memorandum saves the disc from losing momentum. Opening with "Beat fuga Shake" it gets off to a rousing start. This track along with a few others (the Tiffany sequence tracks, for instance) also appear on Crippled Dick's Beat at Cinecitta Vol. One.

Bottom line: If you have the Easy Tempo and Cinecitta discs, there isn't that much for you here. But this is some of Ortolani's best work, so it's still worth considering.

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Una Tomba Aperta... Una Bara Vuota /
La Squartatore Di New York
Piero Piccioni / Armando Trovaioli
CAM

This is an odd double feature. Piero Piccioni's Open Grave, Empty Coffin actually plays second. The New York Ripper plays first and that's good since it's better than the Piccioni score. Trovaioli's score has greater dynamics than Piccioni's, so it deserves to be first. The New York Ripper features soulful, latin-tinged disco funk like "New York One Night", one version using heavily flanged electric guitar. The beginning of "Puertorico Club" is as stripped down as any electronica I've heard. Tension tracks, like "The Ripper" and "Where is the Ripper?" are truly effective. I haven't seen the movie (which is notoriously violent), but the soundtrack is quite compelling and practically serves as an effective substitute for watching the movie. Piccioni's score for Open Grave, Empty Coffin (how noir can you get!) is more about atmosphere than it is about rhythm. A full orchestra saws away dark, demented passages. Other tracks are dreamier, mysterious and tender. The mood is atonal at points as to almost be a parody of Bernard Hermann. This disc is a strange case of take it and leave it.

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"Seq. 21" (MP3 edit)

Una Vergine Tra I Morti Viventi
Bruno Nicolai
DigitMovies

Bruno Nicolai scored several films for cult director Jess Franco, starting with the spy spoof Lucky the Inscrutable in '67. Soon after, he scored such Franco sleaze as 99 Women, Eugenie — The Story of Her Journey into Perversion, Marquis De Sade: Justine, Night of the Blood Monster and Count Dracula, among others.

In '73 Nicolai scored Franco's Una Vergine Tra I Morti Viventi (aka A Virgin Among the Living Dead or Christine — The Princess of Eroticism or Zombi 4 among other titles). DigitMovies, which previously recognized the Franco-Nicolai cinematic legacy with reissues of Eugenie and 99 Women, presents the first ever CD appearance of A Virgin... and fans will be happy to know that it's up to every party's usual high standards.

Next to Ennio Morricone, no film composer delivers dark thrills and chills quite like Bruno Nicolai, whose command of the atonal horror soundtracks is more than a little scary. Echoing harps crawl up the backside, screeching violins cut across the ears, forlorn voices (Edda Dell'Orso, of course) haunt the thoughts, and electronic dissonance sears the brain.

Nicolai also knows how to get a groove on — albeit a sinister groove where throbbing bass and funky drums are accosted by organ drones, piano calamity and relentless electronic disturbances. Why don't they write music like this for horror movies any more?

But not all is dark and sinister on A Virgin... There is a jaunty solo piano number and Dell'Orso lends her sweet voice to an elegant orchestral bossa nova.

Franco may not be considered the most accomplished film director (some have even called him a hack), but with Nicolai scoring at least his films sound first rate. This is one of the better ones.

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"L'appuntamento" (MP3 edit)

Un Bianco Vestito per Mariale' (aka Spirits of Death)
Fiorenzo Carpi (arranged and conducted by Bruno Nicolai)
DigitMovies

Originally released on LP by Gemelli around the time of the film's release, Fiorenzo Carpi's haunting score for Spirits of Death is the seventh volume in DigitMovies' ongoing "Bruno Nicolai in Giallo" series. It deserves a spot in the series because of Nicolai's roles as arranger and conductor, which nearly make it sound like a Nicolai score.

Spirits may not be one of the better known gialli, but its soundtrack is a fair example because its stylistic elements are consistent with most gialli. There is a feminine, melodically pretty theme, tension building atonal passages that often rely on distorted guitar or electronic noises, and finally a couple of party or nightclub numbers in the lounge or funky psychedelic vein. Spirits has it all, including wordless vocals by Edda dell'Orso — a giallo soundtrack staple and favorite performer of both Nicolai and his then close associate Ennio Morricone.

Instrumentation is lean rather than lush, with individual instruments — particularly keyboards — delivering distinct lines in an uncrowded aural space. The effectiveness of these arrangements reminds one of why Morricone relied on Nicolai to arrange and conduct so many scores — Nicolai is a master of the less is more aesthetic.

So, while Spirits may be a minor entry in giallo cinema, its soundtrack is outstanding.

The other titles in the "Bruno Nicolai in Giallo" series are: Tutti I Colori Del Buio (aka All the Colors of the Dark), La Dama Rossa Uccide Sette Volte (aka Red Queen Kills 7 Times), La Notte Che Evelyn
Usci' Dalla Tomba (aka The Night Evelyn Came Out of Her Tomb), Perche' Quelle Strane Gocce Di Sangue Sul Corpo Di Jennifer (aka The Case of the Bloody Iris, or What Are Those Strange Drops of Blood Doing On Jennifer's Body?), La Coda Dello Scorpione (aka The Curse of the Scorpion), and Il Tuo Vizio É Una Stanza Chiusa E Solo Io Ho La Chave (aka Your Vice is a Locked Door and Only I Have the Key). ScoreBaby will add reviews for these titles in the coming months.

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"Devil Dance" (MP3 edit)

Un' Ombra Nell' Ombra
Stelvio Cipriani
DigitMovies

Satan, seances and sex. What's not to love? Occult horror was a popular genre during the late '70s. Un' Ombra Nell' Ombra (aka Ring of Darkness) is one of the lesser known entries. But don't hold obscurity against it. Any film that reunites Marisa Mell and John Phillip Law (both of Danger Diabolik) can't be all bad! Plus, it has an entrancing electronic rock score by Stelvio Cipriani.

By the late '70s film composers were increasingly using the era's advances in synthesizer technology to their advantage — they could create densely layered music without hiring an orchestra. If Ring of Darkness reminds some listeners of the work of Goblin (Profundo Rosso, Suspiria, etc.) it should come as no surprise to learn that Cipriani hired Goblin's keyboardist Claudio Simonetti to perform here.

Only three of this CD's 22 tracks have been released before, but only on a rare CAM library LP. Cool stuff and definitely a stand-out example of the era's electronic horror scores.

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"Melodie en Sous Sol" (MP3 edit)
"Un Singe en Hiver" (MP3 edit)

Melodie en Sous Sol / Un Singe en Hiver
Michel Magne
Universal

"Route de Nuit" (MP3 edit)
"Ne Nous Fachons Pas" (MP3 edit)

Les Tontons Flingueurs /
Ne Nous Fachons Pas
Michel Magne / Bernard Gerard
Universal

One of the great French film composers, Michel Magne (Fantomas, OSS 117) scored his fair share of classic '60s flicks, and Universal has released several of them on a handful of compilations.

A recent Magne double bill from Universal pairs his jazz-tinged score for Henri Verneuil's heist drama Melodie en Sous Sol (aka Any Number Can Win, '63) and his more exotic work for Verneuil's Un Singe en Hiver (aka A Monkey in Winter, '62).

When Magne teamed with Verneuil he was in his early 30s and already displaying a penchant for unconventional orchestration (prepared piano, bursts of percussion) and catchy melodies. In the main theme for Monkey the composer juxtaposes expressive Oriental lute and percussion with sections for solo harmonica against lush strings. The Oriental and harmonica bits reoccur throughout the score, juxtaposed with baroque strings ("Yang Tse Kiang"), Spanish guitar and Mariachi brass ("Corrida Ethylique"), Argentinian accordion and tango tempo ("Pekin-Buenos Aires") and jazz trio ("China Jazz Hot").

For Any Number, Magne favored a big band jazz sound bolstered with swinging string sections ("Palm Beach"), but also explored a glamorous orchestral sound featuring regal brass, chorus and cascading piano chords ("Hymne a L'argent"). The high drama supplied by strings and earthy tones of the jazzier sections is reminiscent of Alex North's score for Elia Kazan's A Streetcar Named Desire ('51). The main theme is a scorcher, enflamed by crashing percussion and blaring brass. For Magne's more eccentric side check out "Hold Up (Part 2)," which starts with scraping pizzicato strings and what sounds like a Theremin before swinging away into beat jazz. It's cool, daddy-o.

The Number/Monkey CD closes with jazz organ legend Jimmy Smith's classic take on "Any Number Can Win" as well as a couple of Fred Pallem's unusual modern mixes of themes from both films.

An earlier Universal CD that celebrates the films of Georges Lautner juxtaposes Magne's scores for the action crime comedy Les Tontons Flingeurs (aka Monsieur Gangster, '63), action comedy thriller Les Barbouzes (aka The Great Spy Chase, '64), comedy spy thriller Le Monocle Rit Jaune (aka The Monocle's Sour Laugh, '64) and the crime drama Galia ('66) alongside Bernard Gerard's scores for the crime comedy Ne Nous Fachons Pas (aka Let's Not Get Angry, '66) and the crime drama La Grande Sauterelle ('67).

Among the Magne highlights is the crime jazz of "Route de Nuit," the playfully eccentric "Tamoure," the early rock 'n' roller "Tamoure Hully-Gully," the Western trotter "Barbouzes en Folie," the episodic and atmospheric "Du Rififi au chateau," the modal jazzer "Le Monocle Rit Jaune," the musically comedic "Monocle Story," the Bach-like Swingle Singers showcase "Largo," and the West Coast-style jazzer "Piege Party."

For his part, Gerard provides a big sky Western theme for Ne Nous Fachons Pas, a bit of baroque jazz ("Ballade Romantique"), some slick '60s surf rock ("Rosbif Attack"), a "Gloria" rip-off ("Akou," featuring an English language vocal by Graeme Allwright) and tense theme combining fuzz guitar, strings and drums for La Grande Sauterelle as well as a full throttle fuzz guitar rocker for the same picture ("Mechoui").

All told, these Universal discs display Magne's penchant for experimental flourish as well as the under-heralded film work of Bernard Gerard.

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Up the Junction
Manfred Mann
RPM

Up the Junction, a book published in '63, is "a collection of razor sharp sketches of working class life." A few years later, Peter Collinson directed the x-rated film (He also directed the original The Italian Job and The Penthouse.)

RPM's well-documented reissue of the score by Manfred Mann is a welcome mix of jazzy instrumentals and Brit pop. There's even the single version of the title track and its original B-side "Sleepy Hollow".

The band had previously appeared on the What's New Pussycat? score, performing Burt Bacharach's "My Little Red Book". And keyboardist Mike Hugg and Mann had also composed and recorded several TV themes and commercial jingles. In other words, Manfred Mann was primed to deliver a full score.

Up the Junction's theme song sets the scene, shifting between leisurely tempo on the verse and a more upbeat tempo on the chorus. The rest of the vocal tracks -- such as "Sing Songs of Love" and "Walking Round" -- share the theme's penchant for harmonized vocals, acoustic guitars and piano. The style certainly would not be mistaken for any period but the late '60s.

The instrumentals show more of an R'n'B flare, using organ and horns to carry the melodies. "Sheila's Dance" features some rousing piano by Hugg and some backward psychedelic horn effects. "Belgravia" is the jazziest of the lot, and certainly doesn't fit Manfred Mann's profile. And "Wailing Horn" boasts a cool echoey drum break.

Up the Junction is the best score RPM has released since Girl on a Motorcycle.

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"Il Capitano Enne 2" (MP3 edit)

Uomini E No
Ennio Morricone
Digitmovies

Valentino Orsini's Uomini E No (aka Men or Not Men, '80) is about the Italian Resistance during World War II, and centers on a leading member of the Resistance.

Morricone's score captures the war setting with a riveting main theme that suggests the strategies and attacks of the Resistance in war-torn Italy. It opens in melodramatic fashion with soaring strings and stern brass counterpoint before settling into a militaristic pattern that uses precise stop-and-start snare drum rolls and intricate, criss-crossing brass and woodwind lines to connote the secretive activities of the Resistance under the noses of the fascist forces. There's no mistaking it for anything but Morricone. Naturally, there are a number of variations on this 12-track CD.

The score also features a forlorn love theme, played on piano, flute, oboe and orchestra, that evokes an unrequited romance.

This rare Morricone score is certain to appeal to the composer's completist collectors, but also should capture the imaginations of war movie fans in general.

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