NEWREVIEWS

[ 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

Enter your search terms

Web scorebaby.com Submit search form

"Stars and Rockets" (MP3 edit)

Chariots of the Gods?
Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra
Universal Jazzclub/Polydor

Did astronauts from another planet walk on Earth 40,000 years ago? That's the theory underlying the 1968 book Erinnerungen an die Zukunft (aka Memories of the Future) by Erich von Daniken. Filmmaker Harald Rienl adapted it into a cult documentary Chariots of the Gods? (1970), which was later shortened and retitled In Search of Ancient Astronauts for American TV (featuring narration by The Twilight Zone's Rod Serling).

The always unusual German film and television composer Peter Thomas (100% Cotton, Raumpatrouille, etc.) delivered a fascinating and eccentric score for Chariots of the Gods? that surprisingly hasn't been widely available on CD — until now. More good news for cult soundtrack fans is that this edition is the most complete ever and features 29 tracks, 10 of which are previously unreleased.

Among the best known cuts is "Stars and Rockets," which has been popular with electronic dance DJs, such as David Holmes (Ocean's trilogy) and The Herbaliser.

Contributing to Chariots' otherworldly psychedelic exotica lounge music is acid rock guitarist Siegfried Schwab (of Vampyros Lesbos fame) and library music drum basher Klaus Weiss, among others.

Thomas' penchant for eccentric sound effects can be heard in the odd electronic accents, which make "Stars and Rockets" sound like proto-techno. The arrangements, which are co-credited to Charles Calello who worked with American pop group The Four Seasons, veer from off the wall to medium normal by 1970 lounge pop standards. Although themes get reworked here and there, the soundtrack never feels repetitive or boring, because an experimental streak runs through it.

Chariots of the Gods? is a great blast from the past and a potent reminder of Peter Thomas' fantastic musical mind.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"The Trip" (MP3 edit)

Sebastian
Jerry Goldsmith
Harkit

How is it possible that one of the best spy soundtracks of the '60s has escaped re-release as long as Jerry Goldsmith's Sebastian? This should have been available 10 years ago, around the time when Goldsmith's groovy Flint soundtracks were reissued. Finally, justice has been served with this excellent edition from Harkit Records.

The swinging spy Mr. Sebastian, played by Dirk Bogarde, is a mastermind British cryptographer with a team of 100 beautiful assistants (take that Austin Powers). The film also stars Susannah York and Sir John Gielgud, among others.

Goldsmith's score favors light and lively orchestral pop featuring electric guitars, brass, xylophone and percussion backed with choral accents that gives the main theme a hustle-bustle energy. The theme resurfaces on "Checkmate".

Next up is the slinky, sexy "You Gotta Let Me Go", a catchy '60s pop number with Motown vibe, featuring an anonymous chorus and saxophone solo. You'll be humming it.

The soundtrack also features two takes of the stately albeit somewhat generic ballad "Comes the Night" — one sung by Jimmy Hassell and the other by Anita Harris.

Since this movie is about a code-breaker, we get "The Decoders," Goldsmith's intricate take on a Johann Sebastian Bach fugue that is somewhat reminiscent of Jacques Loussier's "Plays Bach" jazz trio records of the late '50s.

Fans of more suspenseful spy sounds (sort of in the 007 vein) will enjoy the sinister "Carol's Apartment" and the suitably titled "The Trip." The latter uses psychedelic production and sounds like something Portishead should have sampled back in the trip-hop hey day.

Most notable about this Harkit release is the inclusion of the experimental electronic tracks recorded by sound effects innovator Tristram Cary, who is well known for his work on BBC TV's Doctor Who and Hammer's sci-fi thriller Quatermass and the Pit. Cary, who founded the electronic music studio at the Royal College of Music in 1967, concocted the pulsating "Sputnik Code" and other bizarre sound textures — most of which were previously unreleased.

The CD's liner notes are extensive, include cast and crew biographies, a plot synopsis, and appear in English and Japanese. Fascinating stuff.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Appuntamento D'Affari" (MP3 edit)

Afyon Oppio
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis
Chris' Soundtrack Corner

Guido and Maurizio De Angelis scored many Italian crime films during the '70s (Roma Violenta, Milano Trema, etc.) and their soundtrack for Ferdinando Baldi's 1972 Afyon Oppio (aka The Sicilian Connection) is among their best.

The film stars cult icon Ben Gazzara, who is of Sicilian stock and is one of many b-level Hollywood actors who took jobs in Europe during the '60s and '70s. Here, he plays an American mobster who has relocated to Europe (including Turkey) to score a major deal with international drug cartels.

Italian crime film scores of the '70s tend to be characterized by hard-driving funk rock (inspired in part by the popular blaxploitation soundtracks of the era). Some of them feature tough guy ballads about the criminal's moral conflicts and tortured soul. Afyon Oppio is no exception in the latter sense, but it is more folk rock oriented, using acoustic guitars, chorus and flute to deliver music of an earthy, stoic character.

The main theme's melody serves several variations, ranging from traditional Italian folk with Jew's harp and piccolo, to country folk with acoustic guitars and harmonica, to funky jazz with flute, piano and a crackling rhythm section. Its melancholic soul works its way under your skin and stays there.

Chris' Soundtrack Corner gets extra credit points for the CD's excellent art direction and liner notes, which serves as a reminder of why it's still nice to have the packaging.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Main Title" (MP3 edit)

Brutti, Sporchi e Cattivi
Armando Trovajoli
GDM/Chris' Soundtrack Corner

Armando Travajoli's score for the earthy shanty town dramady Brutti, Sporchi e Cattivi (aka Ugly, Dirty and Bad, '76) opens with one of his hummable, toe-tapping pop rock tunes that has turned up on various compilations over the years.

The theme serves a handful of mellow variations, including one with funky electric piano, flute, acoustic guitar and a bit of wah-wah guitar.

Another the breezy sexy "Racconto Televisivo," which features some sweet keyboard lines and a gentle samba rhythm.

The score also features a melody of sad, plaintive beauty played on piccolo, piano, oboe and harmonica.

On Brutti, Sporchi e Cattivi — as on many of his scores — Trovajoli balances happy and sad moods with light touch and a gift for melody.

[  to the top, baby!  ]

"Main Title" (MP3 edit)

Pope Joan
Maurice Jarre
Harkit

Ten years after his break-out Hollywood score for David Lean's epic Lawrence of Arabia, Maurice Jarre scored Pope Joan, another historical drama — this one starring Liv Ullman, Trevor Howard, Maximillian Schell and others.

As was his gift, Jarre delivered a score of great melodic beauty that clearly takes inspiration from the story's setting (a medieval monastery) and its central character (a legendary woman who dared to rise to the top of the Catholic Church).

Jarre places the sensitive and mysterious sounds of folk instruments such as the Austrian zither, Hungarian cimbalom and Greek bouzouki along side harps and tuned percussion at the center of his lushly orchestrated and harmonically rich score. Percussion, of course, was one of Jarre's specialties, and he employs a wide variety of it here, but it never overwhelms and it always serves a purpose. Not surprisingly, chamber choir also figures in various cues.

Surprisingly, this excellent Harkit edition marks the first time the Pope Joan soundtrack has been released. It certainly merits attention as it is one of Jarre's most lovely.

The generously illustrated liner notes appear in English and Japanese.

[  to the top, baby!  ]