tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48231654226442464352024-03-14T04:13:56.672+00:00deep grooveAn account of the music in my life — by Andrew Cartmel.Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-17472555519673571172015-08-30T11:10:00.000+01:002015-08-30T11:10:33.953+01:00Further Definitions by Benny Carter<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UL0vckVZPU/VeLVQART6oI/AAAAAAAAEjc/kB2muyrbBME/s1600/carter%252C%2Bbenny%2Bfurther%2Bdefinitions%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6UL0vckVZPU/VeLVQART6oI/AAAAAAAAEjc/kB2muyrbBME/s200/carter%252C%2Bbenny%2Bfurther%2Bdefinitions%2Bcover.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This immediately sounded great — huge, clean sound. It’s one of the very first pressing Impulses (and one of their first releases, with the glossy Am-Par label, and an RVG etching). A mono copy. I bought it from <a href="http://www.jazzhouserecords.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jazz House</a> yonks ago (August 2012) — where good old Alan had correctly listed it as a first pressing. It cost the princely sum of eight quid. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This copy has a sticker which declares it comes from the ‘Jones Collection’ (‘Mr/Mrs Robert E. Jones' followed by a Dorset address). There was a track on Side 1 which I would swear was from <a href="http://coolcatcartmel.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/finians-rainbow.html" target="_blank">Finian’s Rainbow</a>, but no, apparently not. Still, great stuff. And stellar audio quality. It sounds like the horns are in the room with me. This could be an audiophile demonstration record. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JZ7ZqMyA60I/VeLVQV4AxwI/AAAAAAAAEjg/p6n9StwSRZA/s1600/carter%252C%2Bbenny%2Bfurther%2Bdefinitions%2Blabel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JZ7ZqMyA60I/VeLVQV4AxwI/AAAAAAAAEjg/p6n9StwSRZA/s200/carter%252C%2Bbenny%2Bfurther%2Bdefinitions%2Blabel.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wonder if I got any other records from Mr and Mrs Robert E. Jones? They seem to have owned some winners. An amazing record, a steal of a deal and almost perfect. This still looks grubby. Let’s clean it again. And again, if necessary. A wonderful record and worth the effort.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What strikes me on a second listening — after a second cleaning — is the immense richness of the musical tapestry here. Benny, you’re my hero! The track that sounds like something out of Finian’s Rainbow is ‘The Midnight Sun Will Never Set’ which is reminiscent — to me — of ‘How Are Things in Glocca Morra?’ </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Such lovely rich big ensemble sound. Carter, you’re a genius! This album is a towering classic. What were the earlier definitions, and where can I get the first album? Well, having looked, it turns out that this <i>is</i> the first album, and the follow up is Additions to Further Definitions (1966). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Apparently this one is a follow up in some senses, too, though — to a 1937 session in Paris with Coleman Hawkins and Django Reinhardt, which echoed the instrumentation here, and also some of the songs. Learn more <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/further-definitions-mw0000335476" target="_blank">here</a>. Those four 1937 tracks are on the <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Coleman-Hawkins-All-Star-Coleman-Hawkins-All-Stars/release/1726056" target="_blank">Coleman Hawkins All Stars</a> 10 inch album. Oh my god, I have got a copy of it on my shelf! Well, that’s next on the turntable. Back to Further Definitions. </span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9p9bByBkunA/VeLVQhXWfpI/AAAAAAAAEjk/hBiu_a12DJc/s1600/carter%252C%2Bbenny%2Bfurther%2Bdefinitions%2Bgatefold%2Bshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9p9bByBkunA/VeLVQhXWfpI/AAAAAAAAEjk/hBiu_a12DJc/s200/carter%252C%2Bbenny%2Bfurther%2Bdefinitions%2Bgatefold%2Bshot.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Great, graceful, beautifully contoured sheets and slopes of sound. A phenomenal gem of an album.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Benny Carter and His Orchestra</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Further Definitions (Impulse A-12)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Image credits: All are from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Benny-Carter-And-His-Orchestra-Further-Definitions/release/2935582" target="_blank">Discogs</a>. I could only find a shot of the stereo label. Mine is mono.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-17015659971525485812015-08-23T13:28:00.000+01:002015-08-23T13:28:00.176+01:00Blade Runner by Vangelis<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XrQc5UBE_nQ/Vdm6ub0etEI/AAAAAAAAEg8/-hKlrhOAsvo/s1600/BladeRunner3D_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XrQc5UBE_nQ/Vdm6ub0etEI/AAAAAAAAEg8/-hKlrhOAsvo/s200/BladeRunner3D_0.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For years, those of us who loved the music Blade Runner were baffled by the refusal of its composer Vangelis (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span>Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou</span>) to allow his music to be issued as an LP (as was then the dominant music format). But commerce deplores a vacuum, so a Blade Runner soundtrack album did appear, but it wasn't the original version of music on the film, and Vangelis himself didn't play on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fast forward to the age of CD and finally there was a release of the Vangelis score. But those of us who love vinyl still had a void in our hearts, because we wanted an LP version of the music. That dream came true in spades when Audio Fidelity released a <a href="https://audiofidelity.net/product/vangelis-blade-runner" target="_blank">beautiful audiophile record</a> of the soundtrack. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-64eOmjP5Nrs/Vdm6vhtjqjI/AAAAAAAAEhM/FM8C78ZrqMw/s1600/vangelis%252C%2Bbalde%2Brunner%2Baudio%2Bfidelity%2Blabel%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-64eOmjP5Nrs/Vdm6vhtjqjI/AAAAAAAAEhM/FM8C78ZrqMw/s200/vangelis%252C%2Bbalde%2Brunner%2Baudio%2Bfidelity%2Blabel%2B1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was on 180 gram high quality vinyl, and red to boot, housed in a handsome gatefold sleeve. It was also — more importantly — remastered by a respected audio engineer, <a href="http://www.recordtech.com/atmweb/atmkev.htm" target="_blank">Kevin Gray</a>. I bought a copy with the usual doubt and suspicion. Not because of Kevin Gray's credentials, which are exemplary, but because in my experience most modern audiophile pressings, especially American ones, are usually pressed on noisy recycled vinyl (whatever they claim) or, much more commonly, come with scratches added at the factory to destroy your listening pleasure.</span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VwkOXKz5BmE/Vdm6wnEyitI/AAAAAAAAEhc/JFQOfvEVo7E/s1600/vangelis%252C%2Bbalde%2Brunner%2Baudio%2Bfidelity%2Blabel%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VwkOXKz5BmE/Vdm6wnEyitI/AAAAAAAAEhc/JFQOfvEVo7E/s200/vangelis%252C%2Bbalde%2Brunner%2Baudio%2Bfidelity%2Blabel%2B2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I'm delighted to report my copy of Blade Runner was fine. It sounds great and this is almost a perfect version of Vangelis's music, at last. It is almost entirely a synthesiser score — except for the wonderful presence of <a href="http://www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=973848674" target="_blank">Dick Morrissey</a> playing the ravishing sax solo on the love theme. (Oddly enough, Morrissey lived in the small town in Kent where I grew up. I kind of wish I'd known that, so I could have stalked him)</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j_Mp_gxHvhI/Vdm6vRDg7EI/AAAAAAAAEhQ/1I1k7UUMBsQ/s1600/vangelis%252C%2Bbalde%2Brunner%2Baudio%2Bfidelity%2Bgf%2Binner%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j_Mp_gxHvhI/Vdm6vRDg7EI/AAAAAAAAEhQ/1I1k7UUMBsQ/s200/vangelis%252C%2Bbalde%2Brunner%2Baudio%2Bfidelity%2Bgf%2Binner%2B1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the sound quality will never be that of a recording of acoustic (or indeed electric) instruments recorded in a a real environment, with air around them. Indeed, in terms of sound quality (though certainly not musically), the best track on Blade Runner may be 'One More Kiss, Dear' sung by <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/don-percival-music-industry-allrounder-9029323.html" target="_blank">Don Percival</a>. But that's the inherent limitation of any electronic score and I'm not grousing about it. This is very nearly the ideal Blade Runner soundtrack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what is stopping it short of perfection? The inclusion of three segments of dialogue. Why do people insist on doing this? If I want dialogue or sound effects I will watch the movie on any of the myriad formats available. When I play the soundtrack album, all I want is the music.</span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c5NUWpBJ7UM/Vdm6wGLluHI/AAAAAAAAEhY/DuSFD4mjsnY/s1600/vangelis%252C%2Bbalde%2Brunner%2Baudio%2Bfidelity%2Bgf%2Binner%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c5NUWpBJ7UM/Vdm6wGLluHI/AAAAAAAAEhY/DuSFD4mjsnY/s200/vangelis%252C%2Bbalde%2Brunner%2Baudio%2Bfidelity%2Bgf%2Binner%2B2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know other people feel differently, but I believe the inclusion of dialogue and effects on this otherwise magnificent record was a ludicrous blunder and represent a tragically missed opportunity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: All from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Vangelis-Blade-Runner/release/4369372" target="_blank">Discogs</a>, who did me proud, except the pack shot which is from <a href="https://audiofidelity.net/product/vangelis-blade-runner" target="_blank">Audio Fidelity</a>, who made the record.) </span><br />
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Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-928577141425355832015-08-12T10:00:00.000+01:002015-08-12T10:00:01.158+01:00Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis & Gil Evans (RSD Mono)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9tDIqNGbfXA/VcJpErw-4ZI/AAAAAAAAEdc/WezXCayCPlE/s1600/miles_davis_sketches_of_spain_non_rsd_a__10765.1401827315.1280.1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9tDIqNGbfXA/VcJpErw-4ZI/AAAAAAAAEdc/WezXCayCPlE/s200/miles_davis_sketches_of_spain_non_rsd_a__10765.1401827315.1280.1280.jpg" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I previously wrote <a href="http://coolcatcartmel.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/sketches-of-spain-by-miles-davis-gil.html" target="_blank">a post</a> about the Dutch Fontana pressing of this classic of big band jazz. The music itself, of course, is stellar. But it is instructive — and fun — to search for the best possible rendering of it on vinyl. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So I decided to compare my recently acquired 1960 Fontana with this Record Store Day 180g reissue from 2013, which was mono. I am a bit dubious about these RSD mono Miles Davis records... I strove like hell to get ahold of their Kind of Blue, only to open my sealed copy and discover that the first track on Side 1 had a nasty factory scratch on it. Have these paragons never heard of quality control? It wasn't cheap, either.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xvlc3-KIXWE/VcJo-DuXUKI/AAAAAAAAEdM/hPWH65v8pIk/s1600/sketches%2Bof%2Bspain%2Blabel%2Bmono%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xvlc3-KIXWE/VcJo-DuXUKI/AAAAAAAAEdM/hPWH65v8pIk/s200/sketches%2Bof%2Bspain%2Blabel%2Bmono%2B1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But this Sketches of Spain was unscratched. And it sounded very nice — though of course it is mono, so there is no exact comparison between it and the stereo Dutch Fontana. However, compared to that Fontana, which was over half a century older, I felt Miles’s trumpet had lost presence here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was rather soft and soggy by comparison to the 1960 Fontana. What Gil Evans called his “melancholy cry” had been blunted and tamed. Unkind words like “flabby” come to mind. The trumpet still has a harsh, sour quality, but without the fine grained detailed or clean-cut precision that distinguished it on the Fontana. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PDg34-kCCMQ/VcJpIovFBAI/AAAAAAAAEdk/seur5U2RTu0/s1600/miles_davis_sketches_of_spain_non_rsd_b__28439.1401827332.1280.1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PDg34-kCCMQ/VcJpIovFBAI/AAAAAAAAEdk/seur5U2RTu0/s200/miles_davis_sketches_of_spain_non_rsd_b__28439.1401827332.1280.1280.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The orchestra perhaps sound a little more integrated, but I suspect that’s just because it’s mono.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Miles Davis, arranged and conducted by Gil Evans. Sketches of Spain (Columbia CL 1480; Record Store Day 180g mono reissue, individual number 2957.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Image credits: the album cover, front and back, come from <a href="http://www.northernvolume.com/miles-davis-sketches-of-spain-mono-180g-audiophile-vinyl-lp-record/" target="_blank">Northern Volume</a>. The label shots, which are actually from an original copy rather than the RSD reissue, are from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Miles-Sketches-Of-Spain/release/5800969" target="_blank">Discogs</a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-6788120721080997772015-08-05T20:17:00.000+01:002015-08-05T20:18:36.486+01:00Sketches of Spain by Miles Davis & Gil Evans (Dutch Fontana)<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E4Kl7YN6P5U/VcJe-CptkuI/AAAAAAAAEcw/W9sbF6lgtH0/s1600/davis%252C%2Bmiles%2Bsketches%2Bof%2Bspain%2Bdutch%2Bfontana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E4Kl7YN6P5U/VcJe-CptkuI/AAAAAAAAEcw/W9sbF6lgtH0/s200/davis%252C%2Bmiles%2Bsketches%2Bof%2Bspain%2Bdutch%2Bfontana.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I picked this up at a boot fair in a posh London suburb. It wasn’t the original US Columbia release. Rather, it was on Fontana, the European label which handled Columbia’s Miles Davis catalogue in this period. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And it was the Dutch rather than the British pressing. Which is all to the good, because the Fontana records were manufactured by Phillips, who were based in Holland. They made excellent pressings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Crucially, this was a first pressing and, what’s more, a factory test record — which meant it was one of the first off the stamper (which equates to the highest audio quality — the more the stamper is used, the more worn and less precise it becomes). A stereo copy, too. Something of a holy grail, then. I spent £25 on it (haggled down from a sticker price of £35). </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aASlICWZ5HY/VcJe-LGLsNI/AAAAAAAAEcs/M_diQg6dbMU/s1600/davis%252C%2Bmiles%2Bsketches%2Bof%2Bspain%2Bdutch%2Bfontana%2Blabel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aASlICWZ5HY/VcJe-LGLsNI/AAAAAAAAEcs/M_diQg6dbMU/s200/davis%252C%2Bmiles%2Bsketches%2Bof%2Bspain%2Bdutch%2Bfontana%2Blabel.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A few years ago this would have been an unthinkable sum, and even now it seems like a big investment... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After a tense, paranoid first listening, I began to relax — the record plays fine. Now I'm beginning to appreciate how Gil Evans makes the whole big combo swing like a single bright, sharp edged metallic construction on a pendulum, absolutely unified, with Miles’s trumpet in the lead. (Miles said, “He made that orchestra sound like one big guitar.”) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is a brooding, measured, industrial quality to the sound… with an unsettling tone hovering in the background at the threshold of hearing, not resolving and not ceasing, like the hum of a menacing machine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The tuba player, Bill Barber, had worked with Evans ever since his days in the Claude Thornhill Orchestra, when Evans first added tuba to the ensemble. (Jimmy McAllister also plays tuba on the Sketches of Spain sessions.) Gil Evans, and Thornhill, were partial to French horns. And Johnny Carisi says “In a sense… a tuba is like a big French horn.” </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ztRXdqWTR7M/VcJf9JgL1GI/AAAAAAAAEc8/0Jc8q1A2QNE/s1600/lees%252C%2Bgene%2Barranging%2Bthe%2Bscore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ztRXdqWTR7M/VcJf9JgL1GI/AAAAAAAAEc8/0Jc8q1A2QNE/s200/lees%252C%2Bgene%2Barranging%2Bthe%2Bscore.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The fascinating thing is that Gil Evans uses the orchestra the way Miles Davis plays his trumpet. This shared vision of music is why they got together in the first place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a great record, and a wonderful pressing — I could feel the exciting shock of the impact of the low frequencies. I must compare it to the recent mono Record Store Day reissue.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(I have quoted from an essay about Gil Evans from Gene Lees magnificent book about arrangers.)<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Miles Davis, arranged and conducted by Gil Evans. Sketches of Spain (Fontana 885 122 TY)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Image credits: the cover — which as you can see weirdly re-uses the photo from Kind of Blue — and the label are from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Miles-Davis-Sketches-Of-Spain/release/3537994" target="_blank">Discogs</a>. The cover of Gene Lees' Arranging the Score is from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Arranging-Score-Portraits-Great-Arrangers/dp/0826457959" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.)</span></span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-8632688149182816192015-07-23T14:43:00.000+01:002015-07-23T14:43:15.662+01:00Checkmate by Shelly Manne<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ccMqm8Wlezg/VbDueJtmcYI/AAAAAAAAEbM/6EIOfcftNhI/s1600/Shelly-Manne-Checkmate-446500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ccMqm8Wlezg/VbDueJtmcYI/AAAAAAAAEbM/6EIOfcftNhI/s200/Shelly-Manne-Checkmate-446500.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Purchased from the excellent <a href="http://www.jazzhouserecords.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jazz House Records</a>, this looks gorgeous, clean, almost new. It's a 1962 British mono pressing of a US Contemporary album which is legendary for its sound quality, and is also sought after (by me) for the John Williams TV score it contains (yes, <i>that</i> John Williams). Beautifully quiet run in groove... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The LP was recorded by Howard Holzer not Roy DuNann,who was the famed Contemporary recording engineer — sort of a West Coast Rudy Van Gelder. But “Howard Holzer was a genius, too,” <a href="http://www.soundfountain.com/contemporary/contemporary.html" target="_blank">according to Lester Koenig’s son</a>. (Lester Koenig ran Contemporary.) Apparently Holzer was mentored by DuNann. </span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xtrWRQ-5Ezs/VbDueZaooiI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/qpzlHBB9jAc/s1600/manne%252C%2Bshelly%2Bcheckmate%2Blabel%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xtrWRQ-5Ezs/VbDueZaooiI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/qpzlHBB9jAc/s200/manne%252C%2Bshelly%2Bcheckmate%2Blabel%2B1.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the sax, which turns out be be Richie Kamuca (“one of the most overlooked of the Lester Young disciples to emerge in the fifties” — <a href="http://www.mosaicrecords.com/?utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_medium=email&utm_content=http%3a%2f%2fwww.mosaicrecords.com&utm_campaign=20862331&utm_umg_et=318334723#" target="_blank">Mosaic newsletter</a>). Russ Freeman’s piano is delicate and adroit. Kamuca does a lot of work — and great work — here. He gives a small combo a big band sound. Kamuca has a huge sound. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a terrific record. Sharp, fresh, keening trumpet — Miles Davis influenced — by Conte Candoli. Wonderful sound quality. Kamuca is gorgeous. Some very interesting drumming, which isn’t surprising. And moody bass by Chuck Berghofer —also propulsively rhythmic. A real winner.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EvpBw6XqxPQ/VbDueiuWJHI/AAAAAAAAEbU/LTECYi2i0Hs/s1600/manne%252C%2Bshelly%2Bcheckmate%2Blabel%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EvpBw6XqxPQ/VbDueiuWJHI/AAAAAAAAEbU/LTECYi2i0Hs/s200/manne%252C%2Bshelly%2Bcheckmate%2Blabel%2B2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shelly Manne and His Men Play the Music of John Williams from the TV Series </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Checkmate </span>(Vogue LAC 12315 — originally on Contemporary)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: the cover is from <a href="http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=446500" target="_blank">EIL</a>, the labels from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Shelly-Manne-His-Men-Shelly-Manne-His-Men-Play-Checkmate/master/641444" target="_blank">Discogs</a>. The labels don't actually represent the British Vogue pressing, annoyingly, but images of these are not to be found on the internet. Yet.) </span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-87414185093825994012015-05-10T16:23:00.001+01:002015-05-10T16:23:54.764+01:00The Man from O.R.G.A.N. by Dick Hyman <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1WzEw55Se0/VU9unwYHN9I/AAAAAAAAEPA/UuNJQPosYRQ/s1600/hyman%2C%2Bdick%2Bman%2Bfrom%2Borgan%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1WzEw55Se0/VU9unwYHN9I/AAAAAAAAEPA/UuNJQPosYRQ/s200/hyman%2C%2Bdick%2Bman%2Bfrom%2Borgan%2B2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I saw this on <a href="https://www.dustygroove.com/" target="_blank">Dusty Groove</a> in their bachelor pad/space
age section (called <a href="https://www.dustygroove.com/category/now_sound" target="_blank">Now Sound</a>) and then tracked down an eBay copy from a Danish
seller which was in better shape than the Dusty Groove one (sorry, boys) — it's
also a white label promo copy, so an early pressing and therefore more sought
after. (Early copies off the stamper should sound better.) </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The album is on the
Command label, famed for both their wacky abstract cover art (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=40951143&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=BF-J&locale=en_US&srchid=369845521431269151768&srchindex=1&srchtotal=10&trk=vsrp_people_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A369845521431269151768%2CVSRPtargetId%3A40951143%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Atrue" target="_blank">Mike Gething</a> of
<a href="http://www.littleamberfish.co.uk/" target="_blank">Little Amber Fish</a> is a big fan) and their high tech stereo sound —
"Command Records will delight the most discriminating audiophile."
There is a reassuring block of text on the back cover detailing <i>Technical Data</i>.
Telefunken microphones, check; Ampex tape recorder, check; Westrex cutter,
check; Scully lathe, check. On to the music... </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4vxPw6wLb1g/VU9upchlyfI/AAAAAAAAEPU/pTKCFvw90yw/s1600/hyman%2C%2Bdick%2Bman%2Bfrom%2Borgan%2B6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4vxPw6wLb1g/VU9upchlyfI/AAAAAAAAEPU/pTKCFvw90yw/s200/hyman%2C%2Bdick%2Bman%2Bfrom%2Borgan%2B6.jpg" width="196" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hyman, a well-known keyboard
wizard, plays the Lowrey electric organ here. The album opens with a
superlative version of Schifrin's 'The Liquidator'. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Less welcome is 'The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third Man Theme'. I've always hated
that £*%^@ zither atrocity, and it's no better here with the zither absent (I say this in the full knowledge that it is a beloved classic and has sold gazillions of copies). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The title track is an improvement, though it's a bit of a country & western
oddity. 'Honey West', with its noirish slant is much superior. 'I Spy' is a
sort of a sound drama with snatches of dialogue and traffic effects. Indeed
Hyman subtitled the arrangement 'Tone Poem of a New York Traffic Jam'. It
doesn't have the fluidity and appeal of comparable efforts by <a href="http://coolcatcartmel.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/soulful-truthful-and-honest-kenyon.html" target="_blank">Kenyon Hopkins</a> or
Roland Shaw, who can make sound clips seem part of the music rather than
jarring interpolations. 'I Spy' still has a pulsing appeal, though it sounds to
me like the fade out was cut off by some ham fisted chump. All the Telefunkens
and Ampexs in the world won't save you from clumsy human intervention. </span><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sQ0xmk-r86A/VU9up1KLdnI/AAAAAAAAEPg/i27ik5LEIzc/s1600/hyman%2C%2Bdick%2Bman%2Bfrom%2Borgan%2B7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sQ0xmk-r86A/VU9up1KLdnI/AAAAAAAAEPg/i27ik5LEIzc/s200/hyman%2C%2Bdick%2Bman%2Bfrom%2Borgan%2B7.jpg" width="196" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">'Man
Alone' by John Barry from The Ipcress File is lovely, displaying some
particularly nice guitar by Tony Mottola with a bossa feel. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If not for the
Third @£$$%^ Man this would be wall to wall high quality spy music.
'Thunderball' has a galloping, almost Spaghetti Western feel (more guitar, this
time by Al Casamenti) with some wailing high pitched sputnik electric organ —
apparently achieved by using the "piccolo attachment." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The third
Barry track, 'Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' is another highlight, with the
whispered accompaniment more effective than the intrusions on 'I Spy'.
Schifrin's 'The Cat — Theme from Joy House' isn't about to supplant <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_%28album%29" target="_blank">Jimmy Smith's take</a>, but it has a pleasant 1960s science fiction feel. </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1q_fvJZxkQw/VU9umugh3wI/AAAAAAAAEO0/6w9l8wi0Szc/s1600/hyman%2C%2Bdick%2Bman%2Bfrom%2Borgan%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1q_fvJZxkQw/VU9umugh3wI/AAAAAAAAEO0/6w9l8wi0Szc/s200/hyman%2C%2Bdick%2Bman%2Bfrom%2Borgan%2B1.jpg" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">'Agent Double-O
Soul' is equipped with some nicely groovy female vocals. You can almost see the
singers gyrating in their giant giant birdcages, mini-dresses lit up by the
psychedelic colour splashes of the oil lamp. Again with the abrupt cut-off,
though. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There is the occasional bit of very light noise on my LP — some tics
deep in the grooves. And the vinyl has a tiny warp. But this copy is probably
as good as it gets. A keeper.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Dick Hyman The Man from O.R.G.A.N.(Command RS 891 SD)</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Image credits: all from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Dick-Hyman-The-Man-From-ORGAN/release/2183754" target="_blank">Discogs</a>. Thank god this isn't my copy with the grubby labels.) </span></div>
Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-89632815712122102752015-02-17T10:00:00.000+00:002015-02-17T10:00:00.721+00:00Choo Choo Ch'Boogie by Louis Jordan<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iCDgqsGGYcw/VNoHCCjnVwI/AAAAAAAAD0c/SyjDqCWtaEo/s1600/jordan%2C%2Blouis%2Bchoo%2Bchoo%2Bch%27boogie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iCDgqsGGYcw/VNoHCCjnVwI/AAAAAAAAD0c/SyjDqCWtaEo/s1600/jordan%2C%2Blouis%2Bchoo%2Bchoo%2Bch'boogie.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A 1982 compilation. One of ten LPs I bought (a quid each or
ten for a fiver) from Keith's record shop in Kingston. It was a Music For
Pleasure pressing and the cover was so tacky I hesitated, but it was mono, had some
proper liner notes and — crucially — had a track called 'Inflation Blues'
("Hey Pres, please cut the price of sugar so I can make my coffee
sweet"). So I risked my 50p. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It actually sounds great, is immaculate and
unplayed, and the music is catchy and intoxicating. Smashing snarky sax. And it
includes 'Caldonia', which featured so memorably in the James Brown biopic <a href="http://venusianfrogbroth.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/get-on-up-by-butterworths.html" target="_blank">Get On Up</a>. There is a bit of odd crackling echo and the occasional spitting
snapping on some tracks — dramatic but very brief distortion. I wondered if it was the system
(the valve amps about to explode) but I think it must just be this pressing,
or maybe just some tiny specks of crud... </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UKIES-vYq-M/VNoHCPjbZUI/AAAAAAAAD0Y/lhGOLCL8UKM/s1600/jordan%2C%2Blouis%2Bchoo%2Bchoo%2Bch%27boogie%2Bback%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UKIES-vYq-M/VNoHCPjbZUI/AAAAAAAAD0Y/lhGOLCL8UKM/s1600/jordan%2C%2Blouis%2Bchoo%2Bchoo%2Bch'boogie%2Bback%2Bcover.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The informative liner notes, by Bill
Williams, make the interesting point that this style of music underwent a
revival (including the release of the album in hand, presumably) after Joe
Jackson's 1981 LP Jumpin' Jive. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A highly catchy standout on this excellent compilation is 'Open the Door,
Richard'. Apparently 'Tamburitza Boogie' (aka simply 'Tamburitza') features the
organ playing of Bill Doggett who would be a major instrumentalist of the rock
and roll era. Williams observes that Jordan was a huge influence on the
rock and rollers. In fact he left his label Decca just a few months before his
producer Milt Gabler 'masterminded' Bill Haley's 'Rock Around the Clock'
session. How interesting... Nice album. Good find.</span><br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Louis Jordan, Choo Choo Ch'Boogie (Music For Pleasure MFP 50557)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Image credits: all from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Louis-Jordan-Choo-Choo-Chboogie/release/2466754" target="_blank">Discogs</a>.) </span></div>
<br />
Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-13692502182744607912015-02-10T12:52:00.001+00:002015-02-10T13:25:40.839+00:00Cop Show Themes by Henry Mancini<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USHM6qU_LxQ/VNn8M7eHOFI/AAAAAAAAD0E/WCcsFA5AB1o/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-USHM6qU_LxQ/VNn8M7eHOFI/AAAAAAAAD0E/WCcsFA5AB1o/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On <a href="https://www.dustygroove.com/item/1395" target="_blank">Dusty Groove</a> this is considered something of a holy
grail, so when a sealed original pressing turned up (for $40, ouch), I took the
plunge. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's a sealed, mint copy
all right (a cut-out which would originally have been remaindered for a buck or
two), but it has a serious and dramatic edge warp at the outer perimeter of the
record. Like it's been exposed to heat. </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bfltlMWpOfU/VNn8KxLKgeI/AAAAAAAADzg/tRB-vbO64qw/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes%2Bback%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bfltlMWpOfU/VNn8KxLKgeI/AAAAAAAADzg/tRB-vbO64qw/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes%2Bback%2Bcover.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oh Christ. (Did I mention the $40?) But
the beginning of Side 1 plays perfectly <span style="font-size: small;">—</span> and the beginning of the record is
where the warp lies. Fingers crossed for Side 2. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, the music. I had a CD of
this and I'd listened to it and never understood what the fuss was about. Well,
the cause of the fuss is immediately evident from the vinyl version. Even
though this is flimsy seventies vinyl (1976 to be exact) <span style="font-size: small;">—</span> probably the cause
of the warp <span style="font-size: small;">—</span> it is sonically splendid. It seems the folks at RCA hadn't
forgotten how to make records since the days of Living Stereo. Magnificent
clean, open sound. </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ea9HzBPw84I/VNn8LwW7OqI/AAAAAAAADz0/aJr-sfvRvNo/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes%2Blabel%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ea9HzBPw84I/VNn8LwW7OqI/AAAAAAAADz0/aJr-sfvRvNo/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes%2Blabel%2B1.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The spacey, wailing, soaring electric organ on Mancini's own 'Mystery
Movie Theme' by Clare Fischer no doubt appeals to hipsters (it certainly
appeals to me) but the loping country music beat of this tune takes a bit of
getting used to. <span style="font-size: small;">T</span>he insouciant, scampering electric piano solo by Artie Kane
on 'The Streets of San Francisco' is another highlight. In fact 'The Streets of
San Francisco' (composed by Patrick <span style="font-size: small;">W</span>illiams) is an odyssey of immense musical virtuosity. My god, it's good. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And then there's Ronnie Kane's alto sax on 'Bumper's Theme' (from a TV movie of
The Blue Knight, based on Joseph Wambaugh's novel) which also has some tasty
trumpet and flugelhorn from Graham Young. 'Bumper's Theme' is something of a
throwback to the slinky jazz of Mancini's own Peter Gunn, and indeed it's a Mancini composition. Graham Young has a
piercing, Mexican sounding solo on 'Kojak'. </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aePPejrYH-I/VNn8MEw8LGI/AAAAAAAADz4/kOcyomP_QFc/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes%2Blabel%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aePPejrYH-I/VNn8MEw8LGI/AAAAAAAADz4/kOcyomP_QFc/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes%2Blabel%2B2.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The guitar solo on 'S.W.A.T.' <span style="font-size: small;">(a Barry DeVorzon composition<span style="font-size: small;">) </span></span>by Lee
Ritenour is tremendous, reminiscent of his heyday on Steely Dan. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And since it's
a ludicrously short record (about 12 minutes a side!) I don't have to wait too
long to find about the effect of the warp on Side 2. It plays fine. There's a
bit of surface noise here, but it doesn't seem to be related to the warp. Phew. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other solo highlights include the harpsichord (Artie Kane, again) and Don
Menza's tenor sax, both on Mike <span style="font-size: small;">Post's</span> 'The Rockford Files'. It's beginning to seem I'm
just listing the soloists who are (helpfully) credited on the back of the album
cover, but their contributions really are outstanding. </span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rN2IWCgaQCM/VNn8LJe3ECI/AAAAAAAADzs/ctfmo1jtAXQ/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes%2Bjapanese%2Bwith%2Bobi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rN2IWCgaQCM/VNn8LJe3ECI/AAAAAAAADzs/ctfmo1jtAXQ/s1600/mancini%2Bcop%2Bshow%2Bthemes%2Bjapanese%2Bwith%2Bobi.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What a magnificent
record. It just sounds wonderful, even though the sight of this poor mangled
piece of vinyl rotating on my turntable is equal measures pitiful and
laughable. I'm chuffed that the album also includes a version of Morton
Stevens's 'Hawaii Five-O', one of my favourite TV themes of all time. And dig the
Roy Lichtenstein-style cover art. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If like me, you had only previously heard this <span style="font-size: small;">in digital versions you must seek out the vinyl. It's a <span style="font-size: small;">revelation.</span></span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Henry Mancini<span style="font-size: small;">, </span>The Cop Show Themes (RCA AFL1-1896)</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Image credits: all from the incredibly useful <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Henry-Mancini-And-His-Orchestra-The-Cop-Show-Themes/master/87427" target="_blank">Discogs</a>.)</span></span>
</span></span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-11082311780079008132014-07-14T09:50:00.000+01:002014-07-14T09:50:08.674+01:00RCA's Classic Film Scores<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VrY6_9s59t4/U8OTyTAf8ZI/AAAAAAAADMg/66v2EeUUK84/s1600/korngold+Elisabeth_Essex_classic_scores_ARL10185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VrY6_9s59t4/U8OTyTAf8ZI/AAAAAAAADMg/66v2EeUUK84/s1600/korngold+Elisabeth_Essex_classic_scores_ARL10185.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank heavens for car boot sales (in America the equivalent would, I suppose, be swap meets). This year I attended the grand local annual event and came back with a bag of 19 LPs (and also a CD, but we'll pretend that didn't happen).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amongst the treasures on vinyl was this soundtrack album. Ignore the slightly dodgy cover; it's a masterpiece. More importantly, it's one of a series of masterpieces. The music is by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, drawn from various classic movies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are not the <i>original</i> original soundtrack recordings. In other words, they're not the music which was originally attached to the print of the film. They are re-recordings. This is almost always the case with so-called "original" soundtrack recordings. But these are <i>great</i> re-recordings, and part of a magnificent <a href="http://classicalcdreview.com/cfs.htm" target="_blank">series</a> of 15 LPs (some sources say 14) issued by RCA in the early 1970s.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VN3EcRAmCzo/U8OY1j0zMPI/AAAAAAAADMw/-ILHDtMvI8g/s1600/gerhardt,+charles+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VN3EcRAmCzo/U8OY1j0zMPI/AAAAAAAADMw/-ILHDtMvI8g/s1600/gerhardt,+charles+cropped.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The project was the brainchild of Charles Gerhardt, who conducted the National Philharmonic Orchestra on the recordings. They featured music by Hollywood greats such as Korngold, Bernard Herrmann and Franz Waxman. The music was superb, the performances were magnificent and the recordings and pressings outstanding — this was the last hurrah of quality vinyl before things went digital.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elizabeth and Essex is splendid, particularly the Sea Wolf score which features gorgeous use of harmonica. But if you are into the golden age of film music, then really any of these Gerhardt RCAs are worth seeking out. They're well worth hearing on CD, but it's the vinyl you really want, if you can find it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: the LP cover is from the reliable <a href="http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/title/6367/Elizabeth+And+Essex%3A+The+Classic+Film+Scores+Of+Erich+Wolfgang+Korngold" target="_blank">Soundtrack Collector</a>. The photo of Gerhardt at the piano, baton in mouth, is from <a href="http://www.classicalcdreview.com/cgrebweb.html" target="_blank">Classical CD Review</a>.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-83657687525639296792014-06-22T14:13:00.001+01:002014-06-22T14:13:02.866+01:00Roland Kirk Meets Cy Coleman<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke4bEvyJnCo/U6a2w1VImgI/AAAAAAAADKw/6ad2JNygWec/s1600/roland+kirk+meets+benny+golson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ke4bEvyJnCo/U6a2w1VImgI/AAAAAAAADKw/6ad2JNygWec/s1600/roland+kirk+meets+benny+golson.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One good thing about that fascinating little vixen of an American jazz singer I once knew (Hi, Kat!) was that she introduced me to the music of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/20/theater/20coleman.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0" target="_blank">Cy Coleman</a>. Coleman was an irresistible jazz pianist and a distinguished composer of popular songs and Broadway shows. He's probably best known for classics like Big Spender, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmDpSP5Y3HI" target="_blank">Witchcraft</a>, When in Rome and The Best is Yet to Come. Oh yes, and the Playboy Theme. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just love his stuff, but he is definitely what you'd call mainstream, so I was astonished to discover that Roland Kirk, the mad genius of avant-garde jazz, had recorded a beautiful version of a Cy Coleman song. I only know this thanks to a recent episode of the excellent Radio 3 program <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0457qjz" target="_blank">Geoffrey Smith's Jazz</a> devoted to Roland Kirk. The song in question is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ive-Got-Your-Number/dp/B0050263PO" target="_blank">I've Got Your Number</a> and it is just dynamite. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gB7fDWyLC7A/U6a2w3IcMVI/AAAAAAAADK0/hlQZKcWbyo4/s1600/roland+kirk,+golson+my+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gB7fDWyLC7A/U6a2w3IcMVI/AAAAAAAADK0/hlQZKcWbyo4/s1600/roland+kirk,+golson+my+copy.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As soon as I heard it, I had to have it. And when I saw what the cover of the relevant album looked like — a brilliant black and white caricature by Desz</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="st"><em>ő</em></span> Csanàdy — I was totally lost. (Here's another great piece of art by </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Csanàdy</span>, a <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/508062401682795708/" target="_blank">pyschedelic book cover</a>.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Picture me hunched over the computer, after midnight, looking for this LP. I found one in a few minutes and ordered it. A very nice UK flipback copy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a stupendous album, an irresistible blend of the far out and the popular — as exemplified both by the choice of songs (besides the wonderful Coleman composition there is also a lovely cover of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPUo1-DXFfI" target="_blank">A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square</a>) and the presence of the Benny Golson Orchestra — hilariously listed on the Radio 3 Geoffrey Smith website as the Benny Goodman Orchestra. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, that really would have been strange bedfellows.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-90F7yRwEqj8/U6a2xyvb7wI/AAAAAAAADLA/HXJc1EeWzyk/s1600/therolandkirkquartet-meetsthebennygolsonorchestra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-90F7yRwEqj8/U6a2xyvb7wI/AAAAAAAADLA/HXJc1EeWzyk/s1600/therolandkirkquartet-meetsthebennygolsonorchestra.jpg" height="200" width="193" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This album is a revelation, and well worth seeking out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The beautiful cartoon cover on the US LP is from <a href="http://collectorsfrenzy.com/details/321049337979/ROLAND_KIRK_QUARTET_meets_benny_golson_orch_US_MERCURY_LP_SR60844_orig_1963" target="_blank">Collector's Frenzy</a>. The British version — the copy I own — is from the Ian Gourlay listing on <a href="http://www.gemm.com/c/search.pl?field=GEMM+ITEM+GML&wild=1470046499&crs=UK" target="_blank">Gemm</a>, where I bought it (thank you, Ian!). The slightly less wonderful photographic cover is from <a href="http://www.musicstack.com/item/165236807" target="_blank">Music Stack</a>.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-3880257777117945262014-06-14T08:07:00.000+01:002014-07-17T10:22:39.783+01:00Temptation by Piero Piccioni<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lNq55mGXGjM/U5vwBSe0h3I/AAAAAAAADG8/TRdd1ZCZBV4/s1600/piccioni,+piero+temptation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lNq55mGXGjM/U5vwBSe0h3I/AAAAAAAADG8/TRdd1ZCZBV4/s1600/piccioni,+piero+temptation.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.kronosrecords.com/index.html" target="_blank">Kronos Records</a> is an excellent boutique record label based in Malta who specialise in issuing CDs of rare film scores and other sought after music, most of which have never previously been available in any form. They are run by <a href="http://highfidelitystories.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/kronos-records-label-for-film-music.html" target="_blank">Godwin Borg</a>, who is an eminently nice guy (Hi, Godwin!). I first got in touch with Kronos when I was in search of some choice items by Piero Umiliani. I bought these and soon began exploring other treats and treasures available from Kronos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most surprising was by another great Italian composer called Piero — Piero Piccioni. It's a soundtrack for an obscure 1968 film called Temptation. It's a beautiful, jazzy, bossa-influenced score and cut from the same cloth as Piccioni masterpieces like The Tenth Victim, particularly in its use of swirling electric organ and sensual saxophone. Utterly delightful and irresistible. Perfect music for a laid back dinner party, or enlightened easy listening.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zk353tfSSTk/U5vyQzhbk7I/AAAAAAAADHI/Amxa4jnfJVo/s1600/piccioni,+piero+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zk353tfSSTk/U5vyQzhbk7I/AAAAAAAADHI/Amxa4jnfJVo/s1600/piccioni,+piero+cropped.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the same CD, which weighs in at a generous 74 minutes, is a TV score for La Figlia del Capitano (The Captain's Daughter) which is a very contrasting piece — bleak, classical and reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann, notably Herrmann's work in his CBS era, such as the Walt Whitman Suite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Godwin regularly holds sales when selected CDs — such as this one — are offered at tremendous bargain prices. So you should sign up for email updates. And you can also follow Kronos on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kronos-Records/118046636080" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The CD cover is from the <a href="http://www.kronosrecords.com/K6.html" target="_blank">Kronos catalogue</a>. The moody photo of Piccioni is from the <a href="http://www.kronosrecords.com/Piccioni.html" target="_blank">Kronos biography page</a>. Thanks, Godwin.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-79777376422351993402014-06-07T10:48:00.000+01:002014-06-07T10:48:25.057+01:00The Good, the Bad and the Record Store Day<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GyJqtszvZ5U/U5LbdotOvSI/AAAAAAAADDQ/TJ5TnqEc80k/s1600/morricone,+good,+bad+&+record+store+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GyJqtszvZ5U/U5LbdotOvSI/AAAAAAAADDQ/TJ5TnqEc80k/s1600/morricone,+good,+bad+&+record+store+day.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every year on Record Store Day all sorts of wonderful limited edition albums are released on vinyl. They're available briefly, first come first served, and then they're gone... Unless you're willing to buy them from the profiteers — the "flippers" who buy low and sell high on eBay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year I had a list of records I wanted to obtain, and high on that list was the reissue of Ennio Morricone's milestone score for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. It came with a special illustrated insert sheet featuring different versions of the movie posters from all over the world and was pressed on transparent green vinyl.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zXTtopDpVnA/U5Ld6SagJXI/AAAAAAAADDc/WNWmE4xP1VE/s1600/good--the-bad-and-the-ugly--japanese-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zXTtopDpVnA/U5Ld6SagJXI/AAAAAAAADDc/WNWmE4xP1VE/s1600/good--the-bad-and-the-ugly--japanese-.jpg" height="200" width="140" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was all set to line up before opening time at my local record store (<a href="http://www.banquetrecords.com/RSD14EM;jsessionid=11C0809F59A2EBE13B9EB77881EF7858" target="_blank">Banquet</a> in Kingston — hi chaps!). But events conspired to keep me away. (My cat was fatally injured. I spent the day at the vets and sitting beside the phone waiting for the bad news. Not fun.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I managed to pick up this Morricone LP at a not-unreasonable price from a decent sort of flipper and I've now had the chance to listen to it. And I'm seriously impressed. And very surprised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Often records which are pressed on coloured vinyl sound terrible. (Remind me to tell you about the orange Bride of Frankenstein some time.) So I'm always wary of anything that isn't plain old black. But this Record Store Day Morricone sounds terrific.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WNiiMYvDxYY/U5LfKtboq9I/AAAAAAAADDo/G49hxj-m0J4/s1600/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-movie-poster-1966-1010203305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WNiiMYvDxYY/U5LfKtboq9I/AAAAAAAADDo/G49hxj-m0J4/s1600/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-movie-poster-1966-1010203305.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Indeed, I'm hearing details on here I've never noticed before. So much so that I'm wondering if they used alternate versions of some of the tracks. I'm going to do a comparison listening with other releases of the LP which I've got, and I shall report back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But in the meantime, this is well worth getting hold of, if you can find a copy at a reasonable price. (It originally retailed for about £30 in the UK and $30 in the USA.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: the cover shot is from groovy little <a href="http://www.dustygroove.com/item/696565" target="_blank">Dusty Groove</a>. My favourite record store in the whole world — sorry, Sister Ray! the Japanese movie poster is from <a href="http://illustractiongallery.com/western/6038-good--the-bad-and-the-ugly--japanese-.html" target="_blank">Illustraction Gallery</a>. The Italian one is from the <a href="http://www.moviepostershop.com/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-movie-poster-1966" target="_blank">Movie Poster Shop</a>.) </span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-81359393823256672952014-05-31T09:05:00.001+01:002014-06-02T18:32:09.087+01:00A Ligeti Odyssey<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RnGZv_NBWVA/U4mLRu13adI/AAAAAAAADBI/PERcdL2xfZo/s1600/2001+album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RnGZv_NBWVA/U4mLRu13adI/AAAAAAAADBI/PERcdL2xfZo/s1600/2001+album.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like virtually everyone else of my generation I first became aware of the extraordinary music of György Ligeti — pronounced "Jurge" (rhymes with "surge") "Liggetty" (rhymes with higgetty-piggetty) — through Kubrick's use of it in 2001: A Space Odyssey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ligeti wasn't entirely pleased by this exposure or, some say, by the fact that his music had been distorted in the film. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can read more about that <a href="http://pascalvdl.wordpress.com/2013/02/18/stanley-kubrick-and-gyorgy-ligeti/" target="_blank">here</a>, but in the end Kubrick and Ligeti settled out of court and Ligeti came to be pleased by the association of his music with 2001. Kubrick, for his part, would return to Ligeti's music for The Shining.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DcBQwzKqgjk/U4mMeaUBEuI/AAAAAAAADBg/yYrumf00crQ/s1600/bass%252C+saul+shining+LP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DcBQwzKqgjk/U4mMeaUBEuI/AAAAAAAADBg/yYrumf00crQ/s1600/bass%252C+saul+shining+LP.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These observations have been prompted by an excellent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b043wpvd" target="_blank">documentary</a> on BBC Radio 3 about the life and work of Ligeti. It's fascinating and informative and Ligeti comes across as charmingly unpretentious. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He describes how the Fourth Movement of his Piano Concerto, sometimes called The Fractal Movement was actually inspired by a Marx Brothers movie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Night at the Opera, Groucho packs his tiny ship's cabin with visitors, including a stream of waiters bringing him boiled eggs. The room rapidly fills to bursting point, just as the sparse sound world of the Fourth Movement begins steadily more dense. "It's not the Fractal Movement," said Ligeti with amusement. "It's the Boiled Egg Movement."</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JhhIXpk-WsM/U4yzf8DCeTI/AAAAAAAADDA/cR-28v2jBZg/s1600/albumcoverhenrymanciniPinkpanther.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JhhIXpk-WsM/U4yzf8DCeTI/AAAAAAAADDA/cR-28v2jBZg/s1600/albumcoverhenrymanciniPinkpanther.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even more appealing to me, it reveals that Ligeti admired the work of Henry Mancini and was influenced by him, consulting <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sounds-Scores-Practical-Professional-Orchestration/dp/0898986672" target="_blank">Mancini's book on orchestration</a> and studying works like the Pink Panther Theme. Suddenly György Ligeti doesn't seem such a daunting, austere or formidable figure, but an approachable musician of genius.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was also a first rate <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b043wpvj" target="_blank">program of music</a> accompanying the documentary on Radio 3, though by the time you read this it will probably have expired. The documentary however, looks like it will be available indefinitely. Have a listen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The 2001 cover is from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/2001-Space-Odyssey-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B00002611E/ref=sr_1_15?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1401521750&sr=1-15&keywords=2001" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. The LP of the Shining, with great cover are by <a href="http://www.saulbassposterarchive.com/" target="_blank">Saul Bass</a> — and a surprisingly rare album — is from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/crackdog/8645525435/" target="_blank">Flickr</a> courtesy of William Creswell. The Pink Panther is from <a href="http://www.jazz.com/music/2009/5/13/henry-mancini-the-pink-panther-theme" target="_blank">Jazz dot Com</a>. Thank you all.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-9564621713407168412014-05-17T14:50:00.000+01:002014-05-17T14:50:11.345+01:00Finian’s Rainbow<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fu6llAEqQEk/U3dluesQdWI/AAAAAAAAC94/fOcvGgryUiU/s1600/iconsquarefiniansrainbowmainimage-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fu6llAEqQEk/U3dluesQdWI/AAAAAAAAC94/fOcvGgryUiU/s1600/iconsquarefiniansrainbowmainimage-2.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not normally a fan of Broadway musicals. To be frank I often find them too screamingly camp. Some I cotton to immediately — the noirish and sexy classics directed by Bob Fosse, like Cabaret and Chicago (both of which had songs by Kander and Ebb) are just great. But, as a rule, most Broadway songs need to be put through the purifying charcoal filter of jazz before I can endure them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the other hand, I love the songs of lyricist Yip Harburg. His left wing masterpieces like Buddy Can You Spare a Dime and, especially, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCyzaie7H8I" target="_blank">Dusty Shoes</a> seem to me powerful, moving and relevant. Not to mention brilliantly written. My admiration for E.Y. Harburg ('Yip' is a nickname, Yiddish for squirrel, given to him when he was a skinny redheaded kid dashing everywhere) has even led me to reassess The Wizard of Oz (yes, he's the guy who penned those blood-chilling words, "Somewhere over the rainbow...").</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The one Yip Harburg musical I really wanted to catch was Finian's Rainbow (Music by Burton Lane, lyrics by Harburg, book by Harburg and Fred Saidy). I used to assume this was some kind of cod Irish nonsense about Leprechauns and crocks of gold. Well, it does feature both of those items, but it's set in the deep south of the USA and wrestles with issues of racism and hostility to immigrants. It features this great one-liner: "My family has been having trouble with immigrants ever since we came to this country."</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KoOzVsEIuW0/U3dlud6ni6I/AAAAAAAAC98/KqC7jvd4q4w/s1600/The+Reprise+Musical+Repertory+Theatre+Finian%27s+Rainbow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KoOzVsEIuW0/U3dlud6ni6I/AAAAAAAAC98/KqC7jvd4q4w/s1600/The+Reprise+Musical+Repertory+Theatre+Finian's+Rainbow.jpg" height="196" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It also features some truly classic songs, including Old Devil Moon. So when an acclaimed production turned up at the <a href="http://www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/" target="_blank">Charing Cross Theatre</a> I zipped along to see it like an eager squirrel. Smart move. It was an outstanding production with a notably jazzy score played by some gifted pit musicians. And <a href="http://christinabennington.wix.com/christinabennington" target="_blank">Christina Bennington</a> was a knockout in the role of Sharon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you get a chance to see this production — adapted by Charlotte Moore, directed by <a href="http://www.philwillmott.org/finians-rainbow.html" target="_blank">Phil Willmott</a> — drop everything and rush along. In the meantime you can listen to the superb (and jazzy) version recorded in 1963 by the<a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/finians-rainbow-reprise-repertory-theatre-mw0000872343" target="_blank"> Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre</a>, Frank Sinatra's record label, which turned me on to the glories of these songs in the first place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The poster for the production I saw is from <a href="http://westendwhingers.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/review-finians-rainbow-charing-cross-theatre-2/" target="_blank">West End Whingers</a>. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Reprise LP cover is from <a href="http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=457147" target="_blank">EIL</a>.) </span><br />
Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-76492973347872293272014-05-10T18:19:00.000+01:002014-05-10T18:19:02.778+01:00Moira Stuart on Sunday Nights<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0udHnI3VGX0/U25eEfI19RI/AAAAAAAAC8c/xPXT9ibdsw0/s1600/hartman,+johnny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0udHnI3VGX0/U25eEfI19RI/AAAAAAAAC8c/xPXT9ibdsw0/s1600/hartman,+johnny.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used to have a Sunday night ritual. I'd retire to bed early, set the sleep timer on my radio and drift off listening to the best music show of the week. This was on Radio 2 and it was the Russell Davies Song Show. It was magnificent — erudite, informative and full of good music. Occasionally it veered down musical byways which were not <i>my</i> ways. My kind of music is jazz, big band and swing and what they did to the great American (and occasionally British) songbook. But even on the oddest tangents, the huge charm and intelligence of Russell Davies kept me interested and listening.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lh2hvTN7o2I/U25eFDpiGXI/AAAAAAAAC78/opCGxd9PA2M/s1600/london+julie,+all+through+the+night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lh2hvTN7o2I/U25eFDpiGXI/AAAAAAAAC78/opCGxd9PA2M/s1600/london+julie,+all+through+the+night.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then, just like that, the Russell Davies Song Show was gone. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some mad axeman at the BBC simply decided to get rid of it. It was too good to be allowed to live. I was bereft — and furious. Cue a cutting letter to the Radio Times. (They didn't publish it, of course.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But things change. And on Sunday nights on Radio 2, things kept on changing. After Russell Davies's departure there were further alterations to the schedule. And Don Black's late night (11pm) show has now given way to Moira Stuart.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D2PUsBA_N1w/U25eF_uRoII/AAAAAAAAC8M/wA6vANbT8aU/s1600/stuart,+moira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D2PUsBA_N1w/U25eF_uRoII/AAAAAAAAC8M/wA6vANbT8aU/s1600/stuart,+moira.jpg" height="200" width="163" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Moira Stuart is just wonderful. She did a fine, short, series of programs about great jazzmen for Radio 2 last year, and that has now paved the way to her regular slot. I love Moira Stuart's show. It's described in the schedules as "the best in easy listening and timeless standards." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it's much more heavy on the jazz than that suggests —<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b042b38l" target="_blank"> last week</a> she played Mark Murphy, Ramsey Lewis, Mel Tormé, Julie London and Count Basie, in addition to the Hi-Lo's and Nelson Riddle. Or how about <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b041xxhp" target="_blank">the week before</a> — Blossom Dearie, Carmen McRae, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson, Georgie Fame, Billie Holiday and Joni Mitchell.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1FTx0sHKMjY/U25eFfxLfxI/AAAAAAAAC8A/a77FZz2IzWY/s1600/montgomery,+road+song.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1FTx0sHKMjY/U25eFfxLfxI/AAAAAAAAC8A/a77FZz2IzWY/s1600/montgomery,+road+song.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moira Stuart has great, eclectic taste, playing famous performers alongside rarities like the Italian singer Mario Biondi or Brazil's Elis Regina. And she has introduced me to people I'd never heard of before, treasures like the Dutch chanteuse Trijntje Oosterhuis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moira's knowledgeable, crediting the great jazz photographer Pete Turner with the classic cover for Wes Monrgomery's Road Song. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She's perceptive, pointing out how Lalo Schifrin's composition <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PPCx4vB7i8&feature=kp" target="_blank">'The Wave'</a> was a precursor of his unforgettable theme for Mission Impossible. </span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ktGwtDBXMUE/U25eERjd9SI/AAAAAAAAC7s/D2IInhv3cNA/s1600/elis+and+tom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ktGwtDBXMUE/U25eERjd9SI/AAAAAAAAC7s/D2IInhv3cNA/s1600/elis+and+tom.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And she's witty, remarking after a space age Esquivel exotica track, "You can almost see the flying saucers landing."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A wonderful show. Check it out <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03xcrlx" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits. The LP cover images are all from the BBC web pages for various episodes of the show. Like <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03ymzhh" target="_blank">this one</a>. And <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03ymzhh" target="_blank">this one</a>. And <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03y085z" target="_blank">this one</a>. Yawn, and <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03zd5pn" target="_blank">this one</a>... And so is the shot of Moira herself.)</span><br />
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Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-88597971166270862542014-05-03T17:03:00.000+01:002014-05-03T17:03:07.787+01:00Star Trek by Gerald Fried et al<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zrYMjhsyf4c/U2UP9rJOsuI/AAAAAAAAC5g/UDMZuBMhAXs/s1600/star+trek+3+CD+box+set+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zrYMjhsyf4c/U2UP9rJOsuI/AAAAAAAAC5g/UDMZuBMhAXs/s1600/star+trek+3+CD+box+set+cropped.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've recently had a run of buying soundtrack music from TV shows of the 1960s and 70s and it's providing a lot of pleasurable listening. There's a wealth of wonderful material lying more or less forgotten in the studio vaults. So when I saw a bargain copy of a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Original-Star-Trek-Box/dp/B000TIXVMM/ref=sr_1_4/191-4276280-2186858?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399132543&sr=1-4&keywords=star+trek+box+set" target="_blank">3 CD set</a> of vintage Star Trek scores, I thought about it for a split second and then scooped it up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The deciding factor for me was the presence in this collection of <a href="http://www.startrek.com/article/exclusive-interview-tos-composer-gerald-fried" target="_blank">Gerald Fried</a>. Fried is an intriguing composer. He was a friend of Stanley Kubrick and got his start on Kubrick's first feature Fear and Desire. The groovy label Film Score Monthly have released an excellent <a href="http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/24/Gerald-Fried-2CD-Set-The-Return-of-Dracula/" target="_blank">2 CD set</a> of Fried's obscure horror scores which provide an excellent starting point for any acquaintance with his work.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S2cEXVE_LqE/U2UPXYufpxI/AAAAAAAAC5I/nRpZiGobV0k/s1600/Star_Trek_Shore_Leave_GNPD8030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S2cEXVE_LqE/U2UPXYufpxI/AAAAAAAAC5I/nRpZiGobV0k/s1600/Star_Trek_Shore_Leave_GNPD8030.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Star Trek set consists of the music from six episodes, two of them by <a href="http://emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/gerald-fried" target="_blank">Fried</a>, three by <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/dna/place-lancashire/plain/A509320" target="_blank">Alexander Courage</a> and one by <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/sol-kaplan-movie-soundtracks-and-film-scores/reference" target="_blank">Sol Kaplan</a>. When I started listening to the discs, naturally enough I was mostly concentrating on Fried's compositions. Yet Alexander Courage also immediately made an impression. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.filmmusicsociety.org/news_events/features/2008/052808.html" target="_blank">Courage</a> wrote the famed Star Trek main title theme which begins with Jerry Goldsmith-style Americana horns and then transforms into Les Baxter-style exotica female voices. For some reason I thought his music for the series would alll sound the same, but it's spiritedly diverse, evoking everything from crime jazz to electronic sonar noises. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_4y5gEVqRO0/U2UPXhCbhlI/AAAAAAAAC5E/E4jjpmO_fak/s1600/Star_trek_GNPD_8025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_4y5gEVqRO0/U2UPXhCbhlI/AAAAAAAAC5E/E4jjpmO_fak/s1600/Star_trek_GNPD_8025.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it was Gerald Fried who is the hero of this week's post, particularly his music for the episode Amok Time. This lovely score is distinguished by the unexpected presence of an electric bass guitar, an inspired choice and an unexpected one in a richly orchestral science fiction context. The bass guitar features strongly on the theme Contrary Order, with mysterioso strings. That electric bass creeps back in, giving a Spaghetti Western feel after some beautifully angular Hebraic strings, on Marriage Council. And the bass is back on Processional, twanging fatly in a track that sounds like a stripped down version of a march from Rozsa's Ben Hur, with ram horns that call to mind Jerry Goldsmith's Planet of the Apes themes. Meanwhile, The Ritual, another stand out track, is also reminiscent of Alex North's Cleopatra.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvbWIVGyy4o/U2UPXaOsh4I/AAAAAAAAC5A/n0Y1juPZczg/s1600/Star_trek_Cage_GNPD8006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvbWIVGyy4o/U2UPXaOsh4I/AAAAAAAAC5A/n0Y1juPZczg/s1600/Star_trek_Cage_GNPD8006.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In fact, this cue The Ritual (full title The Ritual/Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah) has achieved legendary status among fans, known simply as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCamCYip2t4" target="_blank">'Star Trek Fight Music'</a>. It has appeared in the movie <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX3KsHDZ1sE#t=29" target="_blank">Cable Guy</a> and the TV cartoons <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xigG2i6nb-g" target="_blank">Futurama</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9TZ79Vcl8Y" target="_blank">The Simpsons</a>. These links, showing the various uses of the music were helpfully listed in Wikipedia's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Fried" target="_blank">Gerald Fried entry</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you only listen to one of these Star Trek CDs I recommend the one featuring this music from Fried's Amok Time and <a href="http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=25213&forumID=1&archive=1" target="_blank">Sol Kaplan</a>'s Doomsday Machine. But I suspect any of the releases will repay your attention. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is wonderful stuff and it emphasises the point that I'm coming to realise: vintage TV music is a treasure trove. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The cover shot of the boxed set is from <a href="http://www.zyxmusic.com/Music/Soundtrack/The-Original-Star-Trek-Box-3949.html" target="_blank">Zyx Music</a>. The individual CD covers are all from the extremely useful <a href="http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/title/2705/Star+Trek" target="_blank">Soundtrack Collector</a>.) </span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-37495690705713879832014-04-26T18:03:00.001+01:002014-04-26T18:09:16.882+01:00Piero Umiliani’s Svezia Variations<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q2V4NNCIhzU/U1vcAq4PU6I/AAAAAAAAC2U/NGDuAHvEC34/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_Paradiso_LPM0014+omicron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q2V4NNCIhzU/U1vcAq4PU6I/AAAAAAAAC2U/NGDuAHvEC34/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_Paradiso_LPM0014+omicron.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The late great <a href="http://www.umiliani.eu/piero_umiliani.html" target="_blank">Piero Umiliani</a> was an Italian jazz man and film composer and is one of my favourite musicians. I've previously written about him <a href="http://coolcatcartmel.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/other-italians-piero-umiliani.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://coolcatcartmel.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/piero-umiliani-part-two-una-bella.html" target="_blank">here</a>. And Umiliani's film score for Svezia Inferno e Paradiso (rendered in English, not quite exactly, as Sweden Heaven and Hell) is one of his finest works. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is also one of his most well known, and has enjoyed numerous releases in many different forms. This is not just because the soundtrack is a masterpiece, but because it features the splendid, insanely catchy song <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah_N%C3%A0_Mah_N%C3%A0" target="_blank">Mah-Ná Mah-Ná</a> (you will have heard the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N_tupPBtWQ" target="_blank">Muppets singing it</a>).</span><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nqi_gVRRDZc/U1vfDoE6srI/AAAAAAAAC3w/QDn5C9uCkrc/s1600/Sweden_heaven_and_hell_ARS15000+Ariel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nqi_gVRRDZc/U1vfDoE6srI/AAAAAAAAC3w/QDn5C9uCkrc/s1600/Sweden_heaven_and_hell_ARS15000+Ariel.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The score was recently reissued on CD in a new version from Beat Records and I wrote an extensive and (modest fluttering of eyelashes) fairly authoritative review of it for the great London Jazz website <a href="http://www.londonjazznews.com/2014/04/cd-review-piero-umiliani-svezia-inferno.html" target="_blank">here</a>. But there were some topics — of a train-spottingly technical nature — which I couldn't cover in the space of that review and which I'd like to go through now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a number of different versions of this soundtrack floating around and any Umiliani enthusiast will want the most complete one possible. But what is the most complete one? I'm going to try and help with that. Buckle up your safety belt, though, because it might be a bumpy ride.</span><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bsZwNJuSZ7M/U1vcDY_nmUI/AAAAAAAAC28/nRfYvgGWJxA/s1600/mah+na+mah+na+germany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bsZwNJuSZ7M/U1vcDY_nmUI/AAAAAAAAC28/nRfYvgGWJxA/s1600/mah+na+mah+na+germany.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The soundtrack was recorded in Rome in 1968 and Umiliani originally issued selections from it on vinyl on his own label, Omicron in the same year (see the first picture for this post). This very rare <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Piero-Umiliani-Svezia-Inferno-E-Paradiso/release/4351375" target="_blank">Omicron LP</a> had 14 tracks. Surprisingly — or perhaps not so surprisingly, considering how great the music was, and the presence of Mah-Ná Mah-Ná — the score also got a US album release, on the obscure Ariel label. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Piero-Umiliani-Sweden-Heaven-And-Hell/release/2926867" target="_blank">American LP</a> only featured 10 cuts. But it did include Mah-Ná Mah-Ná. Indeed, as you can see above, the LP cover touts the single. Amazingly, Umiliani left this track off his Omicron album — maybe he felt it was too lightweight.</span><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0X8N9ud_oM0/U1vcDxSK5KI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/PH5favBNxZ4/s1600/mah+na+mah+na+sweden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0X8N9ud_oM0/U1vcDxSK5KI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/PH5favBNxZ4/s1600/mah+na+mah+na+sweden.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Mah-Ná Mah-Ná took off (despite those annoying accents over the letter 'a'), all over the world. Ariel records released it as a single in America and, in 1968 and 1969, other 45rpm versions appeared in Spain, France, Germany, Sweden (despite the less than flattering portrait painted of their country by the film attached to the song) and in the Netherlands (the Dutch liked it so much they released it twice, in two different forms).</span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wHhw9TJEjXU/U1vcCfYxADI/AAAAAAAAC2w/ACJroUWdsUk/s1600/Svezia_inferno_CBS4512+mah+na+mah+na+holland+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wHhw9TJEjXU/U1vcCfYxADI/AAAAAAAAC2w/ACJroUWdsUk/s1600/Svezia_inferno_CBS4512+mah+na+mah+na+holland+1.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But no release in Italy. The first Italian single of the song didn't appear until 1975. Since then, of course, there have been too many versions and variations of Mah-Ná Mah-Ná as singles to be enumerated. At least by me. Plus I'm fed up with typing that accent over the 'a'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The long playing version of the score, however, appeared a third time and in its finest form, as a <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Piero-Umiliani-Svezia-Inferno-E-Paradiso-The-Original-Complete-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/release/2104695" target="_blank">double LP</a> from the great <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rocco.pandiani?fref=ts" target="_blank">Roco Pandiani</a> and his equally great <a href="http://www.umiliani.eu/right_tempos_reissues.html" target="_blank">Easy Tempo</a> label in 1997. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GYcMcO6oa5o/U1vcOObAVFI/AAAAAAAAC3k/LX2TazkAJGQ/s1600/svezia+right+tempo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GYcMcO6oa5o/U1vcOObAVFI/AAAAAAAAC3k/LX2TazkAJGQ/s1600/svezia+right+tempo.jpeg" height="200" width="195" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the definitive version of Svezia Inferno e Paradiso on vinyl. It's a beautiful record, a labour of love, and features a whopping (or whooping — with delight) 28 cuts, including </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mah-Ná </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mah-Ná... argh, those god-damned accents... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It also has, joy of joys, details of who played what instrument on which track. Credits for musicians on soundtrack sessions are a rarity and this sort of thing is priceless. Thank you, Rocco.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now we come to the incarnations of the score on CD. In 1997 Rocco also issued a <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Piero-Umiliani-Svezia-Inferno-E-Paradiso-The-Original-Complete-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/release/465482" target="_blank">CD version</a> of his wonderful double vinyl album, again with 28 tracks, with a running time of about one hour, nine minutes and 30 seconds. As is usual with Rocco's releases, the artwork and packaging of both the vinyl and CD versions were beautiful.</span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RO8-r1ZieI0/U1vcAoIocbI/AAAAAAAAC2c/a6UCRdkQRtg/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_CPC81015+volcano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RO8-r1ZieI0/U1vcAoIocbI/AAAAAAAAC2c/a6UCRdkQRtg/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_CPC81015+volcano.jpg" height="172" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1998 there was a second CD release, from the Volcano label in Japan. The CD sounds great but it is is rather an eccentric piece of design. No conventional CD booklet or cover, just an undersized booklet which resembles an "obi" (the thin paper strip or belt which they used to put on the cover of Japanese LPs). The mini booklet does, however, make a brave stab at crediting the musicians. This edition had 30 tracks and runs a smidgen over one hour, fifteen minutes and 40 seconds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two tracks which weren't featured on the Easy Tempo CD are Viaggio nell'Inconscio (Journey into the Unconscious) and Contestazione (Dispute).</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MPCTRqwhp8s/U1vcBbsVz5I/AAAAAAAAC24/V83_Doq6owk/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_mah+na+mah+na+holland+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MPCTRqwhp8s/U1vcBbsVz5I/AAAAAAAAC24/V83_Doq6owk/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_mah+na+mah+na+holland+2.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both of these CD issues are now out of print and difficult to find, so it's great news that <a href="http://www.beatrecords.it/index.asp?lingua=e&shop=" target="_blank">Beat Records</a> in Rome, in association with <a href="https://www.digitmovies.com/digitsoundtracks/" target="_blank">DigitMovies</a>, have issued Umiliani's masterpiece again this year (2014). <a href="http://www.beatrecords.it/shop.asp?idprodotto=DGBT001&lingua=e" target="_blank">This release</a>, which has the original Omicron cover, is like the Easy Tempo one in that it contains a full size and lavish booklet (though sadly without the information on musicians). And it has the same 30 tracks as the Volcano release, though in a slightly more sensible sequence — the elegiac song Sleep Now Little One, performed by Lydia MacDonald, comes at the very end.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Beat CD is a lovely piece of work and since it is limited to 500 copies, you should rush out and <a href="http://www.dustygroove.com/item/689616" target="_blank">buy yourself a copy</a>.</span><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2lwE_Oh12jo/U1vcB1DmRxI/AAAAAAAAC2s/CeT2TXvh3N0/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_mah+na+mah+na+spain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2lwE_Oh12jo/U1vcB1DmRxI/AAAAAAAAC2s/CeT2TXvh3N0/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_mah+na+mah+na+spain.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, our little piece of musical detective work doesn't quite end here. Although the Beat CD and Volcano CD feature a definitive version of the soundtrack, they aren't necessarily complete...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both of those releases, and the Easy Tempo ones, include three tracks by a crack jazz combo, consisting of (in various configurations) Gato Barbieri on tenor sax, Giovanni Tommaso on bass, Bruno Biriaco on drums, Enzo Grillini on guitar, Antonello Vannucchi on vibes, Enzo Grillini on guitar and Piero Umiliani himself on piano.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But there are more than three Svezia tracks in existence featuring this combo. See if you can track down a very scarce CD from Liuto Records (another of Umiliani's own labels). The catalogue number is LRS063/2 and it is less than euphoniously entitled Gato Barbieri Two Pictures, Years 1965-1968. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-adOor5crcwc/U1viv4DfSAI/AAAAAAAAC34/Hj53ADhxrVM/s1600/gato-barbieri-two-pictures-years-1965-1968*.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-adOor5crcwc/U1viv4DfSAI/AAAAAAAAC34/Hj53ADhxrVM/s1600/gato-barbieri-two-pictures-years-1965-1968*.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It does indeed feature Barbieri playing as a session man on two motion picture scores by Umiliani, <a href="http://coolcatcartmel.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/piero-umiliani-part-two-una-bella.html" target="_blank">Una Bella Grinta</a> and Svezia Inferno e Paradiso. The Svezia portion of the CD consists of eight tracks: Solitudine, Free in Minore and Piano Bossa Nova — all of which appear on the above releases, as well as an instrumental version of Sleep Now Little One, which doesn't, plus three more versions of Solitudine which aren't available elsewhere and — crucially — a track called Sotto il Tallone (Under the Heel) which runs for about four minutes and, to my knowledge, has never featured in any of the other recordings of Svezia Inferno e Paradiso in any form.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Completists, or simply music lovers, should try and get hold of it. Seriously pricey copies of the CD are currently available <a href="http://www.filmscorium.com/product.php?id_product=5959" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.fanfan1.com/products/detail/522283" target="_blank">here</a>. But you may prefer to look for a digital download <a href="http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/album/gato-barbieri/two-pictures-years-1965-1968" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gHAncYgbkCg/U1vcAsHFkKI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/eRajbu2rwis/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_mah+na+mah+na+france.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gHAncYgbkCg/U1vcAsHFkKI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/eRajbu2rwis/s1600/Svezia_Inferno_mah+na+mah+na+france.jpg" height="196" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: Most of the cover shots are from the websites where I gleaned a lot of the information for this piece, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Piero-Umiliani-Svezia-Inferno-E-Paradiso-The-Original-Complete-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/master/218693" target="_blank">Discogs</a> and <a href="http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/title/38996/Svezia,+Inferno+E+Paradiso" target="_blank">Soundtrack Collector</a>. Both extremely helpful, valuable and informative sites. But each have their weakness. Discogs seems unaware of any CDs of Svezia except for the Easy Tempo issue. And on the Soundtrack Collector page, one of the CD timings (for the Beat release) is out by at least a minute. Tut tut. The Barbieri CD cover is from <a href="http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/album/gato-barbieri/two-pictures-years-1965-1968" target="_blank">Jazz Music Archives</a> who also have a download of the disc.) </span><br />
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Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-87956896891712678762014-02-22T19:11:00.001+00:002014-02-22T19:11:44.401+00:00LA Woman by the Doors<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j-fcRnMQ3mQ/Uwj0_Jl0GqI/AAAAAAAACtQ/wofu4kLy-Gg/s1600/doors+la+woman+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j-fcRnMQ3mQ/Uwj0_Jl0GqI/AAAAAAAACtQ/wofu4kLy-Gg/s1600/doors+la+woman+front+cover.jpg" height="200" width="196" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If there's one thing that must be obvious about my musical tastes from this blog, it's that I'm a jazz nut. But I'm not exclusively a jazz nut. And there are still rock albums that get me excited. Including the Doors’ masterpiece LA Woman.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The nice people at <a href="http://www.rhino.co.uk/vinyl.htm" target="_blank">Rhino</a> have reissued the Doors’ albums on vinyl and I couldn't resist snapping up a copy of LA Woman to replace — supplement actually — my worn original LP.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-LPBJTmCCg/Uwj1AQZLElI/AAAAAAAACtY/5xVZ3rl1Lbc/s1600/doors+la+woman+whole+package.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7-LPBJTmCCg/Uwj1AQZLElI/AAAAAAAACtY/5xVZ3rl1Lbc/s1600/doors+la+woman+whole+package.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rhino are to be congratulated on their painstaking attempt to replicate the elaborate original packaging of LA Woman — the rounded corners, the acetate window, the yellow inner sleeve with the telephone pole-crucifixion artwork on the reverse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So it seems churlish to moan, yet moan I must. For a start the yellow inner sleeve in the Rhino reissue isn't really a sleeve. It's slashed along both sides and is in fact a yellow piece of paper that is folded (hinging at the bottom) around a conventional paper inner sleeve.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aJYl2lz-iws/Uwj1AbIg1DI/AAAAAAAACtc/BcDrk6nGJUY/s1600/doors+la+woman+inner+sleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aJYl2lz-iws/Uwj1AbIg1DI/AAAAAAAACtc/BcDrk6nGJUY/s1600/doors+la+woman+inner+sleeve.jpg" height="199" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, if this replicates the original release, I will stand corrected. But I don't think it does. I think the original inner sleeve was just that, not some weird wrap-around. In fact, I've got one around here somewhere...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But much worse than that, despite boasting of its 180 gram vinyl, this is a bit of a sonic dog. The music sounds okay but there is constant surface noise, hissing and sizzling, throughout the gaps between the tracks, across the run-in grooves, and muttering away in the background throughout the quiet passages.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a very poor pressing indeed. Incompetent and unacceptable. In any sane world it would have been routinely rejected by quality control.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKJVMp3oNNo/Uwj0-ulOZZI/AAAAAAAACtM/ipLsXMTr1kM/s1600/doors+la+woman+back+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZKJVMp3oNNo/Uwj0-ulOZZI/AAAAAAAACtM/ipLsXMTr1kM/s1600/doors+la+woman+back+cover.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's no point doing vinyl reissues unless you do them properly. And it’s easy enough. You just listen to samples from the pressing plant, and if they aren't noise free you send them back and tell the factory to junk them and press again, and do it right... That is their job. It's that simple.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: front and back cover of the reissue are from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/L-A-Woman-180-Gram-Vinyl/dp/B0028ER4PK" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. The inner sleeve is from <a href="http://www.thecelebritypix.com/The-Doors-La-Woman.html" target="_blank">The Celebrity Pix</a>. The image of the inner sleeve half in and half out of the cover is from <a href="http://collectorsfrenzy.com/details/320697235197" target="_blank">Collectors Frenzy</a> and shows an original pressing.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-36413823608366478712014-02-15T21:30:00.000+00:002014-02-15T21:33:36.967+00:00Seconds & IQ by Jerry Goldsmith<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dcVCaKzIybI/UuJlG_-EpWI/AAAAAAAAClo/pKVuGDEODzQ/s1600/IQ+Seconds+Jerry+Goldsmith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dcVCaKzIybI/UuJlG_-EpWI/AAAAAAAAClo/pKVuGDEODzQ/s1600/IQ+Seconds+Jerry+Goldsmith.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have long been a fan of the American film maker <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/jul/08/guardianobituaries.booksobituaries" target="_blank">John Frankenheimer</a>. One of his most eerie and disturbing films was <a href="http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/ffc/directors-john-frankenheimer/" target="_blank">Seconds</a>, with a great early score by Jerry Goldsmith. When, nearly a century after the movie appeared, the music was <a href="http://www.lalalandrecords.com/IQ-Seconds.html" target="_blank">finally released</a> I jumped at the chance to get it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fact that the CD also featured another obscure Goldsmith score, for a romantic comedy called IQ, was at best a distraction, at worst a nuisance. But when I listened to the CD I was delighted to discover that IQ is actually one of Goldsmith's finest. It's an utterly uncharacteristic score for Goldsmith. It features a lot of classical and jazz sounds (and even doo-wop — check out 'Campus Morning'), and none of the neo-Copeland Americana I associate with the composer. And it is utterly beautiful.</span><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GOHrvpnxQTo/UuJlIM_kwtI/AAAAAAAACl4/F5WoL0aSuKA/s1600/seconds+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GOHrvpnxQTo/UuJlIM_kwtI/AAAAAAAACl4/F5WoL0aSuKA/s1600/seconds+front+cover.jpg" height="195" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What of Seconds?It is thunderously brooding, electronic-edged and modernist, with a satanic sounding violin and even a good old horror-movie organ which segues into a more modern, angular kind of unease ('Main Title'). The haunting solo piano on 'Isolation' is also a highlight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This music reminds me that Goldsmith wrote for The Twilight Zone, both in its original 1960 incarnation and later remakes.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VlK3s6c46J0/UuJlHNfLdJI/AAAAAAAACls/2oYsrRGWD8o/s1600/iq+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VlK3s6c46J0/UuJlHNfLdJI/AAAAAAAACls/2oYsrRGWD8o/s1600/iq+cover.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were some issues with the surviving tapes of the music for Seconds, including "print through" which is when sounds migrate through layers of magnetic tape from one track to another. So we have some, very faint, dialogue on a few of the musical cues. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But these ghostly voices bleeding through actually add to the eerie atmosphere of the music.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dzkkxhdnG_U/UuJlH2y5rsI/AAAAAAAACl8/IxjRo8DMr50/s1600/IQ&Seconds+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dzkkxhdnG_U/UuJlH2y5rsI/AAAAAAAACl8/IxjRo8DMr50/s1600/IQ&Seconds+Back.jpg" height="252" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The front cover of the CD is from <a href="http://soundtrackcentral.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/iq-seconds.html" target="_blank">Soundtrack Central</a>. The back cover image is from <a href="http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/seconds-jerry-goldsmith-1966-la-la-land-125528/" target="_blank">FF Shrine</a>. The alternative covers, featuring just one movie each, are from <a href="http://www.willardswormholes.com/?p=12566" target="_blank">Willard's Wormholes</a> (Seconds) and <a href="http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/i-q-1994-jerry-goldsmith-@320-81423/" target="_blank">FF Shrine again</a> (IQ). All these sites have interesting information about the movies, and the scores.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-646658207152065152014-02-07T19:37:00.000+00:002014-02-08T16:13:21.527+00:00Russ Garcia & Sounds in the Night (& Dennis Farnon!)<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y7uq7zDnbEA/UvU0u5PMVHI/AAAAAAAACpE/sB2Tq_iuW7g/s1600/garcia,+russ+sounds+in+the+night+e%CC%81l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y7uq7zDnbEA/UvU0u5PMVHI/AAAAAAAACpE/sB2Tq_iuW7g/s1600/garcia,+russ+sounds+in+the+night+e%CC%81l.jpg" height="200" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is so much to say about Russ Garcia that it's hard to know where to start. Obviously I'm going to have write an in-depth post about this brilliant man. He was swindled out of an Oscar, literally wrote <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Arranger-Composer-Russell-Garcia/dp/0910468052/ref=sr_1_1/182-4417909-7487937?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391800589&sr=1-1&keywords=russ+garcia+arranger" target="_blank">the book</a> on arranging and has provided me with some of my favourite music.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But all that will have to wait for another time. For now just allow me to recommend Mark Myer's splendid blog <a href="http://www.jazzwax.com/" target="_blank">JazzWax </a>and his fine <a href="http://www.jazzwax.com/2011/11/russ-garcia-1916-2011.html" target="_blank">article on Garcia</a>. And then pass along quickly to Sounds in the Night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This eerie tapestry of vocals featuring singer <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jun/25/marni-nixon-hepburn-musicals-monroe" target="_blank">Marni Nixon</a> is one of Garcia's rarest records and I was lucky enough to track down a couple of copies of vinyl. (The true vinyl nut needs at least two copies because it was released on two different labels, <a href="http://bethlehemrecords.com/" target="_blank">Bethlehem</a> and, originally, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/label/255888-AAMCO-Records" target="_blank">Aamco</a>.) </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UUVPynVdn1Q/UvU0uKv6vnI/AAAAAAAACo4/rONUxm0YgIc/s1600/garcia,+russ+sounds+in+the+night+aamco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UUVPynVdn1Q/UvU0uKv6vnI/AAAAAAAACo4/rONUxm0YgIc/s1600/garcia,+russ+sounds+in+the+night+aamco.jpg" height="196" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently it was reissued on CD by the enterprising <a href="http://www.cherryred.co.uk/el.asp" target="_blank">Él</a> label. And it is that CD which prompted this post. Last night I was listening to the irreplaceable <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03t0df9" target="_blank">Late Junction</a> on Radio 3. And I heard an extraordinary track (actually, I heard <i>several</i>. But stay focused, Andrew). It featured Marni Nixon and was arranged by Dennis Farnon, talented brother of the more famous <a href="http://coolcatcartmel.blogspot.co.uk/2009/08/kudos-to-bbc-radio-and-their-replay.html" target="_blank">Robert</a>. (The otherwise informative booklet notes for the Él CD are hopelessly confused about which Farnon brother did what. But we'll come to that CD in a minute...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The track was called Very Contrary Mary based on the nursery rhyme. And it was, believe it or not, originally written for the Mr Magoo cartoon series. It was rediscovered by the legendary <a href="http://www.trunkrecords.com/intro.shtml" target="_blank">Jonny Trunk</a> and reissued on a collection called <a href="http://trunkrecords.greedbag.com/buy/magoo-in-hi-fi-0/" target="_blank">Mr Magoo in Hi-Fi</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4ibu2Scss8/UvU0umgFmHI/AAAAAAAACo8/X3ME8R1BUw0/s1600/garcia,+russ+sounds+in+the+night+bethelehem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B4ibu2Scss8/UvU0umgFmHI/AAAAAAAACo8/X3ME8R1BUw0/s1600/garcia,+russ+sounds+in+the+night+bethelehem.jpg" height="200" width="186" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was once an LP from RCA. Now, unfortunately it is a download-only entity. So I dropped Jonny a line and asked if he might be prevailed upon to release it in a physical format (even a CD would do). Jonny tantalisingly hinted that there might be a vinyl sampler featuring the track sometime in the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then I realised something. The Él CD I had of Sounds in the Night... Didn't that have some bonus tracks at the end of the disc? Not by Russ Garcia but featuring Marni Nixon? I scrambled around in my CD collection and... sure enough. There it was. Track 14: Very Contrary Mary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus six other tracks featuring Dennis Farnon and Marni Nixon. They are all based on nursery rhymes and originally featured in Mr Magoo. Hence the umbrella title, The Mother Magoo Suite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd never paid much attention to them, foolishly curtailing my listening after the Russ Garcia tracks ended. Well I'm playing the CD now, and after the last of Russ's music, baby I'm going to go on playing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's a heads-up for you. You can still pick up this CD at a bargain price. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wPAeHSV9Mzw/UvU0uvZVXkI/AAAAAAAACpM/f2TMclPB1NI/s1600/MagooInHiFiLPFront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wPAeHSV9Mzw/UvU0uvZVXkI/AAAAAAAACpM/f2TMclPB1NI/s1600/MagooInHiFiLPFront.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or, if you're impatient and don't want to shop around, buy it straight from the nice people at Él right <a href="http://www.cherryred.co.uk/el-exd.asp?id=1391" target="_blank">here</a>. In any case, I urge you to grab a copy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The cover of the Él CD is from <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Russ+Garcia/Sounds+in+the+Night" target="_blank">Last FM</a> because Él's own image is not very good. Pull yourselves together, guys! The Aamco cover is from <a href="http://www.spaceagepop.com/rc009.htm" target="_blank">Space Age Pop</a>, an old favourite and a great site. The Bethelehem cover is from the Spanish <a href="http://la-red-chair.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">La Red Chair</a> blog, a new discovery and also very cool. The original Mr Magoo LP cover is from <a href="http://www.technologytell.com/hometech/88710/love-hz-record-swaps-great-vinyl-bargain-hunting-every-month/" target="_blank">Technology Tell</a>, an intriguing blog about vinyl hunting.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-55217101204549117052014-01-31T18:42:00.002+00:002014-01-31T18:54:32.112+00:00Dark of the Sun by Jacques Loussier<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AyI8Va8WuUU/UuvtAQ55gEI/AAAAAAAACno/w096NNCT8b0/s1600/loussier,+jacques+dark+of+the+sun+mgm+lp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AyI8Va8WuUU/UuvtAQ55gEI/AAAAAAAACno/w096NNCT8b0/s1600/loussier,+jacques+dark+of+the+sun+mgm+lp.jpg" height="320" width="318" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The French composer <a href="http://www.loussier.com/" target="_blank">Jacques Loussier</a> is best known for his wildly successful Jazz Bach LPs which were multi-million sellers in the 1960s and 1970s. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However he also did considerable soundtrack work, both for motion pictures and French television. Dark of the Sun — an adventure movie about mercenaries, diamonds and insurgents in the Congo, based on the <a href="http://www.wilbursmithbooks.com/books/standalone/the-dark-of-the-sun" target="_blank">Wilbur Smith novel</a> — is one of his few English language films</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has also become quite a collectors item among soundtrack fans. I picked up a Japanese pressing of the LP some years ago and now I've just got a copy of <a href="http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/394/" target="_blank">Film Score Monthly's excellent CD</a> issue, featuring considerably more music.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hhueKuk-5A4/Uuvs_Hpr31I/AAAAAAAACnY/GxXgJjBoJiw/s1600/loussier,+jacques+dark+of+the+sun+japanese+lp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hhueKuk-5A4/Uuvs_Hpr31I/AAAAAAAACnY/GxXgJjBoJiw/s1600/loussier,+jacques+dark+of+the+sun+japanese+lp.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's an instantly engaging score, more moody and evocative than the frenetic action themes you might expect in a movie of this sort, with a definite jazz feel and admirable use of percussion throughout (check out 'The Simbas Attack'). The minimalist percussion is particularly suspenseful when used with whistling ('Ruffo's Death'). There are also highly effective wordless vocals, notably on 'The Mission' and the hilariously titled 'Friendly Natives Having Fun Part 1 and 2'. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The latter also features a penny whistle, calling to mind, perhaps deliberately, <a href="http://nightofthelivingvinyl.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/bert-kaempfert-swingin-safari.html" target="_blank">Bert Kaempfert</a>'s <a href="http://www.southafrica.info/about/arts/922564.htm#.Uuvoe4XFe1s" target="_blank">Kwela</a>-inspired <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR6LCUDOVG8" target="_blank">'A Swingin' Safari'</a>. There is also a distorted militaristic theme ('Dr Wreid') which stands as a kind of sarcastic commentary of the military mindset and some delicious, jazzy electric organ ('Claire and Curry'). </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CtZ33M4HdgY/Uuvs_Cc76HI/AAAAAAAACnU/8wKj8JT2jd8/s1600/loussier,+jacques+dark+of+the+sun+cd+front+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CtZ33M4HdgY/Uuvs_Cc76HI/AAAAAAAACnU/8wKj8JT2jd8/s1600/loussier,+jacques+dark+of+the+sun+cd+front+cover.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My most immediate impression was of Ennio Morricone, especially his music for The Battle of Algiers or The Burglars — check out 'The Fight/Port Reprieve' here, although Loussier's work here is more conventionally melodic. But on closer listening there is far more to this score, and Loussier's diversity, originality and invention is impressive. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm particularly taken with the lovely flute ('Curry and the Diamonds Part 1', 'Claire and Curry', 'Curry's Drive with Claire'). And since the score was recorded in London in 1968 I am wondering if it might be the work of the great <a href="http://www.jazzscript.co.uk/extra/art.hayes.htm" target="_blank">Tubby Hayes</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An enormously rich and enjoyable score. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wLqP_VmsB3U/Uuvs-7bIQ8I/AAAAAAAACnQ/4EhnNVHBBxQ/s1600/loussier,+jacques+dark+of+the+sun+cd+back+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wLqP_VmsB3U/Uuvs-7bIQ8I/AAAAAAAACnQ/4EhnNVHBBxQ/s1600/loussier,+jacques+dark+of+the+sun+cd+back+cover.jpg" height="157" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The LP cover is from <a href="http://ciudadanonoodles.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/el-ultimo-tren-katanga-aquellos.html" target="_blank">Cidudadano Noodles</a> ('Citizen Noodles') an impressive blog with an extensive post on the film. The Japanese LP cover is from <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Jacques-Loussier-Dark-Of-The-Sun/release/490444" target="_blank">Discogs</a>, an excellent resource for tracking down and buying music which is also full of useful data. The CD cover, with its early use of a chainsaw as an offensive weapon — Tobe Hooper, eat your heart out — is from the <a href="http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/cds/detail.cfm/CDID/394/" target="_blank">Film Score Monthly</a> page where you can buy the CD, which I advise you to do.) </span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-49857332568739510702014-01-24T12:53:00.000+00:002014-01-24T12:53:09.522+00:00The Ninth Gate by Wojciech Kilar<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SEJX-tST3DY/UtWJWEeCN2I/AAAAAAAACj8/Po5A1UwMMHk/s1600/ninth+gate+amazon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SEJX-tST3DY/UtWJWEeCN2I/AAAAAAAACj8/Po5A1UwMMHk/s320/ninth+gate+amazon.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I saw Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate in its opening week, at </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the only cinema bothering to screen it, </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a small London venue now called the Cineworld Haymarket,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span> I might well have been the only person in the audience. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was certainly the only one to go out and complain when the film started and a misaligned projector began to show the movie halfway up the screen, with a wide band of blank screen underneath and the top of the image lost in the dusty curtains above.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such was the unbelievable, miserable, reception of this film masterpiece. You wouldn't know from the way it was treated, but it is an outstanding movie and among Polanski's best. One of the many exceptional elements of The Ninth Gate was the hypnotic, haunting score by Polish composer Wojciech Kilar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Previously best known for Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, The Ninth Gate is probably Kilar's masterpiece, at least as far as film music goes. And the composer's <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jan/07/wojciech-kilar" target="_blank">tragic death last month</a> has prompted me to listen again to this gorgeous score.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S5Uut2Vi9oI/UtWJV3ix5NI/AAAAAAAACj4/NxY1k0R_OeE/s1600/ninthgate+cigarette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S5Uut2Vi9oI/UtWJV3ix5NI/AAAAAAAACj4/NxY1k0R_OeE/s200/ninthgate+cigarette.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The music features menacing, sawing double basses and spine tingling strings (Opening Titles), eerie, lovely, mysterioso female vocalise sung by soprano Sumi Jo (Theme From The Ninth Gate, The Motorbike), rolling, relentless and almost jaunty trumpet and harpsichord (Corso), marching brass and bouncing keyboards (Bernie is Dead) delicate, descending piano and strings creating a spellbinding spiral (Liana) and a relentless militaresque march — a bolero, in fact (Plane to Spain).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first thing that struck me about the score, hearing it in the cinema, was Sumi Jo's fabulous, ghostly singing. It reminded me of Edda Dell'Orso's wordless vocals for classic Morricone soundtracks. And it's quite marvellous. But there is much more to enjoy here than one singer. This is wonderful music which deserves your attention.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEXu4QqJWt0/UtWJV7BoIUI/AAAAAAAACj0/4M0P4BgNsLM/s1600/ninth+gate,+depp+&+gate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SEXu4QqJWt0/UtWJV7BoIUI/AAAAAAAACj0/4M0P4BgNsLM/s200/ninth+gate,+depp+&+gate.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The cigarette smoking Johnny Depp cover is for an unofficial (read 'bootleg') Argentinian double CD release of the complete score. It is taken from the site <a href="http://forums.ffshrine.org/f92/ninth-gate-deluxe-complete-score-wojciech-kilar-84684/" target="_blank">FF Shrine</a>. The Depp and gate cover is from <a href="http://forum.funkysouls.com/dump/f48t72973.html" target="_blank">Funky Souls</a>. The Neuvieme Porte cover is the one on the CD I own and is taken from <a href="http://forum.funkysouls.com/dump/f48t72973.html" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. Some of these sites offer shady downloads but you should go to Amazon or another proper dealer and buy a legitimate copy of the music.) </span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-34586414606226342112014-01-16T08:41:00.000+00:002014-01-16T08:41:26.435+00:0012 Years a Slave by Hans Zimmer<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-imWLHCMMHNc/UteaGiiLW_I/AAAAAAAACkQ/oDxCy1UyJq8/s1600/12YEARSPROMO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-imWLHCMMHNc/UteaGiiLW_I/AAAAAAAACkQ/oDxCy1UyJq8/s1600/12YEARSPROMO.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday I saw the film 12 Years a Slave. I have to say it wasn't, in my view, a complete success. But in one area it was immediately clear to me that it was an unqualified masterpiece — the use of music.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The picture has a brooding, terrifying avant-garde score. It was completely effective in supporting the mood of the movie while also being an impressive piece of work in its own right. There were no credits at the beginning of the film, so I didn't know who was responsible for the music. I assumed that it was an unknown, experimental young composer. I made a note to watch for the name at the end.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mHzBrJQbMPA/UteaHYyGIQI/AAAAAAAACkY/utHuYeo0VJw/s1600/12+years+a+slave+cd+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mHzBrJQbMPA/UteaHYyGIQI/AAAAAAAACkY/utHuYeo0VJw/s1600/12+years+a+slave+cd+front.jpg" height="198" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To my astonishment it was the work of Hans Zimmer, one of the most prolific of mainstream Hollywood composers. This revelation compounded a process that has been going on for a few years now. For the longest time I'd dismissed Zimmer's work. I was turned off by some early synthesiser scores like Point of No Return and my attitude had subsequently hardened to what I thought was my own personal point of no return.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then I heard his delightful music for Sherlock Holmes. It was such a quirky, engaging score that I was forced to approach Zimmer with a newly open mind. And I was rewarded with the pleasure of such soundtracks as Inception (kind of a post modern John Barry 007 soundtrack).</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rYumkYnGUfI/UteaHEE4eXI/AAAAAAAACkU/bns_aTOJTVU/s1600/12+years+a+slave+cd+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rYumkYnGUfI/UteaHEE4eXI/AAAAAAAACkU/bns_aTOJTVU/s1600/12+years+a+slave+cd+back.jpg" height="171" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, 12 Years a Slave is great, and this morning I sat down at the computer to order the CD. Which is where we come to the tragic part of our tale. There <i>is</i> a soundtrack CD available. Yippee. And it's available at a bargain price. Double yippee. But it's one of those dread "Music From and Inspired By the Film" confections. These loathsome, bastardised compilations are aimed at cashing in and usually have none of the film's actual score. This one is no different, featuring two meagre tracks by Zimmer (out of a total of 16).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There is an unofficial promotional release of Zimmer's music (a total of almost 39 minutes) but it isn't generally available. I can only hope someone in the music division of Columbia has a burst of sanity and issues the entire score on a legitimate CD.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The front and back cover of the "From and Inspired By" CD are from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Years-Slave-Inspired-Motion-Picture/dp/B00FQK76TC/ref=sr_1_1/180-9080080-1323900?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1389860687&sr=1-1&keywords=12+years+a+slave" target="_blank">Amazon</a> where you can buy the CD, though I can't imagine why you'd want to. The cover for the much more appealing promotional release is from <a href="http://www.hans-zimmer.com/index.php?rub=disco&id=1207" target="_blank">Hans Zimmer Dot Com</a>, a very informative "almost official" site.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-47001972971509329232014-01-08T08:09:00.001+00:002014-01-08T16:45:01.069+00:00FX2 by Lalo Schifrin<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VDIQUlXZ8sI/Us0GdNn948I/AAAAAAAACic/PCCwkpB6WMg/s1600/schifrin,+lalo+fx2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VDIQUlXZ8sI/Us0GdNn948I/AAAAAAAACic/PCCwkpB6WMg/s1600/schifrin,+lalo+fx2.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lalo Schifrin is probably my favourite musician, and also the first one I became aware of by name when I was a child — it was his addictive, propulsive theme for Mission: Impossible which made me, and millions of others, take note of the composer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given my enthusiasm for Schifrin it's a little odd that it's taken me so long (over four years) to get around to writing about him on this music blog. Also perhaps a little odd to chose an obscure work like this soundtrack as the first one to discuss. But it's the latest Schifrin to come my way, and it's a fascinating score.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the late 20th century there's been a proliferation of small record labels devoted to releasing forgotten movie soundtracks. Thanks to them lot of wonderful music which seemed lost forever has been rescued. One of the latest of these labels to emerge is <a href="http://www.quartetrecords.com/" target="_blank">Quartet Records</a> in Spain. And one of their most recent issues is <a href="http://www.quartetrecords.com/fx2.html/" target="_blank">Schifrin's FX2</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PQJ-TKjQstc/Us0HOBC9YCI/AAAAAAAACik/FZEALYF-0mY/s1600/FX2+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PQJ-TKjQstc/Us0HOBC9YCI/AAAAAAAACik/FZEALYF-0mY/s1600/FX2+poster.jpg" height="200" width="138" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Written for the 1991 sequel about a special effects man who fights crime, at first listening FX2 sounds like a brash, slick pop-style thriller soundtrack which moves swiftly but doesn't have a great deal of depth. But subsequent listenings begin to reveal extraordinary detail and variety.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How many action scores have you heard which combine Philip Glass serial modernism with fat, funky guitars? Or include an homage to Nino Rota's music for the films of Fellini ('Bluey')? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">FX2 is obviously going to repay further listening, and may well turn out to be a milestone among the composer's later movie work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The CD cover is from the <a href="http://www.quartetrecords.com/composers/lalo-schifrin.html" target="_blank">Quartet Records website</a> where you can buy the CD. The movie poster is from <a href="http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/title/31802/F_X2" target="_blank">Soundtrack Collector</a>, which is a very useful resource for information.)</span><br />
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Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4823165422644246435.post-82777263619699231152014-01-01T19:11:00.002+00:002014-01-01T19:11:36.555+00:00Parker by David Buckley<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_P7MxaJbLU/UsRmAAgpOhI/AAAAAAAACfc/vlDUA_8ffcE/s1600/buckley,+david+parker+cd+front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_P7MxaJbLU/UsRmAAgpOhI/AAAAAAAACfc/vlDUA_8ffcE/s1600/buckley,+david+parker+cd+front.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://venusianfrogbroth.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/richard-starks-parker-is-back.html" target="_blank">Parker</a>, by Taylor Hackford and John J. McLaughlin, was a favourite film of mine from 2013. It was based on one of the classic <a href="http://venusianfrogbroth.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/parker-novels-by-richard-stark.html" target="_blank">Parker novels by Richard Stark</a>, and was splendid fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I'm a film music lover it was only natural that I picked up a copy of the CD of the Parker score by the British composer <a href="http://davidbuckleymusic.net/" target="_blank">David Buckley</a>, which is on the <a href="http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/StoreFront" target="_blank">Varese Sarabande</a> label. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My memory of the music from the film was a dense electronic score, fast moving and menacing. And this was certainly what was apparent on my first playing of the CD. It's the kind of music which is highly effective in thrillers (in fact, it's the kind of music I listen to when I'm <i>writing</i> thrillers) and some recent classic examples would be the soundtracks to the Bourne movies by John Powell and, now, James Newton Howard.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dghyTgzhSaA/UsRl_144MtI/AAAAAAAACfY/3cBOkXMldOA/s1600/buckley,+david+parker+cd+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dghyTgzhSaA/UsRl_144MtI/AAAAAAAACfY/3cBOkXMldOA/s200/buckley,+david+parker+cd+back.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But on further listening other textures began to emerge in David Buckley's music. Noticeably some very groovy electronic keyboard themes (sounds like a Fender Rhodes to me) on tracks like <i>Leslie in Boca</i>. This is lovely stuff, reminiscent of classic thrillers and cop movies of the 1960s and 70s by composers like Lalo Schifrin and Quincy Jones, or Michael Small (Klute).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been listening to the Parker CD constantly and it's steadily growing on me. I bought it initially as a souvenir of the film but now I'm beginning to realise that I lucked out with a great collection of film music.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be looking into David Buckley's other work, pronto. In fact, I've just ordered From Paris With Love. I didn't think a great deal of the movie, but I'm more than ready to adore his music.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Image credits: The front and back cover art for Parker are from <a href="http://www.varesesarabande.com/servlet/the-1084/Parker/Detail" target="_blank">Varese Sarabande</a>.)</span>Andrew Cartmelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13006683245337354886noreply@blogger.com0