Lost in translation.
Best Sound Track Ever Vote for One
Just like the potato chip ad lets see how many
suggest several. If they are good and not already
mentioned you will be forgiven.
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Can’t believe I left out one of my very favorite artists, film-score-or-otherwise: Henry Mancini. “Experiment in Terror,” “Hatari!,” (featuring not only the absolutely brilliant main theme but also the immortal “Baby Elephant Walk”) “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Charade,” “The Pink Panther,” “A Shot in the Dark,” “Dear Heart,” “Moment to Moment,” “Two for the Road,” and “Wait Until Dark.”
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One more soundtrack; "The Diva". I mean, we have the beautiful Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez at the opening performing the gorgeous aria from a not so often performed opera Catalani's "La Wally" secretly being recorded by a postman and on a Nagra IV S no less, with two main characters, music and audiophiles living in cool spaces plus, well here, from a brief synopsis "When 18-year-old Jules (Frederic Andrei) secretly tapes the concert of a superstar diva who refuses to be recorded, he accidentally winds up with another tape that identifies a top mobster involved in an international sex and drug ring. Suddenly, Jules is being chased through the streets of Paris by blackmailers, hit men and the police. Action, arias and assassins all collide in this romantic thriller directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix". I recently pulled my copy out and it still holds up well. Some of that 1980-ish mod euro style of filmmaking in its style. Jeez, now I definitely have to see this again. See it in French. The English language version kind of ruins it, especially the assassins' voice! |
Thanks @petg60 ! |
😎 Hey 1970’s jazz lovers, here’s a time capsule for you to play on your roarin’ ’20’s digital devices. Tom Scott’s legacy is cemented with this little movie score: Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. ’Nuff said! (Do I get extra credit for just keepin’ to one?) |
Lalo Schifrin: Bullitt Dirty Harry (nice companion piece to the above) Kelly’s Heroes (outstanding underscore) Roy Budd: 2-CD set called Get Budd (a sampler of his coolest jazz tracks from action/crime films between 1968-75) Henry Mancini: Hatari (some great jazz tracks aimed at FM airplay) Charade (ditto, but with some smooth, swinging latin-jazz numbers) 3-CD sampler called The Real Henry Mancini Michel Legrande: The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) John Williams: Close Encounters (the 2-CD set from La La Land is best if you can find it, one of the best fantasy soundtracks ever made) Danny Elfman: Edward Scissorhands (more fantasy) Alice In Wonderland (yet more) Ron Grainer: The Omega Man (yup, more fantasy, [with a slight horror edge]) William Stromberg: Trinity And Beyond, The Atomic Bomb Movie (theatrically released documentary, think Herrmann, Waxman, Korngold and other Hollywood golden-age greats reimagined...and yes, more great fantasy) Rozen: Sins Of Hyrule (superb symphonic fantasy inspired by the video game soundtrack, but production-wise given the red carpet treatment) Maurice Jarre: Lawrence Of Arabia (this score should more rightly be considered a ’fantasy’, rather than simply an epic) Jerry Goldsmith: Under Fire (great Latin America sound, Jerry designed the entire film soundtrack to play back in film order as a cohesive music album) Tora Tora Tora Planet Of The Apes (1970) (fanfreakintastic) The Final Conflict (3rd film in the Omen series soundtracks, my favorite) When it comes to Bernard Herrmann and Ennio Morricone I could probably recommend just about anything. But, don’t overlook: The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (BH) and Two Mules For Sister Sara & Violent City (EM).
When it comes to potato chips, I can't eat just one |
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Here’s an unheralded gem: 1970’s “Performance.” Jack Nitzsche, Randy Newman, Merry Clayton, Ry Cooder, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Russ Titelman, Lowell George, Gene Parsons, Bobby West and Milt Holland. In various incarnations, this “band” created a really cool, unique soundtrack for the film. It’s produced by Jack Nitzsche but he is also probably the primary creative force, with Randy Newman, Merry Clayton, and Ry Cooder in tow. Randy Newman plays on several tracks, sings a couple, and is even credited as the band’s “conductor.” You throw in Buffy Sainte-Marie getting in there, and then all these excellent players from The Byrds, Little Feat, and Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band, Bernard Krause using a Moog synthesizer prototype (it being 1970 they weren’t on the market yet) and some really interesting, unique music, this is an unheralded gem. It even has The Last Poets with their 1970 classic, “Wake Up, N*****s” |
Great nomination @tylermunns! A favorite use of music in film of mine is that in Blue Velvet. The score by Angelo Badalamenti is great, but what kills me is how David Lynch uses the music and voice of Roy Orbison is a couple of scenes. One really creative film score is Ry Cooder’s entirely-improvised guitar playing in Paris, Texas. Neil Young tried the same in Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, but Neil is no Ry Cooder. |
@bdp24 I’ve been meaning to watch “Paris, Texas.” I love Harry Dean Stanton. I just recently watched the hilarious David Lynch short, The Cowboy and the Frenchman starring the great Mr. Stanton on YouTube. Jeez, what a great and a hilarious short. My girlfriend and I were howling. I play the theme from Twin Peaks, either the main theme or Laura Palmer’s love theme (or both) at this regular piano gig I picked up recently. Angelo is just brilliant in anything I’ve heard of his. David is as good as anyone in filmmaking in the use of music in film; not only with the original music in his films but in the use of popular music. I had to pick up the Mulholland Drive soundtrack on CD online because it’s not available on iTunes and I couldn’t live without what may be my favorite vocal of all time; the Spanish, a cappella version of “Crying” by Orbison by Rebekah Del Rio. The scene with that performance in the film is a stunner cinematically, as well. I really enjoyed both Neil’s soundtrack and the Jarmusch film, Dead Man. I know my girlfriend is a fan, we should give that a go soon also. Too many damn movies to see. |
@tylermunns: David Lynch is one of the few genuine genius (a very overused adjective imo) of our lifetimes. Criterion was having their annual catalog sale a few weeks ago, and I picked up copies of their DVD (I haven’t yet made the move to Blue Ray) issues of Eraserhead (THE most disturbing film I’ve ever seen, and my favorite surrealistic picture.), Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Dr. to replace my "standard" copies. I also got their Crumb (fantastic movie!) and Don’t Look Back issues. I’m not as critical of visual quality as I am of sonic, but I’ll spend the extra $ for movies I really, really love. Yeah, Badalamenti’s music is haunting, and very romantic. The scene in Mulholland Dr. you refer to never fails to bring me to tears. David Lynch obviously loves Roy Orbison. ;-) |
@bdp24 Criterion looks great. Streaming films can be an exercise in frustration for those who want good visuals. I’ve sat there and spent 10+ dollars to watch one movie, bailing on multiple rentals in quick succession only to find the subsequent platforms look as bad as the previous. Then the best looking one keeps freezing/buffering so I have to go back and settle for a bad looking stream… No Blue Ray here yet, either, one of those things I keep saying I’m going to get. I’ve been meaning to show my girlfriend Crumb for a while. Thanks for the reminder! |
@bdp24 Indeed. I’ve shown/enjoyed-the-experience-of-rewatching tons of movies (certainly more plausible during a global pandemic) with my girlfriend the last couple years. It’s great. Talking about them afterwards, the whole bit. Taking her for a spin on my fancy turntable with all my fancy gear and fancy records is pretty great, too. I still own Crumb on VHS. I won’t show Katie Crumb that way unless I have to. Will stream it or DVD it. That came out when I was in junior high. I hadn’t really seen many documentaries yet at that age. That one set a high bar! I’ve seen it many times. As good a documentary as I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot over the past 25-odd years. Terry Zwigoff’s other masterpiece, Ghost World, was one that didn’t garner an enthusiastic reaction from my partner, surprisingly, which is a rare occurrence. Can’t win ‘em all, I guess. Maybe it was just her mood at the time. I think of Ghost World quite a bit. I definitely think of it when I peruse Audiogon forums, seeing how ubiquitous the appreciation of bands not dissimilar to the one briefly portrayed in the film (Blues Hammer🤣🤣) is around these parts. |
@tylermunns: OMG, I love Ghost World! There is much about it to love, including the Blues Hammer scene. SO true! Every time I happen to see a clip from a current Country Music Awards Show on TV (my sisters watch them. Ugh.) I am reminded of Blues Hammer. Then there is the scene at the party with the record collectors; it reminds me of audiophile gatherings: Guys who wear bermuda shorts with black socks and dress shoes, comb-over hairdo’s and mustaches. Present company excluded, of course. ;-) When it comes to mockumentaries, everyone knows about Spinal Tap. Another great one is The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash. It is to the 60’s British Invasion what Spinal Tap is to Hard Rock/Metal, but done more subtly. It was made by Eric Idle of Monty Python and Neil Innes of The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band (who appear in the underground scene in The Magical Mystery Tour movie). For straight documentaries, two good ones are the ones made about Muscle Shoals and The Wrecking Crew. The house band in Rick Hall’s Alabama recording studio---unofficially known as The Swampers---is as fine a non-Jazz ensemble band as I have ever heard. Lots of people have gone (or were brought) to Muscle Shoals to record, mostly because of The Swampers: Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Boz Scaggs (his first album, featuring Duane Allman on the fantastic "Loan Me A Dime"), Steve Winwood, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, hundreds more, including even Bob Dylan and The Stones. Swampers’ drummer Roger Hawkins is considered by many pro’s as one of the handful of greatest drummers who was ever recorded (Jim Keltner has said he wished he played more like Roger), and pianist/songwriter Spooner Oldham is nothing less than a national treasure. If you haven’t seen it, do so! |
