Well, then, here's a wild treat to begin a wild weekend: Ennio Morricone's psychedelic soundtrack to Four Flies on Grey Velvet, Dario Argento's long-unavailable giallo. Several things about this soundtrack stuck out in my mind and made me want to track it down. Chief among them was the fact the main character in this movie plays drums in a psych rock band, which means that in addition to the spooky, creaky score you get Morricone's take on the genre as well, complete with organ-led combo. In place of vocals is his trademark gibberish and grunts, which at times get quite frenzied, as if the vocalist (presumably the man himself) is possessed and speaking in tongues. It manages to be groovy and disturbing at the same time. This marked Argento and Morricone's last collaboration for over twenty years, as the had some falling out over the soundtrack and refused to work with each other again. This marked the period where Argento began employing Goblin for his movies and Morricone moved on to more mainstream work. Interestingly, Argento's second choice for composer was Deep Purple.
Yes.
An Italian Story is a love note to Italian soundtrack music made with many of the core players on such famous films as The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, notably the unmistakeable whistling stylings of Alessandro Alessandroni. The album shifts through diverse moods, from laid back summer hedonism to tense fight music and horrific psychedelia. Composer Luppi became famous for his collaborations with Danger Mouse but this fine little record seems to be out of print, making it Swamp fodder for sure.
