Soundtrack: Cinecocktail
Supervisor(s): Paolo Scotti and Daniele De Gemini
Released: 1960s-1970s
Genre(s): 1960's, 1970's, Score, Italian




DOWNLOAD -- Cinecocktail

Keeping up with last week's post from perhaps the best known Italian composer comes a compilation from some lesser known Italian composers. From Italian soundtrack aficionados Paolo Scotti and Daniele De Gemini and straight out of the Beat Records archives, Cinecocktail is a superb collection of 20 easy listening and bossa beauties from 60s and 70s Italian movie soundtracks.

Soundtrack: Kill Bill Vol. 1
Supervisor(s): RZA
Released: 2003
Genre(s): Rock'n'Roll, 1960's, 1970's Score




DOWNLOAD -- Kill Bill Vol. 1

I saw the Kill Bill films back to back at a special screening in Hollywood in 2003. Tarantino spoke in between both films. Its the only time I've ever seen him speak. He was exactly as hilarious and ridiculous as you would think. A total character of himself he obsessed over Uma, he threw excitement out in the crowd on the films that he obsessed with-- his inspirations for both films. One of my favorite moments was talking about his collaboration with the RZA for making the Kill Bill duo. The "Main Title" in Vol. 1 was something the RZA heard in a Vietnamese restaurant in West LA. He was eating dinner and liked it so much that he convinced the restaurant to lend him the actual CD. He called Quentin after dinner and said he "found it".

I found this really cool interview with the RZA. Check out this excerpt:

"It was more of a collaboration. He had an idea and a vision when he wrote the script. I think I was more of somebody that kept it in the guidelines of what he wanted. He was like, here go the eggs, the milk, the cake, the sugar, everything, and I’m going to stir it up. Put this in the oven, watch it, take it out in forty five minutes. Now, am I going to take it out in forty five minutes or am I going to fall asleep? I made sure it got out and if I saw something wrong with it, I fixed it. So when he saw it, he was like, this is cake. ...there was one situation where you see, "Crane and White Lightning", that’s part of the original score, so it’s not really a song. A lot of that stuff is what I use to keep the vibe going between songs. "Crane and White Lightning" is a piece of music that Quentin wanted on the soundtrack, but was originally set for a Metallica track. There’s only one piece of music that I didn’t feel comfortable with when we were done. We lost a sample, I made one Hip Hop beat. I was like I gotta throw one in there. Quentin loved this beat. We rocked with it and it was one of the first things we did. I could've gotten away with it, it was a sample, but so undetectable, so unnoticeable. I wanted to take a chance, but in the movie business you can’t take those kind of chances. I wouldn’t risk nobody else. If it was my movie, I would have taken a chance, but this is Quentin Tarantino’s movie.

Soundtrack: Cinemaphonic Soul Punch
Supervisor(s): David Hollander
Dates Recorded: 1970-1976
Genre(s): Rock'n'Roll, British, Funky, 1970's, Score




DOWNLOAD -- Cinemaphonic Soul Punch

Another amazing comp of spy-thriller funky jams from the Cinemaphonic series. This time Los Angeles-based DJ David Hollander compiles jams from deep in the vaults of rare British action films out of the 1970's. Some of these I've never even heard of, but the jams are fantastic! Released in 2001 this comp is out of print. I feel fortunate to have found it and to share it with you.

Soundtrack: Vigilante! Cult Film Soundtracks
Composer(s): Roy Budd
Released: 1971-1977
Genre(s): Funky, Score, Jazz




DOWNLOAD -- Vigilante! Cult Film Soundtracks

Feeling funky this month. I think things are going to stay in the 1970's. Roy Budd is the man. Scoring nearly 50 films, he is best known for his Jazz-Influenced Funk which he sprinkles amongst large anthems that you could rob a bank or get in a car chase to.

Check out Roy Budd playing his classic theme for the superb 1971 Mike Hodges/Michael Caine film, 'Get Carter'... so cool!

Soundtrack: Cinemaphonic: Electro Soul
Supervisor(s): RZA
Released: 2003
Genre(s): 1970's Score




DOWNLOAD -- Cinemaphonic: Electro Soul

Highly enjoyable listening. Pretty downbeat and not very aggressive, this comp really covers easy listening soul and funk. Now you know where David Holmes came up with those Oceans 11 Grooves.

A killer selection of grooves culled from the archives of the Major/Valentino Records library. Features tracks from notable artists like Jonny Hawksworth (British soundtrack and library music composer), Mario Nascimbene (Italian soundtrack composer) and Walter Murphy (Composed "A Fifth of Beethoven" for the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack).

Soundtrack: Extraits Des Bandes Originales Des Films De Jacques Tati
Composer(s): Jean Yatove, Alain Romans, Franck Barcellini, Francis Lemarque, James Campbell
Released: 1989
Genre(s): french, jazz, score



DOWNLOAD -- Tati OST Compilation

I watched Play Time for the 40th time this weekend and absolutely love the score. This compilation is comprised of Tati's finest films. If you're looking for an upbeat summer drive or trip to the beach, just put this wonderful compilation on.

Soundtrack: The Last Waltz
Composer(s): The Band
Released: 1976
Genre(s): classic rock, concert film



DOWNLOAD -- the Last Waltz p1
DOWNLOAD -- the Last Waltz p2
DOWNLOAD -- the Last Waltz p3

Beginning with a title card saying "This film should be played loud!" the concert documentary is an essay on The Band's influences and their career. The group – Rick Danko on bass, violin and vocals, Levon Helm on drums, mandolin and vocals, Garth Hudson on keyboards and saxophone, Richard Manuel on keyboards, percussion and vocals, and guitarist-songwriter Robbie Robertson – started out in the late 1950s as a rock and roll band led by Ronnie Hawkins, and Hawkins himself appears as the first guest. The group backed Bob Dylan in the 1960s, and Dylan performs with The Band towards the end of the concert.
Rick Danko performs in the concert with a Gibson Ripper bass. Various other artists perform with The Band: Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Dr. John, Neil Diamond and Eric Clapton. Genres covered include blues, rock and roll, New Orleans R&B, Tin Pan Alley pop, folk and rock. Further genres are explored in segments filmed later on a sound stage with Emmylou Harris (country) and The Staple Singers (soul and gospel).

This 4-disc compilation is the complete recordings. See the comments for track listing.

Soundtrack: Harold and Maude
Composer(s): Cat Stevens
Year: 1974
Genre(s): folk rock

DOWNLOAD -- Harold and Maude

36 years after the film's release, an official soundtrack came out in an edition of 2500 on Cameron Crowe's vinyl films this year.

There’s been a hole in the fabric of the film/music world for many, many, many years: late-great director Hal Ashby’s bizarre, romantic masterpiece Harold and Maude was blessed with a Cat Steven’s soundtrack (one that featured two songs written specifically for the film) that never truly saw the light of day. Yes, “Don’t Be Shy” and “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” were released on the Footsteps in the Dark compilation in ‘84, but besides that the original sound track of the film has gone unreleased.

Over two years in the making, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Harold and Maude comes with an extensive 36-page full-color booklet filled with never-before-seen photographs and an oral history of the making of the film and the music, as told by the filmmakers and participants. Also included is a bonus 7″ single with unreleased versions of “Don’t Be Shy” and “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out”, two suitable-for-framing posters, and much more!

Available only on 2500 copies of Limited Edition Vinyl.

Soundtrack: Jackie Brown
Supervisor(s): Quentin Tarantino & Lawrence Bender
Year: 1997
Genre(s): soul, funk

DOWNLOAD -- Jackie Brown

After my post last week for Foxy Brown I figured we'd keep it funky with another Foxy post from another Ms. Brown. Quentin Tarantino, who has never shy'd away from 1970's soundtracks, digs deep into some classic and not-so-classic hits from the R&B radio hits of the 70's. He is quoted as saying: "More or less the way my method works is you have got to find the opening credit sequence first. That starts it off from me. I find the personality of the piece through the music that is going to be in it . . . It is the rhythm of the film. Once I know I want to do something, then it is a simple matter of me diving into my record collection and finding the songs that give me the rhythm of my movie.

Well all of this couldn't be more true than of Jackie Brown, where Roy Ayers, Elvin Bishop, the Delfonics and even the Guess Who are featured tearing it up in the background of scenes from this bloody, sexy, late-90's crime film. Bits of dialogue make this soundtrack and even more engaging and entertaining playlist.

Soundtrack: Foxy Brown
Composer(s): Willie Hutch
Year: 1974
Genre(s): soul, funk

DOWNLOAD -- Foxy Brown

Willie Hutch's soundtrack for the Blaxploitation Flick Foxy Brown is a classic. From the funky guitars, disco strings, charismatic congas and Hutch's own enchanting soulful vocals, this soundtrack embodies the body and soul of mid-70's cheese in black cinema.

In addition to Foxy Brown, Hutch produced albums by acts such as The 5th Dimension, Michael Jackson and Smokey Robinson. Besides writing hit songs such as The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There", Hutch also recorded several albums for Motown (and later for Whitfield Records, run by former Motown producer Norman Whitfield), and had Top 20 R&B hits with singles such as "Brother's Gonna Work It Out" and "Slick" (both 1973). Following in the tradition of Curtis Mayfield, he recorded the soundtrack album for the blaxploitation films The Mack (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974).

Soundtrack: Darjeeling Limited
Composer(s): Satyajit Ray, The Kinks, Rolling Stones
Year: 2007
Genre(s): classic rock, bollywood score

DOWNLOAD -- The Darjeeling Limited

As one of the best compilers in contemporary cinema, Wes Anderson has a knack for fitting interesting musical compositions in his films, often time even using a majority of the songs in their entirety for montages, action scenes or even dramatic moments. Darjeeling is no different than other Anderson scores in terms of this integration. One breakthrough for this score, was Wes Anderson's choice to incorporate a larger variety of foreign music taken from other films and without bringing on the the ever-talented Mark Mothersbaugh to score the film.

While I miss Mark Mothersbaugh's quirky influence on the films style, I think Darjeeling is a more mixed soundtrack with some really interesting choices including many songs from mid-60's Bengali movie god Satyajit Ray. One of the most notable uses of Satyajit Ray's amazing scoring in Darjeeling is "Charu's Theme", from the 1964 film, Charulata. The score works so well in Darjeeling you would swear it was made for the film.

Watch the entire Satyajit Ray classic Charluta here:



Watch the entire Darjeeling Limited (2007) here on you tube (10 parts).

Soundtrack: The Harder They Come
Composer/Artist(s): Jimmy Cliff, plus others
Year: 1972
Genre(s): Reggae

DOWNLOAD -- THE HARDER THEY COME

Released in 1972, much of the soundtrack was compiled by Director and Co-Writer Perry Henzell from his favorite roots reggae classics. But the heart of the soundtrack -- and the film -- comes from reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, who starred and contributed four original songs: "Sitting Here in Limbo," "Many Rivers to Cross," "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "The Harder They Come." Other jams on this MUST OWN REGGAE classic come from Scotty ("Draw Your Brakes" is a personal favorite) The Maytals and The Slickers.

Soundtrack: Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
Composer/Artist(s): Lubos Fiser
Year: 1970 (original film release), 2007 (soundtrack release)
Genre(s): Psychedelic Folk

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DOWNLOAD -- Valerie & Her Week Of Wonders

After two weeks of posting 80's Films, I thought I would change things up a bit and post a hallucinogenic surrealistic Czech folk piece...

Lubos Fiser creates an alternate universe for character exploration in this bizarre and magical world of wonders. The score samples a variety of acoustic instruments and integrates them into songs of mystery, paranoia and romance. Much like the film, the score leaves a vivd tone of intrigue.

Apparently it was Finder's Keepers that much of the credit goes to for this soundtrack finally seeing the light of day. According to this press release it wasn't until last year that a virgin release of this gem on black vinyl and CD was made available. It took 12 years of Eastern European phone calls & digging through record crates that made it possible for the release. I heard the title track on WFMU's record blog last year while photoshopping dog clothing for this website (worst freelance job ever!) and was immediately drawn into the intrigue and beauty of the score. Soon, I added it to my queue and had no idea what to expect. The film is amazing. It's basically a Czech new-wave surrealistic film about a teenage beauty confronted by her sexual awakening in her sleep. These subconscious and surrealistic moments are haunted by varying degrees of Lewis Carrol inspired (?) hallucinations.

VALERIE SHORT SCENE


Some cool quotes I found...
"Lubos Fiser provides what is perhaps the greatest musical score of all the maligned Czech New Wave feature-films with a gossamer-fragile blend of pastoral-orchestral folk songs and clockwork harpsichords. From the very first delicate chord to the final crescendo this joyous sound is as addictive as the bizarre imagery seen in this seldom celebrated cinematic gem." -Finder's Keeper's



"It was like a door had been opened in my subconscious and fragments of memories and dreams rejoiced right there in my living room. I became very possessive over my copied version, a VHS to cassette copy which hissed like it had been captured from another world. I would surprise friends with snippets of the theme, it never failed to get a curious "Who's this?" I was continually asked to make a copies but I had no intentions of making copies for anyone. The ritual chanting, the sections of catholic mass, the czech hymns were mine, the cogs sequence, the acoustic love song, the room of cogs all mine." -Trish Keenan



If you are desperately interested and don't have Netflix or a decent video store, search 'Valerie and her week of Wonders' on You Tube... the whole thing is up (in ten parts!) but its censored. Nudity and Violence taken out. I would recommend watching it on DVD or VHS over YouTube.