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Posted: |
May 28, 2016 - 4:24 AM
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By: |
Gorbadoc
(Member)
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I myself need to hear samples at the very least, but I do check out a great deal of releases that I've never heard of, since good music is good music regardless of whether or not I've seen the film.
I'm with The Thing. Apart from a fistful of films scored by Morricone, I have never seen any of the Italian films of which I now own the score, and for the large majority of them, I will never feel the need to see it eventually. All I care about is the quality of the music, whether it's for a well-known title or not, so I will always check out every new release from Digitmovies, Beat Records, etc.
But no matter how much I love Morricone, Nicolai, Fidenco, Micalizzi, etc., they all have produced some output that leaves me completely cold and that I just don't want to hear again. That is the reason that I will never blind-buy a CD, even from one my favourite composers, if there is not a single sample or YouTube clip as a reference. I'm confident that the cases in which I avoid an uninteresting title are much more numerous than those in which I miss out on an interesting one. Because what's the point of buying a CD that you will never play again after one or two listens?
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But no matter how much I love Morricone, Nicolai, Fidenco, Micalizzi, etc., they all have produced some output that leaves me completely cold and that I just don't want to hear again. That is the reason that I will never blind-buy a CD, even from one my favourite composers, if there is not a single sample or YouTube clip as a reference. I'm confident that the cases in which I avoid an uninteresting title are much more numerous than those in which I miss out on an interesting one. Because what's the point of buying a CD that you will never play again after one or two listens?
There a number of albums I purchased during the 1990s whose content didn't appeal to me at the time.
Those discs remained in my collection for 20+ years even though I may have listened to them only 2 or 3 times over a couple of decades.
Then one day in - for example - year 2014, one composer's output eventually 'clicked' in my mind and I'm glad to revisit those once-shunned albums and appreciate them better and also glad I didn't discard those albums.
So what's the point of getting CDs whose music leaves you cold after 2 listens? I say keep those albums and perhaps decades in the future your musical tastes may evolve to appreciate that which you are unable to like at the present time.
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Posted: |
May 30, 2016 - 4:47 AM
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By: |
Graham Watt
(Member)
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They are not familiar with the name of the composer, with the film or with the score. So they have no relation at all with such a CD release.
What Stefan has said above is unfortunately true.
I wish to add that American soundtrack buyers might be interested in European albums in so far as their composers had (at least for a period of time in their careers) worked on English-language films or else the European productions were circulated within the U.S. via theater distributions or television broadcasts.
If a film has never been shown in the U.S. at all at any time, then there are no U.S. customers who have experienced viewing the film and as such 'pass over' these items whenever they become available on disc.
Exposure is the key here, because some folks may purchase an Italian peplum simply due to nostalgia (they remember seeing the flick as a youngster so they buy the album even if they don't recall much of the musical material).
I can relate to this, and it is a sad but perhaps understandable reality. I was born and raised in the UK, and spent my early life there (early as in up to the age of 29). These films were NEVER shown on the TV, and so I have virtually no connection with them or (most of) their composers. I have kind of branched out a little - not enough though - from my comfort zone and have occasionally found something which excites me. But really, I have very little desire to spend hours of my life watching Italian muscle-men in loincloths just to get a taste of the score. I mean, I've still got 25 "must gets" on my Jerry Goldsmith list! As a slow purchaser (last time I bought a CD was in November last year), it's almost impossible for me to see myself suddenly opening my mind so much. But I'm not quite dead to new experiences yet...
One of the positive results of the heavy postal increase on U.S. titles is that I've started having a look even more at what's on offer from within Europe, especially Italy. Some of you might remember that I was on a Barbara Steele binge recently, and was amazed by both the film and the score AN ANGEL FOR SATAN, by Francesco De Masi. I did a bit of research and found that it had never been released, although about 20 surviving minutes from De Masi's other Babs Steele film THE GHOST are available. So I watched THE GHOST, and the music was very good, very similar to AN ANGEL FOR SATAN, so I considered buying it. But then I noticed that the bulk of the CD is taken up with De Masi's score for MURDER CLINIC (I know these things have got a million titles), so I'm currently plodding through that movie on YouTube. The films themselves are very often a chore and this is no exception, but at the moment I'm interested enough in what I've heard to possibly add it to my next "pack of three". Still got an hour of film to go though. Jeez.
Another story. Again, I repeat that Christopher Lee's Italian horror films were never shown on TV, nor did they turn up in the cinema when I was in Blighty. But seeing that Riz Ortolani's score for VIRGIN OF NUREMBERG has recently been released, and liking some of Ortolani's work, I went on to YouTube and found the film (in French). As a bit of a horror geek, I was much happier watching Christopher Lee do his stuff rather than seeing some sweaty muscle-bound gladiators slogging it out with one another. The film wasn't that great actually, but it was interesting, especially from a historical perspective. Unfortunately I found the Ortolani score to be dreadful, so I won't be getting that CD.
Right, back to MURDER CLINIC. Holy cow, that dubbing's dreadful. Did somebody just really say "I'm fed up to my teeth with this place!" (?)
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Unfortunately I found the Ortolani score to be dreadful, so I won't be getting that CD.
Hi, Graham.
You might recall that Ortolani's Vergine got only a 2-star rating in the thread on Christopher Lee in Italy. Of the 5 soundtracks reviewed in that thread, the Ortolani was the least satisfying.
I hope this experience won't prevent you from investigating the ones done by Trovajoli or Savina or Lavagnino.
I realize that, to seasoned viewers such as ourselves, watching these flicks can test our endurances.
Perhaps a significant reason why U.K. & U.SA. may have never shown these things is that they are deemed 'third-rate' or 'grade Z' productions.
This unfortunately reinforces the preferences for English-language cinema (i.e. if it wasn't made in Hollywood or @ Hammer, then it's a waste-of-time piece of rubbish).
Even though this mindset may very well be correct in many instances, it shouldn't encourage across-the-board dismissal of these flicks (which can be gratifying even if they're 2nd rate at best).
But - trashy picture or no - this perspective certainly should not unfairly apply to these genre soundtracks that have been released via Digitmovies (and others) since 2003.
In closing, Graham, ponder on this: if the Euro-produced flicks with Steele, Lee, etc. were shown on the telly when you were a wee lad of 13 tape-recording off air broadcasts, then would you be championing some of their soundtracks & composers as being as brilliant as Basil Kirchin & Gil Melle?
Is music by Kirchin or Melle 10-star excellence or does it seem that way because you encountered their sounds at a pre-pubescent age?
If you first heard a Kirchin disc at age 55, would you feel the same way about his music as you did over 40 years ago?
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Steady on Zardoz - I'm not 55 until August.
I'm very glad that the European labels are releasing these scores. I hope they find their market and sell well. There must be a ton of great music out there already. Oh, and by the way, I quite like trashy movies. Not so much the peplums, but the horrors. I think I saw five Babs Steele Italian horrors and one Chris Lee in the last few months. I don't think they're even "trashy" really. Some of the atmospheric Gothic ones are particularly accomplished. Whatever, I like piecing together the archaeology of the horror genre and how the pieces coincide (or not) on a universal scale. So far I've been generally unimpressed with the scores, although they are usually serviceable enough, and even "good". I think I might prefer the sweaty muscle-men scores, but I'm not into watching the films. Some YouTube browsing has brought a few good Main Titles to my attention. What was that one I saw yesterday... ROME AGAINST ROME? Pretty vigorous stuff, by Roberto Nicolosi I seem to recall.
But to tell you the truth, I don't feel the need to really delve into the semi-unknown (to me) world of all those composers, whose work will include numerous gems I'm sure. Not in a "CD collector" way. If I happen across something which I really like, I'll get it. AN ANGEL FOR SATAN please. But if not, there's a LOT for me to explore even within my comfort zone. I've only got 19 Miklós Rózsa CDs, and he's one of my favourite composers. But yes, I like to at least have an ear open to other things, even if (or especially if) it's having YouTube on in the background while I clean the house. Wait - I've just realised I've only got one Ifukube CD! I never even saw the original GODZILLA.
And you can bet your bottom dollar (or whatever the expression is) that I'd be banging on about the brilliance of Gil Mellé and Basil Kirchin if I suddenly discovered them at the (future) age of 55. Just like Rózsa for example, I discovered them in my early youth and I have in no way outgrown them. In fact, my appreciation continues to increase all those decades later, whereas other composers I heard and loved at that age were, in retrospect, mostly a passing fancy. So much still to find out about the truly fascinating artists, and time's running out. And I've only seen six Ingmar Bergman films. And I've never been to Ireland either.
But that was a rabbit. Long live the European labels putting out all that stuff!
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