MovieMusic.com Message Boards: Obscure Morricone Recommendations?

Message Boards

Movie Soundtracks

Obscure Morricone Recommendations?

Archive of old forum. No more postings.

Please visit our new forum, The MovieMusic Lobby, to post new topics.

Author	Topic: Obscure Morricone Recommendations?

Pete M Romulan	I really love Ennio Morricone's music, but I was really depressed when close inspection of my collection revealed that all I've really got is the well-known, mainstream stuff - Mission, Cinema Paradiso, the Leone's, etc. One of the things that's been impressing me most about Morricone recently is the sheer volume of music that he's written, much of it for films that seem to have virtually forgotten. I keep finding more & more compilations with so much great music on, & hardly any duplications. So what I was wondering was if anyone had any recommendations that they could give me for some of the more obscure or less well-known titles in his back-catalogue (preferably that are available on CD ) that I could investigate. As an example, I recently came across Revolver, something I'd never even heard of. And it completely blew me away, some if it a bit like the Untouchables main title. The title track is an amazing 12-minute piece that builds up an awesome momentum. I'm so pleased to have discovered this score. Can anyone recommend any others? NP Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti
posted 11-19-2002 12:22 PM PT (US)

JJH Romulan	um, The Red Tent and Moses the Lawgiver
posted 11-19-2002 12:59 PM PT (US)

Stephen Lister Romulan	If you want more Morricone westerns, you could try FACE TO FACE, FIVE MAN ARMY, GUNS FOR SAN SEBASTIAN, TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA and THE GRAND SILENCE. Epics? MARCO POLO. 1900. Thrillers? VIOLENT CITY. LE MARGINAL. SENZA MOVENTE (great whistled main theme). LES VOLEURS DE LA NUIT. Light and catchy? METTI UNA SERA A CENA. MY NAME IS NOBODY. WHEN WOMEN HAD TAILS. Uniquely Morricone: QUEIMADA. BLUE EYED BANDIT. Morricone Jazz. And tons more
posted 11-19-2002 02:30 PM PT (US)

Camillu Romulan	Red Tent, Days of Heaven, Marco Polo
posted 11-19-2002 02:54 PM PT (US)

plindboe Reman	A great score indeed that Revolver(aka. Blood in the streets) with some wonderful themes. Notice how track 3 is an intelligent variation of Beethoven's famous "Für Elise", and he makes it sound like a completely different but wonderful theme. In the CD booklet of "The thriller collection" a guy called John Bender describes the title track like this: "Morricone's Revolver concerto is a relentless avalanche, an irrevocably rolling and expanding mountain of sound that personifies Reed's deadly rage and vendetta against his wife's kidnappers. If you're about to hear this breathtaking work for the first time I envy you". My favorite theme however is "Un amico", especially the version performed as a song. Ahh!!! Actually Morricone's greatest work is from the 70's, especially the early 70's where he at long periods composed more than 2 scores per month. Few collectors has noticed this however, since most only buy the mainstream(Leone and american) scores. Here are a few scores I really love; La Califfa(The lady Caliph)-1970 Incredibly beautiful and romantic score with several great themes. Every single track is a great listen. Remember to buy the expanded CD, with 8 extra tracks; 22 tracks in all. Questa specie d'amore(This kind of love)-1972 Same director as with La califfa and very similar score. Many amazing themes on this one as well. Remember to buy the definitive edition with 16 tracks in all. Sepolta viva/L'anticristo(Woman buried alive/The antichrist)-1973/1974 Similar to the 2 scores mentioned above though with a late Baroque style. I have posted a review on Amazon, read here; http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001N0Z/qid%3D1037779809/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-7853577-3435318 Cosi' come sei(Stay as you are)-1978 A little more pop-orientated and in a more 70 style than the above scores, but a bunch of great themes. Only 11 tracks, but they're all great, especially the incredible love theme. Guns for San Sebastian-1968 One of his very best western scores though rarely given the attention it deserves. Great western themes and one of the best love themes I have ever heard. There are 2 CD releases out there; one where it's coupled with Frontiere's wonderful "Hang 'em high" and another one coupled with Loussier's jazzy "Dark of the sun". I think the CD; "Guns for San Sebastian/Dark of the sun" is the one to get, since the first one hasn't got quite as good sound quality, from what I've heard. L'eredita' ferramonti/Libera, amore mio!(The inheritage/Free my love)-1976/1973 The first score is the best, with great romantic and nostalgic themes, a wonderful waltz and even 2 polkas that I like surprisingly. The second score consists of 2 quite good themes, one of them extremely nostalgic the other more upbeat and joyful. Il prato(The meadow)-1979 Very nostalgic and spiritual flute-dominated score. An incredibly nostalgic main theme like only Morricone can do them, well actually the entire score is great, the only problem is that it's way too short. None of the CD's I have mentioned are too rare, and you can probably find most of them on Amazon. If you need more recommendations let me know. Peter
posted 11-20-2002 01:04 AM PT (US)

Pete M Romulan	Coo thanks so much! I'll have to get looking into some of those.
posted 11-20-2002 03:04 AM PT (US)

justin boggan Romulan	Obscure Morricone Recommendations? Well, you can put him behind Goldsmith. Even try putting him behind a giant rock! What Dreams May Come rejected. It's dreamy, i could never get into it, but i really think Morricone fans woulddlove this one.
posted 11-20-2002 06:32 AM PT (US)

OHMSS76 Romulan	The one I never see mentioned that I adore is IL DIAVOLO NEL CERVELLO. I have the old SLC disc of this, and believe it has been reissued, like much of the maestro's work, with some new alternate tracks. The film is a suspenser from what I've read, and it's Morricone in that mode where he is writing against the film. The first track is gorgeous, and oft included on compilations....the next two tracks offer a hint of atonal string writing, before the fourth track, which mixes broken quotes of 'Fur Elise' against strong brass figures quoting the main theme. After this rather strong track, it's all smooth sailing, as Morricone switches gears almost completely into a light, moody pop mode. It's not the easy listening of Machine Gun McCain, nor the rock of Citta Violenta...it's somewhere in between, and this album works great if you play it from beginning to end. CERVELLO just has this great, sad feel to it, one that plays best at sunset.....at least for me Best, Sean
posted 11-20-2002 08:55 AM PT (US)

Graham Watt Romulan	Morricone's output is so huge that dozens of his scores are going to be terrible to listen to, but it also means that a lot of them are great. Amongst the ones I rarely hear mentioned is NINFA PLEBEA - Lina Wertmúller film (1996 CAM CD release) - a gorgeous score. Sunny, joyous, bubbling main title with typical shifting bed of string, wonderful dark, romantic theme somewhat atypical of the composer, and the odd moment of grim Morricone horror (but not enough to spoil everything).
posted 11-21-2002 02:18 PM PT (US)

Pete M Romulan	Oooh, thanks. Although I actually quite like that grim Morricone horror, so scores in that mould don't hold too much worries for me. NP Led Zep 2
posted 11-22-2002 12:26 PM PT (US)

plindboe Reman	"Ninfa plebea" isn't a horror movie, but a romantic drama. Morricone's score is filled romantic and beautiful themes all the way through and I highly recommend this score.
posted 11-24-2002 04:01 AM PT (US)

Graham Watt Romulan	Absolutely, plindboe. I didn't mean to imply (nor, I think, Pete M infer) that NINFA PLEBEA is a horror film. But one or two tracks on the CD are violently dramatic, which kind of stands out like a sore thumb amidst such beautiful, sunny writing. Again, I can't recommend this score highly enough.
posted 11-24-2002 12:21 PM PT (US)

Pete M Romulan	Yeah, I didn't think it was a horror score, just that it had a couple of cues that were Morricone in his more inaccessible style - which can put a lot of people off, but I personally quite like. But thanks for straightening it out. And a huge thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to check on the HMV computer, see how many are available to order in! NP Looking for Richard (Shore) [Message edited by Pete M on 11-24-2002]
posted 11-24-2002 01:48 PM PT (US)

Old Infopop Software by UBB