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| Michael Draine's Twisted
Vista |
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| Ennio
Morricone |
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| Canto Morricone Vol. 1: The ‘60s |
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| Canto Morricone Vol. 2:
Western Songs |
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| Canto Morricone Vol. 3:
The ‘70s and ‘80s |
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| Canto Morricone Vol. 4: The ‘90s |
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| (Bear Family) |
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| Acclaimed for his eerie,
stirring Western |
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| soundtracks, Ennio Morricone is
also |
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| a master pop craftsman, a sort of |
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| Italian Burt Bachrach.
Morricone’s |
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| songs bear the same
smoldering |
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| passion, florid
orchestration, and |
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| heated take on
Americana which |
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| distinguish his Sergio Leone
scores. |
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| scores. Vol. 1: The ‘60s is utterly en- |
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| thralling, encompassing the
psychedelic |
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| theme to Mario
Bava’s Diabolik, |
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Music Review Index |
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| the ominous
“Cantata Basilischi (The |
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| Lizard Song),” from
Lina Wertmuller’s |
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| I
Basilischi, and Miranda Martino's |
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| haunting “Scetate (Wake Up).” The |
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Twisted Cinema |
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| The Sandpipers,
Astrud Gilberto, |
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| and Francois Hardy
are the only |
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| familiar voices on Vol. 1. Some |
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| tracks on Vol. 2: Western Songs will |
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| be familiar to
aficionados, as four of its |
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| strongest cuts
appear on RCA’s The |
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| Legendary
Italian Westerns. Rare vocal |
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| versions of the
themes to A Fistful of |
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| Dollars and For A Few Dollars More |
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| provide cowboy singers with
names |
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| like Maurizio with platforms
for macho |
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| angst, while “A Gringo
Like Me” exerts an |
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| irresistible camp
appeal. Vol. 2 features |
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| Joan Baez, Scott Walker and
Georges |
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| Moustaki on the
26-minute (and, thanks |
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| to Baez’s ungainly
moan, largely |
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| dispensable) Sacco and Vanzetti suite. |
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| The ‘70s marked
Morricone’s expansion into |
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| international
markets, accompanied by a switch |
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| to less evocative
French and English lyrics. |
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| Aside from two
Astrud Gilberto cuts, Vol. 3’s |
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| standout tracks are
confined to re-recordings of |
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| ‘60s material by
Mireille Mathieu and Milva. By |
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| the ‘80s, Morricone’s
prime had largely played |
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| out, making Vol. 4 a showcase for soporific |
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| variety show crooning.
Though Edda Dell’Orso |
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| provided vocals to
many of Morricone’s greatest |
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| scores, the fact that Edda
specialized in |
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| wordless vocals precludes
the great Señora |
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| Dell’Orso
from the proceedings. |
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| Published in Vendetta #12, Spring, 1999 |
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| http://www.bear-family.de |
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