Morricone High (CD, Imported)

Ennio Morricone has scored over 500 films, and as he himself says in the brief liner notes, only 30 of them were Westerns. He's unlikely to ever shake the legacy of spaghetti Western scores that first brought him wide attention in the States, but it is nice to see a collection that broadens the scope of his work a bit. Morricone High picks the best moments from a handful of European films that the composer scored from 1969 to 1971 in a number of genres, none of them Westerns either. It manages to retain all of the tension that made his best known work so great and captivating, while adding more of the mod and psychedelic elements that were fermenting in the greater cultural brew of the times. Breezy, romantic mod as heard on the brittle Morricone High opener "Excuse Me, Let's Make Love?" and the more straightforward "Take Me Now," both tunes that will sit well with fans of the Free Design and Serge Gainsbourg. They also bring attention to one of Morricone's greatest signatures, the wordless vocals (often voiced by one of his chief muses, Edda Dell'Orso) anchoring his subtle, rich arrangements that rode shotgun. It can be heard again on the relaxed, introspective "A Lidia" and the orchestral pop psych of "La Bamola." Psychedelic music takes many shades in Morricone's work, from the obvious charge of fuzz wah-wah guitar in the go-go number "Allegretto per Signora" to the icy, tense harpsichord and cascading chimes of "Astratto 1" (aka "Abstract 1," why some of these titles are translated and others not isn't clear) and "Le Fotographie." Clearly there's a lot going on in this little collection! It's a tastefully selected introduction to Morricone's non-Western soundtracks that doesn't overlap with any of the other established winners in that field. With so many Morricone scores yet to be pillaged, this should be the first in a very long line of Morricone Highs. ~ Wade Kergan