Friday, December 23, 2011

Nico Fidenco - Emanuelle Goes East (Black Emanuelle in Bangkok) (1976)

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Nico Fidenco's Emanuelle Goes East was one of the seminal albums that set me on the Italian Groove odyssey. The film which stars Laura Gemser is the best and probably the most depraved of all the volumes of the Emanuelle series.

The soundtrack isn't as groove-driven as most of the stuff I've posted recently. On this effort Fidenco relies heavily on layered strings, horns, flutes, violins and an array of exotic instruments and aims for eclecticism in playing with the versions on the main theme. Tracks are variously named "Arabian Evasion Theme", "Thailand Sweet Sound" (though not sounding particularly Thai), "Belle's Orient Dance", "Sweet Bossa"...

"Sweet Variations" is probably my favorite track on this one. Rising and falling, lush strings are juxtaposed with the plucking of a banjo. Muted drums and electric guitars--an unusual mix... (takes a bit to load...)
















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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Edda Dell'Orso - Mondo Dell'Orso Vol. 5 - La Voce del Cinema Italiano (197x)



Edda Dell'Orso worked with virtually every great Italian film composer. It is her sweeping, breathless, typically wordless vocals that appear all over Italian films of the '60s and '70s. Even if you're not aware of it, you've surely heard her somewhere, most likely on any number of Ennio Morricone scored films like Once Upon a Time in the West or The Good, the Bad & the Ugly.  

This album is part of a five volume set. If you dig it, go buy the others...

Sample:



MONDO DELL'ORSO VOL. 5














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