It’s
always good to hear from All Score Media, a label that continues to focus on
retro soundtrack releases and new soundtrack music produced in a retro style. Mondo
Sangue are a group that continue to flourish within that new/old style genre of
fictional scoring, and they do it extremely well. Their latest album, Rosso
come La Notte (ASM 050 / LP 21300-1) is in fact their fourth release for the
label, the previous three of which have been featured either within the pages
of Cinema Retro or here on our site. Mondo Sangue are certainly diverse in
their range, exploring the Spaghetti Western genre, the fantasy sci-fi
adventure and with this latest outing, the world of Italian Giallo.
Arguably, the European Giallo genre is among
the most popular, with colourful, atmospheric use of music which defined the
entire psychedelic mood of the period. Mondo Sangue has cleverly stuck to the
formula here, with plenty of recognised references to Italian genre cinema, and
why wouldn’t they? It is after all, a genre-defining sound. So whilst it may
sound somewhat familiar, we are certainly listening to something entirely
original. The familiarity merely acts as a layer of comfort and in doing so,
perfectly sets the scene for an entirely fresh and enjoyable listening
experience.
Like other fictional scores, we are of course
required to use our imagination a little more, as we have no previous visual
concepts in comparison to a film that we have perhaps become accustomed to.
However, we do have a premise. The Milanese taxidermist Barbara travels to the
Black Forest for a museum assignment and shortly afterwards disappears without
a trace. Her sister follows her and not only comes across a mysterious series
of murders in the tranquil place, but also a dark secret …
There is certainly a nice dream-like,
otherworldly feel to Rosso come La Notte, and it’s easy to find yourself
completely immersed in its quality. The Stuttgart duo Mondo Sangue (Christian
Bluthardt and Yvy Pop) have not only proven (again) that they have a natural
flair for this style and concept, but it’s their passion and their love for
this niche music that ultimately transcends over to their releases. There’s no
question that their heart is undoubtedly in it, and it shines through in
abundance.
Like their previous releases, Mondo Sangue
and All Score Media have produced a stunning package for their album with
period artwork by artist Adrian Keindorf. The 180g vinyl LP provides a rich
sound quality, comes in a lavish gatefold sleeve and is strictly limited to
just 666 copies - all of which are hand-numbered. Each LP comes with a film
poster and a digital download code. In addition to this, 100 special edition LP
copies come sewn in screen-printed butcher paper. Overall, it’s a classy
addition to their impressive catalogue of releases.
Winnetou and His Friend Old
Firehand (1966) Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra
For
their second release, All Score Media have unveiled another great from their
Peter Thomas collection. Winnetou and His Friend Old Firehand (aka: Thunder at
the Border , Winnetou and Old Firehand ) (ASM 049 / LP 21299-1 / CD 21299-2)
was the 1966 finale of the Karl May film adaptations of Horst Wendlandt's
Rialto film. Alfred Vohrer (Perrak, The Yellow House on Pinnasberg), described
by cult director Quentin Tarantino as a genius, directed the film, moving away
from the contemplative German to the far more violent Spaghetti Western genre.
The move triggered an ambivalent response from critics and fans ranging from
"explosive" to "the low point of the series".
It also marked a change of direction in terms
of the film music, when Peter Thomas was brought in to replace Martin Böttcher
as the established “Winnetou composer†and was to remain the only Karl May film
to receive a Peter Thomas score. However, this wasn't due to a negative
response, far from it. Moreover, it was simply a case of ‘practicality’. Thomas
was, at this period of his career, extremely in demand. Between Edgar Wallace
thrillers and Jerry Cotton action films, he simply had more commissions than he
could handle. It was not until 1980 that Thomas returned to the subject with
the music for the TV series Mein Freund Winnetou.
Thomas’s resulting score fell somewhere in
between Böttcher's Karl May string melodies and the much more experimental and
stylistic Spaghetti Western music of Ennio Morricone. The score is impressive,
and never plays safe, it’s title theme paves the way and sets the tone
perfectly with plenty of high energy strings and wild playful brass. It’s
typically Thomas in full flow.
This packed (42 tracks) score marks its world
premiere on vinyl and has been fully remastered. The The CD version goes a step
further and also contains three previously unpublished tracks that were found
within Peter Thomas' estate, as well as a another bonus track with the composer
himself at the piano, as he presented the first demo to the film producer along
with his spoken comments (recorded in 1966 in the Bavaria Tonstudios, Munich).
Following on from their Bruce Lee: The Big
Boss (CD / LP ASM 048, 2020), this is All Score Media’s second LP / CD release
in the new dedicated series of the composer who died on May 17th, 2020. The
packaging and audio quality is again exceptional with Adrian Keindorf
responsible for the superb artwork to both the gatefold sleeve of the LP and
the digipack CD. The LP appears on high quality 180g vinyl as standard in black
and in a very attractive limited edition pressing of 300 LPs in transparent
turquoise. Another couple of first-rate releases from Dietmar Bosch and his
team, long may it continue.