By Darren Allison
Our
good friends at Vocalion Records have released three excellent CDs. First is
the super score to Bernard Kowalski’s 1969 B-movie thriller STILETTO (Vocalion
CDSML 8501). Starring Alex Cord in the lead role and with support from Britt
Ekland, Patrick O’Neal, Joseph Wiseman and Roy Scheider, the film was based on
the Harold Robbins novel of the same name. Whilst Stiletto was never going to
be an Oscar contender, as so many of these great little thrillers proved, it
did gather something of a cult following. More often than not, restricted
budgets and tight schedules surprisingly lead to great production values, with
artists and crews having to think instinctively on their feet and with little
time to elaborate. Stiletto music by American composer Sid Ramin is a truly
evocative score. Ramin’s work was often uncredited and as a result, perhaps
never received the recognition he ultimately deserved. Stiletto certainly
highlighted Ramin’s ability to score a dramatic action movie. Pulsating Hammond
organ, pounding percussion and golden brass lines - certainly draw similarities
to the work of leading composers of the day such as Lalo Schifrin and Roy Budd.
The music implies a rich, Mediterranean vibe which captures the film’s international
romanticism. Stiletto’s score is, without doubt, the film’s dominant feature -
the enduring survivor.
Vocalion’s
release marks the score’s debut on CD. As a direct re-issue of the original CBS
LP (CBS Records S 70062), the music has been beautifully remastered by Michael
J. Dutton from the Original Analogue tapes. Considering the low key nature of
the movie, Oliver Lomax has provided a richly detailed booklet covering both the
production of the film and its spectacular music. To their credit, Vocalion
have also included a reversible cover containing the original LP artwork and
the splendid British colour artwork (which always gets my vote). Vocalion have
again proved that big things are often salvageable from relatively minor films,
and their foresight can only be applauded.
http://www.duttonvocalion.co.uk/proddetail.asp?prod=CDSML8501