Showing posts with label Wendy Carlos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wendy Carlos. Show all posts

Sunday, 5 July 2020

Wendy Carlos ‎– "The Shining (Complete Motion Picture Score By Wendy Carlos)" (Overlook Productions ‎– LOOK-CD19802005) 1980/2005



"HEEEEEEERRRRRREEEESSSSS JONNY!"
I was tempted to just post pages and pages of the repeated phrase "All Work And No Play Makes Jonny A Dull Boy", but i can't resist the temptation to write something full of Shiningisms,as this has to be up near the top of my favourite movie list.
Wendy Carlos was no longer Walter, and ,although there's a shed load of  spooky experimental classical music included,likely chosen by Kubrick, She provided a suitably sinister minimal electronic score.
Jack Torrence reminds me of myself, the amount of times the scene when Wendy interrupts Jack at 'work' was repeated in my mountain hideaway makes me shudder with embarassment.
Admitedly I never smashed down a door with an axe, but as David Banner in the Lou Ferringo Hulk used to say..."Don't Make Me Angry, you won't like me when I'm Angry"!
My former partner was no shrinking violet either, think of Clint Eastwood's stalker,Evelyn, from "Play Misty For Me".....she was frightening, sheeech!She threatened to 'kill me and slit my girlfriends throat at one stage......worst thing is I believed her! Later diagnosed with 'Borderline Personality Disorder', whatever that means.So as she's on medication I can sleep soundly without fear of being stabbed up by a nutter. Now, no-one interrupts me when i'm at work except my drummer,but at least he brings beer so that's almost ok.So Jonny's now a dull boy again.
This movie also has the marvellously named Scatman Crothers, more famous as the voice of 'Hong Kong Phooey', as Mr O'Halleron, of which I do a peerless impression.
"How d'You like some Ice  cream doc?"

"That's strange sir, I don't have any recollection of that at all?", said Delbert Grady in that fantastic restroom scene.....That's because a lot of this music wasn't used,or even made for the final movie,which is a shame 'cus its nicely creepy,and a tad disturbing. The "Kill,Kiiiiil" bit in 'Horror Show' was too close to home for comfort;an insight into the malfunctioning brain of my ex-partner!(Shudder).
There's lots of use of dialogue from the film itself, and from other shining related sources underlaying the out-takes/remakes.Sadly,as you may notice, not all of these music cues are from the original soundtrack or film, they are re-creations,this being an unofficial release...well done yes, but if you were hoping for the ORIGINAL score in digital format, this ain't it,but...it's better than the original vinyl so thats what we've got.All the Bartok and Penderecki stuff is worth the price of admission alone.
It's just sad that Jack Nicholson made more movies after this...he really should have stopped there.


Tracklist:

1-1 Opening [Altered Ancient Anthem - Dies Irae Aka Day Of Wrath : 25th Anniversary Version] 3:00
1-2 The Shining Title Music 3:51
1-3 Danny 1:28
1-4 Colorado 1:13
1-5 The Rocky Mountains 1:46
1-6 The Overlook Hotel 3:52
1-7 Visitors 2:17
1-8 Dark Winds And Rustles 1:49
1-9 Greetings Ghosties 2:19
1-10 Horror Show 1:04
1-11 A Haunted Waltz 0:37
1-12 Subliminal Ballroom 1:16
1-13 Paraphrase For Cello 3:23
1-14 Two Polymoog Improvisations 1:47
1-15 A Ghost Piano 1:58
1-16 Paraphrase For Brass 1:34
1-17 Setting With Medea 2:10
1-18 Clockworks - Dies Irae 2:17
1-19 Heartbeats And Worrying 2:10
1-20 Psychic Shout - Room 237 1:14
1-21 Danny Bells Ascending 1:19
1-22 Psychic Scream 1:25
1-23 Thought Clusters 0:55
1-24 Fanfare And Drunkenness - Dies Irae 1:33
1-25 Day Of Wrath 1:04
1-26 Where Is Jack? 5:21
1-27 Bumps In The Night 3:02
1-28 Chase Music 1:11
1-29 Postlude 1:09
1-30 Title Music - Dies Irae 3:42
1-31 Clockworks - Bloody Elevators [Trailer Music] 2:18
1-32 Nocturnal Valse Triste [Making The Shining] 1:22
1-33 Main Title [Original Album Version] 3:23
1-34 Rocky Mountains [Original Album Version] 2:53
1-35 Reprise 0:49
1-36 Episode From The Life Of An Artist, Op.14 / Fantastic Symphony, Fifth Movement - Dream Of A Witches Sabbath : Dies Irae 4:55
1-37 Death, Op.44 / First Movement - Sad Waltz: Lento [Valse Triste, Excerpt] 4:18
1-38 Dance Of Death, Op.457 - Dies Irae [Paraphase, Excerpt] 2:48
1-39 Home [When Shadows Fall] 4:31
1-40 Warner Bros. Logo 0:14
2-1 Lontano For Orchestra [As From A Distance, Sustained With Expression Aka Window On Long Submerged Dream Worlds Of Childhood] 11:27
2-2 Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta [Celebrating The 10th Anniversary Of An Orchestra] - Third Movement : Adagio 7:14
2-3 Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta - First Movement : Andante Tranquillo [Excerpt] 3:56
2-4 Morning Prayer II - Resurrection : Gospel 2:18
2-5 Morning Prayer II - Resurrection : Passover Canon 2:47
2-6 The Awakening Of Jacob [Aka The Dream Of Jacob] 8:06
2-7 Nature Sonorities I [Aka On The Nature Of Sound I] 7:13
2-8 Nature Sonorities II [Aka On The Nature Of Sound II] 8:55
2-9 Polymorphia For 48 Strings 10:35
2-10 Canon For 52 Strings And Tape Delay 9:31
2-11 Concerto For Cello And Orchestra I [Excerpt] 4:28
2-12 Home [When Shadows Fall] 3:00
2-13 Midnight, The Stars And You 3:24
2-14 It's All Forgotten Now 3:19
2-15 Masquerade 3:14


Saturday, 4 July 2020

Walter Carlos ‎– "Walter Carlos' Clockwork Orange" (CBS ‎– 73059) 1972


As your loyal scribe nicked his nom de plume from the top ten(Number 2 if I remember correctly?) in the chart in the pop-disk shop featured in "A Clockwork Orange" , it seems only too fitting to include this oscar nominated score in this brief section of electronic soundtracks for movies. It could have also fit comfortably in the thread one did on early female electronic pioneers.....except this was done by the male Carlos,Walter, just before his gender reassignment, as Wendy.
Generally,i'm not too big a fan of Wendy Carlos's synth work.It's electrified classics direction stunk of elevator muzak,as did the up and coming warbles in the 'Switched On Bach' series. What's the point in accurately transcribed classical works on a Moog?Why not just hear these over played compositions as they were supposed to be slooshied? New music for new instruments is the long respected tradition innit?
Soundtrack work was the perfect place for Wendy or Walter to tinkle their ivories.
A horrorshow of a movie,and the soundtrack is understated but with a sufficient level of sarky-ness to be a perfect bedfellow for this parable about directionless ultra-violent yoof.
I think I got a pain in me gulliver missus.


Tracklist:

1 Timesteps 13:50
2 March From A Clockwork Orange (Beethoven: Ninth Symphony: Fourth Movement, Abridged) 7:00
3 Title Music From A Clockwork Orange (From Purcell's "Music For The Funeral Of Queen Mary") 2:21
4 La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie, Abridged) 5:50
5 Theme From A Clockwork Orange (Beethoviana) 1:44
6 Ninth Symphony: Second Movement (Scherzo) 4:52
7 William Tell Overture (Abridged) 1:17
8 Country Lane 4:43