Various - Jean-Pierre Melville - "Le Circle Noir" CD, Compilation, 2008 (Universal Music)

As far as I know, this is the only compilation of soundtrack music to Jean-Pierre Melville's cinema.  I can't think of anything more pleasurable than being in a theater in front of a Melville image/narration.    The word "perfection" comes to mind.  Not only for the mind but the physical pleasure of being glued to one's seat and watching the world of French gangsters do what they do best: drink, rob, and existential dialogue.  

"Le Cercle Noir" is a CD that came out in 2008 that pretty much covers all of Melville's film work.  We have the great theme by Jo Boyer doing "Bob Le Flambeur" as well as the haunted score for Le Samouraï."  For a CD, the packaging is great with a wonderful essay both in French and in English.  Not the easiest CD to find, but very much worth the hunt.  I think I got mine in Paris, which is odd because usually, I have a hard time locating French New Wave soundtracks in that city, even though the CD is made in France.  Japan tends to be the capital of French New Wave albums/CDs. 

ist Hide Credits

		Bob Le Flambeur (1956)
1	–Jo Boyer	Thème De Bob Composed By, Trumpet – Jo BoyerPerformer – L'Orchestre D'Eddie Barclay*	2:32
		Deux Hommes Dans Manhattan (1959)
2	–Christian Chevallier	Deux Hommes Dans Manhattan (Générique)	1:51
3	–Christian Chevallier	Déambulation Nocturne	2:07
4	–Christian Chevallier	Filature	2:00
5	–Christian Chevallier	Street In Manhattan Lyrics By – Jo WarfieldVocals – Glenda Leigh	3:52
		Léon Morin, Prêtre (1961)
6	–Martial Solal	Léon Morin Composed By – Martial SolalHarmonica – Albert Raisner	1:54
		Le Doulos (1962)
7	–Paul Misraki	Le Doulos (Générique)	3:22
8	–Paul Misraki	Jazz Rapide	3:17
9	–Paul Misraki	Final	2:16
		L'Aîné Des Ferchaux (1963)
10	–Georges Delerue	Les Appalaches Composed By – Georges Delerue	4:36
		Le Samouraï (1967)
11	–François De Roubaix	Le Samouraï Orchestrated By, Directed By – Eric Demarsan	2:03
12	–François De Roubaix	Fatalité / La Blessure Orchestrated By, Directed By – Eric Demarsan	3:09
		L'Armée Des Ombres (1969)
13	–Eric Demarsan	Thème De Gerbier	3:13
14	–Eric Demarsan	Le 20 Octobre 1942	1:38
15	–Eric Demarsan	Mathilde / Les Barraquements	3:05
		Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
16	–Eric Demarsan	Le Cercle Rouge	1:50
17	–Eric Demarsan	Quand Les Hommes Ont Rendez-vous	1:08
18	–Eric Demarsan	Final Inédit	4:03
		Un Flic (1972)
19	–Michel Colombier	Un Monsieur Distingué	3:20
20	–Michel Colombier	Un Casse	2:57
21	–Michel Colombier	C'est Ainsi Que Les Choses Arrivent Lyrics By – Charles AznavourVocals – Isabelle Aubret	3:58
		Musique Inédite Pour Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
22	–Michel Legrand	Chassés-Croisés	2:43
23	–Michel Legrand	Visions	2:49
24	–Michel Legrand	Engrenages (Final)	2:21

Sparks - "Islington N1" CD Single, Special Edition, 2008 (Lil' Beethoven Records)

Perhaps my most prized music object.  The very limited edition of Sparks' "Islington N1."  Not sure how many were made.  I got one because I got the Gold Ticket to their series of concerts that took place in Islington London in 2008.   I wrote all about it in my book "Sparks-Tastic."  Which is more of a memoir of a Sparks' fan than a Sparks bio - but it does cross that line within the book.   Besides having such a special CD, the song is one of the great tunes from Ron Mael and Russell Mael.  It's dramatic, it's funny, and somewhat moving.  Perhaps because it is a song dealing with a real time, with respect to the area around the concert hall where these concerts took place.  It's a snapshot of a time and place, and anyone who received this CD at that particular time, it's very much like watching an event on Live TV.  Listening to it now, it brings back memories of all the shows and even what my mood was like at that time.   On another level, it's a drag that this song is not more available to the masses.   You can find the recording on YouTube, but the time of its release (or giveaway), it seemed no one posted it on the Internet.  Which was unusual, because everything gets posted as soon as possible.  It seemed that the fans who did receive this CD pretty much kept it to themselves.  

The song is brilliant.  Lyrically it's in the Noel Coward/Cole Porter world.   No one writes songs like Sparks.  I often mentioned it (maybe too many times) but their music harks back to a literate world - especially in songwriting.  There is nothing abstract in their writing, nor is it realistic. It's impressionistic that people can tie themselves into the narrative or wordplay.   I have come upon music that is inspired by Sparks, and even some imitated them, yet, their originality is unique and of course, rare.   Sparks is an endless amount of interest for me because what they do is delicate like eating sashimi with chopsticks, not stabbing food with a fork.  It's music that is sensitive and perfectly balanced.  I often wonder how they can keep it up.  In one word: Genius.