Ennio Morricone - "Eat It" Vinyl, LP, Album, OST, Limited Edition, Italy, 1969/2016 (Cinedelic)

Ennio Morricone.  "Eat It."   I think the composer's name and the title of the film say it all.  The original Italian title of the movie is "Mangiala."  I haven't the foggiest idea what the film is about, but I suspect it has something to do with science, eating meat, and sex.  I'm sure it's a good film, but the soundtrack is incredible.  This may be a good introduction to the overall sound of Morricone's music. Because you have the strong melodies part, the amazing orchestration (arranged by pal Bruno Nicolai), and total noise ambient all in one package.  

Then again, it's hard to contain Morricone on just one album.  I just did an inventory of the albums that I own by him, and it came to 60.  None are bad, some are super good, and there are the exceptional ones.   "Eat It" is for sure up there.  There is one major melodic theme that runs through the album but re-arranged in many ways.  My favorite cut, and for a future club hit, is "Quinta Variazione Aricami."  A percussion work- out that Adam Ant must have heard somewhere in his musical past.  An incredible rhythmic song, with the classic Morricone melody laying on top of it or by its side.  A chef's method, which Nicolai brilliantly arranged.  

As mentioned, there are various types of music on this soundtrack, and all of them are essential Morricone.  There is a need to actually go through his entire catalog and write about it.  Perhaps I can do this as a book.  Till then, I'll write about my Morricone collection here ... and there... but mostly here now. 

Adam Ant - "Antics In The Forbidden Zone" CD Compilation, Remastered

Adam Ant – Antics In The Forbidden Zone

CD Compilation, Remastered

Epic

Adam Ant's survey from the first album From Dirk Wears White Sox to Vive Le Rock. Impressive work and maybe the best way to hear Adam's work. Not saying that he's solely a singles artist, but choosing specific cuts gives his work a greater strength. Here's a great resume to give out to someone who haven't heard Adam or his Ants.

I always felt he was extremely underrated, and sort of a joke figure, where in fact his recordings (especially with Marco his long-termed guitarist) are really forward sounding, but taking sounds from the past. In that sense it is similar to the first Roxy Music album. Traces are there to remind one of a past, but what we are talking about is the future or at the very worst, the now. Through out the early years – both with the Ants and solo, his work has been commercial, but with a specific edge and respect to its roots. Adam knows his history – mostly culturally, and uses it in his music and visuals. There is not a bad cut on this 'greatest hits' collection, its all pure sunlight, but we all know the darkness that lurked behind that brightness.  

Adam And The Ants - "Prince Charming" CD Album Remastered

Adam And The Ants – Prince Charming

CD Album, remastered 2006

Columbia

This album was made in the height of Ant-madness and one can hear a bigger budget but also very much conscious of the fact that it needs to do something newish compared to the last album, which of course is a masterpiece. In other words we have the curse of the second album following a strong debut album. “Five Gun West” is not new, and goes back to the sound of their Kings Of The Wild Frontier. And that is good because it is the super uber sound of Morricone filtered through the Adam magic. Also the mix or the recording is much milder compared to the last album. It needs that extra amount of chaos or being abandoned by the violence of the beat. Nevertheless there are the (and rightfully so) classics here such as the above song, “Stand and Deliver” and “Prince Charming” of course. Also one gets the feeling that everything that need to be said was said on Kings Of The Wild Frontier. But on the other hand there are traces of something new...

Adam And The Ants - "Prince Charming" b/w "Christian D'Or" Vinyl 45 RPM 7" Single

Adam And The Ants – Prince Charming b/w Christian D'Or

Vinyl 45 rpm 7”

Columbia

If I had one theme song when I enter a room I want it to be “Prince Charming.” In 3 minutes and 16 seconds, Adam conveys a very important issue of knowing when one's a dandy and to live up to that promise. And of course I love the Prince Charming dance. I love the whole spectacle of “Prince Charming” and its a perfect single, because it say a lot more than a song in that it conveys a world where one has to make a perfect presentation of that world. And Adam is nothing else but an aesthetic man re-building the world to his liking. And the single allows nothing to get in the way of such a world. The b-side “Christian D'Or” is another side of the obsession of perfection. “Christian D'Or” is a name of high-standard life, yet Adam seems to be a prisoner of his own aesthetic or dandy ways. So the single is a one-two punch on the same theme. The lighter side of it all is on the first side, and the b-side is darkness of that world.

Adam and the Ants - "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" CD Remastered

Adam And The Ants – Kings Of The Wild Frontier

CD Album, remastered, 2006

Columbia

It was goodbye 1970's and hello 1980's with this particular album when it came out the summer of 1980. At the time it was such an odd new sound. The mixture of spaghetti western sounds with tribal drumming was an original concept and is still fresh today. At the time I really didn't know the sounds or music of Ennio Morricone, except I slightly knew his work from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly but that was it. And for sure I knew nothing of the Burundi drums. So hearing Adam And The Ants was totally new to my ears. Listening to it now there is something very Gene Vincent about it all. Or maybe its a throw-back to the Rockabilly 50's era. All of that is in the music of Adam, and like a great magician he mixes the potent powers of each genre of music and made something new. The beauty of pop is its ability to borrow from different cultures to hopefully to make a new soup. The 80's were open to that possibility – especially in the U.K.

The one-two punch of “Dog Eat Dog” and “Antmusic” is one of the great openings of an album. Perfectly paced this is a record that stands as a manifesto as well. Adam didn't only want to make music but I think he wanted to change or put his stamp on contemporary culture of the time. And that he did. And one has to note the importance of Marco Pirroni in its mix. His rockabilly meets Morricone guitar mix is very much part of the sound that makes up The Ants. Superb.