Ennio Morricone - "Indagine su un Cittadino ai di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto" OST, Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, 1981/2015 (AMS Records)

One of Ennio Morricone's playful scores.  "Indagine Su un Cittadino ai di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto" (Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion) sounds like a dark comedy, but the fact is the film is a suspense movie.  The thing about Morricone is that he never gives you what one expects, but something extra.  If you have to categorize his works, for instance, his avant-garde scores compared to his 'pop' pieces, lush orchestrations, then this one would be his melodic soundtrack.  It borderlines on his Spaghetti western soundtracks.  There are the 'boings' and odd percussion throughout the score.  The record is chamber music, in that it's not a large ensemble playing this music.  Everything is understated, for the exposure of the main melody.  Unusual harpsicords come in the mix, with perhaps a trombone is thrown in for good measure.   There is a delicacy in the playing and within the score's arrangements.  The album is a perfect introduction to Morricone's work for the beginner.  Intriguing melodies played over a perfect mixture of instruments.  

This edition of "Indagine Su un Cittadino ai di Sopra di Ogni Sospetto" is the one to get.  Incredible packaging with liner notes, and a separate LP sized poster of lobby cards for the film.  A film geek's sense of heaven.  In a limited edition of 500.

Marcel Duchamp - "The Entire Musical Work of Marcel Duchamp" Vinyl, LP, UK (Song Cycle Records)

To call Marcel Duchamp the most important or greatest artist of the 20th century seems too small of a credit.  Perhaps one of the great philosophers?  Nevertheless, his stamp on culture and thinking is a remarkable aspect of Duchamp's genius.  For sure, he thought conceptually, where work is important as a visual, but also the thinking of such artwork.  Duchamp approached music the way he approached his art - he thought it out like it was a game.  Everyone knows that chess was just as important (if not more than) as art.  The music he "wrote" are based on the individual who follows his score.  Of course, Duchamp was Fluxus before there was Fluxus.  But those artists basically took the Duchamp method and used it for their own works.  And that's a good thing that happened!

Side one is (hold on to your breath) "LA MARIEE MISE A NU PAR SES ELIBATAIRES, MEME. ERRATUM MUSICAL" (1913) is 25 minutes long and very ambient.  To me, it's a dialogue between the alto flute, trombone, celeste, and glockenspiel.  The intensity of the piece is each instrument either acknowledges the other one, or it sounds like a gentle chase among them.  A chase where the results don't happen in an obvious way.  There is another version of this music piece that is done by a player piano realized by Duchamp.  Not surprisingly the work reminds me of Erik Satie's "Vexations." The Satie piece is made for the background of a room, literally furniture music, but Duchamp's piece is more urgent and demanding.  

"Erratum Musical" (1913) is a vocal piece where each note is picked out of a hat.  The voices are Duchamp and his two sisters. Not on this record mind you, but in the original conception.  "Musical Sculpture" is mysterious.  The liner notes state that this is an "undated, unspecified piece." The sounds here are a toy music box, a horn, and a hum, but that maybe caused by my stereo system.  It's a sweet ending to a very wonderful album. 

The music on this album is played by Petr Kotik and S.E.M. Ensemble in 1976.  Limited edition of 500 copies.