M. Zalla (aka Piero Umiliani) - Problemi D'Oggi (Liuoto Records - LRS 0056) (1973 - 192kbps)

February 4, 2013 Update: For those who aren't aware, we here at Digital Meltd0wn are in the process of re-uploading a ton of albums that were removed when Megaupload was taken down last year, followed by the massive file purge that took place when Mediafire adopted a ridiculously strict new policy late last year. We weren't the only blog affected by these events. A truly massive amount of albums were lost, and nearly every music blog took a tough blow because of this. I consider it to be a true tragedy that hundreds of bloggers decided to call it quits following these two incidents. A blogger that many of you will hopefully be familiar with, øשlqæda, was kind enough to help me out by informing me of the source behind this particular rip. It pains me to see his name in the comments section, as he was the admin of a legendary blog, Holy Warbles, which was removed by Blogger last year. Fortunately, there are still hundreds of amazing blogs which managed to weather the storm, and new blogs popping up each day. This particular album was originally posted by Gianni almost four years ago on one of those amazing blogs that did manage to survive, The Growing Bin (http://thegrowingbin.blogspot.com). The download link has been inactive for a very long time though, and with this being so very rare, I feel obligated to ensure that it remains available to download for anyone who is curious enough to listen. Fortunately, there are plenty of new albums being regularly shared over at the Bin. If you haven't had a chance to stop by the The Growing Bin, do yourself a favor and get your ass over there.

Continuing with our library music marathon, I present to you an extremely rare and obscure album released on the Liuto library label in 1973. The artist credited on this release, M. Zalla, is actually one of the numerous aliases of another prolific composer of production music, Italian composer Piero Umiliani. I was surprised to discover that this was not posted on either The Library Hunt, or 36-15 Moog, two blogs ran by library music enthusiast Paul Durango, which both contained a massive amount of early electronic and library music albums. I plan to post a few more Umiliani albums either this month, or some time in January. I have two important research papers to work on for school tonight and tomorrow, so I don't have the time to write my own review. There isn't much information floating around about this album. This excerpt from Delirious Music contains some basic info about Umiliani, his M. Zaa alias, and the concept of the album.

"A rare and obscure concept Library on the problems of modern life, released on the Liuto label and produced by the master of Italian soundtracks himself, Piero Umiliani, here under his alias M. Zalla. 'Problemi D'Oggi' falls into Umiliani's highly experimental, psychedelic / electronic phase and was recorded in 1973 in the legendary Sound Workshop studio in Rome. the music presented here deeply reflects the pessimistic nature of the issues in charge (social problems, terrorism, world crisis, industrial production, conflicts, mafia), a dark and disturbing listening experience from start to finish with some tracks reproducing the same progressive type of vibe, which Umiliani's Braen project / collaboration with Alessandro Alessandroni got cult status for. while the B-Side is loaded with abstract, minimal electronic soundscapes, the highlights are concentrated on Side A: the weird opener 'Produzione' has a trance-like progressive ambient sound style, a futuristic groover way ahead of its time with a hyperfast bass driven beat, excessive conga percussion and really amazing synthisizer effects. 'Mondo In Crisi' respectively 'Non Mollare' reveal strong dramatic undertones produced by an impressive exchange between trippy Hammond waves and droning fuzz guitar chords over hard drums. very progressive and imaginative, this is delirious Italian Production Music and a feast for the sophisticated, openminded ear! - Delirious Music"

Year of Release: 1973
Label: Liuto
Catalog #: LRS 0056
Genres: Psychedelic, Electronic, Musique Concrète, Experimental
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:

A1. Produzione
A2. Mondo In Crisi
A3. Attivita'
A4. Attivita'
A5. Problemi Sociali
A6. Non Mollare
A7. Azione Sindacale
A8. Programmazione

B1. Conflitti
B2. Maffia Oggi
B3. Pendolo Ed Angoscia
B4. Cuore E Raffiche
B5. Metronomo E Cuore
B6. Marcia Ambigua
B7. Terrorista
B8. L'Ultima Raffica
B9. Sowersione
B10. Abbandono Dei Campi

Download: M. Zalla (aka Piero Ulimiani) - Problemi D'Oggi (1973 - 192kbps)
Download Size: 58MB

Egisto Macchi - Sei Composizioni (Gemelli - GG.ST 10.036) (1975 - 320kbps)

One problem with having a rather large collection of music is that you tend to lose track of a few otherwise unforgettable and amazing albums. While I was focusing on my dark and twisted library music theme in November, I somehow managed to overlook this twisted gem from the dark Italian maestro, Egisto Macchi. "Sei Composizioni" (Catalog # GG.ST 10.036) was released on the Italian label, Gemelli, in 1975, and was Egisto Macchi's 10th full-length library music LP. His typically dark and discordant approach can be compared to some of fellow Italian composer Piero Umiliani's own library music efforts. Egisto Macchi was also known as an avid promoter of music and theatre, and was actually much more active in this role than he was as a composer. Not only did belong to a number of organizations which promoted the study, advancement and appreciation of music and the arts, but he also founded several of his own. You can read more about his personal life and evolution as a composer here.

"Sei Composizioni" consists only of 6 tracks, though two of these are long-players, approaching and exceeding 10 minutes in length. Macchi manages to make a powerful statement in a relatively short amount of time with his hauntingly effective compositions, which rival even the most legendary of horror film scores. This is music designed to infect your mind with paranoia and nightmares, and it succeeds masterfully. While I don't have time to thoroughly review each track, I would like to focus on the two tracks which stand high above the rest contained on this album.

"Sei Composizioni" begins with the strange and disturbing "Per Cembalo", which is dominated by unsettling and discordant harpsichord sounds, which are accompanied by a variety of unsettling sounds. Macchi pounds on the harpsichord in a most savage manner, and bombards the keys with various objects. The sounds of footsteps running across the floor, objects being dropped and glass being broken help construct and maintain the tense atmosphere. "Per Cembalo" would be my favorite track on the album were it not for the track that follows it.

The second track, "Kleines Dachauer Requiem", is an absolute masterpiece of dark and experimental music. The vocals, which are utilized as musical instruments in his composition, are the highlight of the track. Choral chants, menacing hisses and haunting whispers are brilliantly used throughout . The sound of glass breaking and unidentified items clashing together make up the abstract percussionary sounds. At first the atmosphere is sparse, as the vocals and sound effects are used rather sparingly. Layers of sound are subsequently introduced, and the tension begins to gradually build toward the latter half of the track. The choral chanting becomes more frantic and urgent, eventually reaching a nearly overwhelming atmosphere of suspense and dread. The cacophony of overlapping voices creates a deliciously sinister sound. If you could make a recording of the descent into the mind of a psychotic individual, I would imagine that it would sound something like this, as each layer of the subconscious is explored before finally emerging upon the chaotic source that lies at the heart of the disturbed mind.

"Lamento" and Quintetto Seriale" are dominated by stringed instruments and piano, with melodies that are more traditional in structure in comparison to the abstract and experimental sound heard in the preceding tracks. At certain points the mood becomes noticeably lighter, as Macchi parts the atmosphere of impending doom, allowing moments of beauty to emerge, if only for an instant. "Computers" recaptures Macchi's more experimental side. It begins with a solo of clicking percussion sounds, which sound somewhat like hooves on a cobblestone road. New layers of sound are gradually added, as strings, flute and chimes are subsequently introduced. "Computers" culminates in a tense atmosphere that stops short of the frenzied atmosphere of "Kleines Dachauer Requiem". "Allunage" rounds out the album strongly. It begins with yet another sparse percussion intro before reintroducing the choral arrangements once again. The piece begin rather grimly, however, the latter half introduces a more uplifting and otherwordly sound to close out the album.

I honestly can't recommend this album enough. It is worth downloading simply for the rewarding experience of listening to "Kleines Dachauer Requiem", but the rest of the album is very impressive. Those of you who enjoy experimental and contemporary classical should especially enjoy this masterpiece of library music.

Year of Release: 1975
Label: Gemelli
Catalog #: GG.ST 10.036
Genres: Library Music, Experimental, Avant-Garde, Musique Concrete, Contemporary Classical
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Per Cembalo
A2. Kleines Dachauer Requiem
A3. Lamento
B1. Computers
B2. Quintetto Seriale
B3. Allunage

Download: Egisto Macchi - Sei Composizioni (Gemelli - GG.ST 10.036)
Download Mirror: Egisto Macchi - Sei Composizioni (Gemelli - GG.ST 10.036)
Download Size: 77MB

Egisto Macchi - Voix (Gemelli - GG.ST.10.031) (1970 - 320kbps)

Here is yet another amazing dark avant-garde library music LP from Italian composer Egisto Macchi. Many people consider Voix to be his masterpiece. While it is an amazing record in its own right, I personally prefer both Futurissimo and Sei Composizioni, both of which I recently shared on the blog. You can find Futurissimo here and Sei Composizioni here.

Voix was released in 1970, and was the first library music album that Macchi composed. It was the first of many he composed for the amazing Italian library label, Gemelli. Gemelli released several avant-garde library music LPs. It was owned and operated by legendary Italian composer, Bruno Nicolai, up until his death in 1991. Unfortunately Gemelli releases are extremely difficult to come by. Only 500 copies of each release were pressed.

As with all of Macchi's work, Voix is an absolute masterpiece of dark avant-garde music. The majority of the tracks have an ominous tone, with a mechanical or industrial feel to them. The percussion work is absolutely amazing, with small handheld percussion instruments at the forefront, backed by powerful tribal rhythms. There is also plenty of hauntingly, beautiful piano work throughout. In contrast, there are also some more brutal moments, as Macchi relentlessly pounds upon the keys in a frantic manner. Vocals play a prominent role in the arrangements, with haunting choral vocals appearing on several tracks, as well as strange muffled voices, menacing hisses and disturbing laughter. Piano keys are frantically pounded upon. Ominous strings feature prominently throughout, often used in in a rhythmical, percussive manner. Ambient electronics provide a textured backdrop to several of the tracks.

The B-side marks a change in tone, with many of the tracks having a whimsical, dreamlike feel to them, while still retaining a a slightly sinister undertone. There is a distinct theme present on the B-side, featuring a common melody which can be heard on "La Memoire", "Chanson De La Nuit" and "Chanson Du Matin". This will be one of the last albums I share for my dark and twisted library music series. I plan to move out of the shadows soon, and showcase some of the more upbeat library music gems.

Year of Release: 1970
Label: Gemelli
Catalog #: GG.ST. 10.031
Genres: Library Music, Avant-Garde, Contemporary Classical,
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Pensée
A2. Phonèmes
A3. Diaphragme
A4. Voix
A5. Moonsong
A6. Timbres
A7. À Plein Gosier
B1. La Mémoire
B2. La Calme
B3. Le Cauchemar
B4. Chanson De La Nuit
B5. Chanson Du Matin
B6. Reflexions
B7. Gouttes
B8. Inquiètude

Download: Egisto Macchi - Voix (Gemelli - GG.ST. 10.031)
Download Size: 74MB

Patrice Sciortino - Les Cyclopes (1967 - 320kbps)

Update:

maestro898 has been kind enough to translate the original notes in French to English. You can find both the original notes, as well as the English translation below the download link at the bottom of this post. Thank you for your generosity maestro898.

As I mentioned in my last post, I plan to start sharing a few of my favorite library music LPs over the next couple of weeks. I hope to cover a wide array of musical styles, as well as the artists and labels that I enjoy the most. I hope to be able to strike a balance between the essential, for those who are unfamliar with library music, and the obscure, for those who are. Those of you who are unfamiliar with library music, or have only had the opportunity to listen to a few releases, are in for a real treat. First up is one of my favorite French composers, Patrice Sciortino.

I recently posted the compilation "Espace Et Actualité" from the Musique Pour L'Image label, the highlight of which was the seven amazing tracks composed by Patrice Sciortino which appeared on the B-side.. Patrice Sciortino has released several essential library music albums. Many people consider "Chronoradial" to be his Magnus Opus. Chronoradial was released on the Musique Pour L'Image sublabel, PSI, in 1970. It is an amazing piece of work, and will probably appear here in the near future; however, I personally prefer his debut album, "Les Cyclopes". Les Cyclopes was released on the French audiophile label, Disques André Charlin, in 1967. Les Cyclopes seeks to capture the spirit and character of five different continents by using a vast array of percussion instruments, performed by eight different percussionists, along with one bass player. The number of percussion instruments implemented by Sciortino truly is staggering. While there are too many to list here, you can get an idea of the sheer number of instruments used by looking at the back cover.

I provided some background info regarding Patrice Sciortino in the Espace Et Actualité post, which I linked to above. I have taken the liberty of typing out the liner notes from the back of the album, and I have included those notes as a text file with the download. (Edit: I forgot to include the text file in the download. There is an additional link below the download link which will direct you to the text file.) I should point out that those notes are in French, since I typed them exactly as they appeared on the back of the album. I used Google Translate to translate some of the information to English. Unfortunately the intended meaning behind some of the passages isn't very clear. I chalk this up to the inherant limitations of the Google translation service. Perhaps someone from France would be willing to provide a more accurate translation? I was able to pull some relevant and insightful information from the translated text though. The following excerpt is taken from the aforementioned liner notes that I translated into English:

"Cyclops / Panorama Of Percussion
directed by the author
Recorded in Paris by André Charlin / Art Direction - Carl de Nys

Patrice Sciortino is a unique and diverse musical figure. In spite of his youth (he was born in Paris in 1922) he already has an extremely imposing catalogue of compositions and extremely various activities. Patrice Sciortino does not

All systems of musical language, rhythms, scales, styles, all means of expressing them, instruments and techniques have been (at some point in their history) representative of a country and a people, that is say "typical."

Some of them stayed, others have followed the course of universal exchange, teaching us that the ownership and authenticity are relative and nuanced.

The purpose of this disc is to travel the vast panorama of percussion instruments in the five continents, using them in a context where the pace is connected with their nature and thus open the door to immigration .

Without pretending to paint a perfect image of each of each of these regions, we hope to capture part of the character of each region.


Composer: Patrice Sciortino

Double Bass: Willy Lockwood

Percussionists:
Serge Depannemacker
Yves Lestang
Bernard Lubat
Michel Lorin
Gerard Perotin
Diego Masson
J.-Ch. François
R. Sola

Year of Release: 1967
Label: Disques André Charlin
Catalog #: CL-34
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Etincelle
A2. Berceuse du Soleil
A3. Mythes et Masques
A4. Ventre et Seigneur
A5. Noces de l'eau et du feu
A6. Grande Chasse
B1. Struction
B2. Cristaux
B3. Odeur d'ombre
B4. Rythmétis
B5. Black U.S.
B6. Lumières de la nuit
B7. Cosmophonie

Download: Patrice Sciortino - Les Cyclopes
Download Size: 90MB

Album Notes (French): http://freetexthost.com/gz0dcdkdo0

Album Notes (English Translation): http://freetexthost.com/ufpapg0o65

Edward Michaël - Sept Préludes Symphoniques (De Wolfe - DWLP 3056) (1967 - 320kbps)

This will be the last installment of my dark and twisted library music series. I hope that you all have enjoyed the music I have shared up to this point. After this post, I plan to share a few of my favorite library music albums of all time, and introduce the wide array of music to be found on them for the uninitiated.

I wanted to share something a bit different than the dark avant-garde albums I have recently posted. "Sept Préludes Symphoniques" features a more traditionally oriented orchestral approach. It lacks the experimental approach found in my most recent selections; however, it more than makes up for it with its overwhelming power. Sept Préludes Symphoniques was released on the De Wolfe label in 1967. De Wolfe was actually the very first production library. The introduction of the silent picture created a need for music to accompany it. De Wolfe stepped in to fill that void in 1927.

Edward Michaël is the composer credited for this release. As far as I know this is the only material he ever officially released, aside from a track that was included on a compilation entitled "De l'onde à l'infini" released on the Barclay label in 1974. Sept Préludes Symphoniques will impress you with its sheer in-your-face power. This is bold, dramatic orchestral music with a bit of a dark twist. The music is dominated by soaring strings, thunderous percussion, and overpowering brass.

I should point out that Sept Préludes Symphoniques isn't quite as dark as some of the albums I have shared for my dark and twisted library music series. Many of the tracks have a very adventerous feel to them, and could even be described as romantic at times. However, this is easily one of the most powerful library music albums I have ever heard, and the darker moments are definitely there. This would have made an amazing soundtrack. In fact, the music brings to mind some of the work of the composers for the classic Universal Studio's monster films, such as Herman Stein, Hans J. Salter and Franz Waxman. Library music and film score fans alike should enjoy this album.

That wraps up my dark and twisted library music series, although I may resurrect it down the road. I hope you all enjoyed the music as much as I have enjoyed sharing it.

Year of Release: 1967
Label: De Wolfe
Catalog #: DW/LP 3056
Genres: Library Music, Contemporary Classical
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. No. 1 Chant De L'Universe
A2. No. 2 Du Fond Des Brumes
A3. No. 3 Chant Plaintif
A4. No. 4 Rite Du Soleil
B1. No. 5 Le Lotus Dans La Nuit
B2. No. 6 Murmures Du Vent
B3. Forces D'Integration
B4. Sur Le Mont Gelboé

Download: Edward Michael - Sept Préludes Symphoniques (De Wolfe - DW/LP 3056)
Download Size: 67MB

Ennio Morricone - Controfase (Gemelli - GG.ST. 10.019) (1972 - 320kbps)

Ennio Morricone was one of, if not the, most prolific composers of the 20th century. While most people are familiar with his scores for countless films and television series, it is a lesser known fact that he also composed a handful of albums for production music libraries. Continuing with our dark and twisted library series, I'm pleased to present one of the legendary Italian maestro's darkest efforts, rivaling even some of the great giallo soundtracks he composed throughout the 1970s. "Controfase" was released on the Gemelli label in 1972. Gemelli was an Italian music library label formed in the mid 1960s, which was owned and operated by Morricone's friend and frequent collaborator, Bruno Nicolai. Ordinarily such composer-owned library labels folded upon the death of the composer. However, after Nicolai's death in 1991, Nicolai's daughter took over the Gemelli label and subsequently re-released a handful of his recordings.

I recently started a new semester at school, and have picked up an additional course. I am swamped with assignments at the moment, due in part to a mistake which forced me to start the course a day late, so I'm going to have to keep my writing to a minimum for the time being. I will attempt to put up at least two to three posts a week though. Hopefully I'll be able to find my groove with the assignments within a couple of weeks, which will free up a bit more time for me. When possible I will provide an online review to provide you with more info on the release in question.

Unfortunately information surrounding this release is scarce. In fact, I couldn't even find a single review of the album online, which I find strange considering Ennio Morricone's huge following. "Controfase" was released in extremely limited numbers, with Gemelli releasing only 500 copies, making it extremely difficult to find this release on vinyl. I consider this to be a masterpiece of dark avant-garde library music. Morricone implements mysterious and dissonant jazz percussion, ominous string arpeggios, and atonal ambient electronic sounds, all in his trademark style, creating a brilliantly dark statement in the process. You can find more Morricone albums previously posted on the blog here.

Year of Release: 1972
Label: Gemelli
Catalog #: GG.ST. 10.019
Genres: Library Music, Avant-Garde, Contemporary Classical
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Controfase
A2. Tempo
A3. Soli
A4. Come Sommersi
B1. Con Ferma Ostinazione
B2. Follia
B3. Degenerazione
B4. Eclissi Seconda

Download: Ennio Morricone - Controfase (Gemelli - GG.ST 10.019)
Download Size: 67MB

Pino Donaggio - The Howling: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1981 - 256kbps)

Following up my last post, here is another amazing soundtrack from Italian composer Pino Donaggio. This is the the first in what will be a series of posts dedicated to sharing the film scores/soundtracks to various werewolf themed horror films. In 1978 Pino Donaggio formed what would be a short-lived partnership with director Joe Dante, composing the score for the b-movie horror film "Piranha", which was the subject of my last post. In 1981 Donaggio composed the score to one of the greatest werewolf films ever made, "The Howling". This would be one of the last times anyone other than the legendary Jerry Goldsmith would compose a score for one of Dante's films for many years, as the two formed a long lasting partnership which persisted up until Goldsmith's death. The download provided below is to the original Varèse Sarabande soundtrack, which was released on vinyl in 1981, and has long been out of print. La-La Land recently reissued an expanded and remastered edition of the soundtrack, which contains 12 bonus tracks, as well as liner notes from Pino Donaggio. You can pick it up for only $9.99 here.

Christmas is drawing closer, which will bring an end to our ongoing Nightmare Before Christmas theme, although I am seriously considering continuing the theme until New Years. I was very ill earlier in the week, and have been working and trying to keep up with my school work as well. As a result I haven't been able to post nearly as many albums as I had planned to for the event. I still have a number of horrifying gems that I would like to share with you all though. To ensure that I have adequate time to do so I've decided to keep the remainder of my posts fairly short, and provide an off-site review at times. With that in mind, I would like to share an excerpt of Jason ' nicely written review, which was posted on the Artist Direct website:

"Pino Donaggio's score to the 1981 Joe Dante classic The Howling remains a model of horror movie music. Pulpy and melodramatic yet never silly, its skillful mosaic of gothic organ, supernatural strings, and sound effects is a chillingly potent evocation of dread. Donaggio's melodies are tightrope-taut, ratcheting the suspense at every turn, and while his music is an integral element of Dante's onscreen narrative, The Howling is one of a precious few horror soundtracks that succeeds independently of visual media, artfully combining human voices, lush synthesizer motifs, and Herrmann-inspired dissonance to create a symphony of fear. - Jason Ankeny (All Music Guide)"

Year of Release:
Label: Varèse Sarabande
Catalog #: STV 81150
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Contemporary Classical
File Format: MP3
Bitrate: 256kbps

Track List:
A1. Opening / Phone Call From Eddie / Dark Streets
A2. Sleaze / Karen's Nightmare
A3. Eddie's Room
A4. Doctor's Order
A5. The Howling
A6. Spectre / Escape From Morgue
A7. Something Nasty In The Moods
A8. Hunting For Shadows
A9. Wolf Bites Man!
A10. Terry And Karren / Delirium
A11. Animal Magnetism

B1. Wolf At The Door
B2. Run For Your Life
B3. The Big Bad Wolf
B4. Wolfing Down Terry
B5. Eddie Lives Again
B6. Transformation
B7. Welcome To "The Colony"
B8. Fur From The Maddening Crowd
B9. The Shapeshifters
B10. To Make You Believe
B11. End Title

Download: Pino Donaggio - The Howling: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Download Size: 72MB

Pino Donaggio - Piranha: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1978 - 320kbps)

I was rather surprised to discover that we have yet to share a single soundtrack from one of my favorite Italian composers, Pino Donaggio. Despite posting an insane amount of horror soundtracks for both the Halloween Countdown and our Nightmare Before Christmas Event, and even running with an Italian horror theme for a while, we somehow managed to avoid making a single post dedicated to his work. Pino Donaggio has composed scores for a number of horror movies, although he is best known for composing the scores to "Carrie" and "The Howling". While his scores to both of those films are great, and the films are equally impressive, my favorite output from Donaggio happens to be his soundtrack for the low-budget horror film "Piranha". This soundtrack was released on vinyl by the Varèse Sarabande label in 1978, the same year as the film, and has long been out of print. Varèse Sarabande released a limited edition CD a few years ago, with only 1,000 copies being produced, but it sold out in less than three days.

Piranha remains one of my favorite b-movie horror films of all time. It was the eighth film released by New World Pictures, a studio owned and operated by legendary b-movie director Roger Corman. Piranha was an attempt to cash in on the success of Stephen Spielberg's Jaws, which inspired a slew of films in the late '70s and early '80s depicting overgrown man-eating sea creatures. However, a number of talented individuals involved in the production of this movie enabled it to stand out in its own right, and the result was more of an homage to Jaws than a cheap knock-off. The plot revolves around an insurance investigator, Maggie, and her guide, Paul, who are searching for a missing teenage couple last spotted near Lost River Lake. The two unwittingly release a massive school of killer piranha from an abandoned military compound's fish hatchery after Maggie drains the hatchery's water to search for the couple's bodies. The piranha released by Maggie have been genetically engineered by the military to survive in environments normally unsuitable to them, intended to be used as a living weapon against the Vietnamese. However, the end of the war resulted in the hatchery being abandoned by the military, with only the lead scientist staying behind to monitor the piranha. The killer fish proceed to rapidly swim down river, devouring all those unfortunate enough to cross their path. Maggie and Paul race to warn the town's inhabitants and prevent more deaths, yet they are opposed by a group of military officers who attempt to prevent the two from alerting the media.

Piranha was director Joe Dante's second feature-length film. He would later go on to direct several cult favorites, such as Gremlins, The Burbs, and Innerspace. Despite being restricted by such a small budget, Dante managed to create a very enjoyable film. I just watched the film yesterday, and I was surprised at how well it has held up over the years. There were a few cringe-worthy moments, but I believe the positive aspects of the film far outweigh the negative. There is a fair bit of tongue-in-cheek black humor injected throughout, signaling the fact that this movie doesn't take itself too seriously, yet it still manages to deliver where it counts. The actors, which are the fatal flaw in many b-movies, were surprisingly convincing and genuine in their delivery. The fact that the dialogue was well-written also played to their advantage. While the special effects appear noticeably dated in certain parts of the movie, Dante's choreographic skill enabled him to make the most with what he had to work with. The attacks are often depicted in murky underwater scenes, as the piranhas thrash about in a frenzied state, filling the murky water with blood guts. This only allows the viewer to be able to see brief glimpses of the piranha, sparing the viewer from the eyesore of what was surely a low-budget and cheap looking piranha prop.

Fortunately, the film also greatly benefited from composer Pino Donaggio's brilliant score. His atmospherical score perfectly accompanies the on-screen action, bringing an added dimension of emotional depth to many of the scenes, rather than simply serving as easily dismissible background music. Donaggio employs bold, frantic cues to accompany the frenzied attack sequences, while creating an atmosphere of hopelessness and despair for the aftermath of such attacks, as "Nightmare In The Sun / Betsy's Death" perfectly illustrates. There are a few upbeat numbers on this soundtrack, but the overwhelming majority of the tracks are ominous and menacing in tone, making this soundtrack an obvious choice for our ongoing Nightmare Before Christmas theme. Piranha is one of a handful of films directed by Dante that does not feature a score from the legendary and prolific composer, Jerry Goldsmith, whom Dante met in 1983 while doing directorial work for "Twilight Zone: The Movie." From that point on Goldsmith would be Dante's regular composer of choice. However, Donaggio would go on to compose one more amazing score for Dante before Goldsmith entered the picture. In 1981 he composed the score to the legendary werewolf horror film, "The Howling", which will be the subject of my next post.

Year of Release: 1978
Label: Varèse Sarabande
Catalog #: STV 81126
Genre: Soundtrack/Score, Horror, Contemporary Classical
Original Format: Vinyl LP
Digital Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. No Trespassing
A2. Main Title
A3. Aquarina / Homonocules
A4. Piranha Among Us
A5. Lost River Theme
A6. Fatal Rescue
A7. Summer Dreams
A8. Dr. Hoak
A9. Nightmare In The Sun / Betsy's Death
B1. Empty Tubes / Poor Jack
B2. Operation Razorteeth
B3. Escape In The Night
B4. Premonition / Beyond The Darkness
B5. Restricted Area
B6. End Title
B7. Yes, We Have Piranhas

Download: Pino Donaggio - Piranha: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Download Size: 64MB

Michael J. Lewis - Theatre Of Blood: Original Score (Official Promo Release) (1973 - 192kbps)

Although "Theatre Of Blood" happens to be a campy horror-comedy, this score happens to be one of my favorites from a horror film of any type. The composer, Michael J. Lewis, released his complete original score as a promotional release in 1973. I couldn't find any information regarding the number of physical copies he produced, but needless to say the promotional vinyl release this rip originates from is extremely rare. La La Land recently released a remastered version of the score on CD, with the slightly altered title of "Theater of Blood". While the sound quality of the La La Land release is undoubtedly superior to that of this rip, I still find this version to be superior, if only for one reason. The promo release contains each cue as an individual track, with 24 total tracks, while the La La Land version combines several of the cues, and amounts to only 25 tracks. In my opinion they made some poor decisions with their choice of combinations also, which detracts from the mood Lewis managed to establish on each of the individual tracks.

Theatre of Blood sees the legendary Vincent Price in the role of Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart, a psychopathic Shakespearean actor who fakes his own suicide in order to take revenge on the critics who snubbed him. Price's character manipulates his targets into unwittingly playing the role of various victims that appear in each of his performances of Shakespeare's plays. He then proceeds to dispatch them in an inventive yet extremely brutal manner. Theatre of Blood was considered one of the goriest horror-comedies of its era, and remains considerably gory even by today's standards. This may be the campiest film Price ever starred in. He even sports an afro at one point in the film. Price has often claimed the film to be his favorite though, as it gave him the opportunity to recite famous Shakespearean lines. Due to his reputation as an actor who devoted his career to horror films, he was never seriously considered for a role in any adaption of Shakespeare's work.

I should point out that many of the tracks contained on this release aren't exactly in the spirit of our ongoing Nightmare Before Christmas event. As with the film, much of the music heard on Lewis' score isn't strictly rooted in horror, as Lewis captures a diverse range of moods throughout his score, which frequently changes in tone as a result. Lewis captures the spirit of adventure with a few tracks, particularly "The Trojan Trail", which features a distinct military beat. He also shows a more romantic side on "Master of the Killing Phrase" and "Cymbeline" and "Edwina's Theme", all of which are beautiful tracks, dominated by sweeping strings, and highlighted by beautiful piano melodies. As the title alludes to, "Where Are My Doggy Woggies" has a comedic feel to it, and actually sounds downright downright goofy at the onset, before gradually transitioning to its suspenseful conclusion. I'm sure that some of you are thinking, why I is he posting this when so many of the tracks stand in sharp contrast to the ongoing dark theme? The answer to this is: because the remaining tracks are deliciously dark enough to warrant their inclusion in our Nightmare Before Christmas event. While they may not even make up the majority of the tracks which comprise this score, I believe they are strong enough to dominate the overall mood of the album, almost reducing the contrasting themes they share the album with to an afterthought.

Year of Release: 1973
Label: N/A (Promotional Release)
Catalog #: CD 156-192
Original Format: Vinyl
Digital Format: MP3
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
1. Main Theme
2. Ides Of March
3. Oh Pardon Me, Thou Bleeding Piece Of Earth
4. Friends, Romans, Countrymen
5. The Dragon Wing Of Night
6. The Trojan Trail
7. Master Of The Killing Phrase
8. Fear No More The Heat Of The Sun
9. Cymbeline
10. Sexy Lips & Swinging Hips
11. A Pound Of Flesh
12. To Be Or Not To Be
13. Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent
14. Here Clarence Comes
15. Drown In A Butt Of Wine
16. Partita Of Blood
17. Alive In Triumph
18. Fugato
19. I'm So Glad You've Come
20. Flame With Ash Highlights
21. Edwina's Theme
22. Where Are My Doggy Woggies
23. Come Fire, Consume This Pretty World
24. He Did Know How To Make An Exit

Download: Michael J. Lewis - Theatre of Blood: Original Motion Picture Score (Official Promo Release)
Download Size: 73MB

Ennio Morricone - L'Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo (aka The Bird With The Crystal Plumage) (1970 - 320kbps)

Update: You can find the soundtracks Ennio Morricone composed to the sequels in Dario Argento's Animal Trilogy below:

Ennio Morricone - The Cat o' Nine Tails (1971)
Ennio Morricone - Four Flies On Grey Velvet (1972)

Since we have posted several soundtracks from both Italian films and composers, I thought we were overdue for a soundtrack from one of the most famous Italian composers of the 20th century, Ennio Morricone. Morricone is perhaps best known for the soundtracks he composed for several Western and Spaghetti Western films, particularly those directed by Sergio Leone, such as For A Few Dollars More (1965), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), and Once Upon A Time in the West (1968). However, in the late 1960s and early '70s Morricone would deliver a series of amazing scores for giallo films directed by Dario Argento.

"Giallo", Italian for yellow, generally refers to a genre of crime-fiction with elements of horror and psychological suspense. The genre originated in early 20th century pulp fiction books, which often had yellow covers. Giallo went through a transformation in the 1960s, as a series of talented directors such as Dario Argento, Lucio Fulci and Mario Bava each brought their own unique approach and style to the genre using modern cinematic techniques. Fortunately these directors had a large pool of talented composers to choose from, resulting in numerous amazing soundtracks being produced for the Italian horror and giallo films of the 1960s and '70s.

Dario Argento is frequently cited as being one of the most talented directors within the giallo genre. He made his directorial debut with "The Bird With the Crystal Plumage". He would go on to direct two more films in what has come to be called "Argento's Animal Trilogy", directing "Il gatto a nove code" (aka The Cat O'Nine tails) and "4 mosche di velluto grigio" (aka "Four Flies on Grey Velvet"), both of which were released in 1971. In what would lead to the formation of an amazing collaboration between two legendary Italian artists, Dario Argento would turn to Italian composer Ennio Morricone to compose the score to "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage". Morricone would go on to compose the score to both "The Cat O'Nine Tails" and "Four Flies On Grey Velvet" as well.

While Argento's stylistic cinematographic style enticed one's visual sense, Morricone's unique musical compositions appealed to the aural senses. Just as Argento made use of both bright and mute colors to enhance his scenes, Morricone made us of dynamic and contrasting musical compositions to compliment the on-screen action perfectly. Morricone displays his extraordinary range just as he did with Leon's western films, creating masterpieces that are equally beautiful and disturbing. His experimental style requires the use of a broad array of musical instruments, sound effects and human voices, which he weaves together seamlessly, constructing an extra dimension of depth to the films they appear in.

As I mentioned before, "L'uccello Dall Piume Di Cristallo" (aka "The Bird With The Crystal Plumage") is the first film in Dario Argento's Animal Trilogy. With my next two posts I plan to share the soundtracks Morricone composed for both "Il Gatto a Nove Code" (aka "The Cat O'Nine Tails") and "4 Mosche Di Velluto Grigio" (aka "Four Flies On Grey Velvet") The first 10 tracks on this release make up the original soundtrack. In 2008 Cinevox released this remastered and enhanced version of the soundtrack, which is currently out of print. Tracks 11-20 are bonus tracks consisting of various alternate takes.

Year of Release: 1970
Label: Cinevox
Catalog #: CD MDF 630
Genres: Soundtrack/Score, Giallo, Horror
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
1. Violenza INattesa
2. Non Rimane Piu Nessuno
3. Corsa Sui Tetti
4. Se Sei Stonato
5. Svolta Drammatica
6. Fraseggio Senza Struttura
7. La Citta Si Risveglia
8. L'uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo
9. Silenzio Nel Caos
10. Piume Di Cristallo
11. Fraseggio Senza Struttura
12. Piume Di Cristallo (#2)
13. Silenzio Nel Caos (#2)
14. Fraseggio Senza Struttura (#3)
15. Piume Di Cristallo (#3)
16. Svolta Drammatica (#2)
17. Fraseggio Senza Struttura (#3)
18. Piume Di Cristalo (#4)
19. Fraseggio Senza Struttura (#5)
20. Piume Di Cristallo (#5)

Download: Ennio Morricone - The Bird With The Crystal Plumage
Download Size: 143MB

Roger Roger - Drama and Suspense (Crea Sound - MC 8013) (320kbps)

This will be the last album in my dark and twisted library music series for the time being. The theme will resume again in January. For those of you who haven't been following the blog, we will be starting a project that has been in the works since October. "Digital Meltd0wn's Nightmare Before Christmas" will kick off on December 1st. I will be making a more formal announcement later this evening to reveal the names of the guest bloggers that will be participating in the event, as well as some of the items you can expect to see posted.

Roger Roger (aka Cecil Leuter, Eric Swan) is probably best known for his library music albums consisting of upbeat electronic pop and contemporary classical music. However, "Drama and Suspense" starkly contrasts with the bulk of his output, and stands as one dark and sinister piece of work in comparison. Drama and Suspense was released on the French library music label, Crea Sound, some time in the 1970s. This is another one of those albums that doesn't have a date on the front or back cover, and no one seems to know the exact year it was released. This album was originally shared on the Painted On Silence blog. Unfortunately the admin of that amazing blog decided to remove all of the download links from his posts and call it quits more than two years ago.

As the title suggests, Side A contains the dramatic themes, while Side B contains the suspense. Side A is the stronger of the two sides in my opinion. I'm reminded of some of the old science-fiction/horror soundtracks from the '50s and '60s, particularly some of Akira Ifukube's work on Godzilla and various other Japanese monster movie soundtracks he produced. The first couple of tracks have a militaristic feel to them, as if two massive armies are about to meet on the battlefield. Judging from the titles, I assume this is what Roger Roger had in mind as well. These tracks are full of pounding percussion and bursts of heavy brass. While this side represents the drama, some of these themes also have an ominous and suspenseful tone to them as well. The last two tracks, particularly "Strange Motion", deviate from this formula a bit. "Strange Motion" has more of a whimsical and dreamlike science-fiction sound to it.

Side B represents the "Suspense" in the title. It consists entirely of tracks which are darker and more mysterious in tone, which is something you don't usually hear from Roger Roger, and I for one love it! These tracks also have that early sci-fi/horror feel to them, which I have grown rather fond of over the years. I consider the first track, "Frankstenstein", along with the last track, "Weird Moment", to be the strongest on Side B. Frankenstein introduces the macabre sounds, and happens to be my favorite on Side B. It features that classic sci-fi/horror sound I have repeatedly referred to. The sinister music is punctuated with outbursts of deep brass, and accompanied by the sound of gusts of wind, which increase in intentisity as the track progresses. My only complaint about this release would be that the next few tracks are somewhat similar to one another and repetitive. "Weird Moment" closes out Side B on a strong note though. Although it is rather simple in structure, it has a genuinely creepy sound. I can't be certain, but I believe either synthesizers or keyboards are being used here to create the eerie melody heard throughout the track. It is accompanied by the faint sound of rattling chains, and occassionally interrupted by mellow, dreamlike interludes.

While this isn't the strongest album Roger Roger ever released, it is certainly a departure from the style of music he was known for, making it a unique oddity in his vast catalog. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, this will be the last library music album that I will share until January. Let Digital Meltd0wn's Nightmare Before Christmas begin...

Year of Release: 197x (Unknown)
Label: Crea Sound Ltd.
Catalog #: MC 8013
Genres: Library Music, Contemporary Classical
File Format: MP3
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. War of the Planets
A2. The Aggressors
A3. The Hobsters
A4. Dark Journey
A5. Invasion
A6. Strange Motion
A7. Alert
B1. Frankenstein
B2. Furtive Incident
B3. Catastrophe
B4. The Search
B5. Anxiety and Fear
B6. The Rendezvous
B7. Weird Moment

Download: Roger Roger - Drama and Suspense (Crea Sound - MC 8013)
Download Size: 65MB