Monday, July 26, 2010

Courier of Death OST



The Glasgow duo Den Haan did one of our favorite remixes of "15 to 20" and their dj sets and original music are fantastic as well. They champion the film Courier of Death and its soundtrack. Here's a clip and a description of the film/soundtrack:




This is the first ever release of The Courier Of Death soundtrack - the music from Tom Shaw's obscure cult movie from 1984 - one of the best worst films ever made.

Having been stored away in various formats and locations across America for the past 25 years, The Courier Of Death soundtrack, which would have otherwise have fallen in to the depths of degradation, has been laboriously tracked down and pieced together in some sort of epic b-movie jigsaw puzzle crusade by producer/songwriter Matthew Aldworth.

The album is comprised of nineteen tracks that flow chronologically from swirling Minimoog bass lines, numanesque robotic pop, intense arppegiated cues, hints of country and western, sleazy lo-fi disco, mysterious dark synth pads and acoustic piano pieces. Overall the album tells the story of the journey that JD Blackman (The Courier) takes while seeking revenge for the brutal murder of his beloved wife.

Musically, the soundtrack is comprised of instrumental music, both synthesized and electroacoustic. Synthesizers used on the album include: Minimoog, ARP 2600, Oberheim 8 Voice, Roland Opus, as well as Roland, Oberheim and Sequential sequencers. Electroacoustic instruments included acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, flute, drums and percusion.

The title of film composer goes to Daniel Fiebiger, as he composed and performed the majority of original music for the film. However, also appearing on the soundtrack is one recording taken from Paul Nelson's album 'Vortex'. It was originally titled: 'Vortex 4', but appears on the soundtrack (courtesy of Optiman Systems Inc) as: 'Flight to Rio'.

Another feature on the soundtrack is an excerpt from the original recording titled: 'Slave boat to hell'. This track was written and produced by the band Jungle Nausea and appears on the soundtrack (courtesy of Inner mystique records) as: 'Rape'. There were some other recordings written and performed by musician Daniel Snodgrass that were also used in the film. These include the title sequence and a couple of synthesized atmospheric cues. Unfortunately these have been lost forever. So the only surviving recordings are on the VHS copies of the film that still circulate.

This is an alternative soundtrack to say the least. It has taken over 4 years of continual research, correspondence, restoration and design to get to this point.

Anyone who has grown up loving a badly made film will appreciate the project and effort taken, by a loyal fan, which has resulted in The Courier Of Death original soundtrack finally becoming a reality after 25 years of silence!

Packaging & Liner Notes
Digipack.

Track List
1. The Courier
2. The Chase
3. Take A Vacation
4. Flight To Rio
5. Advice From Tom
6. Julie
7. The Strip Club
8. Rape
9. Consoling Nancy
10. Sutters Mill
11. Confronting Hayden
12. Flight To Ocean City
13. Things Get Thick
14. Forrest Fight
15. Kidnaped
16. Break In
17. Bigelow
18. The Last Stand
19. The Courier Of Death

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Rhythm Device - Acid Rock



There Was a Time When Rock and Roll Was Easy

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Chic












As producers, arrangers, and musicians, Nard and Nile are about as good as it gets. The above videos are a few points of interest in their incredible careers. I spoke with Fred Schneider of the B-52's about working with Nile and he says that he's the best producer he's ever worked with. Daryl Easlea's book Chic: Everybody Dance: The Politics of Disco is a solid account of their brilliance.