Midnight Movies Madness

This mp3 compilation is devoted to soundtracks & music related to soundtracks. On it are Midnight Cowboy – John Barry: Nilsson, Elephant’s Memory; Zabriskie Point (Expanded) Pink Floyd, Jerry Garcia; Zachariah – James Gang, New York Rock’n’Roll Ensemble; Batman & Robin: Sun Ra; New York Rock’n’Roll Ensemble: Reflections, Manos Hatzidakis; Billy Ocean: Love Zone: When The Going Gets Tough; Ghostbusters.

The last time I tired to watch Midnight Cowboy I couldn’t sit through it. Hoffman’s twitchy performance irritated me, but the music is great. The bulk of it, by soundtrack specialist John Barry, is fine. But Nilsson’s Everybody’s Talking To Me out-shines all of it & the harmonica reprise emotionally appealing. Elephant’s Memory’s songs are proto-psychedelic fun. Yes, they later backed up John & Yoko. 

I will never forget seeing the slow-motion house debris floating to Pink Floyd’s music in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point. The bizarre desert love scene to Jerry Garcia’s music is memorable too. Here I have the expanded version of the soundtrack that has more of the Garcia, Floyd & unused music commissioned for the soundtrack. A strange, counterculture film with an amazing soundtrack. I do have the dvd of the film.

Another counterculture film is Zachariah (written by The Firesign Theatre.) An anachronistic, hippy,  western parody that opens with the James Gang playing on the horizon; New York Rock Ensemble appear playing a number in the bordello scene. The plot is secondary to the gonzo film making. Great music, a fun soundtrack that also includes dialogue from the film – which I haven’t seen since it was released, not even on TCM. 

Speaking of the New York Rock Ensemble I have their Reflections with music by Manos Hatzidakis. The movie connection is Manos Hatzidakis who got an Oscar nomination for ‘Never On A Sunday.’ The Ensemble are a Juilliard trained string quartet who become a rock band combining both (before ELO did similar). Reflections is a sweet collection of songs more chamber rock than anything else. Well worth your searching out.

I downloaded this Batman and Robin music because it was performed by the great Sun Ra. Solid jazz work & fun.  Billy Ocean’s Love Zone, features When the Going Gets Tough – a song from ‘The Jewel Of The Nile.’ Ghostbusters was a huge seller thanks to Ray Parker Jr.’s iconic title song refrain ‘I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost.’

Creak 

“They found another elbow in the park.”

My mother was doing something to eggs on the stove. The scrape of the spatula dull on the frying pan as if she wasn’t fully paying attention to anything. 

“I said they found …”

“Human remains. I heard you dear. I’m afraid they have to be scrambled.”

I hated scrambled eggs. I would cook my own breakfast but even when I started she would hover then take over as if she was doing me a favour, saying something like “Boys shouldn’t cook.”

“Left or right?” She asked.

“Huh?”

“The elbow, was it left or right.”

“I didn’t hear.” The eggs were a yellow clump with browned edges. “That makes the the forth or fifth this month.”

“Soon they’ll hav enough for a whole body.” My mother sort of half laughed. “How are the eggs.”

“Yummy.”

“Can that tell much anyway?” She sat, stirred her coffee. “After all it’s just an elbow joint isn’t it.”

“Yep.” The eggs were fine. “Severed clean. I think there’s enough for them to tell it’s an elbow from the the way the joint moves.”

“Ooo.” My mother shuddered. “Gives me the creeps to think of an elbow like that, of some csi guy manipulating with their hands.”

She manipulated an invisible elbow in the air over her coffee cup. 

“Would it squeak like a rusty door, I wonder?” She made a weird squeak with her voice. 

“Creeeeeaquee.”

We both laughed. I finished my eggs.