Customer Reviews

Ennio Morricone - Film Music, Vol.1

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is very probably the best single-disc career review of Maestro Morricone's work. If you are interested in exploring the music of this great composer, look no futher for the perfect primer. Includes some of the very best from the late 60's through mid-80's. Excellent mastering and sound.

Features classic themes from "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," "Once Upon A Time In The West," and "The Mission," and many other great themes. In fact, the themes included from "Moscow Farewell," "Lady Caliph," and "Dedicace," are among the Maestro's most beautiful melodies, and "For Love One Can Die," is very probably his most beautiful theme (I also love Milva's exquisite vocal version on DEDICATO A MILVA DA ENNIO MORRICONE), although "Chi Mai," also included here, is a very, very close second (Milva's vocal version of this one, on the aforementioned album, is simply stunning, as well).

Sheer musical perfection and delight.

If soundtrack music, or the work of Ennio Morricone interests you, then this CD is a must have. It's a collection of the main themes of many movies, most of them European productions that have not been readily available here, and it displays Morricone's complete mastery of thematic material and imaginative instrumentation and arrangements. Need a romantic string theme, or a disco tune? The Master has done it all exceptionally well. Along with the classic "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" there are surprising gems like "Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears." Much of this music is amazingly moving. The price is right too, so don't delay!

Arguably one of the greatest (if not the greatest) Film composer of the 20th Century. Not only has he scored some of the most influential and instantly recognisable pieces of film music during his roughly 50 years of composing atmospheric film scores. Whether he's providing the spooky dramatics for a spaghetti Western" or constructing the ingenious use of classical arrangements of brooding cinematic pieces, he has (in most cases) consistently delivered contemporary music that has provided the atmospheric foil for the picture in question. And with a collection of musical influences that were as far ranging as: classical, jazz, pop, rock, electronic, avant-garde, and Italian music, he is able to deliver a variety of film scores that are as diverse as they are beautifully composed.

This compilation is collection of some of the seminal, gritty, theatrical, and dramatic film music, that would go on to define his career, via reflective orchestration and memorable motifs, ingenious use of diverse arrangements and instrumentation. There is a majority of his highlights on this disc, with the magnificently brooding "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" opening the disk. what follows is a truly sublime collection of music that is in parts truly beautiful and utterly atmospheric, so tracks such as "Once Upon A Time In The West", benefit from the haunting melodies and stirring volins, that are possibly more in tone with orchestrated music than contemporary music. Or the quiet piano introspection and melancholic arrangements that make up "Moscow Farewell", are simply deserving of being placed amongst the finest soundtrack compositions ever. "Dedicace", contains some of the most litting melodies in recent memory, impossibly sad and affecting, it is a haunting bittersweet composition that is both organic & reflective, over which the volins provide the musical backdrop. And that's without the mention of "For Love One Can Die", the autumnal orchestrated track, that pulls from Italian sweeping gangster original film scores, and makes a hushed and dissonant recording, that feels like a sublime throwback to the mafia-related shenanigans of 60's chicago via the use of restrained piano, that really is quite lovely and adds substantial weight to the composition.

If you are looking for a Ennio Morricone compilation....short of buying a boxset, you'd be hard pressed in beating this for value for money. It's a fantastic summary of his work and covers a fair amount of material. And is the perfect introduction to his work, (especially if you just want to buy one compilation of his work). This is highly recommended to fans both old and new, and is boosted by the compilers making a great job of the selection. So if you don't want to have to splash out on an expensive disk, to hear his influential work...this really is the first place you should start.

This is a good CD, but I gave it 4 stars because it is not the greatest. Morricone can do, and does, much better than this. However, I don't regret that I bought this CD. To make your choice easier I outlined the best performances on this CD below. Judge yourself. From this list,track #12 is the best. It is a very fragile and beautiful composition.

3. The Sicilian Clan: The Sicilian Clan
4. The Life And Times Of David Lloyd George (BBC TV): Chi Mai
6. Moscow Farewell: Moscow Farewell
8. Lady Caliph: Lady Caliph
12. For Love One Can Die: For Love One Can Die
13. Sacco And Vanzetti: Sacco And Vanzetti
17. The Mission: On Earth As It Is In Heaven (Remix)

Volume I of III, of this 'best of' Morricone trilogy, is the best of the three. This volume consists of music that can be listened to alone and socially, with some of the most catchy and minimalist rhythms you'll ever hear. You'll listen to this album and wonder what movie you've heard that song from before(Morricone's canon being primarily for film scores). If you're hear because you're trying to get the song from a movie, and you've never really heard of Morricone before, then you've luckily stumbled upon some of the best music I've ever heard. Or, if you're a Morricone fan and you'er looking for a good compilation, since Morricone has done too many film scores to even possibly own them all, then this is good to have. I wouldn't really reccommend Volume II and III unless you're looking or a very comprehensive collection of Morricone, since Volume I seems to me to carry his most absolute best. Definetely buy this album, it's very good.

This double-cd is nothing less than a bargain. Deborah's theme and Cockey's theme from Once upon a time in America is together with Gabriel's oboe from The Mission the highlights on this cd.

Also included is the wonderful theme from Once upon a time in the west, another Sergio Leone film, and Moses theme.

If you want a kind of Morricones greatest hits - buy this one.

Ennio Morricone wrote great soundtrack music, that's for certain. But no retrospective of his work is complete without the inclusion of more than one lone example from the three mid-60's "spaghetti westerns" he scored for Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood. Anyone familiar with the UNITED ARTISTS label LPs of "Fistful Of Dollars," "For A Few Dollars More" and "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" might agree with this.

As for what's here-- most of ENNIO MORRICONE * FILM MUSIC Volume 1 is forgettable incidental stuff. Except for "The Battle Of Algiers (Theme)," the opening and closing tracks are the best. They bookend what turns out to be a disappointing collection, lacking in both liner notes and the brilliance Morricone demonstrated over a 30 year span.

HAVING HEARD EXERPTS OF THE MUSIC BEFORE, IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I
WANTED.

Ennio Moricone is one of the greatest composers in Modern music. I fell in love with his music at the age of 12 when I saw the greatest Spaghetti Westerns of all time fearturing the only actor who could pull it off...Clint Eastwood was excellent as the "Man with no name" and Morricone's music only made the experience more thrilling. But, I do not know if you all have had the pleasure of watching John Carpenter's classic "The Thing" in which Morricone composed the creepiest soundtrack I have ever heard. The Thing is a fantastic alien film and Ennio's music made that movie an unforgettable cult classic..........I beg the execs at CD now to bring back that soundtrack or does anyone out there know how I can obtain it? As I was told it was out of print.

NOTE: This is for the MP3 download "Ennio Morricone: Film Music" with 23 tracks.

This is a fine collection, but...starting with track #6, ALL of the tracks are mislabeled. 'Belinda May' is listed as track 17, when it is actually track 12, Chi Mai is listed as track 21, when it is actually track 13, and so on. Enjoy the music, but be aware that the tracks are named wrong. The proper track order is:

1. The Good, the bad and the ugly.
2. The Ecstasy of Gold (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)
3. Cinema Paradiso (title)
4. Childhood and Maturity (cinema paradiso)
5. My Name is Nobody
6. The Lady Caliph
7. Lontano (God with us)
8. Forse Basta
9. Once Upon a Time in the West (Edda's version)
10. Il Deserto Come Estasi
11. Tema per Oria
12. Belinda May
13. Chi Mai
14. Marche en LA
15. For a Few Dollars More (title)
16. Romanza
17. Lullaby in Blue (The Cat o' Nine Tails)
18. Viva la Revolucion
19. Poesia di una Donna
20. Alla Serenita (The Invisible Woman)
21. Castelli di Scozia
22. Questa Specie d'Amore
23. La Resa