Customer Reviews

Giu' la Testa (35th Anniversary 2CD Special Edition)

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This is, perhaps, the most beautiful music composed in the 20th Century.

I first heard it in an outdoor theatre, 35 years ago, as the soundtrack to the Sergio Leone masterpiece "Fistful of Dynamite" (James Coburn and Rod Steiger) (Also known as "Giu' la Testa" (or, "Duck! You sucker" (in Italian))). The beauty of the music haunted me for almost 35 years until the film was released on DVD a few weeks ago. On watching the DVD, on my home theater, I was again captivated by the sensitive and lovely score.

On ordering the OST (Original Sound Track) I was not certain what to expect. This two disc set is an exceptional value. The first CD inlcludes all of the works as they were scored for the film. They are beautiful even as part of a soundtrack. The second, disc, however, contains Morriccone's performance of each of the works, as he would have published them for individual performance. They are separate pieces of exquisite music that stand on their own as great works.

Many of us have heard Morricone without realizing how many films he has scored. He has scored such legendary films as "Battle for Algiers" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."

Listening to this CD set, on a high quality analog stereo, convinced me that Morriccone is a genius and ranks among the best composers of all time. You will not regret acquiring this CD set.

Its all here folks and with the best sound!!! The music is straight out of the movie and comes in some of the best packaging (have over a thousand CDs) I have ever seen. You can tell a lot of thought was put into this and was made special for the fans of the movie and the music. Well worth every penny, trust me you will not find anything better.

You should buy this new edition CD even if you have old edition.
And see the movie again.
Those music in the movie remind you your own beautiful memories,
feeling sorry for something you have lost,not big but warm happiness in your younger days.

I brought a little of Ennio Morricone back with me from my first trip to Italy, indirectly. While in Italy, I happened to catch a variety program where one of the featured performers was Patty Pravo. The singer captivated me with her look [a blonde Renaissance type], voice [at that time, a very powerful, throaty contralto], and performance [very commanding and compelling]. I HAD to get some of her music. I brought two of her albums home with me. One of those was BRAVO PRAVO, which featured her version of a Morricone ditty, "Metti, Una Sera A Cena." One listen and I was hooked. Morricone's music was something truly special.

My first score by Morricone was this--albeit the vinyl version: DUCK, YOU SUCKER [a/k/a GIU' LA TESTA or A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE]. I hadn't heard such beauty and inventiveness before. The wonderful melodies, the plucky keyboard, the building bed of strings, the wordless vocals, especially the incredible solos by the great Edda Dell'Orso. Absolutely revelatory, as far as music appreciation and exploration. I was transported, happily and irreversibly, into new and exciting musical territory.

My first opportunity to get this great music on CD was as part of a two-disc set called A WESTERN QUINTET, on the DRG label, which features music from other Morricone-scored films. Most of the selections from GIU' LA TESTA that I had come to love from the United Artists vinyl LP were included.

When I saw this expanded 2-cd set, I instantly decided to purchase it from the Dusty Groove website, which consistently offers dozens of Morricone scores at fairly reasonable prices. When music is this glorious, the only thing better is to find an opportunity to hear more of it. That chance is amply offered with this set, with a bunch of alternate versions of the themes, and other goodies.

And...there is more than a handful of beautiful themes. The main one bears Burt Bacharach-ish piano chording, a secondary one featuring one of the Maestro's best romantic adagios. Then there is the classic, quirky "March of The Beggars," which incorporates a snatch of Mozart's "A Little Night Music." "Green Table" is absolutely dreamy and hypnotic. Even the action cues are superb, featuring a nice circular rhythm. And there is so much more.

This set of music is an incredible stand-alone piece apart from the film [which I have never seen], and, in my opinion, the best starting point to explore the genius of the great Maestro. Immense creativity and unparalleled beauty.

MOST ESSENTIAL MORRICONE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. LISTEN AND BE DAZZLED.

This was the soundtrack to a few months of my life. This new edition is a must.

The Haunting soundtrack, to one the best Spaghiti Westerns of all time. Ennio Morricone, put this little number together and it is great. Elvis Mitchell, former film critic for the New York Times, considered it as one of Morricone's "most glorious and unforgettable scores". Unfortuately the film never got the praise it should have had, on release.

Great film amazing film score, a real must have in film score collection.

You can tell a lot of love went into this package. Its among my very favourite film scores, so achingly beautiful. While I love this film, I prefer the other two Once Upon a time... films. But this score is the unsung winner in my eyes. Its a pure example of making a good film great in my eyes.
Its my favourite (loose) trilogy of films, OUATITW is my favourite film. But this score really truely made this film. The soaring music as the smoke billows from the destoyed bridge, followed by the subsequent heartbreaking scene involving the discovery of the massacre of revolutionists including Juan's family, is incredibly powerful stuff.

If you adored the score of the film, you owe it to yourself to pick this set up. You will not be disappointed. Among Morricone's very best output.

Giu la Testa is the "lost" Leone film, one that is somewhat overlooked, even by fans. An especially strange Zapata Western about an Irish explosives expert who becomes engulfed by the Mexican Revolution, Leone didn't initially want to direct, but was "persuaded" after stars Coburn and Steiger refused to work without him. Naturally, Leone brought in old friend Ennio Morricone to score, and the Maestro contributed not only arguably the strongest element of the film, but one of his great soundtracks.

Given the subject matter, one would expect various ethnic material. But Morricone brilliantly eschews the obvious approach, and the result is a soundtrack with incredible range that is a mostly good listening experience, comprising a lush main theme (very well-known to even casual Morricone fans), extremely quirky material (of note is the wildly eccentric Marcia Degli Accattoni), more melancholy and introverted meditations (Mesa Verde, Messico e Irlanda, and Dopo l'Esplosione), and a highly dissonant and unfortunately unlistenable war theme (Rivoluzione Contro).

But the masterpiece is Invenzione Per John, criminally underused in the film. It may be the most remarkable piece Morricone has ever written, a stunningly original creation that defies any simple musicological or genre label. The way it progresses through its 9 minutes is remarkable in its seamless yet distinct transitions, and along the way Morricone thought up some of the most atypically beautiful soundscapes I've ever heard. The strange assortment of instruments (including eerily calming electronic effects) and unusual beat give the piece a truly individual character. It's unfortunate that Morricone wasn't asked to explore this other side of his abilities more often. This isn't "just" film music--this is music of the highest order, and this track alone is worth the album.

And that's just the first CD. This masterful reissue, then, is absolutely essential. 16 full-length bonus tracks have been added, all as interesting as the originals. These are not simple studio run-throughs with premature cut-offs. These are full, worthy pieces of music with equally inventive instrumentation. Many are fairly close to their original forms, but some are completely reworked, like the superb alternate versions of Marcia Degli Accattoni and Invenzione Per John. This is an Italian reissue, and is clearly done with the greatest care, since their national treasure is held in such high regard in his native country.

An absolute must!

The very first second of the Duck, You Sucker score chimes with an ominous note. But its soon forgotten, replaced by a bouncy, whistling theme that is not soon forgotten about. You'll never forget the theme. The theme is indelible.

Morricone must have known he had a charm with this pucker up and blow line, because he centers the whole score around it. As soon as you think it has disappeared, or is out of ear out of mind, it reappears. As if your walking through the film with the whistler.

The key here is the melody. How simple it is. How it rests in the ear. Marricone's ability to build a towering score--full of orchestral light and shade--is amazing, but given that Marricone is Marricone, not a bit surprising.