Customer Reviews

Last Tango In Paris: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, it's about time! This wonderful soundtrack has been out-of-print for about 15 years since UA folded, so imagine my elation when I glimpsed that it not only included all the standard cuts from the 72 release, but the long-awaited original cues from the film itself (Gato and Oliver Nelson re-recorded the themes for the 72 soundtrack)!

Granted, I've listened to these songs so many times in the passing decades that at moments they teeter into parodies of tango, but that's not Gato's fault; it's just cognitive dissonance. Aside from the great "Ballad" treatment of the raw main theme, there's the rapturous "La Vuelta", "Return" and, best of all, "Why Did She Choose You?", which will knock over anyone who spent a rainy day in Europe loving or lamenting love with a cigarette and a cup of espresso.

Special mention must be made of the original sound cues included herein for the first time on disc. I was always peeved they were missing from the 72 release. The killer cut is the first of the suite of 28 cues which was used over the Francis Bacon paintings for the Main Title sequence. Oh, this is so low and raw and beautiful, and Bacon's paintings of distorted men and women are forever wedded in my mind with these mournful strains.

Jazz Maestro Oliver Nelson has done an excellent job of draping Gato's gutter-cry sax with lush strings, and the orchestrations get even more interesting on the "Suite" of cues to follow. In the decades since this film arrived, I've yet to hear another score with these peculiar colors, which for lack of a more appropriate word, can only be described as "uterine" in the best sense.

Praise to Rykodisc for going the extra mile here. I do wish the cover art was a booklet instead of a fold out, and an enhanced trailer clip would have been swell, but, nah, small complaint.

If you don't love the movie as much as I do, this might not be a 5 star album for you. Since it recalls the film perfectly for me, it makes that grade. Normally, I do not listen to tango music but again, it fits with the film. It is a very lush and beautiful score and, like all soundtracks, it has many repetitive elements. It is all instrumental. It can be very bold and strident at some points so be ready for that facet if you are trying it out over a candlelit dinner! If you are not a fan of the film, I would advise you to listen to selections from it first.

I have searched for close to 25 years for "Last Tango" CD. The music is absolutely breathtaking and haunting. It's one of those albums that will stay a rare classic for years to come...

At the University Film Society in Minneapolis I screened hundreds of films from 1972 to 1978. The one film that most impressed me as a film, and even more as a soundtrack, was LAST TANGO. I played the original tape nightly for our audience...and then, when I moved to WV, I tried desparately to find a cd. None was available until last summer. Since then I have played it weekly, and learned to love it all over again. It is my favorite gift for the ladies in my life...especially my wife. No film score is more romantic, more touching, more full of raw human energy. I think that the film was the peak of its director's career, its star career, and Gato's career. It is hard to top a perfect work of music!

I first felt in love in Last Tango In Paris by listening to Marlena Shaw singing "Last Tango In Paris," just the tunes captured me. Later I bought the film, and one step further I bought this CD. Here I can listen to my favorite scene, i.e., the dancing scene from the "The Last Tango in Paris Suite 2-4", and other extra songs, e.g., "Why Did She Choose You?," "Goodbye." And it does not stop here, the CD inlay gives you memorable photos from behind the scenes, the motion picture itself, and two ca. A 4 posters (not separated, one on each side).

Strongly recommended for Last Tango fans.

The movie was shocking enough,but the music from the soundtrack blew me away, just listening to the music can recall every graphic and tragic image of the film. Its the frist time I every appreatiated that gerne of music its as classic as any music score every created, Brennie Herman would be proud or was if he had the chance to hear this wonderful movie score.

I had this recording in my collection for several years. At first listening, i dismissed it as cheezy and overwrought.
I just listened to it again, and it's depths were revealed to me. How did I miss these details the first time around?
There is all sorts of South American percussion buried and layered under different tracks, and a strong bass pulse
reminiscent of Cecil McBee appears in several sections. Gato Barbierri sounds dramatic like a singer of songs in a
romantic plaza. The music is so kaleidescopic and rich, new things are revealed with every turn. Not one to be grokked
the first time around, as I have learned. (an old lesson, to be sure)

This is the soundtrack to what may have been Marlon Brando's last great film, 1972. It is by jazz saxaphonist, Gato Barbiari.

The composer here takes a few themes, and varries them through the score. The whole soundtrack contains his wonderful tenor playing.

This score does have a French flavor, but the compositions are organic, not stylized. They never fall into cleches about what Parisian music would be imagined to sound like.

Barbiari's playing has a thick, raspy tone, and his big playing has a romantic sweep--listen to this, and you would never think the film is about an elicit affair involving a guy who's wife just offed herself. There are some funky sections.

Excellent music and film scoring.

this cd has the soulfull sax sounds of gato layered onto a variety of rhythms , tempos, and moods. there's something here for everyone, and it's one of those rare cd's with no bad tracks.

This is one of my favorite albums. I'll admit that when I first heard it I wasn't expecting strings and was a little taken aback. But after a couple of listens it really grew on me. This music will draw you in and envelop you. Barbieri's orchestral arrangements are superb and a perfect complement to his highly original saxophone solos, which range from sublime to wild. The memorable melodies seem to draw from both Parisian and Argentinian influences. This is one of those records that defies categorization. Highly recommended.