John Carpenter mix-tape (2013)

Another mix I have been working on. A little tribute to the musical works of the great John Carpenter. I have been a fan of his since I first saw Escape From New York at the age of 11 and its iconic opening theme that stuck in head. Below is a mix I put together featuring my personal favourite moments from a variety of the masters best films. Feel free to download and share.



On another note, Mediashite has deleted my account thus deleting the entire content of this blog and the past 5 years of posts. At the moment I'm not really sure what will happen to the blog but while I look at new hosting sites, if there is anything you want re-upping then drop me a line.

Herbie Hancock - Death Wish (1974)

RIP Micheal Winner. A big man that said what he thought oblivious to how it would be construed. He made quite a few stinkers when it came to movies but also some pretty solid fare as well. The Mechanic, The Sentinel and the urban revenge classic Death Wish. Below is the score by Herbie Hancock. A fine example of Hancock's electric style showing restraint and being applied to tense, dramatic scoring.

Herbie Hancock - Death Wish OST

Goblin - Tenebre OST (1982)

Though often credited as a Goblin record, Tenebre is really a soundtrack composed by three former members of the Italian, prog-synth, rock freak out act. Once again working with Italian master Dario Argento, Simonetti, Pignatelli and Morante crafted a sturdy mix between the well known Goblin keyboard heavy sound and something approaching the more standard guitar based work that was popular at the time ( in all honesty the track "Lesbo" could have been omitted, it sounds like the theme tune to a dreadful beach set surf cop film/TV series). The film itself is one of Argento's most under rated efforts. As much as Suspiria and Profondo Rosso are well crafted classics, Tenebre holds a certain charm and nastiness about it. Goblin's iconic title track has one of the catchiest refrains going, I dare you not to be humming it after only a few listens. French dance gang Justice covered/sampled/homaged it on the track Phantom, off the "cross" album.

Goblin - Tenebre OST

Jerrold Immel - Megaforce OST (1982)

A fixture of my youth. Megaforce is probably one of the tackiest and mindlessly stupid movies you will ever see, but as a child, it was also the most awesome movie. A secret military force who use flying motorcycles, laser tanks, colour changing camouflage and the sort of wisecracks that even GIJoe avoided. What wasn't awesome about all this. 

The film was directed by ex-stuntman Hal Needham. The man responsible for Smokey & The Bandit, Cannonball Run, Hooper and 80's BMX classic Rad. It starred his stuntman buddy Barry Bostwick (pictured left), Coney Island Warrior Micheal Beck and the unstoppable Henry Silva. The soundtrack was handled by Jerrold Immel, a regular in TV soundtracks, having been responsible for the TV version of Logan's Run and most famously, Dallas.

Immel pulls a pretty sweet score out of the bag for this one. Based on the simple premise of uplifting motifs to represent the good guys and sinister orchestration to represent the bad guys, Immel utilised a heap of electronic organ and synthesiser equipment to replace the usual brass and string accompaniment.

All that aside its a solid piece of electronic drama. Get it downloaded.....

Jerrold Immel - Megaforce OST

Blazing Magnums - Eurocrime Mixtape

Here is something I put together for a friend's birthday recently. Fans of Eurocrime, Italian cinema and 1970's amoral Police procedure movie's should hopefully enjoy it. Evoking the spirit of Henry Silva and Franco Nero and creating the perfect soundtrack to your next rooftop chase.



Lalo Schifrin - Harry's Creed 
John Saunders - Gunman 
Franco Micalizzi - Folk & Violence 
Brian Bennet - Drama Montage 
Ennio Morricone - Un Amico 
Franco Micalizzi - Affano 
Goblin - La Via Della Droga 
Keith Mansfield - Jagged 
Dave Gold - City Police 
Franco Micalizzi - Criminal Gang 
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - New Special Squad 
Franco Micalizzi - Dark Suspense 
Lalo Schifrin - Scorpio's Theme 
Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - Life Of A Policeman 
Franco Micalizzi - Running To The Airport 
Guido De Angelis - Goodbye My Friend

John Farnham - Savage Streets OST (1984)

Linda Blair never really had the career she deserved. I mean, having your first major role as a possessed child who shrieks about sucking cocks in hell and crawls across ceilings may not have really paved the way towards a glittering ascension to Hollywood A-list status but it certainly gave her enough cred to make a string of low budget and mostly sleazy films throughout the 80's. Lots of female prison movies.
Savage Streets was another in the long line of "urban revenge" films that followed in the wake of Death Wish and Taxi Driver. Of course it doesn't possess any of the class or social commentary of these two giants of vigilantism but it does possess enough sleaze to qualify as a worthy watch.
Alongside many shower scenes and some pretty sweet harpoon-in-gang-member action the film features an early soundtrack outing for portly, Aussie sleaze muffin John Farnham. The master behind 80's jams for both Rad, Transformers and the single "You're The Voice". Farnham's contributions take up the majority of this album and are as solid as we have come to expect from the man. In fact its pretty much a John Farnham album. Of interest, an early version of the track "Nothings Gonna Stand In Our Way" is featured on here before being used years later for Transformers The Movie.
Here you go. The album was never actually released to the public other than a vinyl only promo sent out to radio stations and DJ's around the films release.

John Farnham - Savage Streets OST

Acid Reign - The Fear (1989)

A prime slice of British thrash metal for you tonight. I will admit I wasn't sold on Acid Reign first time around. In fact, until I picked this album up in a charity shop some years ago I never really gave them much of a chance. Shame on me I know. Here's a full live set from 1989 in London......

...and here's the album.....

Acid Reign - The Fear

John Carpenter - Escape From New York Original Soundtrack (1981)

As far as directors go, John Carpenter is surely one of my favourites. The guy was responsible for Halloween, The Thing, Assault On Precinct 13, In The Mouth of Madness, Prince Of Darkness and the awesome Escape From New York. Not only is he unbelievably cool for creating such fine, cinematic masterpieces but he is also unbelievably cool for soundtracking ( with a few exceptions) nearly all of his films himself.
The musical influence of JC can't be denied these days. How many synth based, electro, 80's referencing bands have a little JC groove in them?
Escape From New York is known for the iconic main theme. The melodic pulsing synths and heart beat like groove stuck in my head from the first time I heard it. I am not even going to explain the film as you should be aware of it already.
You need the music and films of John Carpenter in your life.

John Carpenter - Escape From New York

Alejandro Jodorowsky - El Topo OST (1970)

Writing about the work of Jodorowsky is a task in itself. Everyone has varying opinions on his work. So instead of getting hung up on what its all about lets just enjoy the jazzy, funk, acid trip score to his Surrealist, spaghetti western classic, El Topo.

Alejandro Jodorowsky - El Topo

Mutant Video - Head Scan (2011)

MUTANT VIDEO - PARKING LOT from john lukeman on Vimeo.

Been digging this lots recently. Lo-fi, dark synth sounds for a film that John Carpenter needs to make. Pretty sure its some people involved with the mighty Iron Lung that are also involved in this. Information is pretty scarce but I like that. This has been soundtracking my dark, early morning rides to work.

Mutant Video - Head Scan

I acquired this at the always awesome Terminal Escape. Its a treasure trove of awesome underground rumblings and well worth a browse.

Power Glove - EP1 (2010)

Perfect for sound tracking a rain swept, smoke filled, neon blasted drive through a future city sometime in the 1980's or fighting vampires/zombies in the club from Terminator while attack helicopters strafe your ass.

The Australian duo responsible for this ( who may or may not be lawyers from the future) have this EP and the second one available for free download online. They also had the track "Hunters" remixed by another electro duo, Lazerhawke, and included in the movie Hobo With A Shotgun. The scene when the Plague rampage through the hospital, that's Power Glove ( not to be confused with 8-bit covering metal band Powerglove).

Power Glove - EP1

Bonus high five for who can recognise which film they sample at the beginning of "Night Force"!

Siege - Drop Dead (1984)

Another RIP post. Sad news when it reached me. Kevin Mahony passed on recently. Kevin, along with his band mates in Siege basically defined the parameters and direction of hardcore punk back in the 80's.

If it wasn't for Kevin and Siege I wouldn't be doing what I do now. Here is the only release they ever managed. Drop Dead compromises the 6 track demo recorded back in '84 and 3 more tracks that came to light on Pushead's Cleanse The Bacteria compilation in 1985.
Basically the foundations of any band, musically and lyrically, that parades under the banner of fastcore/grindcore/power violence/hardcore whether your aware of it or not.

Siege - Drop Dead

Some pretty awesome, public TV footage as well.

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Bronson multi post

The legend himself, Charles Bronson. This post has come about from an in joke amongst myself and no one else at my place of work. I have spent nearly 3 weeks signing in as Charles Bronson on the safety check list. I don't really know why, one morning it came to me, no one has corrected or mentioned it, so its just carried on. Despite this massive safety flaw someone has since, written their name as Ben Dover. Only the once mind.

So, in honor of my employers slacks safety practises and in tribute to one of the best badasses to ever stalk cinema ( and also because I have been going through the archives, I needed to re-upload a bunch of things.) I have put together a load of Charlie B related musical things. A Charles Bronson bargain bucket if you will.

1 . Charles Bronson -Collection

 Get It

You should already know who these guys are. Classic, bratty sounding, 90s, hardcore/power violence dudes. To clever for their own good. Enjoy a movie/documentary that came with this compilation here.

2. Herbie Hancock - Death Wish OST

 Get it

The score to Micheal Winners vigilante classic. Often imitated, never bettered. Hancock created an impressive foreboding atmosphere with this one. perfectly suited to Charles Bronson dealing out street justice to Jeff Goldblum, Lawrence Fishburne ( when he was still cool) and all the other punks in his way.

3. Fister - Bronsonic

 Get it

Some nasty, feedback encrusted sludge from over the pond. Sorta like Eyehategod crossed with The Butthole Surfers. Been digging this for some time now. The band are giving it away free as it seems the physical copies have sold out. Well worth a listen if you like.

Barry De Vorzon - The Warriors OST

Perfect Friday night music from a perfect Friday night movie. Walter Hill's 1979 classic The Warriors, as well as being all sorts of cool features a pretty sweet soundtrack by Barry De Vorzon (also responsible for the awesome soundtrack to lost 70's TV show S.W.A.T.) utilizing masses of synths coupled to a rock framework, chuck in a few original numbers and a little ditty co-written with Joe Walsh and here you have it.  I shouldn't have to fill you in on the plot at all but to summarise, it borrows its premise from Anabasis ( fuck you 300 ) by Greek soldier, mercenary, theorist and writer Xenophon. A truce is called amongst the gangs of New York, during the truce the main honcho, Cyrus is shot and The Warriors of the title are framed for the killing. The film follows the journey to evade cops and other gangs to reach their own turf in Coney Island. 

You should already know this film so lets look at the musical score. De Vorzon really hit the nail on the head with this one, managing to capture the city-at-night vibe as well as the tension and energy, its a constant chase film. Scene after scene of guys in vests running away from other guys in vests. The main title track is a good high energy number and a reprise of it is used for the coolest looking gang in the movie, the Baseball Furies, when they first make an appearance.

Don't mess.

The other main number from this was co-written by that dude from The Eagles, Joe Walsh and sounds pretty much like his day job. De Vorzon had collaborated with Walsh before hand on numerous occasions and when the film called for a closing number, "In The City" was written.

But enough of me warbling, here is the soundtrack. You should already know the film.

Barry De Vorzon - The Warriors OST

- I would also recommend the game. If you can't get enough of the film or just want to kick the shit out of people, steal car stereos and throw rubbish bins through shop windows its pretty much a must.

- Orson Welles was originally meant to provide a voice over for the film. They had planned on integrating excerpts from Anabasis read out by Welles. It never happened.

- The film was in post production at the same time as the vastly inferior The Wanderers. The Warriors beat it to the post, thank god.

Despite being a pretty full on sausage party there is the scummy but attractive, bra-less Mercy. 

Gene Page - Blacula OST (1972)

Some solid, hard funk for tonight. This is Gene Page's complete score for William Crain's classic Blacula. Page managed to get The Hues Corporation to help out with some of the music and they appear in the film in the night club scenes as the house band. This obviously makes it clear that this isn't just some standard, orchestrated, strings and horns horror score. Obviously with the setting being funky LA and the fact they where tapping into the Blaxploition market, the accompanying music is pretty groovy. Plenty of smooth bass, flute and staccato horn work. You can't really imagine Nosferatu grooving up that stair case to this can you? William Marshall  brings a certain dignity to the role. I really think it's a combination of his turn as Dracula's "soul brother" and this soundtrack that lift Blacula above the tepid waters of 70's explotation films. In fact, if you didn't know what the album was you would never have this pegged as the soundtrack to a black vampire movie. "That's a baaaaaaad cape".

Gene Page - Blacula

The awesome theme tune and opening animation is really good......................

Harold Faltermeyer - The Running Man OST (1987)

Are you ready for pain? Are you ready for suffering? If the answer is yes, then you're ready for Harold Faltermeyer's score to The Running Man. One of Arnie's prime 80's cinematic high points. Based on a book written by Steven King under a pseudonym ( Richard Bachman). Faltermeyer nails it again.

Harold Faltermeyer - The Running Man OST

Mark Beecher once played the famous piano riff from the main theme on a pub piano in Bolton and it surely was the highlight of that all dayer we happened to be playing.

Pete Postlethwaite 1946 – 2011 RIP

 

Learned this morning of Pete Postlethwaite's death after a long battle with cancer. Despite making a few solid gold turkeys in his time he had the same thing Morgan Freeman had in that he brought a level of class and professionalism to everything he did. RIP.