Last post, I received a request to feature the entire Custom label The Good, the Bad & the Ugly LP. At first, I decided I wouldn't, since the tracks--exotica in a Martin Denny/Ferrante and Teicher style--don't sound remotely like music for a spaghetti western. Then I realized that was the whole point. Like so many junk-label LPs of the 1960s, this album pretends to be something it isn't--in this case, the soundtrack music to The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. Granted, in print not intended to be noticed by the buyer, Custom only promises us the theme, but the jacket and track titles have the look of a soundtrack. Lots of cheapies played the "Music from..." game, featuring one or maybe two tracks from a musical, movie, or TV show and padding the rest with Stephen Foster songs or whatever the label had on hand to fill the playing time.
So I figured, yeah, I should post this. Besides, once we're past the lousy opening selection, it's first-rate musicianship and good stereo sound (over a less than silent pressing). I mean, really outstanding musicianship--and quality stereo. I expected less in both departments. A pleasant surprise.
But the disconnect between the titles (The Wind and the Desert, The Weak and the Strong) and the moods set by the music can only be described as hilarious. Or maybe bizarre. Why the tiki music, complete with bird-call sound effects and island percussion? Why the "Welcome to our happy village" sound for Death at Sunrise? Why the relaxing and feel-good vibes on Lost Hope? Why the jungle noises to start out The Wind and the Desert? I suppose many a desert was a jungle at some point in our planet's evolution, but the track/subject disconnect was just the Custom folks being idiots. I just wonder what this material was called originally and who did it. No artist credits anywhere on this. Not even "The Custom Symphony Orchestra."
Checking the track titles on the actual soundtrack LP, I see that many of these titles are take-offs on same. The Strong became The Weak and the Strong. The Ecstasy of Gold became The Love of Gold. The Sundown became Hope at Sundown, the music for which sounds for a bit like part of the original Little Shop of Horrors soundtrack by Fred Katz--the walking-through-skid-row scenes and the chase at the close. This LP is way more entertaining than any dollar-bin knock-off has a right to be....
LINK: Theme from the Motion Picture The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (Crown CS 1122)
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
The Wind and the Desert
The Love of Gold
Hope at Sundown
The Soldier of Fortune
Lost Hope
Death at Sunrise
The Weak and the Strong
The Three Comrades
The Happy Soldier
Theme from the Motion Picture The Good, the Bad & the Ugly (Crown CS 1122)
Lee
8 comments:
It appears that the other (renamed) tracks are from Milt Raskin's excellent exotica classic "Exotic Percussion." It's one of my favorites.
Thanks for the i.d.! I figured it must have been Crown label material. It is great stuff. Absurd marketing, but they chose excellent tracks!
Ha Ha Ha Ha, too funny. Love the way they ripped off the legit names for their rip-off tracks.
It's as if they anticipated collectors would be seeking these things 50-plus years later and wanted to give us a good laugh. They did a good job!
There you go, genius or dreck, jump in with both feet! Actually, of all the cheap grey market labels of he 50s and 60s, Crown is the one whose catalog contains a dozen or so albums that are real favorites. Lot's of good jazz there.
Absolutely. And Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, early Ray Stevens.... Some gems. Cruddy pressings, chintzy jackets, but some great stuff.
Yep, lots of great material and crappy pressings. There must be something about the formula they used to press Crown albums. Almost all of them develop a film that leaves them sounding even cloudier. Still, there's a real charm about them. They're the ones that catch my attention in the thrift stores. Design, Plymouth, Royale, etc, I can see being a collector, but the pedigree of the recordings is sketchy at best. Who knows who’s really performing? All that fun for 49 cents back in the day. About the same price now!
I just knew this would be GOLD!!!!! Thank you so much for accepting my request for this whole album.....I am now thinking how I can sync this up with the movie much like the 'Heads' do with 'Dark Side of the Moon' and the 'Wizard of Oz'. If I ever have time.......
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