I’ve been digging DEEP into soundtracks and film scores this week. After that collection of 5,000 titles surfaced it was a no-brained I’d be spending my time pulling out interesting titles and taking boatloads home for more thorough listening. And, of course, I made damned sure I grabbed each and every Ennio Morricone score I could get my grubby little collector paws on before anyone else had a chance to see them. So I’ve been tirelessly listening and ripping and enjoying Morricone film music for the past seven days. And now I think I’ve heard enough (I’ve burned 115 different titles, though I haven’t heard ’em all yet) to make a definitive top ten for you. I’m going to TRY not to let nostalgia (read: Once Upon A Time In The West, The Good The Bad & The Ugly, Fistful Of Dollars) cloud my judgement. Even though those were the first compositions of Morricone’s I ever heard, that doesn’t make them the best.
Or so I keep trying to convince myself…
Okay. Here goes:
The Top Ten Ennio Morricone Film Scores
10. C’era una volta il west (1968) – This was the first score of Morricone’s I ever heard, and from the opening strains of the title sequence (or eponymous first track on the LP/CD) I was hooked. There’s a reason it has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its release. It’s literally that good. I’d rank it higher (top 3?) but I don’t want to seem impartial to the work Morricone did for Leone. That said, some of my favorite tracks here include “Cheyenne” (“Farewell to Cheyenne” on the English version I believe) and “L’Orchestraccia” (“Bad Orchestra”).
09. Una Lucertola con Pelle di Donna (1971) – The score for this Lucio Fulci film is equal parts psychedelic and suspense, with some awesome creepy moments thrown in for good measure. Of course, more memorable than the music, A Lizard In Woman’s Skin is most famous for that scene in which dogs are shown being cut open with hearts and guts and innards graphically depicted on screen. I think they’re still pulsating in some shots. Anyway, a bunch of the crew and effects artists had to testify in court to prove it wasn’t real. So most of the time when you hear about this film it’s because of THAT, but the music is also really good! [Listen to “La Lucertola”]
08. Giù la testa (1971) – Another western score, Duck You Sucker, has some really stunning moments and lush arrangements full of droning strings in the vein of all Morricone’s other Leone scores. There’s also a brilliant moment where he uses the opening notes of “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” during the prison raids in a comedic ode to Mozart. Lest you think it’s all fun and games here, I should alert you to the emotional core of the music. Because this was the last western Leone shot (and consequently the last one Morricone would score for him) there’s more romantic, heart-tugging moments here than on most other Morricone scores. So don’t approach it as a fun and games western. It’s deeper than that, k?
07. Il gatto a nove code (1971) – Sometimes referred to simply as “Il Gatto,” The Cat O’Nine Tails score features tons of trippy jazz motifs and electronic blips to punctuate the more minimalist compositions. If you like this Western scores but not his horror scores, this might be a good place to start on the horror stuff because it kind of toes the line between those two genres. “Ninna Nanna In Blu” sounds like it could fit in a Leone film, but the follow-up track “1970” is pure Argento. It continues kind of like that for the duration, making it one of his most profound and easily-accessible scores. [Listen to “Dissociazione”]
06. Per un pugno di dollari (1964) – The theme is one of the best Morricone ever penned, which I guess might be a strike against it because he was told by Leone to write something “Tiomkin-like” and the trumpets on that song sound strikingly similar to one of Tiomkin’s compositions for Rio Bravo. Still there are so many great moments to enjoy on this soundtrack, and the theme is still very MORRICONE, whether or not he bit someone else’s style or not, it’s a beautiful piece of music.
05. Che c’entriamo noi la rivoluzione? (1972) – This score is VERY repetitive, but I absolutely love the repeated melodies. You can’t hear these compositions and not want to whistle along. Sparse arrangements, beautifully strummed acoustic guitar, and those whistles. Oh, the whistles. They’re perfect. Trust me. Don’t laugh. My co-worker made this mistake on Sunday and then by the end of the album he came over to me and said, “Yeah, you’re right. That’s fucking awesome.” [Listen to “Che c’entriamo noi?”]
04. The Thing (1982) – Morricone himself wasn’t too happy with how Carpenter used his music (reportedly the director asked for a European-sounding score, and then turned around and used only the bits of music that sounded most like his own compositions), but the results are still stellar. Considering the dark, ambient mood of the movie, this film music works perfectly with what is shown on the screen, and at the end of the day that’s pretty much the most you can ask for from a film composer.
03. L’attentat (1972) – I wrote about this the other day. As previously stated, this soundtrack is highlighted by the 17+ minute EPIC “Symphonie pour L’attentat.” A lot of fans see this as the first stepping stone on the path to his heralded score for The Untouchables in 1986. You can read more about it by clicking the provided hyperlink.
02. Revolver (1973) – And you thought the Beatles were the only musicians who could claim to have recorded a masterpiece named Revolver. How good is this funky, somewhat sleazy score? Well, Tarrantino (who is constantly reusing and repurposing Morricone’s work) borrowed “Un Amico” for his film Inglorious Basterds and used it to great effect. “Quasi Un Vivaldi” might be a tongue-in-cheek reference to Vivaldi, as Morricone has made a habit of poking and prodding ironically in regards to famous composers who came before him.
01. Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo (1967) – Contains the greatest piece of film music — perhaps even the greatest modern instrumental composition — ever penned, which is “L’estasi dell’oro” (“The Ecstasy Of Gold”), a piece of music so perfect and so beautiful it makes me want to break down and cry ever single time I hear it. Without fail, I will be overcome with emotion any time I hear this song. That’s without even counting the main theme, which is in its own right considered one of the most iconic pieces of film music ever penned. And then think about how many times other segments of this soundtrack (“Il Tramonto” for example) have been co-opted by other films. It’s pretty much as good as it gets.
