Why a company like Mondo or Death Waltz hasn’t pressed this up yet is beyond me. I know Mondo did a special VHS release for it in one of the old-school “big box” or “clam shell” style that was commonplace in the ’80s. Still, the score to that movie was one of the best things about it. Sure, the visuals were incredible and it was akin to taking an all-too-brief acid trip, but the score is what tied all those visuals together. I have no doubt someone will snag the rights to it, and whoever does is going to be a lucky bastard. I’d buy a copy.
As the story goes (according to THE INTERNET) Jeremy Schmidt, keyboard player for Vancouver-based rockers Black Mountain, was invited by director Panos Cosmatos to compose the movie’s soundtrack. “Evil Ball,” a track from Schmidt’s solo project, Sinoia Caves, was used by the director on a private screening held for Schmidt. A mutual appreciation for Tangerine Dream, John Carpenter soundtracks and Giorgio Moroder’s music for American Gigolo (1980) cemented their bond. Schmidt also pointed out the background music from The Shining (1980) and Risky Business (1983) as musical blueprints for the Beyond the Black Rainbow score. Regarding the impact of The Shining’s soundtrack on his score, Schmidt singled out the compositions by György Ligeti and Krzysztof Penderecki as sonic touchstones. Their music had already been featured the sci-fi and horror genres, two of Cosmatos’ main cinematic obsessions when young. Ligeti pieces “Lux Aeterna” and “Atmosphères” had been featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Penderecki’s “Polymorphia” and a portion of “The Devils of Loudun” was used in The Exorcist (1973).
For his analog synth score, Schmidt used the following equipment: a Prophet 5, two Oberheims, Moog Taurus bass pedals, a Korg CX-3 organ and a Mellotron. An extensive use of the Mellotron can be heard on the “flashback” sequence, where Cosmatos had been using Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” as a temp track. All in all, “the chosen palette of sounds definitely harkens back to ‘The New Age of Enlightenment'”, said Schmidt.
Enjoy. This shit is awesome. And if you haven’t seen the movie, you’d be wise to find it. I know it was streaming on Netflix for a while, it might still be, I haven’t checked recently. Turn off the lights, take some drugs and fall into it.
By the way, I have no idea if any of those track names are legit or not. Oh well.
Jeremy Schmidt
Beyond The Black Rainbow
(N/A, 2010)
Jeremy Schmidt – Sentionauts [MP3]
