There is only a re-recorded suite (but lengthy) available but 'Gorgo' has always been a favourite of mine. He wrote an incredibly sensitive main theme - in addition to all the undersea and action music. I believe the tender theme was representative of the 'mother love' (not a Frank Zappa song) of Gorgo's mother for him. I'd love original tracks one day.
Only one copy available via SAE, so - depending upon your budget and interest - you might be interested in this one. [late-'60s Lavagnino scores can get surprisingly adventuresome. La Battaglia features some wordless female sighing and moaning, which demonstrates that Lavagnino could go 'way out there' and hold his own against guys like Morricone or Goldsmith ]
Only one copy available via SAE, so - depending upon your budget and interest - you might be interested in this one. [late-'60s Lavagnino scores can get surprisingly adventuresome. La Battaglia features some wordless female sighing and moaning, which demonstrates that Lavagnino could go 'way out there' and hold his own against guys like Morricone or Goldsmith ]
Zardoz, thanks for the 'heads up' I already have this CD on order from another supplier, it should be arriving in the next couple of days.......can't wait to hear it !
I must admit, although I really like what I've heard of his music, I've actually heard very little of it. However, I have to really recommend the ones I have, even though they are probably some of the most mainstream releases amongst collectors.
At the top of my list comes 1955's THE LOST CONTINENT (CONTINENTE PERDUTO). Although the 1950s MGM LP gave a good glimpse into the fascinating score, its rather murky sound quality did not do the music justice. Not until the 2010 CD release on Alhambra did this score get the presentation it deserved. The contents were greatly expanded, and the CD is in glorious stereo. My favorite moments are the mysterious and/or lovely choral parts in tracks such as "Dressing of a Novice" and "Volcanoes/House of God." I also love the floating sound of the vibraphone and organ in The Wedding." The rest of the score offers other wonderful greatly varied cues, but those listed above are my favorites. They are just haunting.
It was a VERY limited pressing of only 500 copies. I don't know what the availability of this CD is at this time, but I know I was amazed at how slow it it was selling when it first came out. If you can still find one, grab it!
I also like the CAM expanded CD of THE NAKED MAJA, which has more music than the old UA LP. I have not heard the 2-CD set on Digitmovies, so I can't comment on that.
I must also truly extend a vigorous handshake of thanks to David Schecter and the MMM label for the absolutely fantastic job done on their re-recorded suite from GORGO. In every cue, the CD matches or outdoes the original film performances.
I thank all of you others who suggested other great scores mostly unknown to me. I will consider getting those in the hopes of further expanding my knowledge of this great composer.
I must admit, although I really like what I've heard of his music, I've actually heard very little of it. However, I have to really recommend the ones I have, even though they are probably some of the most mainstream releases amongst collectors.
At the top of my list comes 1955's THE LOST CONTINENT (CONTINENTE PERDUTO). Although the 1950s MGM LP gave a good glimpse into the fascinating score, its rather murky sound quality did not do the music justice. Not until the 2010 CD release on Alhambra did this score get the presentation it deserved. The contents were greatly expanded, and the CD is in glorious stereo. My favorite moments are the mysterious and/or lovely choral parts in tracks such as "Dressing of a Novice" and "Volcanoes/House of God." I also love the floating sound of the vibraphone and organ in The Wedding." The rest of the score offers other wonderful greatly varied cues, but those listed above are my favorites. They are just haunting.
It was a VERY limited pressing of only 500 copies. I don't know what the availability of this CD is at this time, but I know I was amazed at how slow it it was selling when it first came out. If you can still find one, grab it!
I also like the CAM expanded CD of THE NAKED MAJA, which has more music than the old UA LP. I have not heard the 2-CD set on Digitmovies, so I can't comment on that.
I must also truly extend a vigorous handshake of thanks to David Schecter and the MMM label for the absolutely fantastic job done on their re-recorded suite from GORGO. In every cue, the CD matches or outdoes the original film performances.
I thank all of you others who suggested other great scores mostly unknown to me. I will consider getting those in the hopes of further expanding my knowledge of this great composer.
Jim, thank you for your valuable info....and good luck with your endeavors.
His sandalone scores are great. "Gorgo" has aleady been mentioned. Get that one. The "Beast from 20.000 fathoms" is a nice bonus.
Most of all however get MMM's "The blob" it has THE most beautiful piece Angelo ever wrote: "Birds in flight". Hear the sample on the SAE-page [http://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/8336/THE-BLOB/]. It could be a high end track of the most prestigious episodes of "Columbo". If you only could buy one CD, that one is the one to get.
His sandalone scores are great. "Gorgo" has aleady been mentioned. Get that one. The "Beast from 20.000 fathoms" is a nice bonus.
Most of all however get MMM's "The blob" it has THE most beautiful piece Angelo ever wrote: "Birds in flight". Hear the sample on the SAE-page [http://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm/ID/8336/THE-BLOB/]. It could be a high end track of the most prestigious episodes of "Columbo". If you only could buy one CD, that one is the one to get.
D.S.
Thanks D.S........'Birds in Flight' is indeed very beautiful....may get that CD.
Zardoz, I'm enjoying every minute of this Sublime score.....and thank you for recommending it.
Leo.
You're welcome, Leo.
My order of Samoa arrived in the mail after you posted this, and - while I've been lovin' this as well - it sounds like no other Lavagnino CD that I own. Literally.
Apparently, this production began @ Beat Records. Beat had inherited some of the master tapes from Nazionalmusic & other Italian music publishers and they've mostly been surfacing onto their own albums. However, some of these have been farmed out to other labels (such as Carlo Savina's La Cieca di Sorrento which made its way onto Kronos).
Now with the current arrangement between Beat & Digitmovies, album masters by Claudio Fuiano have appeared on Beat CDs & vice versa. Enrico de Gemini did the album mastering on Lavagnino's Samoa and it sounds like the source is 2-track mono. The chorus is heard isolated on a single channel and does not spread from left to right. This mastering reminds me of the days of those electronically simulated stereo LPs which attempted to convert monaural recordings into a stereo experience. I appreciate de Gemini's efforts - really - because he saved a recording from oblivion, but the end result is not something we've (or I have, in any case) come to expect from Digitmovies & the work by Fuiano. Fuiano's name appears nowhere within the credits for Samoa, and I can't help but wonder how long de Gemini's album master on Samoa has been lingering around before getting released.
Considering its exotica content and the female pulchritude in the booklet pictures, Samoa could have been an ideal - indeed an icon - for Beat Records.
Samoa is another 4-star Lavagnino disc in my collection.
Fuiano's name appears nowhere within the credits for Samoa, and I can't help but wonder how long de Gemini's album master on Samoa has been lingering around before getting released.
Zardoz, I am quite sure that the source for the SAMOA CD were the three 1/4 inch open reel tapes which are available in the Lavagnino estate of this score. Beat has also access to the estate for almost two years now and for example the tape material for their SUPERSEVEN CHIAMA CAIRO CD of course also came from there. You have to keep in mind that otherwise for such old Nazionalmusic/Sonorfilm titles most often nothing would exist anymore nowadays.
My order of Samoa arrived in the mail after you posted this, and - while I've been lovin' this as well - it sounds like no other Lavagnino CD that I own. Literally.
By the way, Lavagnino's music for GUNGALA, LA VERGINE DELLA GIUNGLA - made one year before SAMOA in 1967 and with the same music publisher - is quite similar. Both scores also share one and the same music for the respective Main Title. The excerpt from track 1 of the SAMOA CD which I can hear on the SAE website in any case does not come from the Main Title of SAMOA. So am I right in assuming that it does not at all crop up on the CD because it probably was not on the SAMOA tapes and just recycled from GUNGALA?
Here you can listen to the Main Tiltle of GUNGALA at minute 2:47:
And just the same music for the Main Title of SAMOA at minute 1:34:
Indeed Samoa is a nice work. I was a bit surprised by the style given the year of production, but it is still similar to other Lavagnino works. It includes some exotica sounds of the pacific islands heard for instance on L'Ultimo Paradiso (1955), along with more incidental tracks that are not unlike some his westerns or war movies from the same period. It's been a long time since I've listened to Attentato ai tre grandi / Africa Ama, but I suspect it might also covers some of the same sounds.
I just saw Orson Welles's masterpiece, Chimes at Midnight (Falstaff) in theater in a newly restored print. Lavagnino's score was just magnificent, sublime at times.
By the way, Lavagnino's music for GUNGALA, LA VERGINE DELLA GIUNGLA - made one year before SAMOA in 1967 and with the same music publisher - is quite similar. Both scores also share one and the same music for the respective Main Title. The excerpt from track 1 of the SAMOA CD which I can hear on the SAE website in any case does not come from the Main Title of SAMOA. So am I right in assuming that it does not at all crop up on the CD because it probably was not on the SAMOA tapes and just recycled from GUNGALA?
No doubt Lavagnino's music for the 1968 Samoa has stylistic precedents in some of his earlier works. And, yes, the main title music heard in the movie itself does not surface onto the Digitmovies CD. Curiously, Digitmovies does not give any credit to the chorus of Nora Orlandi either.
I was referring to the sound of the album master not sounding like any other Lavagnino disc. The entire chorus is placed into a single channel whilst the opposite channel highlights the percussion.
Do you think the tapes in the Lavagnino estate are 1-channel mono? Did de Gemini separate instrumental groups from the monaural source to create an artificial stereo sound?
Do you think the tapes in the Lavagnino estate are 1-channel mono? Did de Gemini separate instrumental groups from the monaural source to create an artificial stereo sound?
I do not have the CD here yet so I can't tell you much about it. Also it is difficult to say if the SAMOA tapes in the Lavagnino estate are in mono or in stereo. Sometimes it is even mentioned on the boxes if the tapes inside are mono or stereo, but sometimes not at all. Often you either have to open the box itself and look inside if you will find any additional notice there or you will only get to know about it when you really listen to the tape. Although I know that I had the SAMOA tape boxes in my hands a few years ago, I don't remember it anymore if there was any labeling on those boxes about stereo or mono. From my experience, both variants might be possible. However, the Lavagnino tapes with the CAM scores from around 1960 where CAM themselves only preserved mono tapes do almost always exist in stereo in the estate. On the other hand, other scores from around the same time period - for example our upcoming MACISTE CONTRO IL VAMPIRO score on Alhambra - are available only in mono in the estate. By the way, the GUNGALA tapes are also available in the estate and I suppose that Beat has also already transferred those tapes as they have the rights for the score.
Samoa is a very rich and rewarding listening experience. Almost sounds like a Lavagnino "greatest hits" package at times, but with all-new music. Stereo is fabulous!
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