Thanks for the memories

ok, this is just a short post which neatly ties together a couple of the things that I've mentioned so far in this blog. Well, one of them to this post. On wednesday I went to see Maria McKee in concert which was awesome. She played a cover of a track which I knew, though I'd forgotten what it was or what film it was from. The track that she played was In The Long Run, originally done by The Carrie Nations for the film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Two things should now enter your head. Russ Meyer and breasts. That's the man.

 Anyway, since the gig I haven't been able to get the song or the image of Maria McKee and long time cohort Susan Otten (who has the most amazing brown eyes and looks like Kim Deal) out of my head. So maybe this post is a kind of indulgent catharsis.

 Now, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is about a female rock group who get sucked into the seedy underbelly of rock n roll in the bright lights of Hollywood. There's even a mad promoter who gives a nod to Phil Spector. Originally the film was supposed to be a sequel to Valley of the Dolls, but ended up being practically a spoof of it. But like all of Russ Meyer's films there's a healthy sprinkling of sex. Mostly breast related.

 

(apologies for the dodgy dubbing) 

 

The other thing I'd like to get off my chest (a-ha!) is my first experience with Russ Meyer's films. When young, innocent and probably drunk, myself and a few friends (I can't remember the friends, but I'm sure they were there and it limits the sadness of this tale) I went to see Supervixens and Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens in the Grosvenor cinema in Glasgow. What a double bill! (ouch!) I was pretty naive way back then and these two films were a bit of an eye-opener. In fact I guess I was pretty shocked given that my upbringing was fairly sedate and middle class. However, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens gave me an experience that I'd rather forget. In the film there's a woman called Junkyard Sal played by June Mack. She's involved in a sexual scene or two, which is fair enough. But it wasn't that that got me, it was her face. It's kind of diamond shaped, or looked like it in the film and for some reason I started retching. I was nearly physically sick in the cinema just because I was looking at a woman's face. Even with my eyes closed it was still an effort not to vomit. Having googled said woman, I can't really understand why it would have such a physical effect on me, in fact, on reflection, I don't think I've had a physical reaction as severe from a film (apart from maybe at Steve Martin's Parenthood when he falls off the horse......I uncontrollably laughed for ten minutes in the same cinema, I kid you not).

 

I should probably investigate a bit more about Russ Meyer - there doesn't seem to be a reason for his large breast obsession - but as I said, this is kind of a short, self-indulgent post. I hope my co-contributors don't mind

It's funny how events of today can send you back many years, I guess that's the power of music and film.

 

mp3 - In The Long Run - The Carrie Nations

buy - DVD / CD

 

 

tags: Russ Meyer, Beyond the valley of the dolls, The carrie nations, Maria Mckee, Supervixens, breasts

Bamlet

I think it would be remiss of us to forget to post about some musical animated movies, especially as they have become so popular. Well, I say become, but I'm not sure if maybe that popularity is waning now. And what better one to dicuss than The Lion King, possibly the animated musical that started the resurgence (and also the one I've seen the most by a looooong way). It has everything, it's a coming of age story (Simba), a love story (Simba & Nala),  there's an evil villain (Scar) and even a comedy meerkat (Timon). Now meerkat's are ace at the best of times, but a comedy one? In a movie? Inspired. Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the warthog are merely the icing on this celluloid cake. But as kitten points out and then forgets, we're a music blog, and this should be about relating the music to the film in some kind of meaningful way (as if!)

Much as the music fits the film perfectly, I'd be interested to know if people actually sit and listen to the soundtrack at home. While you might sing along during the film and even hum the songs while you're doing the dishes, do people actually think, "oh, I could really do with a blast of Hakuna Matata". Is it maybe just for the benefit of children that the soundtrack is bought? The two 'real' songs on this soundtrack -  the Academy Award winnning "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" you could imagine listening to if you like that sort of thing, but for me, the other songs would be best saved for children's parties. However, within the film they are fantastic. Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons) sings 'Be Prepared' to a background of similarly evil (or just misunderstood) hyenas. Rowan Atkinson's character, Zazu, an avian advisor to Simba's dad, Mufasa, sings "The Morning Report" as he gives a report of the lion's territory. 

"The Circle of Life" which I maybe unfairly left off my real songs list seeing as it was Academy Award nominated, was written by Tim Rice & Elton John and pretty much provides the central theme for the whole film. That everything is there for a reason. The grass feeds the deer, the deer feed the lions and the lions, well, they laze about in the sun all day. But when the king is killed by his evil brother who then takes the throne (Hamlet anyone?) Simba (the king's son) then runs for his life, finds himself with the help of Timon and Pumbaa and then comes back to claim his throne (via a ghostly visitation from his father). Thankfully for the hearts and minds of millions of children across the world, it ends a bit better than Hamlet. But there again is the circle of life, the son succeeding his father.

I think the other trail that this film blazed was giving nods to past films in an attempt to appeal to adults. In fact the scenario painted at the inception of the film was 'Bambi in Africa meets Hamlet - Bamlet'. If you look at the IMDB entry there are  more than a few trivia entries, many of which refer to older films. Here's a few for those who can't be bothered to click on the link.....

The scar on Scar's face is in exactly the same place as it is on Al Pacino's character Tony Montana in the movie Scarface (1983).

Simba says to Scar (Jeremy Irons) You're so weird. Scar replies: You have no idea!, the same reply that Irons used in Reversal of Fortune (1990).

The scene of the hyenas goose-stepping in during the musical number Be Prepared is modeled directly from a scene in Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph des Willens (1935).

If you do have the urge to sit at your PC listening to some hardcore Elton John/Lion King then here are some mp3's for your enjoyment. Remember, if you like them, buy the CD/DVD, if only for your children.

 

mp3: Circle of Life - Elton John/Tim Rice

mp3: Hakuna Matata

mp3: Be Prepared

 

 

tags: The Lion King, musical, scarface, animated, cartoon, Elton John, meerkat

Ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?

Many years ago, in about 1990 I think, I had an argument with a friend of mine about Batman and the soundtrack album that Prince produced for the movie return to the franchise. At the time I was a huge Prince fan and I was convinced that no other artist could have captured the insanity of the joker and the darkness of Gotham City in one album so well. Mike, I was right then, and I'm still right now. For instance, the other contender to do the soundtrack album was INXS iirc. Now, much as I liked INXS - especially early INXS (yikes! all my skeletons are coming out now) - there is no way they could have produced an album with the relevance and sense of fun that Prince did. Jack Nicholson's Joker was the star of Batman and Prince was his musical alter ego. Just as INXS couldn't have produced an album of Prince's quality, so the alternative to Nicholson, Robin Williams, wouldn't have been able to reach the former's heights. In fact Nicholson seems to have been in two minds (haha) about taking the role until Williams was approached.

For the latest incarnation of the Batman films, The Dark Knight (2008), Heath Ledger is cast to play the Joker. Now, I can kind of see this  facially, but I'm just not sure he has the maniacal chaos inside him to be able to carry this off. Sure he's a great actor, Monster's Ball being one of my favourite films of recent times, but The Joker? In Batman? can't see it somehow. Robin Williams wanted it again, but always the bridesmaid, eh?

So who could do the soundtrack to The Dark Knight? Is a collection of songs from different artists the right way to go, or should we go back to Batman, and get one artist to do a whole concept album? I'd love to see a concept album, maybe by the Flaming Lips or even the Polyphonic Spree (where are they?). You see where I'm going with this, don't you? We need some chaos, some life, some energy, some fun. But we also need some darkness, sadness and grit. I'm pretty sure the Flaming Lips could do an awesome job.

mp3: Partyman   
mp3: Vikki Waiting

Buy the CD/DVD

no gala

What have Pulp Fiction and Days of Thunder got in common? On the face of it nothing, on the seedy underbelly, probably not much either, but if you look at the soundtracks they both have a track by former Lone Justice frontwoman Maria McKee on them.

So, I'm going to use this month's theme (films, if you hadn't guessed) to let off some steam about something that bugs me. It shouldn't bug me as much as it does, but then that probably goes the same for 99% of people on this planet. So, what is it that bugs me? It's that one of my favourite artists, Maria McKee, is barely known outside of her two songs that have been on film soundtracks.
If you head over to Last FM you'll see that her two most listened to tracks by the members of Last.fm are Show Me Heaven from Days of Thunder and If Love is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags) from the superb Pulp Fiction. Actually, it does redeem some small amount of my faith in human nature that the Pulp Fiction track is listened to much more (and that Show me Heaven is also on a 'womans' compilation).

Now they're both good songs (although nowhere near her best), and it stands to reason that film soundtracks may well sell more widely than Maria McKee's solo records, but why oh why hasn't the film exposure led to more album sales, greater recognition, riches beyond her wildest dreams? Maybe I'm being naive and the films have improved her career - without them she would be busking on the streets, destitute and on the verge of having to sell her guitar. But genuinely, I don't believe that. Maybe the royalties from the film soundtracks have given her enough money to keep on going, to do what she really wants to do, so in writing this I'm being ungrateful. Nope, I'm greedy, well greedy for Maria, and I think more people should be listening to her music. I suspect she agrees with me.

This of course brings up the wider question of what impact does having a successful track on the soundtrack to a successful film have on the career of an artist. Now, I may be wrong, but Bryan Adams' credibility dived after 'that song' despite the enormous success of both film (Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves) and single. You could even argue that Prince's career went into decline (with minor peaks following) after the Batman soundtrack which I've recently been listening to (or trying to). I loved it when it came out, can't anymore. Dare I mention Gary Jules' cover of Mad World from Donnie Darko? What happened to him, where has he disappeared to?(his website says he's just released a new album which I am now unwittingly promoting) Limp Bizkit...Mission Impossible 2. bleurghhhh. why?

So, sure, being on a film soundtrack, or even producing a complete one, isn't a recipe for stardom, but when you have an artist of the quality and integrity of Maria McKee you'd hope some people would at least look a little deeper.

Look a little deeper you saint
mp3: No Gala {High Dive}
mp3: Absolutely Barking Stars {Life is Sweet}
mp3: I'm Gonna Soothe You {You Gotta Sin To Get Saved}

Skim the surface you *&!%$£
mp3: If Love is a Red Dress (Hang Me In Rags) {Live in Bremen 2003}

YouTube: Show Me Heaven

Buy: Pulp Fiction (CD/DVD) Days of Thunder (CD/DVD) Donnie Darko (CD/DVD) Batman(CD/DVD)

picture by Cabaret Voltaire

Technorati Tags:maria mckee, pulp fiction, days of thunder, gala

Blue Movies

Welcome to Bluets. Do you like the flowers?
This is the first post on the film theme and it's such a bugger. What to write about, will it be good, what songs? Then it hits you (well, me), we're called Bluets, the theme is films, um, so films with Blue in the title.

What comes to mind then.....The Blue Lagoon? easy tiger. Derek Jarman's Blue? I watched that. Really. The Blues Brothers? Bingo!!
I'm not sure I can write anything about The Blues Brothers that hasn't been said before, well, unless I said it was shit *gasp*. It's not, so settle down. It may not be the greatest film ever, especially if you take the music out, but what it is is the best marriage of music and film that has ever graced the silver screen. I know, no matter how many times I watch it, when the Blues Brothers strike up the chords to Everybody Needs Somebody in the Palace Hotel Ballroom, and Elwood starts talking over it, hairs will stand up on the back of my neck. Hell, even if I'm not watching the film and I hear the song, I get a little shiver.
But that's the power of music and film together, they can enhance each other, a symbiotic relationship if you will. You may never see the film without the music, but if you hear the music without the film, those images come flooding back. Like a double whammy on your senses. Why do you think bands pay so much to have a decent video for their singles?

Speaking of music videos, the previously mentioned Derek Jarman is responsible for many examples of that genre, including The Smiths - Panic, There is a Light That Never Goes Out and The Queen is Dead. All were part of one short film first shown at the Edinburgh film festival in 1986 which was then divided to provide the promotional videos for each song.
In many ways Derek Jarman's Blue is the opposite of The Blues Brothers. Nothing to stimulate the viewer/listener beyond his/her interest in what they can hear. And yet, Jarman made it into a film? It is 80 minutes of blue screen with Jarman's voice and sound effects playing over it. As AIDS ravaged his body blue was the last colour he could see and in the film he relates that colour to his life and eventually his death. So we get a taste of Jarman's life not just through what he tells us, but what we can see. It's hard going, but then so is dying of AIDS.


mp3: The Smiths - There is a Light.......
mp3: The Blues Brothers - Everybody Needs Somebody

Buy: The Blues Brothers CD/DVD The Smiths Derek Jarman

Technorati Tags:blue, derek jarman, film, the smiths, the blues brothers