Easily one of the most prolific film composers of all time, Ennio Morricone enjoys a revered status in the world of eccentric music lovers second to no other. While he is probably best known for his unmistakable music in Sergio Leone's Man with No Name trilogy, much of his work has been of a subtler and somewhat less broadly accessible variety. Because of this, his oeuvre represents a treasure trove for film music lovers, and now, with Crime and Dissonance, Mike Patton and his Ipecac label have made available some of the quirkier gems from among a diverse catalog.
Of course, this being Ipecac, the theme of the collection is Morricone's most unconventional work, and it covers the period of 1968 to 1981 with a concentration in the early 1970s. This represents the third commercially available collection compiled by the Sun City Girls' Alan Bishop, an amateur musicologist of sorts. His previous two collections (Morricone 2000 and Morricone 2001) represented works from roughly the same era, but lean more towards the sweeter melodic fare. This time around, the title says it all, with the compositions exhibiting some of the tensest and most tortured music that Morricone has produced. The distance from visual accompaniment makes it seem even more outre than it is, but to be certain, this is creepy stuff. "1970" is all cautious bass footsteps, strange knocking noises, and otherwordly vocals coordinated with atonal piano runs. The schizophrenic "Memento" functions as equal parts haunting lullaby, avant garde choir hymn, and psychedelic rock tune, with these parts retracting and reemerging continuously throughout the duration of the track. There are more straightforward examples here as well, like the funky opener "Giorno Di Notte." However, even that track which is held together by a good rhythm section features guitar and piano freely and sometimes discordantly fluttering and fighting over that tight bed.
Undoubtedly, Patton and Bishop have accomplished their goal of corralling a group of Morricone's most uncompromising works. With that said, the question then becomes: who is the target audience? Well, most casual fans will be unlikely to get excited by this more esoteric work, and for them, a more classical collection including his Western music would probably suffice. For the diehards, they likely already have much of what is here, and while there may be a few rare items, they will find this release to be mainly redundant in their collection. Ultimately, it is really a collection for adventurous fans of challenging music who might not focus on film music. For these lucky few, Crime and Dissonance will be a welcome revelation.
Disc 1
1. Giorno Di Notte Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film Una Lucertola Con La Pelle Di Donna) 1971
2. Astratto 3 (From the film Veruschka [Poesia Di Una Donna]) 1971
3. Corsa Sui Tetti Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film L'Uccello Con Le Piume Di Cristallo) 1969
4. Ric Happening Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film Metti Una, Sera A Cena) 1969
5. Memento (From the film L'Istruttoria E' Chiusa: Dimentichi) 1971
6. Ricreazione Divertita Conducted by Bruno Nicolai (From the film Cuore Di Mamma) 1969
7. Studio Di Colore Conducted by Bruno Nicolai (From the film L'Assoluto Naturale) 1970
8. Forza G (Quella Donna) Conducted by Bruno Nicolai (From the film Forza G) 1972
9. Placcaggio Conducted by Bruno Nicolai (From the film Il Gatto A Nove Code) 1971
10. Seguita Performed by Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza. (From the film Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura) 1971
11. Postludio Alla Terza Moglie Conducted by Franco Tamponi (From the film Barbablu') 1972
12. L'Uccello Con Le Piume Di Cristallo (Titoli) Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film L'Uccello Con Le Piume Di Cristallo) 1969
13. Il Buio Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film L'Anticristo) 1974
14. Rapimento In Campo Aperto Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film La Moglie Piu' Bella) 1970
15. Le Fotografie (From the film Veruschka [Poesia Di Una Donna]) 1971
16. Spiriti Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film Una Lucertola, Con La Pelle Di Donna) 1971
17. Ninna Nanna Per Adulteri Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film Cuore Di Mamma) 1969
18. Astrazione Con Ritmo (From the film Il Serpente) 1973
Disc 2
1. Trafelato (From the film Giornata Nera Per L'Ariete) 1971
2. Sensi (From the film Un Bellissimo Novembre) 1969
3. Gli Intoccabili (Titoli) Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film Gli Intoccabili) 1968
4. Fondate Paure Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (From the film Una Lucertola Con La Pelle Di Donna) 1971
5. L'Attentato (alternate version 1) Conducted by Nicola Samale. (From the film L'Attentato) 1972
6. Fumeria D'Oppio Conducted by Franco Tamponi (From the film La Storia Vera Della Signora Dalle Camelie) 1981
7. 1970 Conducted by Bruno Nicolai. (>From the film Il Gatto A Nove Code) 1971
8. Esplicitamente Sospeso (From the film Il Serpente) 1973
9. Sequenza 10 (From the film Sesso In Confessionale) 1974
10. Paura E Aggressione (short version) (From the film Giornata Nera Per L'Ariete) 1971
11. Folle Folle Performed by Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza. (From the film Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura) 1971
12. Un Uomo Da Rispettare (Titoli) Conducted by Nicola Samale. (From the film Un Uomo Da Rispettare) 1973
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