musicology #136

theGood,Bad&theUgly #3

(Roland Alphonso & The Beverleys All Stars - The Cat)

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day three of the goodbad&ugly theme serves up a pivotal piece of dialogue . it's the bit where Tuco and, (an almost dead), Blondie stumble across the dying Bill Carson who, with his dying breath, tells our man 'Il Buono' the elusive name on the grave.

the music, courtesy of one of Jamaica's greats Roland Alphonso, (along with the Beverly's all stars), was released in the UK the same year as the film 1967..maybe it's just me but I can hear the echoes of the spaghetti western influence creeping in.

musicology #135

theGood,Bad&theUgly #2

(Roy Ayers Ubiquity - Ain’t No Sunshine)

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part two of the alternative soundtrack selection finds Blondie, (the good), getting his comeuppance from Tuco, (the ugly), for doublecrossing him, (sounds like Blondie wasn’t listening to Tuco’s threat from round one).

musicology courtesy of Jazz Funkers Ubiquity led by Roy Ayers, Vibraphone virtuoso who was given his first pair of mallets at the tender age of FIVE by the instrument’s undisputed champ Lionel Hampton.

this cut is taken from the 1973 Polydor album Red, Black & Green and is, for themusicologist, as good as the Bill Withers original especially as the piece does what all the best ‘covers’ do…bring something fresh to the table.

musicology #134

theGood,Bad&theUgly #1

(Augustus Pablo - Cassava Piece)

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this weeks selection is a project that themusicologist first played around with 10 years ago when the 'techne' was beginning to make it possible to 'mix & blend' media together.

the impact of the spaghetti western on contemporary street culture cannot be overestimated. especially in Jamaica where the 'gun-man' was beginning to dominate in the wild west atmosphere of Kingson's shanty towns.

The Good The Bad & The Ugly, (the third film in the trilogy), was released in Italy at the end of 1966 but took a year to be released around the world, (opening in America in Dec 1967), widely criticised for it's gratuitous violence, (amazing when you consider that Vietnam was in full swing), it was an instant success and inspired a whole generation of youngbloods which continues to this day.

Tarantino called it "the best directed film of all time"

Apart from masterful direction by Sergio Leone it also featured the atmospheric brilliance of Ennio Morricone's soundtrack, (there is very little dialogue in the film), and great performances from the 'Anti-Heroes' Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef.

for themusicologist the only film with a comparable impact, (on the streets), was Scarface.

the Kung Fu films of the 70's and early eighties were influential but The Good, The Bad & The Ugly and Scarface are beyond compare when it comes to influence. Nowhere was this more apparent than in Jamaica, especially in directing the music and the cat responsible for cementing this 'gunman style' was none other than Augustus Pablo. this 1972 cut on his brothers Rockers label follows on from the Lee Perry tradition of utilising the western theme andthe only thing left for me to say is...

"when you have to shoot, shoot...don't talk"