Thinking Fellers Soundtracks
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 is easily one of my favourite bands of all time. A stroke of luck when buying an album from my local record store (motivated solely by the silliness of the band's name) introduced me to a world of absurdist improvised/meticulously crafted pop music that saved my life at least twice. They are also one of the few bands to have recognized that instrumental movie and television soundtracks have spawned some of the best music of the past half-century. Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have time to do a post on some of their original songs.
TFUL 282 - Selections From a Fistful of Dollars
Ennio Morricone is the undisputed master of the soundtrack, so it's not surprising that the band would choose to cover his work. That they could successfully condense the entire Fistful of Dollars score into a seamless medley is something else entirely. I also think that this track is the best possible proof that a good soundtrack is, in itself, sufficient to create dramatic tension or any other on-screen mood. As an aside: I remember reading once that Sergio Leone actually had Morricone write some of the spaghetti western soundtracks before they began filming, with Leone actually basing the actors' directions on Morricone's score.
TFUL 282 - Star Trek
A friend once isolated the precise Star Trek episode that this song is based on. If I rembember correctly, I think Kirk is fighting a creature named Mugato on some planet that looks disconcertingly like a soundstage in southern California. After listening to this, I gained newfound respect for sixties television soundtracks. Seriously, some of them are quite amazing.
[Most of the TFUL 282 albums are out of print, but you can still find a few here]
TFUL 282 - Selections From a Fistful of Dollars
Ennio Morricone is the undisputed master of the soundtrack, so it's not surprising that the band would choose to cover his work. That they could successfully condense the entire Fistful of Dollars score into a seamless medley is something else entirely. I also think that this track is the best possible proof that a good soundtrack is, in itself, sufficient to create dramatic tension or any other on-screen mood. As an aside: I remember reading once that Sergio Leone actually had Morricone write some of the spaghetti western soundtracks before they began filming, with Leone actually basing the actors' directions on Morricone's score.
TFUL 282 - Star Trek
A friend once isolated the precise Star Trek episode that this song is based on. If I rembember correctly, I think Kirk is fighting a creature named Mugato on some planet that looks disconcertingly like a soundstage in southern California. After listening to this, I gained newfound respect for sixties television soundtracks. Seriously, some of them are quite amazing.
[Most of the TFUL 282 albums are out of print, but you can still find a few here]
posted by ian at 7:07 PM
3 Comments:
The Fist Full of Dollars Cover was the perfect soundtrack to my morning coffee. I feel as though I'm ready to go to work and cause some mischief. Thanks.
I got my Popsheep victory package in the mail yesterday. Thanks! The buttons are funny, and the CD is great (and features the only Kenny Rogers song that I can stand, no less).
Aquarius Records (http://www.aquariusrecords.org/) still has some Thinking Fellers stuff in stock.
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