Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2011 October 17 • Monday

Last week we looked at the library music used in Dawn of the Dead. The 187th Soundtrack of the Week is the music composed and performed by Goblin especially for the film.

Zombi is the Italian title of George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. The music is by our old friends Goblin.

The first track, "L'alba Dei Morti Vivendi" is a masterpiece, setting up a heavy and ominous pulsating atmosphere that serves as a foundation for an eerie keyboard line that flies like it has bat wings.

Then there's "Zombi", an up-tempo, prog-rock, action-scene masterpiece. It establishes a tense, disciplined, almost mechanical theme and then, when you least expect it, throws in hand percussion and gets all groovy.

"Safari" is all African-style percussion and chanting. Is this really Goblin? "Torte in Faccia" is wacky silent-movie/slapstick music for when they're throwing pies in the zombies' faces. (At least I think that's what's happening. I don't really remember.)

"Ai Margini Della Follia" is a spacey sort of cue that's nonetheless a cousin of "Zombi". "Zaratozom" is a straight ahead instrumental rocker, a bit prog, a bit new wave, a bit heavy metal.

"La Caccia" is one of my favorites. I find myself playing it in my head all the time. Structurally it's similar to "Zombi", beginning with a very tight composed section before blasting into a groove. In fact, it quotes "Zombi" before the drum/keyboard break that precedes the insane groove section, a sort of prog-Bach section. I love it.

"Tirassegno: finds Goblin essaying a sort of hippie country tune and doing a damn good job of it. "Oblio" would be a slow dance number at your high school dance except no high school was ever that cool.

"Risveglio" is a sensitive piano ballad. No wonder this is the best zombie movie ever made!

The CD concludes wiht some alternate takes and some miscellany like "Zombi (Sexy)" which might have been for the romantic candlelight dinner two of the characters share in the midst of the mayhem.

There's also "Zombi (Supermarket)" which is kind of a cheesy funk/lounge piece. I like it, though.

Last but not least is a bonus track: "Zombi (The Living Dead's Voices!)", which sounds like electronically manipulated monster moans.