Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email


2025 March 17 • Monday

Maestro Ennio Morricone is back for the 848th Soundtrack of the Week, this most welcome release of his music for the 1965 anthology film Thrilling.

The actual movie starts with an Italian vocal version of "Downtown" that isn't on this disc, although an instrumental version, called "Ciao Ciao", is.

The first track is a song with Italian vocals, though, called "La Regola Del Gioco". It has that great '60s electric guitar sound familiar from many a Morricone score, and a background chorus that chants the word "thrilling".

The first story in this movie is called "Il Vittimista" and "Il Vittimista #1" is a see-sawing melody played on what sounds like cymbalom, with celeste coming in later.

The other tracks from this section, excepting "Ciao Ciao", are variations of these these themes: "La Regola Del Gioco #2", "Il Vittimista #2" etc.

The "Sadik Intro" starts with some sharp piano and guitar playing and a bit of saxophone. It's very short.

Then there's "La Regola Del Gioco #4", another variation, followed by "Amore e Fantasia", a classical piece for violin and piano.

Rumbling piano opens "Sadik—Tema", soon joined by flute and other wind instruments for an ominous-sounding cue. The "Sadik—Finale" has some nice muted guitar playing and a lot of space with different instruments coming in and out with different dynamics and textures.

The third story is "L'Autostrada Del Sole" "L'Autostrada Del Sole #1" has some "Ecstasy of Gold"-ish writing for the brass while drums keep a shake beat going.

"Il Mostro Dell'Autostrada #1" is another piece with lots of space and alternating instruments making unusual statements. The use of percussion is especially good.

Harpsichord blends with what sounds like some kind of electronic instrument as well as guitar and piano and piccolo and a bunch of other things for the "L'Albergo" and then things slow down for the relatively straightforward "Prima Dell'Amore", a slow, bluesy piece.

"L'Albergo #2", "L'Autostrada Del Sole #2" and "Il Mostro Dell'Autostrada #2" are indeed different arrangements of those themes but "Paranoia" is unique and definitely sounds stressful, with string generating tension and shadowy piano and guitar notes infiltrating the space.

The final cue from this section of the movie is an anthemic sounding number called "L'Automobile" that could be chanted by people marching.

Then there are three bonus tracks: bass and celeste versions of "La Regolo Del Gioco" and "Sadik—Titoli from 'I Due Evase Di Sing Sing'".