MLT Club Member Jürgen
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
-
Hi Jung,
thanks for Saturday Night Fever. The last time you posted the song even at the risk of getting booted out of the Club by fellow members. Out of solidarity, I sent the following song back then. That was around two years ago. And what shall I say: we are both still here. So play it again 😀
-
One of the most successful cinema productions was and is probably James Bond. No one else has sent so many movie villains into the afterlife with a martini in his hand (shaken – not stirred). And probably no other film character has ever managed to gather so many first-class film songs around him. The first James Bond film I saw in the cinema was Moonraker. I was maybe twelve or thirteen (I don’t know what age rating the film even had at the time). A school friend invited me and other classmates to his birthday party. As a surprise for the guests, his father drove us to the cinema and we watched the James Bond movie together. Probably not the best Bond film, but we all really loved it. The mix of science fiction and secret agent film was new at the time (at least for me). For my next birthday I wanted a model of the space shuttle from the movie and I really got it.
I hadn’t held the space shuttle model in my hand for many years, but after my mother death I found it in a closet in her basement. She had saved it for me along with other things from my childhood. Wrapped in the cloak of oblivion it traveled there through the time to land back in my consciousness around 40 years later. Along with all the memories it had on board.
-
But now something happy and carefree: I don’t think I have to say much about the clumsy Inspector Clouseau. Peter Sellers in best form and the composer Henry Mancini has left us some unforgettable movie melodies:
-
Fun Fact: George Harrison and Denis O’Brien produced the thriller “Mona Lisa” in 1986. Here’s the film’s theme music (not quite as upbeat and light-hearted as our favorite twins):
-
A real Monster Shocker from the 80s is still missing here. The movie is still a lot of fun today. But the truly scariest thing about the movie is not the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, but Ray Parker Jr.’s theme song. 😄
-
Hi Chris and Tim,
Blues Brothers is an absolute cult here too. When I saw the movie for the first time, I only knew the title and had no idea what to expect. I didn’t expect what was expecting me. 😀 Cool stuff.
„Rawhide“ is also one of my favorite scenes in the movie.
„Uh, what kind of music do you usally have here?“
„Oh, we got both kinds, we got country and western“ -
Hi Dan,
the choice of songs in this film is really impressive. Even if you don’t like the film, you just have to love the songs. It’s only topped by the following one:
PS: For a long time „Help“ was one of my favorite Beatles songs. I didn’t see the film on television until a few years later. Weird, bizarre and hilarious.
-
Hi Jacki,
you’re right: Film music is a dime a dozen and it’s really difficult to say which title you like best. The personal taste in music changes over time. One time you like this special kind of music more and another time you like something completely different. But since we are talking about James Bond movies, how about this one? My personal favorite song from one of your personal favorite bands.
(But now enough James Bond for today…)
-
Hi Chris,
a truly impressive movie. I saw it for the first and only time in the cinema. Not at the premiere in 1968. I was still wearing diapers then, but a few years later when I was finally able to walk and made it to the cinema without anyone’s help. Up until that point I only knew science fiction films like Star Wars or Star Trek. 2001 was completely different. Also in terms of style: long, quiet shots, quiet camera movements, few film cuts and this bombastic music. I had to digest that first. And then afterwards the obligatory question appeared: What message did Stanley Kubrick actually want to convey with this film?
-
Hi Roger,
yeah “Moonraker” is a wonderful song (I hope I understood correctly: You are referring to “Moonraker” and not to “Live and Let die”). Some James Bond songs can be heard exactly in which decade they were produced. That’s not the case with this song. It sounds timeless. If I remember correctly, Shirley Bassey provided musical introductions to two other Bond movies. “Goldfinger” and “Diamonds Are Forever.” I really like Moonraker’s title song the best, although Goldfinger is certainly one of the most typical Bond titles, perhaps because of the aggressive brass arrangement.
You’re certainly right about the film music. This can also be divided into different categories. „The“ film music itself does not exist in this way. Paul McCartney’s music cannot necessarily be compared to the work of Hans Zimmer. And their work is different than the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. It’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges. But I see it this way: good films or movies usually leave musical traces in my memory. Either it was the title song that impressed me, sometimes it was the song from the end credits, like “Time Bandits”. And often it’s just the accompanying musical sounds that make a film something special. Yes, apples and oranges. But luckily I like both and so an overall musical impression remains with me, which for me will forever be united with what I saw. The exception here are really musicals or „pure“ music films. They don’t have a theme song or theme as such. A musical is the film music itself. There’s no need for a special title. However, even in a musical, some titles are so impressive or expressive that they become associated with the entire musical. For me, for example, the musically recognizable titles for “The Rocky Horrorshow” are “The Time Warp” and “Dammit Janet”. No theme songs and not the namesakes but apparently I particularly liked them and are my personal ticket to this musical.
PS: we have no linguistic distinction between film and movie, that’s why I mostly write film. The terms blockbuster or soundtrack were also adopted into common usage. Blockbuster cannot be translated meaningfully and the German equivalent for soundtrack does not mean film music. That’s why I sometimes have problems expressing myself precisely in English. Sorry for that.
-
Thanks David. I saw the film on television many, many years ago. I can only vaguely remember the plot and the music. Something about good friends meeting one last time before parting ways the next day. The soundtrack seems promising.
-
Hi Jung,
the electronic gadgets on many keyboards have always fascinated me. Even when all the samples came out and you could suddenly play the violin and guitar on the keyboard, it really blew me away. But as good as the sound of this sampling are, it is very difficult to play a keyboard instrument in a way that makes it sound like a string instrument.
As for your enjoyment of playing the piano, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you find more time and energy to let this beautiful passion flare up again. I believe that if I had learned an instrument, I would have found much earlier access to areas of music that were closed to me for a long time. One of the first piano pieces that I consciously noticed as a teenager was “Für Elise”. I also really liked some of the music by Smetana, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky and Vivaldi. Maybe because it was music that also seemed interesting to young people thanks to its combination of powerful images and beautiful melodies. If someone had taken me by the hand when I was younger and showed me the musical world of Chopin and Liszt, I would definitely have liked it. Here, classical music has become more of a toy for the supposedly educated and intellectual. Surrounded by glamour, stuffiness and money. As a young person and even today, this image alone repelled me. Thereby these composers only wanted one thing: to share their passion for music with other people.
-
Thanks Chris. This sounds like an exciting crime story, only this time it’s not the perpetrator that’s being sought, but rather an instrument. I’m waiting with curiosity. Please keep us informed.
-
Hi Chris, 1919? That sounds pretty cool. What brand of piano was it and who was the owner? Do you have a photo of the piano?
-
Yes Tim, the video has an age restriction and will therefore not be shown. Since I won’t be 18 for another two months, I’m not allowed to open it on my own yet. Too bad. 😄
But back to the movie Alien: the suspense of the movie actually lives from what you don’t see, but what you expect to see at any time. As far as I remember, the Alien itself is only shown once in full size during the whole movie. Actually more of a thriller than a horror film. I really liked it, but I don’t think that I’ll watch it again. (If I really want to scare myself on Halloween, I only have to look in the bathroom mirror, shortly after waking up. Before I even had my first coffee. That’s enough.)
The alien design by the Swiss artist H.R. Giger is also interesting. He became famous for his sculptures, in which, just like the design for Alien, he tried to combine a synthesis of biological and mechanical elements. There is also a matching guitar. It is an Ibanez Iceman guitar that was painted by Giger himself. By the way: Paul Stanley from the band Kiss played an Iceman guitar (but the normal version, without alien design). It went quite well with his outfit.
