La Belva / Se T'Incontro, T'Ammazzo

Two westerns on one disc, heaven I hear you say, yes it is in some ways. I was part of the generation of record collectors that was spoilt with the creation of CAM’s two soundtracks on one LP series, so it’s a welcome return to this practice and also good for the wallet in the buy one get one free department. The first score LA BEVA which is from the 1971 movie is a little strange as Cipriani uses a theme from his first western score THE BOUNTY KILLER, the only difference being in THE BOUNTY KILLER the composer gives the composition a real good outing on solo trumpet that lays down the foundation immediately for a true spaghetti western score. To me LA BELVA sounds very unlike a western, the sound is sort of there at times, but never actually reaches the heights that other western scores achieve, not the full Monty as it were. Ok we have strumming guitar and also a trumpet here and there adding atmosphere, plus Mexican sounding solos and the occasional western sounding flourishes throughout alongside an odd sounding saloon piece performed on harpsichord? But, I can’t quite put my finger on it, this is not Cipriani with his Stetson firmly in place, or his spaghetti al dente, its an odd combination of styles which don’t seem to quite gel in the overall mix of things, and would probably not be out of place in say a giallo or thriller and maybe could be better suited to this type of movie also. It’s certainly a darker sounding score than the normal spaghetti western soundtrack, if there is such a word as normal when discussing the Italian western genre? Track number 5 for example employs a frantic sounding double bass being plucked 10 to the dozen, whilst fast paced brushed percussion lays down an even more frantic backing to little organ trills and stabs which are not in anyway musical or related to the western genre, this is jazz man! But it’s a welcome addition to the ever-growing catalogue of spaghetti western scores that are finding their way onto CD.
Plus there is also the bonus of having another spaghetti score paired with it composed by Stelvio Cipriani, Se T'Incontro, T'Ammazzo (FINDERS KILLERS), is a little more like the western scoring Cipriani we all know and love, but saying this it is also a little more subdued in places compared with the likes of A MAN A HORSE AND A GUN or BLINDMAN. Cipriani has always been an innovator in a generation of innovative and original composers and his works at times do seem to be a little off the wall or different, i.e. the use of sitar in the aforementioned BLINDMAN must have sounded odd to the films director at the time, but it worked. The selections for this second score are limited to just three tracks, not sure if anymore exist, but the three have a combined running time of just over 17 mins and the first and last cues are almost identical in their musical make up and share the same title ‘Cavalcata Al West’. Cipriani utilises racing snares as a backdrop to the central melody being performed by horn, this theme is then taken on by trumpet, a brief respite in the racing snares allows Cipriani to include subdued chiming bell effects and a churchy sounding organ which are short lived and swiftly engulfed by a big orchestral version of the theme that launches headlong into a really invigorating rendition that is upbeat and catchy. Apart from the two versions of this theme there is also another selection which is entitled ‘Un Grande Amore’, again I have to mention that this is nothing like a theme or piece of music for a spaghetti western, but it is still a very welcomed listen, and who are we to decide what is spaghetti western sounding or not? This is a laid back and almost easy listening composition, the composer employing a relaxed slow samba backing that is joined by underlying strings and a brief trumpet solo, this is Cipriani at his romantic best, delicate woods join the proceedings and a guitar is also strummed to create an atmosphere of pure unadulterated chill out, strange for a western? Maybe, but still enjoyable. This is a rather bizarre concoction of themes and tracks from two virtually unknown movies, from a genre that has given us our fair share of good, bad and ugly. I was told that the first score THE BEAST was actually used in one of the sequels to A MAN A HORSE AND A GUN, this of course was the STRANGER series of movies that featured Tony Anthony,an odd and offbeat series of films, but nevertheless the music was always good.Not quite sure if Cipriani composed the music for THE BEAST first and re-used it in the Anthony movie or vice versa. I still would Recommend this release, simply because it does contain some good music and also it is yet another addition to the Spaghetti western catalog..