Tuesday, September 7, 2010: TWOfer Tuesday - Tangerine Dream Did The Absolute Coolest Soundtracks Ever Edition

I really dislike Danny Elfman.

Sure, he was great when he was with Oingo Boingo. That group was cutting edge, fun, clever and very cool. But, his soundtrack work is just, well..... lazy.  I challenge you to hum the theme tune for Alice In Wonderland.  Or any Spiderman movie.  Mars Attacks, anyone?  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?  Surely you can whistle the theme for Sleepy Hollow, yes?  No?

Now, hum the Star Wars theme.  See, that's what I'm talking about.   John Williams writes memorable music.

So, why aren't we doing a John Williams TWOfer Tuesday on CSOTD Goes To The Movies Week?

Because, while Williams is memorable, he's a catchpenny hack and a petty thief to boot.

But, ultimately, he's just not cool.

Cool movie soundtracks are a rare breed.  And they never got any cooler than Tangerine Dream.

German electronica/ambient pioneer Tangerine Dream was founded in 1967 by art student Edgar Froese after his R&B covers band played for Salvadore Dali. Dali rocks your world. Fact.

After disbanding his band The Ones, Froese began compiling the musicians he needed to explore his expanding musical horizons. While there is a lot to be said about their underrated contribution to music in general, for our purposes here we just need to focus on their movie work. And what work it is.

Firestarter was a no-brainer when planning this.  Not only is it one if their best known works, it's just a stunning piece of music.  I can't imagine better accompaniment, the synthesizers provide the perfect blend of menace, apprehension and sheer otherworldliness.  In fact, I demand the whole movie be recut with all the dialogue taken out and nothing but Tangerine Dream playing over every scene.  It will be epic.

The second choice was a whole lot tougher.

A strong contender was Love On A Real Train from Risky Business, the subtle but disconnected sensuality of the music perfectly complimenting that famous scene.  Or, maybe a selection from the ominous Near Dark, or even something from Legend.

For a long while I was determined to use something from The Keep.

The Keep was one of the first times I read the book before I saw the movie.  F. Paul Wilson's meditation on the nature and levels of evil set against the backdrop of a Nazi occupied fortress in the Transylvanian Alps was far too complex for my young mind to comprehend fully. I couldn't understand why it was great, I just knew it was great.

In 1983, Director Michael Mann, (Director of the good - Manhunter, the better - Ali, and the masterwork - Heat), released the film adaptation.  To be fair, Mann didn't actually release the version we know today, he was fired after production wrapped.  And The Keep went on to be a colossal failure.

And rightly so.  The story was amputated, dumbed down and ultimately incomprehensible. The rumor mill has always hinted that Mann had actually cut a 3 hour version.  Paramount Studios freaked, fired Mann and released the roughly hour and a half version instead, cutting Mann's vision literally in half.  I have even heard tell that a UK Film Festival has only just recently screened the mythical 3 hour directors cut, but I'm still trying to source that info out.

Meanwhile, back in 1983, I go see The Keep in the theater.  Since I didn't understand the book, it's fine that the movie is unintelligible. I'm hooked from the opening sequence. Those images and THAT music. Transcendent, machine-like yet divine music. And those images; illuminated crosses, mythical buildings, Nazi uniforms, they all sparked my imagination like few movies had done before, and even fewer would do since.

The Keep got under my skin when I was a boy, and it has never really left.

However, after thinking and writing about The Keep for so long, I've decided against it.  The clip I chose for the official CSOTD nod was, alas, not from The Keep, but from another forgotten classic, William Friedkin's long lost work Sorcerer.

This clip won out for several reasons.  Firstly, visually this is a better compilation piece than anything I found for The Keep and second, I believe it plays better as a stand-alone piece.  The music for The Keep is somewhat more effective as a unified work, especially paired with Mann's stunningly acute direction.

But, what tipped it over the edge was the lovely Roy Scheider tribute at the end of the Sorcerer clip.  One of the greatest actors ever given a small but unique, obviously heartfelt and totally deserved rememberance.

Enjoy.

Ok, I'll concede this; regarding my original criticism of Danny Elfman I'll admit that you probably won't be able to hum any of these selections either.

But, I promise you that, unlike Elfman, you will not forget the music of Tangerine Dream any time soon.

I know I haven't.