Greetings from Amazon.com Delivers Soundtracks

Editor, Jason Verlinde

FEATURED IN THIS E-MAIL:
* Word for Word: Ennio Morricone
* New and Notable Soundtracks: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer,"
"Fight Club," "The Legend of 1900," "The Limey," and "Miklos
Rozsa at M-G-M"
* Digital Download: Angelo Badalamenti's "Laurens, Iowa"
from "The Straight Story"
* New and Notable Broadway Discs: Judy Collins, Emily
Skinner and Alice Ripley, and Sally Mayes
* Artist Essentials: The Best of Stephen Sondheim


WORD FOR WORD: ENNIO MORRICONE
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"I never answer this question because I have well in excess
of 400 offspring. And a father can never distinguish one
child over another! Rather, I could say that the less
fortunate but beautiful films with good music are the ones
that are closest to my heart." --Composer Ennio Morricone,
in response to the question, "What are some of the scores
you're most proud of?"

Read more of Amazon.com's interview with Ennio Morricone:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=entertainmentsit&path=tg/feature/-/12652


NEW AND NOTABLE SOUNDTRACKS
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"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
Original Television Soundtrack
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001R3O1/entertainmentsit
For whatever reason, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has become a
cult classic. Luckily, its recently released soundtrack
lives up to the show's buzz. Garbage, Guided by Voices,
Black Lab, and Bif Naked all contribute memorable
alternative- rock tracks to "Buffy," making this one of the
hipper soundtracks of 1999.

"Fight Club"
Original Soundtrack
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000JJMA/entertainmentsit
This soundtrack debut from the Dust Brothers (best known as
the production team behind the Beastie Boys, Beck, and other
off-kilter, alternative-rock illuminaries) perfectly matches
the sinister elements of "Fight Club." Dark, ambient techno
and funk comprise the soundtrack, which should appeal to
fans of Billy Corgan's "Stigmata" score. This is great music
and--hopefully--a sign of more great releases from the
production duo.

"The Legend of 1900"
Original Soundtrack Composed by Ennio Morricone
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001XDLM/entertainmentsit
Ennio Morricone is back and--once again--he's teamed up with
Giuseppe Tornatore ("Cinema Paradiso"). The result? A simply
gorgeous soundtrack that blends early American jazz with
soaring orchestrations. Remember Morricone's score for "The
Mission"? Combine that masterpiece with a hint of Jelly Roll
Morton and you have a good idea of what "The Legend of 1900"
sounds like.

"The Limey"
Original Soundtrack
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000021XQA/entertainmentsit
"The Limey" might be the upstart soundtrack of 1999. Classic
rock by the Who, the Hollies, and the Byrds opens the disc,
but the real fun begins with Danny Saber's "Party Sequence."
Here, sounding similar to David Holmes's score for "Out of
Sight," he creates a funky soundtrack of breakbeats and Moog
sound effects. Cliff Martinez's original score of
orchestrations and piano music round out the disc with some
ominous overtones. One of the year's very best.

"Miklos Rozsa at M-G-M"
Original Soundtrack
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001WRKT/entertainmentsit
Thanks to this double CD from Rhino Records, the sounds of
Miklos Rozsa's vintage M-G-M soundtracks can finally be
heard again. Rozsa's scores for "Madame Bovary" (1949),
"Ivanhoe" (1952), and "Knights of the Round Table" (1953)
are filled with sweeping, Romantic orchestrations. "Valley
of the Kings" (1954), set in Egypt, is peppered with Middle
Eastern melodies, and the 1956 Western "Tribute to a Bad
Man" avoids all the cliches of the genre. If you want to
hear what the golden age of soundtracks was like, get
acquainted with this release.


DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: THE STRAIGHT STORY
************************************
David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti have teamed up again,
this time for a Disney film. But don't let that scare
you. Badalamenti's score for "The Straight Story" is
excellent, as usual. Filled with folksy themes and vast
orchestrations, it's the perfect instrumental soundtrack for
a film about innocence, coming of age, and the wide-open
spaces of America. And now, you can download the album
opener "Laurens, Iowa" in our free digital downloads area.
Free Downloads


NEW AND NOTABLE BROADWAY DISCS
******************************
"Classic Broadway"
Judy Collins
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000K1KM/entertainmentsit
Judy Collins's latest tribute to Broadway is one of her most
consistent discs in recent years. Here, we get such
favorites as "Embraceable You," "Send in the Clowns," and
"My Funny Valentine" sung in Collins's trademark pure
tone. It's not the liveliest new Broadway release (see the
Skinner and Ripley disc below), but it is one of the
prettiest.

"Unsuspecting Hearts"
Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000028TV8/entertainmentsit
Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley are probably best known for
their performance as Siamese twins in 1997's "Side Show."
But on "Unsuspecting Hearts," these two friends perform
duets and solo material from a variety of musicals, old and
new. Bursting with energy and loaded with fun quips,
Skinner and Ripley deliver lively performances here on tunes
from "The Music Man," "Sweeney Todd," "Martin Guerre," and
numerous others.

"The Story Hour"
Sally Mayes
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001WROL/entertainmentsit
Sally Mayes's latest cabaret effort is one of the finest of
1999, an hour's worth of stories, observations, and--of
course--song. How can you knock a heartfelt disc of great
singing with tunes that range from Frank Loesser's "Hamlet"
to something called "Shopping Cart of Love?"


ARTIST ESSENTIALS: THE BEST OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM
***********************************************
Looking for the essential albums of Broadway composer
Stephen Sondheim? We've picked them out, everything from
"Sweeney Todd" to "A Little Night Music."
Browse Music

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You'll find more great music, articles, and interviews in
Amazon.com's Soundtracks section at
Soundtracks

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