Warlords

Sorry guys, but this review is not going to be anywhere near the standard I wanted it to be. I didn’t set out to write a ‘filler’ review. I wanted it to be a well crafted and fleshed out exploration of a fine slice of contemporary international cinema. I know I haven’t written a well crafted and fleshed out exploration before, but I was hoping this would be the first time. The film I chose to look at is Warlords. Now, one of my best friends is a merchant seaman (yeah, we make jokes about it to), and every now and then he arrives in town armed with a few goodies to tease and tantalise. One of these was the Warlords DVD. At the time the film was unavailable in Australia (and to my knowledge, it is still unavailable). I was pretty excited to watch this sumptuously filmed, big screen epic (it’s a big-screen epic, even when watched on a small screen!) I slipped the disc into the machine and pressed play. Despite the English packaging, the film started in Chinese, with Chinese subtitles. I stopped the film; went back to the main menu, and selected the English subtitle option. ‘Away we go!’ I thought.

And English subtitle did appear, but not in a format that I could understand. Yes there were English words, but it was sort of jumbled – dialogued ended or started mid sentence, and some of the translation was kind of screwy. Much of the first forty-five minutes of the film was spent fighting off attacks from The Comfortable City (kind of reminds me of the old Monty Python Spanish Inquisition sketch!). During epic battle scenes, characters started yelling ‘put’, which I presumed meant ‘fire’. My suspicions were confirmed later when a character ordered a battalion of archers to ‘put arrows’ (fire arrows). During the middle of a fight scene, there is some dialogue about a seven inch snake – I am not sure if they were talking about the guys dick, or referring to the villain of the piece as a serpent? For All I knew, they could have been talking about the daggers used in the fight. All I can say is here was a potentially great dramatic scene, but I was falling around in fits of laughter because of the ridiculous subs. Towards the end of the film, during great chunks of dialogue, there were no subs at all. It is as if the subtitleer got bored and wandered off to get a coffee.

Now I could joke about the subtitles all day, but the truth is Warlords looks to be an absolutely amazing film. It has been beautifully shot, and the battle scenes are staggering – possibly the best I have seen since Akira Kurosawa’s Ran. The music is sweeping and majestic as befitting a sprawling epic. The film appears to have all the trappings of a superior piece of entertainment – but I can’t really be sure – the story (credited to eight writers) may be absolute piffle.

Jet Li plays a character called General Ma Xinyi, although he doesn’t start out as a general, and the subtitles refer to him as Green Cloud, and at the beginning of the film he is involved in a huge battle. But during the fighting, he plays dead, while hundreds (possibly thousands) of his comrades are slain. Gripped with guilt, Green Cloud vows to never let this happen again. Gradually he rebuilds his life and regains his honour as he joins a band of soldiers at war with The Comfortable City. Through his deeds in battle he gradually rises through the ranks until he is promoted to be a joint leader of this group of soldiers. His co-leader is a gentleman named Noon Sun (I am not making this up, I assure you!) Green Cloud and Noon Sun make a formidable team, and become blood brothers. Soon their rag-tag band of soldiers are taking on all comers  and rampaging across China. After a few successful battles, Green Cloud grows a conscience and wishes to change the rules of war – no more raping or pillaging. This brings him into conflict with Noon Sun who wishes to continue raping and pillaging.

At the risk of appearing lazy, but in the interests of conveying a slightly more accurate description of the events in the film, here is the blurb off the back of the DVD.
‘It is a heroic tale of three blood brothers and their struggle in the midst of war and political upheaval. It is based on “The Assassination of Ma”, a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) story about the killing of general Ma Xinyi. The story was filmed by Zhang Che in 1973 as The Blood Brothers.’

So the film is a remake, and appears to be quite different from my brief synopsis – I seem to be shy one blood brother. Once again, in my defence, I’ll blame the subs. Half of the characters in the film are referred to as ‘Elder Brother’ or ‘Adult’. It is impossible to tell who is talking to who.

In closing, I’d have to say, I must watch this film again, but obviously a proper version – not some dodgy pirate copy shipped out of a steamy port in Indonesia. The film appears to be a worthwhile viewing experience, especially if you like epic adventure on a grand scale.

Portrait Of A Killer

Portrait Of A Killer

By Patricia Cornwell, Little Brown Books (2002)

Here’s a quick one. Those of you who have read quite a few of my film reviews will know that I am pretty squeamish. I am not a big fan of serial killer or ‘stalk and slash’ films. I know a lot of people love this kind of stuff because they enjoyed being scared. I, on the other hand tend to watch films as an escape. There are enough examples of the nastier side of human nature in the world without having it served up to me as entertainment. Therefore, it would seem strange that I should pick up a copy of Patricia Cornwell’s Portrait Of A Killer. This book is not fiction like her series of Kay Scarpetta novels (not that I have read any). This is an investigation into the crimes of Jack The Ripper.

Cornwell uses modern forensic techniques, such as examining the DNA from letters sent by ‘Jack’ to Scotland Yard, to ascertain the identity of ‘The Ripper’. Her belief is that artist Walter Sickert was The Ripper, and I must admit that she presents a very convincing argument. I found the book completely engrossing, from the first page to the last. At the same time, I also found the graphic descriptions of The Ripper’s crimes quite unsettling, particularly when Cornwell alludes to a theory that the Ripper’s reign of terror didn’t end with the seven women in Whitechapel. The book insinuates that he went on to murdering children. But in a book of this kind, it is silly for me to complain. Of course it’s shocking and unsettling – he wasn’t called ‘Jack The Ripper’ for nothing.

If you’re interested in the Jack The Ripper case, then this book is essential reading. But whether Patricia Cornwell has closed the book on the 120 year old question, ‘who was Jack The Ripper?’, well that’s open for debate?

Zulu: Original Soundtrack Recording

Original Soundtrack Recording & Selection Of Zulu Stamps
John Barry (1964)

One Saturday morning, in the not so distant past, I was scrounging around the record bins at a local fete when I came across the Soundtrack to Zulu. Strangely, I wasn’t too familiar with the music. Why is this strange? For one, I am a huge fan of John Barry, and secondly, when I was at college, I shared a house with a bloke whose favourite film was Zulu. He’d drag out his old VHS copy at all hours. In the middle of the night, I’d wake up in terror, hearing strange chants emanating from the lounge room. To cut a long story short, I picked up a copy of the album. Hey, it was only two dollars!

Since that day, I have found out that there are all sorts of re-issues, and re-recordings of the Zulu Soundtrack. The one I am talking about here is the 1964 version, with narration by Richard Burton (well you’d want that, wouldn’t you?), and on the second side of the album, what is described as a selection of Zulu Stamps. Well they are not exactly ‘Zulu Stamps’. They are sixties pop reworkings of John Barry’s themes from the movie. They do have an African influence, but they are hardly traditional ‘Zulu’ music. Here’s a snippet from Cy Endfield’s liner notes.

”A number of these great traditional dance and song themes have been studied by the brilliant composer and arranger John Barry, who scored the film, and converted to a music so that all of us who listen to this record can do a little dancing of our own. If you learn the Zulu Stamp you will be doing some of the exciting, groovy dance movements that the Zulus themselves use.”

With an enticement like that, I am sure that many bored sixties housewives, while their husbands were at work, and their kids were at school, urged on by the primitive jungle rhythms would throw themselves around the lounge room doing the Zulu Stamp.

The music on the first side of the album, however is quite brilliant. Not that I expected anything less from Barry. It is good stirring stuff, that reflects the bravery of the men who held their positions at Rorke’s Drift as wave after wave of Zulu warrior swept down upon them. I know that sounds pompous, but those who have seen the film will know what I mean.

TRACK LISTING:
Side One: Original Soundtrack Recording
1. Main Title Theme – Isandhlwana 1879 (Narration by Richard Burton)
2. News Of The Massacre – Rorke’s Drift Threatened
3. Wagons Over
4. First Zulu Appearance And Assault
5. Durnfords Horse Arrive And Depart – The Third Assault
6. Zulu’s Final Appearance And Salute
7. The V.C. Roll and Men Of Harlech

Side Two: Selection Of Zulu Stamps
1. Stamp And Shake
2. High Grass
3. Zulu Stamp
4. Big Shield
5. Zulu Maid
6. Monkey Feathers

Ennio Morricone: The Legendary Italian Westerns

The Legendary Italian Westerns
BMG / RCA 1990

When it comes to film composers, very few people are as prolific and as popular as Ennio Morricone. And as popular and as diverse as Morricone is, his most successful soundtracks are his scores to countless Spaghetti Westerns. This compilation CD collects the cream of the crop and whacks them on one very enjoyable CD.

The opening track, ‘A Gringo Like Me’ has to be one of the toughest drinking songs ever written. It extols all the virtues and requirements it takes to be a man in this rough old world. How’s this for lyrics:

Keep your hand on your gun.
Don’t you trust any one.
Be the first one to fire.
Every man is a liar.

Don’t be a fool for a smile or a kiss,
or your bullet might miss…
keep your eye on your goal.

There’s one thing that’ll save you your life,
It’s your hand on your knife…
and the Devil in your soul.

I know, I know…it’s pure poetry. But in their defence, the liner notes state: “They were often written by lyricists whose command of the English language was at best primitive…” But the lyrics don’t really matter. It’s the tunes underneath, and what great tunes they are!

After ‘A Gringo Like Me’, which is from the movie Gunfight At Red Sands there are three tracks from Guns Don’t Argue. One of the three, ‘Lonesome Billy’ is from the same lyrical school as ‘A Gringo Like Me’.

Then we’re into the big guns (if you’ll pardon the clumsy western analogy). Next we’re treated to seven tracks from A Fistful Of Dollars. If that doesn’t get you whistling, nothing else will.

The next four tracks are lifted from the film, A Gun For Ringo which starred Giuliano Gemma. Following this, we return to Eastwood territory with a fine selection of cuts from the For A Few Dollars More soundtrack. Here you get a bit of everything, from the twangy title tune, the showdown and even the musical pocket watch.

After that there are a few short brackets. First one number from Ringo Rides Again and then two tracks from 7 Guns For The MacGregors.

Next is the song ‘From Man To Man’ from Death Rides A Horse, which starred John Philip Law who sadly passed away last week. Despite all the different roles that Law played, Sinbad, Pygar (the angel in Barbarella) – to me, he’ll always be Diabolik.

The CD closes out with four tracks from Once Upon A time In The West. I really love the track, ‘Man With A Harmonica’. If I could have a theme played every time I walked into a room, this would be it. But I guess it could get a bit annoying after a while…but I think it would impress people that don’t know you. Whoa…let’s not mess with this guy. He’s one tough hombre. Listen to his theme music!

I guess the big gaping hole on this compilation is that there are no tracks from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, but that’s not to denigrate the tracks on this album. They are all pretty good, but the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is probably Morricone’s most recognised musical work, and as such, it seems like a strange omission. If you’re a Morricone lover, but you don’t want to buy all the soundtrack albums individually, then this compilation isn’t a bad fall back position.

Ennio Morricone: Psichedelico Jazzistico

Psichedelico Jazzistico
él / Cherry Red Records

Following on, here’s a quick look at another Ennio Morricone compilation CD, but substantially different from The Legendary Italian Westerns. These tracks are taken from the late sixties and early seventies, and while not quite as ‘psychedelic’ as the title would imply, they are certainly surreal, and in places have an almost dream like quality. But these dreams aren’t always nice dreams. As some of this music is taken from Giallo films, the music is often creepy and, at times, abbrasive. But is one of the many charms of this release – the diversity of sounds and musical styles on it.

Sometimes the music drifts into religous choral sounds, backed up with church organ, and at other times it slips into very sinister carnival music. There is one track that can only be described as an ‘organ freak out’. There’s even some straight ahead 70’s grinding funk. Also, as you’d expect from Morricone, there is a wide variety of pianos and keyboards.

If you have heard only Morricone’s soundtracks for The Mission and a few Spaghetti Westerns, you may be in for a bit of a shock listening to this. These tracks aren’t all nice melodies (although there are those on the album too). But the bulk of these tracks, mess with your head. If that’s a mind space that you like being in, then you’ll find a lot to enjoy here.

Track Listing

1. Plume Di Cristallo
from L’Uccello Dalle Plume Di Cristallo
2. Non Rimane piu Nessuno
from L’Uccello Dalle Plume Di Cristallo
3. Corsa Sui Tetti (AKA Black Glove Underground Pt. 1)
from L’Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo
4. Come un Madrigale
from Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio
5. Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio
from Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio
6. Sauna
from Metti Una Sera A Cena
7. Alla Luce Del Giorno
from Metti Una Sera A Cena
8. Uno Che Grida Amore
from Metti Una Sera A Cena
9. Sospesi tra le Nuvole
from Forza G
10. Forza G (Psichedelico Jazzistico)
from Forza G
11. L’Assoluto Naturale
from L’Assoluto Naturale
12. Studio di Colore
from L’Assoluto Naturale
13. Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto
from Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto
14.Terraza
from Il Gatto
15. Marianzela e la Seduzione
from Il Gatto

Chopper

Chopper is not just one of the best Aussie crime films of all time, but is also one of the best Australian films of all time regardless of genre. As a crime film though, it is not particularly large scale. There are no daring robberies or heists, and there are no shoot-outs with the coppers. But it is a film about criminals, and one of these criminals just happens to be Mark Brandon Read, known as ‘Chopper’ to all and sundry. Mark allegedly got the name Chopper from cutting off the toes of people who owed him money with a set of bolt-cutters – that’s not in the film, by the way. If you want to see some bolt-cutter action, you’ll have to go back to Bruce Beresford’s The Money Movers.

Prior to this films release, Chopper had been the author of nine books (since then he has written more including the children’s book, Hookey The Cripple). This film is loosely based on some of the episodes mentioned in Chopper’s books.

The film opens in Melbourne’s Pentridge Prison in the early 1970’s, and young Mark Brandon Read is already well versed in prison life. Gathered around him are two mates – his only mates, Jimmy Loughman (Simon Lyndon), and Blue (Daniel Wyllie). They are in the midst of a turf war inside the prison – a struggle to see who runs H-Block. On the other side are a bunch on crims under the control of the Painters and Dockers Union. The Painters and Dockers were a real union (since disbanded), but at the same time were corrupt and secretly ran organised crime in Melbourne at that time. The top man for the Dockers in Pentridge was Keithy George (David Field).

In a startling scene which has little buildup, Chopper rushes at Keithy and starts stabbing him in the face with a sharp implement. Keithy collapses on the floor in a pool of blood. Now this is where the film is very different to your average drama about criminals. This is not Goodfellas. Chopper ‘thinks’ very different to your average crime. Immediately after the attack, as Keithy writhes on the ground trying to stop a geyser of blood pissing out from his neck, Chopper approaches him – not to finish him off – but almost in the spirit of friendship. He holds out an olive branch to Keithy. ‘Are you alright?’ he asks. He even lights a cigarette and tosses it to Keithy. Of course the bloodied unionist is not so forgiving. But this strange sort of remorse or compassion for his victims makes Chopper a fascinating and unpredictable character. Sure he’s a vicious brute, but at the same time he cares about the people he is threatening. Later in the film he shoots a drug lord in the stomach, and then immediately drives him to the hospital for medical attention.

This strange, twisted duality is what gives the film its unique edge, and much of the films success on this level is do to with Eric Bana’s outstanding performance. Prior to this Bana was primarily known as a standup comedian and for his appearances on Full Frontal (an Australian sketch comedy series). Nobody expected this kind of performance from him. I guess his experience as a comedian trained him to be a good mimic and observer. He nails Chopper’s mannerisms and speech inflections. Not surprisingly, Bana won the AFI (Australian Film Institute) award for his performance.

Also collecting an AFI award in 2000 was director Andrew Dominik. Truth be told, Chopper is an episodic story, but Dominik handles the story threads and time changes masterfully. The film is essentially broken up in to two parts. The first concerns young Chopper and his life in Pentridge; and the second looks at Chopper’s life on the outside. Each section is filmed in very different ways. The prison scenes are almost mono-chromatic blue – cold and austere. The scenes outside prison, most filmed at night, are garish. It’s like it’s an amphetamine fueled trip through Melbourne’s seedy underbelly.

The supporting cast are top-notch too. Simon Lyndon’s portrayal of Jimmy Loughman, Chopper’s right hand man, is a thoughtful and well realised characterisation. These guys are not super-heroes – they are very flawed and damaged people. Loughman’s knife attack on Chopper has to be considered as one of the most astounding set-pieces put to film.

Vince Colosimo, who appears to have a monopoly on starring in Australian gangster flicks, plays Neville Bartos. Neville walks with a limp because Chopper shot him in the kneecap many years prior. But that’s all water under the bridge now, and Neville has become a successful drug dealer. I may have been a bit cheeky when I said Colosimo has a monopoly on gangster roles, because Chopper is the film that set it all rolling, and his portrayal of Neville kept him at the forefront of casting directors minds. Colosimo gets the work because he puts in good dependable performances – and Neville is no exception – ‘Mate’ I’m flying!’

I could, of course, talk about Chopper all day. It’s one of my favourite films of recent years, but in case my brief scene descriptions haven’t painted an accurate picture, let me say it is a violent film. It isn’t particularly gory, though there is a little bit of blood, but the sudden ferocious acts of violence are presented quite realistically. So if violent Aussie crime dramas don’t sound like your cup of cocoa, then I’d give this a miss. Everybody else, start queuing now, and track yourself down a copy and strap yourselves in for ninety minutes of quality, visceral cinema.

Trojan Sound System

Trojan Records 2006

For those who don’t know Trojan Records, then I guess you’re not a big reggae fan. From my perspective (limited though it may be), there are only three decent reggae record labels – the first is Studio One, the second is Trojan Records, and by weird default, Island Records is the third (because they had Bob Marley on their label – but they also had U2, Grace Jones and Tom Waits – so you can’t really call them a reggae label).

Trojan Sound System is a compilation album that’s a bit different to most. It’s put together as if it were a live show, with the DJ’s introducing the songs and chanting lyrics in the appropriate rhythm loops. They’ve taken a whole swag of Reggae, Dub and Ska songs and mashed them all together. Some of the songs are pretty well known, like Police And Thieves and Soul Rebel, but others are more obscure. It all flows together very smoothly.

Of course, on an collection like this, there’s a few songs about marijuana: Linval Thompson I Love Marihuana and Richie Spice Marijuana. Hey, they’re not just selling music, they’re selling a lifestyle. If that’s your bag, man, then enjoy, but the best songs on the CD are The Heptones Through The Fire I Come and Johnny Osbourne Everything Is Everything.

What I like about this album is that it makes reggae a bit more contemporary again. Let’s face it, as a musical genre it hasn’t really changed much since the early seventies (that’s not to say that there aren’t any fantastic exponents out there – there are). But this kind of remixxing brings the music to anew younger audience, but still retains the heart and soul of the original recordings.

TRACK LISTING:
01. Keith Hudson – Melody Maker
02. Bob Marley And The Wailers – Soul Rebel
03. The Sons Of Light – Land Of Love
04. The Harry J All Stars – Liquidator
05. The Heptones – Through The Fire I Come (Extended Mix)
06. Ronnie Davies – False Leaders
07. Don Carlos – Laser Beam
08. Linval Thompson – I Love Marijuana
09. Michael Rose – Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
10. Johnny Clarke – Peace And Love In The Ghetto
11. Dennis Brown – Revolution
12. Junior Murvin – Police And Thieves
13. Admiral Bailey – No Wey No Better Than Yard
14. Johhny Osbourne – Everything Is Everything
15. Richie Spice – Marijuana
16. Dandy Livingstone – Rudy, A Message To You

If you’re interested in reggae, dub or ska music but you’ve been a bit afraid to venture beyond Bob Marley and Toots And The Maytals then this (or any) of the Trojan compilations are a good place to start. Most aren’t expensive and have a good spread of music. Once you’ve had a few listens, it’s easier to home in on the artists that you like – and maybe pick up a couple of their albums.

Tom Jones: Live Caesars Palace

Varése Saraband Records – Re-issue (1971)

I found my knife in my hand, and she laughed no more!

As production techniques got better in the late 60’s and early 70’s, songs began to get really big. Added to usual band line ups, were string and brass sections and girl backing vocal groups. Through all this came a new type of song – ‘The Psycho Drama’. These were songs that were massively overproduced and dripping with emotion. The Queens of this type of music were Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra, Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black. The kings were Roy Orbison, The Righteous Brothers and Tom Jones.

Now I love Tom, and I love all his overblown crowd pleasers like Delilah, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, and Daughter Of Darkness. But one fine day I was travelling back home from rural Victoria, and was channel hopping on the car radio. Finally I landed on a independent radio station that was playing some really good live soul recordings. As I travelled on, I thought, hey I recognise that voice – that’s Tom Jones. It wasn’t his usual repertoire, it was a selection of old soul classics. And they were bloody good. As this station was run by volunteers, they didn’t feel the need to impart any information about the music they were playing, and to this very day, I do not know the name of the album that these songs come from. So many years have past, I am wondering if it really sounded like that at all?

But I knew there was a great Tom Jones live album out there somewhere, and tried to track it down. My first attempt was Tom Jones: Live Caesars Palace. It’s not the album I was after, but it’s so good, in a very different kind of way. This is Tom at the height of his manly appeal. In fact the whole album is interrupted with girls throwing themselves at Tom. But this just adds to the show. And the music is all of his big ‘psycho drama’ tunes. If you want to see a grown man cry, just play me his version of I (Who Have Nothing), and I’ll be a blubbering mess.

TRACK LISTING:
01. Dance Of Love
02. Caberet
03. Soul Man
04. I (Who Have Nothing)
05. Delilah
06. Bridge Over Troubled Water
07. My Way
08. God Bless The Children
09. Resurrection Shuffle
10. She’s A Lady
11. Till
12. Hit Medley: – I’ll Never Fall In Love, Daughter Of Darkness, Love Me Tonight, It’s Not Unusal
13. Hi Heel Sneakers
14. Rock ‘N’ Roll Medley: – Johnny B Goode, Bony Maronie, Long Tall Sally

Sound wise, the album is very good, and the arrangements by Johnnie Spence are perfect for a recording of this era (if it was done today, there’d be more emphasis on the bass).

The line up for this show includes: Tom Jones – vocals and whipping the ladies in the crowd into a frenzy, Jim Sullivan – Lead Guitar, Kenny Clare – Drums, John Rostill – Bass Guitar, Bobby Shew – Lead Trumpet.

If your a fan of Tom Jones, I’d go as far as to say, this album is a ‘must have’. Of course if you’re a ‘tourist’ there are plenty of fine compilations out there, which feature more of his big ‘hits’. And finally, here’s my plea, if you know the live Tom Jones album where he performs all the great soul numbers, please leave a comment… I am getting older and my memory is fading, and need to know if it really exists.

Hound Dog Taylor: Beware of the Dog

Hound Dog Taylor And The House Rockers
Alligator Records 1976

A live album can tell you a lot about a musician. It reveals the truth. These days with additional studio overdubs, the truth may be a little harder to find, but it’s in there somewhere. Beware Of The Dog doesn’t have any overdubbing. It’s just three guys, Hound Dog Taylor on guitar and vocals, Brewer Philips on guitar, and Ted Harvey on drums. And these three guys hammer out the blues. There’s all kinds of blues music. There’s the kind with guitar gods who spiral off into the stratosphere, with their eyes closed, and their guitars conveying their pain. And there are the guys who locked into a groove and ride it for all it’s worth. Hound Dog Taylor And The House Rockers fall into the latter category. The sound is pretty raw. No bass. No keyboards.

TRACK LISTING:
01. Give Me Back My Wig
02. The Sun Is Shining
03. Kitchen Sink Boogie
04. Dust My Broom
05. Comin’ Around The Mountain
06. Let’s Get Funky
07. Rock Me
08. It’s Allright
09. Freddie’s Blues

There’s no filler on this album. Each track on this album is straight ahead blues. Give Me Back My Wig, Kitchen Sink Boogie and Dust My Broom are full tilt rockers. Let’s Get Funky locks in on the ultimate blues groove. Only for Freddie’s Blues do they pull back and show you what they really can do. Hound Dog Taylor And The House Rockers were there to entertain and that’s what they do.

What I find truly remarkable, it that when these shows were recorded in 1974, Hound Dog Taylor was 58 years old, and he was still playing three shows a night. Sadly though, the following year, Hound Dog Taylor died of cancer. Maybe he had it when he recorded this album. I don’t know, but it goes back to what I was saying earlier – each live album reveals the truth. And this one reveals that Hound Dog Taylor had a huge heart and soul, and was foremost an entertainer.

Iggy Pop: Hippodrome – Paris 77

Revenge Records 1990

Recorded live during the Lust For Life tour at “l’hippodrome” Paris, France – September 23, 1977

That’s enough nicey, nicey little soundtrack albums. It’s time to get loud and annoying. It’s time to delve into the world of Iggy Pop. The thing with Iggy is that his career has been so long, varied and volatile, each piece of vinyl, video, CD or DVD adds another small glimpse into a portion of his life. That’s not to say that you’ll get to know James Osterberg (for the uninitiated Iggy’s real name) by listening to his music, but I’d suggest that you’ll build up a pretty accurate portrait of his alter-ego Iggy Pop.

By this stage of his career, Iggy was doing a lot of drugs, and may have even been locked away a few times for insanity. With the help of a few friends (which included David Bowie) he ‘sort of’ came through to the other side. (Sort of: I think in the early 80’s he placed himself into a self imposed exile in order to get his shit together again).

Coinciding with the rise of punk in Britain, he launched into a European tour. During the early part of the tour, Bowie even played keyboard for him. But by the time of this concert Bowie had moved on. If you’ve seen any video footage from this era, this is when he wore a horses tail on stage. Anyway, that brings us to the Paris leg of the tour and this live album.

The line up included: Iggy Pop – Vocals, Stacey Heydon – Guitar, Scott Thurston – Keyboards & Guitar, Tony Sales – Bass, Hunt Sales – Drums.

Although the liner notes say that this album is released with the authorisation of Iggy Pop, I don’t believe this show was planned to be released as a live album. It sounds like a bootleg to me. The sound is very ‘tinney’ and the bass is almost absent (or certainly well down in the mix). So the sound quality on this recording is not too flash hot. If that’s what you look for on an album, then steer clear of this release. But if you’re a fan of Iggy going off – swearing, ranting, raving and misbehaving, then this may be your cup of cocoa. Rather than being an album of popular tunes, it is more like a documentary.

It starts off with a brutal quartet of songs: Sixteen, Lust For Life, The Passenger, and I Got A Right. For most people that should be enough, bring your ears to total aural cataclysm level, but added to that, interspersed between the songs are Iggy’s rants.

The album slows down a bit in the middle with Neighbourhood Threat, Success, and Fall In Love With Me, but then hammers home towards the end with Raw Power, and CC Rider/Jenny Take A Ride.

The concert and album wind up with I Wanna Be Your Dog, and by that time, you’ll be exhausted from just listening to the CD.

Because of the sound quality, this album could never be considered easy listening, but then again Iggy at his best, never could! I wouldn’t consider this a ‘core’ Iggy album, and if you’re just discovering Iggy, I wouldn’t put this high on your ‘must have’ list. But it is an interesting piece of the Iggy Pop jigsaw puzzle. For fans looking to flesh out their knowledge on the man and his music, this album is a good time capsule of this stage of his life.