spaghetti western music in entertainment lately

December 3, 2006 10:00 AM

What are some some examples of how Spaghetti Western music is being used today?

Two examples I can think of off the top of my head are how Tarantino has appropriated the works of Luis Bacalov and Ennio Morricone to create the soundtrack for Kill Bill 1/2 and Gianfranco Reverberi's 'Nel Cimitero Di Tucson' as sampled in Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy'. Others?

posted by gerg to media & arts (18 comments total)

The new Muse album has a big Morricone influence in the last few tracks. Check out "City of Delusion," "Knights of Cydonia," and especially "Hoodoo."
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 10:39 AM on December 3, 2006

^^ The new Muse album is called Black Holes And Revelations.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 10:54 AM on December 3, 2006

the opening theme to "the good the bad and the ugly" is a such a cliche that now, in every sitcom and comdey movie where there's a "showdown" scene, it seems like they use that theme or something very close to it. You know the one.
posted by cosmicbandito at 10:59 AM on December 3, 2006

"Once Upon a Time in China" (Wong Fei Hung) pays homage to spaghetti western music, but with much more of an Asian feeling. Hard to explain except to say that it's very over the top, but instantly recognizable.

Also, Tarentino is supposedly acting in a film currently in production called "Sukiyaki Western Django", which is billed as Japan's first true western. That'll be one to watch (for the music and sound effects, not for Tarentino).
posted by iconomy at 11:10 AM on December 3, 2006

Ryan Adams had a very Morricone-esque track on 29. It didn't really work all that well IMNSHO, but it was definitely Morricone-esque, so it might be something to check out.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:16 AM on December 3, 2006

Lots of old Western themes, including some dialog samples and some music samples, turn up in reggae. Try DJ Madlib's "Blunted in the Bomb Shelter" and the "For a few Dollars More" compilation for some examples.
posted by rkent at 11:21 AM on December 3, 2006

Morricone's been a big influence on Tortoise.
posted by hydrophonic at 11:29 AM on December 3, 2006

I have a spaghetti-western tinged song on my upcoming LP. There's this one part with two muted trumpets and trombone. It's going to be sweet. I'll let you know when it's done!
posted by ludwig_van at 11:34 AM on December 3, 2006

Whenever Portland Trailblazer Travis Outlaw comes on the floor during a home game, a small riff of spaghetti western music plays in the Rose Garden Arena.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 11:37 AM on December 3, 2006

You might be interested in the origin of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy."
posted by joshuaconner at 11:41 AM on December 3, 2006

I thought that the latest Wedding Present album (Take Fountain?) sounded really Morricone.
posted by pullayup at 11:56 AM on December 3, 2006

Seattle's Owl & Thistle Band worked a spaghetti western song into their live jazz set, complete with a smoking hot trumpet.
posted by deepbeep at 1:00 PM on December 3, 2006

DeVotchKa?
posted by nathancaswell at 1:16 PM on December 3, 2006

The first Goldfrapp album, Felt Mountain, really smacks of Ennio Morricone. Tangentially, there has been two volumes of a remix anthology, imaginatively named Ennio Morricone Remixes.
posted by subtle-t at 1:27 PM on December 3, 2006

Check out the first two albums by Blue States, especially Nothing Changes under the Sun, which is a fantastic album anyway. Seeing reviewers compare Nothing Changes to Morricone's work is what sparked my love of Spaghetti Western music.
posted by The Bishop of Turkey at 4:33 PM on December 3, 2006

I hear the influence on Mugison's soundtrack Little trip. There's even a track called "Mugicone" (Mugison + Morricone).
posted by Utilitaritron at 7:19 PM on December 3, 2006

Check out The Qualia for an interesting blend of spaghetti Western and electropop influences.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 10:49 PM on December 3, 2006

I think Calexico has been heavily influenced by Morricone. I really notice it on their next-to-latest album Feast of Wire, which I think of as a soundtrack to a spaghetti western that was never made.

I'm happy that I stumbled across this thread; there's a lot of music here that I want to check out.
posted by flipper at 8:49 AM on December 4, 2006