REVIEW: Ennio Morricone – Lounge

One of the elite composers of modern times has been, Oscar winning, Ennio Morricone. Italian born with the hallowed gift for trumpet playing, composer, orchestrator and conductor, this highly regarded musician certainly knew a good thing when he heard it as do his audience that eagerly follow his career. In the months before his sad passing in July 2020 Music On Vinyl had been releasing some of his best work in a series of releases entitled Morricone Themes Collection. The latest release Lounge, released on September 11^th on limited edition orange vinyl encased in a spectacular gatefold sleeve safely wrapped in PVC protective sleeve the attention to detail is of the highest order, and so it should with the all-time great music that is within the consumers grasp.

What will also become evident is that all the material contained here is taken from movie soundtracks, most if not all are displayed via original cinematic posters within the show stopping artwork encased within the package. Onto the music with side 1 track 1 immediately grabbing your attention Allegretto For A Lady from Le Foto Proibite Di Una Signora Perbene, this playful organ track is a perfect opening sequence track for any film that wants to grab the attention of the paying punter, imagine a detective sprinting through the streets of Paris, robber in the distance, wonderful. In and around the time Beck was singing about Devils Haircuts his live band of the time who were already exercising a knack for Bernard Purdy break beats were covering this beast of a track, hence this might be the most familiar track to many.

There are so many outstanding tracks to choose from its almost impossible to pick stand outs but I’ve plumped for Belinda May taken from Alibi, sounding like a cross between a classier version of Are You Being Served with layers of luxurious orchestration it’d be fitting for a waltz in Blackpool ballroom. Il Un Sogno Il Sogno has a delicious almost warbling female vocal that ‘ooos’ and ‘aaaahs’ its way throughout the track as another fabulous full orchestra pulls you into its very fibres. La Moda V 2 has an almost Strawberry Alarm Clock feel with psych undertones with a zippy trumpet doing the business as the guiding force for the track. Finally A Lidia has a somewhat easy flow, the kind of music you might hear in a late night coffee shop, the sound of a vibraphone always brings magical rewards and its especially welcome here.

Third in the series of releases following Western and Psycho, Lounge is certainly an appealing collection of upbeat, relaxing and the downright masterful recordings from the back catalogue of Morricone, there’s nothing to be frowned at here, you’re more likely to feel like you’re being given you a leg up from this astonishing release.

Lounge can be purchased via the Music On Vinyl website