CD REVIEW - ALLA RICERCA DEL PIACERE + News from Screen Archives Entertainment and Top Dollar PR


Alla Ricerca del Piacere
Music by Teo Usuelli
Beat Records CDCR 76 Gold Series (Italy)
24 Tracks 52:06 mins

This 1972 thriller starred Barbara Bouchet and Farley Granger and carries a score by Teo Usuelli, a new name to me (and here was my thinking I knew all the Italian film composers of the period, having collected so much of their music over the years). John Mansell's liner notes, featured in a colourful booklet that also features striking artwork and stills from the film, reveal that the composer was born in 1930 and has worked in a variety of fields, including composing for theatre, films and TV from 1949. Today he is still active, writing music with the aid of computers.
Usuelli's music for this particular film is understandably suspenseful and in fact downright eerie and atonal at times, but there is also light relief in the form of a number of source dance cues, including track 22 (there are no track titles), which is particularly sexy, with seductive female vocals. Presumably it's the same uncredited female who is featured prominently throughout the score, providing some particularly striking combos with what sounds like moog. Some of these moments are featured in a kind of travelling figure, while others are just plain eerie and threatening. Despite all the more difficult music on display, the album begins with a very pleasant, easy-going theme, again featuring the vocalist, and ends on a different, yet just as pleasant theme, in which she features again.
A good and varied listen then, and I look forward to acquainting myself with more of this composer's music. As they say, better late than never!
Visit www.beatrecords.it.

From: "SCREEN ARCHIVES ENTERTAINMENT"

INTRADA'S NEW LIMITED (1500) RELEASE OF THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN BY DAVID NEWMAN

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From Top Dollar PR

DEAD HEAD FRED™ ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK NOW AVAILABLE ON iTUNES®

ORIGINAL MUSIC BY AWARD-WINNING COMPOSERS ROD ABERNETHY AND JASON GRAVES
RELEASED AS DIGITAL DOWNLOAD BY LAKESHORE RECORDS

Los Angeles, CA – September 18, 2007 – Rednote Audio (www.rednoteaudio.com) and Lakeshore Records (www.lakeshore-records.com) today announced the original soundtrack to the PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) third person action game Dead Head Fred™, developed by Vicious Cycle Software, Inc. and published by D3Publisher of America, Inc. (D3PA), is now available at the Apple iTunes® music store.

The Dead Head Fred Original Soundtrack includes nearly 40 minutes of music encapsulating the unique, often sublime atmosphere of the game’s ‘twisted noir’ setting. Written and produced by veteran video game composers Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves, the game’s eclectic score blends cinematic orchestrations with a dark panorama of jazz, southwestern guitar, ambient, rock fusion and other seemingly disparate music styles into a cohesive and alluring listening experience.

“When we went to Rednote Audio we already knew a lot about Dead Head Fred and Hope Falls but we didn’t know what Fred’s world sounded like,” said Adam Cogan, Game Designer, Vicious Cycle Software, Inc. “Luckily, Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves at Rednote Audio did. They far exceeded our expectations and managed to create scores that are every bit as original and distinctive as Fred is.”

Created specifically for the PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) system, Dead Head Fred draws players into an original 1940’s inspired alternative universe where players experience an innovative and refreshing twist on action gameplay as cranium-impaired hero Fred Neuman, collecting, upgrading and strategically switching his head with the heads of enemies to battle through a story of revenge and redemption.

Mark Reis, Senior Sound Designer at Vicious Cycle Software, Inc., added “Working with Rod and Jason is always a joy and their contribution to Dead Head Fred added flavor and depth that complemented the sound design and voice acting. The edgy soundtrack is a perfect accompaniment to the twisted noir world of Dead Head Fred.”

For more information on Dead Head Fred, visit the official game web site at www.deadheadfred.net.

About Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves

Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves of Rednote Audio create award-winning music for video games, film and television. Their video game credits include BlackSite: Area 51, Transformers, Star Trek: Legacy, Blazing Angels, King Arthur, Zathura, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows, Rise of the Kasai and The Hobbit (“Soundtrack of the Year” – 2004 Game Audio Network Guild Awards). Rod Abernethy’s work in video games began by collaborating with veteran film composer Elmer Bernstein on the video game Wild Wild West, The Steel Assassin. Since 1998, Rod has created scores for over forty video games. Early in his career, he recorded and collaborated with many well-known producers including legendary Paul Rothchild (The Doors, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt) and David Lord (Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, The Pretenders). Working in many major studios in the U.S. and U.K., Rod has recorded for Warner Bros., Elektra, Atlantic, and MCA Records. Jason Graves has studied with film composers Elmer Bernstein and Christopher Young, as well as Hollywood orchestrators Jack Smalley and Will Schaefer. He has composed and conducted for the Hollywood Studio Orchestra at Capitol Records and Paramount Pictures, as well as the Northwest Sinfonia in Seattle. In addition to film scores, national commercials and trailer music, Jason has more than ninety television shows to his credit including three Telly Awards, an Addy, nine Silver Reels, a Gold Case Award, and a Cable A.C.E. Award. Jason also won 2nd Prize in Turner Classic Movies’ 2005 Young Film Composer Competition. Rod Abernethy and Jason Graves are represented by Four Bars Intertainment. For more information visit www.rednoteaudio.com.