CD REVIEW - UNA MAGNUM SPECIAL PER TONY SAITTA


Una Magnum Special Per Tony Saitta
Music by Armando Trovaioli
Beat Records CDCR 78 (Italy)
12 Tracks 31:53 mins

This cop thriller from 1976 starred Stuart Whitman. No, not the yodelling slayer of Martians in Mars Attacks!, but the one-time '60s western TV star of Cimarron Strip.
The score was provided by Armando Trovaioli, who provided a flowing, funky theme for "Tony's Magnum," which reminds me somewhat of Dominic Frontiere's theme for the previous year's Hollywood offering Brannigan, incidentally starring Whitman's old Comancheros sparring partner John Wayne; as well as a nice, laid-back, trumpet-lead jazz theme for "Louise." The subsequent score is largely based on these two themes, and by the time the disc has run its course, you're pretty sure to be humming one or the other. If you are a fan of the distinctive '70s cop thriller sound, you'll love this.
Accompanying the disc is a colourful booklet, featuring stills and artwork from the film, together with notes in both Italian and English. Visit www.beatrecords.it.