CD REVIEW - JOKO INVOCA DIO ...E MUORI


Joko Invoca Dio ...E Muori (aka Vengeance)
Music by Carlo Savina
GDM Hillside Series GDM 4117
25 Tracks 51:47 mins


Carlo Savina's score for this 1968 western, which starred Richard Harrison, a name well known to fans of the genre, and was directed by Antonio Margheriti, was previously only available as five mono tracks on an old C.A.M. LP, so this much expanded CD release, featuring another twenty tracks in stereo, is very welcome indeed.
The disc gets under way with a typically dramatic vocal, "Vengeance," co-written and performed by Don Powell (A Deadly Morning, Laredo etc.), with staunch support from I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni. The song is reprised in stereo in track 6.
A good deal of the music that follows is harsh, tense and dramatic, but also nostalgic at times, in a melancholy way; mostly based on elements of the opening song, though tracks like "Terre Lontane" and "Chitarra Nella Notte" present reasonably laid-back instrumental takes on it for acoustic guitar, whilst "In Piena Corsa" gives it a more propulsive feel, as does the harpsichord/guitar duet "In Viaggio;" and "Il Destino di un Cowboy" and "Verso il Confine" are suitably weighty and dramatic; with almost anguished violins making a rare appearance in "Il Suo Nome e' Joko." Trumpet and electric guitars feature prominently, along with snare drums in something of a secondary action variant, as well as in the tenser moments; with urgent harpsichord and guitars bringing things to a head in "Invoca dio e Muori!"
I think it's fair to say, that this is one of the more challenging Italian Western scores, which certainly demands your close attention, but which rewards with repeated listenings.
The colourful accompanying booklet features stills and original artwork from the film together with cast and credits. Visit www.hillsidecd.co.uk