Monthly Archives: February 2009

The Cynic, The Rat, And The Fist

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The best thing about Italian crime movie trailers from the 60s and 70s is that you don’t have to speak Italian. The trailers kick ass all by themselves. And the music for these! I love these 60s and 70s sounds. There’s something about the gritty feel in these Italian flicks from that era that isn’t really duplicated elsewhere. How does all this tie into vinyl? For starters, the soundtrack releases for these and other foreign genre movies are more widespread than ever. You can find plenty of great old stuff by Morricone, Bruno Nicolai, Roy Budd, the list is endless. Some of my favorite vinyl finds are by Goblin and other genre groups doing those way-out 60s/70s noises. If you’re familiar with some of the Turntabling Records releases, you know that Morricone in particular is a huge influence…

Here’s some delicious drive-in cheese–the trailer for Umberto Lenzi’s The Cynic, The Rat and The Fist. What great titles these movies had!


Qui etes-vous, Polly Maggoo?

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William Klein did three memorable films collected in a great boxed set as part of the Criterion Eclipse series. The best film of the three is also one of the great moments of the 60s. Qui etes-vous, Polly Maggoo? follows a fashion model through her unreal existence. Long before reality television was even a glimmer in some network hotshot’s tiny little stunted brain, this movie anticipated it beautifully–but with 1000 times more thought and a delicious presentation that kicks the pants off the artless, painfully trite reality shows broadcast today. No, this isn’t a true story, but it’s presented in reality show fashion.

The clip below is a small taste of the film…if you fall instantly in love with this the way I did, you can still buy the boxed set and revel in all the William Klein you can stand. Glorious retro fun from the era when all there was to listen to was the radio and vinyl records.



Criminal Records, Atlanta Georgia

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Ahh, Criminal Records…I haven’t been there since the mid 90s when I was kicking around that part of the country on and off, but I am quite pleased to see they are not only alive and kicking but have also branched out and gotten even cooler. Criminal Records is in the alt-culture magnet known as Little Five Points, arguably the coolest part of Georgia, hands down.

I remember visiting family in Atlanta at the time and hearing them talk derisively of Little Five Points as “the place where all the freaks hang out”. I knew that meant good things for me and bad things for them…I forced ’em to show me Little Five Points and laughed inwardly at the obvious discomfort of those not really used to cool record shops. What did they expect, Gershwin tunes on the overhead and posters advertising another run of 42nd Street? If you’re in the area, I strongly urge you to go to 1154-A Euclid Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307. The store has moved from when I knew it, but the rave reviews Criminal Records gets indicates they are still the coolest shop on the block.