Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

These are words I never, EVER expected to go together. Tokyo…SKA? Sounds great to me! I don’t know how long this brain-altering download will be available, but suffice it to say that Mod64 is my new favorite music blog. If for no other reason than the fact that I located this album, AND one by The Music Machine, who look like they’ve stepped right out of one o’ Swingin’ London’s groovier basement hash dens. Oh yes, I am hooked and on a downloading frenzy. Some of my musician friends say they don’t even bother purchasing music anymore because of all the free MP3 downloads, but being able to properly DJ show means having full quality, so I am happy to support the artists wherever I am able by purchasing retro reissues. Bring the grooviness!

Qui etes-vous, Polly Maggoo?

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.

Morricone: Ma Non Troppo Erotico

I don’t want to turn into a YouTube repository here, but this one’s definitely worth the effort. Morricone turned the film soundtrack business on its ear, especially in the 60s when he was pushing the boundaries of traditional composition by using improvisation, vocalizations-as-instruments, and other innovations. One of his greatest collaborations was with Edda Dell’Orso, one of the most recognizable voices in music from that era…if you were paying attention.

Normally I hate these types of YouTube clips–they generally lack imagination and I wonder why people make the effort. This one’s a bit different, and I have to say much better than the other posts of this type. The model you see in all these images is the legendary Peggy Moffitt, who was featured in Blow Up, worked with Rudi Gernreich, and also appeared in William Klein’s Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? Her career is just as interesting as Morricone’s for vastly different reasons.

This track is one of Morricone’s more straightforward Italian soundtrack tunes, but Dell’Orso’s voice over the top of the orchestra makes this a groovier affair…you’ll either be a Morricone convert or wonder why we’re bothering you with all this “Austin Powers” crap…either way, now you know.

The Yardbirds in Blow Up

Blow Up is one of my all-time favorites from the 60s. Shot during the heyday of Swinging London, this movie features a soundtrack by Herbie Hancock (listed in the credits as “Herbert Hancock”, heh) and an appearance by Jimmy Page and company as The Yardbirds. The crowd is completely motionless for the duration of the performance, til you get to the best part of this great clip—some apeshit guitar smashing.

Blow Up is one of the best movies of the mid 60s, and the soundtrack is amazing. Check out the discontinued 180 gram vinyl edition of this while you can, it’s going fast.

I also highly recommend the Herbie Hancock Blow Up Extra Sessions CD, if you can find it…