Profondo Rosso

This 1975 soundtrack made an impressive debut for Goblin, a legendary group of Italian soundtrack specialists. Originally known as "the Cherry Five," this quintet was commissioned by Italian director Dario Argento to create a soundtrack for his terrifying thriller Profondo Rosso. The resulting album took the group to the top of the Italian charts and helped them build a worldwide cult reputation. Profondo Rosso is an ambitious affair that blends jazz, prog rock, and heavy metal into an effective and totally distinctive style. The title track is an impressive exercise in dynamics, building tension as it moves back and forth between a quiet, intricate riff doubled on acoustic guitar and keyboard, with a full-blooded variation of that theme led by surging, gothic-sounding organ. Other highlights include "Death Dies," a frantic piece of jazz whose pounding piano riff was later sampled by Beck, and "Mad Puppet," an atmospheric excursion that slowly adds layers of keyboard to a hypnotic, serpentine bass riff. However, the cut that prog buffs will probably like most is "Deep Shadows," a frenetic slice of King Crimson-style jazz-rock that slows down midway for a dazzling mid-tempo section where a mesmerizing rolling piano line duels it out with snaky solos from the bass and electric guitar. All in all, Profondo Rosso is a powerful album that will appeal to both soundtrack fans and prog rock addicts. ~ Donald A. Guarisco

『サスペリアPART2』(1975) サウンドトラック

音楽 ゴブリン&ジョルジョ・ガスリーニ
監督 ダリオ・アルジェント
主演 デビッド・へミングス、ダリア・ニコロディ

実際は『サスペリア』よりも以前に製作された アルジェントの代表作ながら、日本では『サスペリア』の 大ヒットを受けて公開されたため、不思議な邦題が ついてしまった、かの鮮血のサスペンス。 クロスオーバーとプログレ・ロックのはざまを行き、 映画音楽としても新しい世界を切り開いたゴブリンの 記念碑的作品。 こちらの方が 『サスペリア』ほど明らかなホラー色を出していないので, 初めてゴブリンの強烈な作風に接していく心構えのためには こちらをおすすめ。DJネタとしても使われてます。 (当初ガスリーニの音楽のみでスタートした構想のサントラに、急遽アルジェントが起用したゴブリンの音楽をメインにすえることに。そして、以降、アルジェント+ゴブリンの傑作が作られていくわけです) (C)馬場敏裕