Description

180g audiophile pressing on gold vinyl with gatefold cover and huge poster. Limited 500 copies

Il Mercenario / The Mercenary is one of Sergio Corbucci’s most meaningful and well-crafted cinematic work. It comes very close to being as good as any of the movies in the Dollars trilogy, and is definitely a strong contender for the title of “best non-Sergio Leone spaghetti western”. Morricone’s music is stellar. Everything visual in this movie is stunning. The movie in itself is like an unofficial prequel to Companeros. Jack Palance, Tony Mustane and of course Franco Nero are all great as their characters in this movie. Giovanna Ralli is wonderful in the role of Columba. Her role in this movie as the strong, cunning female revolutionary is much more significant than women were usually given in westerns. She plays it perfectly, and she really deserves equal billing with Nero and Musante. The music perfectly fits the movies cinematography and mood. Its a foot-tapping music score and then Morricone gets the brilliant idea to ad whip cracks which is another plus. So Ennio Morricone have created a classic Spaghetti soundtrack which is well conducted by his habitual collaborator Bruno Nicolai. Produced by Alberto Grimaldi -PEA productions- famous producer of Sergio Leones Dollars Trilogy. So overall this feels like one of Ennio Morricone’s most memorable scores. The title theme is a rousing, festive Mexican sounding instrumental. During the film, there’s some great use of organ music, and best of all there’s that haunting whistling pattern that will forever stick in your mind, followed by the solemn trumpet melody and building crescendo. It works so well with the action on screen, especially during the showdown in the bullfighting arena, which is one of the greatest scenes in film history. Corbucci and Morricone could definitely create art on screen. It’s no coincidence that the greatest spaghetti westerns are the ones with the greatest music scores. Its no wonder that Quentin Tarantino used the track “L’Arena” for his Kill Bill Volume 2, its a track that creates goes bumps every time you hear it. Get this amazing soundtrack while you can and make sure you go and get the movie too

Track list:
1. Bamba Vivace (Titoli Di Testa)
2. Estasi
3. Il Mercenario (Sueno Mejicano)
4. Fiesta (Mariachi)
5. Il Mercenario (Ripresa)
6. Canto A Mia Tierra
7. Il Mercenario
8. Liberta
9. Il Mercenario (Sueno Mejicano)
10. Fiesta (Valzer)
11. Notte Di Nozze
12. Il Mercenario (Ripresa Terza)
13. Il Mercenario (Suspense)
14. Paco
15. Ricciolo
16. Il Mercenario (L’Arena)