Our Choons Electric

Bebe & Louis Barron - Forbidden Planet: Main Titles Overture

(Forbidden Planet soundtrack, 1956)

 

Somewhat kicking myself at my blatant omission of Bebe & Louis Barron's soundtrack for Fred M. Wilcox's science fiction classic Forbidden Planet (1956) for the Year by Ear challenge. Not sure I would have still made it as far back to Bernard Herrmann's eerily spectacular theremin infused sounds in Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still like I had originally hoped, but it would have been one more year off the list, regardless.
 

In any case, now is a good time as any to compile a list of some of my favourite electronic soundtrack compositions to compliment my favourite Blaxploitation and Euro-Funk soundtrack jams. The beauty of those lists was I didn't feel so remorseful about the non-inclusion of many tracks in the challenge since they were already respectively covered in dedicated posts.

Whether it's the otherworldly theremin, oscillating pulse modulation sound waves from an antiquated sound lab or the convenience of the popular synthesizer, they are part and parcel to the films that I adore. Crazy to think that extraterrestial life-forms, killer robots and flesh-eating zombies have their own trademark electronic sounds to accompany them. Thus, a list of my favourites below: 

 

 Favourite Electronic Soundtrack Compositions:

Bernard Herrmann - GORT / The Visor / The Telescope (The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951)

Spencer Moore - Theme (Teenagers from Outer Space, 1959)

Pierre Raph - Crotch Batterie (Requiem for a Vampire, 1971)

Wendy Carlos - Theme from A Clockwork Orange (A Clockwork Orange, 1972)

Will Malone - Main Theme (Death Line aka Raw Meat, 1972)

John Carpenter - Main Title (Assault on Precinct 13, 1976)

Ivor Slaney - Easy Prey (Prey, 1977)

Goblin - Suspiria (Suspiria, 1977)

Tangerine Dream - Betrayal (Sorcerer, 1977)

John Carpenter - Halloween Theme (Halloween, 1978)

Giorgio Moroder - The Chase (Midnight Express, 1978)

Riz Ortolani - Il Corpo di Linda (The Pyjama Girl Case, 1978)

Goblin - L'Alba Dei Morti Viventi (Dawn of the Dead, 1978)

Goblin - Main Titles (Buio Omega / Beyond the Darkness, 1979)

Fred Myrow & Malcom Seagrave - Intro & Main Theme (Phantasm , 1979)

Fabio Frizzi - Main Title (Zombie / Zombi 2 / Zombie Flesh Eaters, 1979)

Barry DeVarzon - Wonder Wheel (Main Title) (The Warriors, 1979)

Stelvio Cipriani - Deathwatch (Ring of Darkness, 1979)

Francis Monkman - Taken (The Long Good Friday, 1980)

Riz Ortolani - Adulteress' Punishment (Cannibal Holocaust, 1980)

Queen - Ming's Theme (Flash Gordon, 1980)

Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind - The Shining (Main Title) (The Shining, 1980)

Simonett, Pignatelli & Morante - Tenebre (Tenebre, 1980)

The Wonderland Philharmonic - Lone Wolf's Theme (Shogun Assassin, 1980)

Tim Krog - The Boogey Man (Version 3) (The Boogey Man, 1980)

Keith Emerson - Mater Tenebrarum (Inferno, 1980)

Marcello Giombini - La bestia nello spazio 16 (Beast in Space, 1980)

Jay Chattaway - Subway Chase (Maniac, 1980)

Nico Fidenco - Zombie Parade (Zombie Holocaust / Dr. Butcher M.D, 1980)

John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - The Shape Stalks Again (Halloween II, 1981)

John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - The Duke Arrives / Barricade (Escape from New York, 1981)

Tangerine Dream - Beach Scene (Thief, 1981)

Rick Wakeman - Theme from The Burning (The Burning, 1981)

Fabio Frizzi - Sequenza Ritmica E Tema (The Beyond, 1981)

Howard Shore - 801 A-B (Videodrome, 1982)

John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Main Theme / Chariots of Pumpkins (Halloween III: Season of the Witch, 1982)

Jimmy Page - A Shadow in the City (Death Wish II, 1982)

John Harrison - Something to Tide You Over (Creepshow, 1982)

Vangelis - End Titles (Blade Runner, 1982)

Henry Manfredini - Main Theme (Friday the 13th Part III, 1982)

Ennio Morricone - Main Theme (The Thing, 1982)

Jonathan Newton - Nancy Tries to Leave (Unhinged, 1982)

Charles Bernstein - Bath Attack (The Entity, 1982)

Giorgio Moroder - Tony's Theme (Scarface, 1983)

Tangerine Dream - Love on a Real Train (Risky Business, 1983)

John Carpenter & Alan Howarth - Moochie's Death (Christine, 1983)

Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F (Beverly Hills Cop, 1984)

Charles Bernstein - Main Title (A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1984)

Brad Fiedel - Main Theme (The Terminator, 1985)

Vince DiCola - Training Montage (Rocky IV, 1985)

Brad Fiedel - Come to Me (Instrumental) (1985)

Claudio Simonetti - Demon (Demons, 1985)

Claudio Simonetti - Phenomena (Phenomena, 1985)

Simon Boswell - Sharp Groove (Stagefright, 1987)

Sinoia Caves - Run Program: Sentionauts (Beyond the Black Rainbow, 2010)

Power Glove - Hunters (Hobo With a Shotgun, 2011)

Rob - Doll (Maniac, 2012)

Paul Leonard-Morgan - The Rise of Ma-Ma (Dredd, 2012)

Mica Levi - Love (Under the Skin, 2013)

Disasterpeace - Old Maid (It Follows, 2014)

Julian Winding - The Demon Dance (Neon Demon, 2016)

Oneohtrix Point Never - Leaving the Park (Good Time, 2017)

Jóhan Jóhannsson - Death and Ashes (Mandy, 2018)

Motherf@@king right John Carpenter is all over this list, and it would have been even more of his music if I included more than just one track from each of his films (with the exception of Halloween III: Season of the Witch, since those first two tracks blend together so seamlessly).

Intentionally left out Dominique Ney & Claude Germain's Générique from Don't Deliver Us From Evil (1971), since I honestly can't distinquish if it's an electric organ being heard, or not. Love it, regardless. Also omitted Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells since it doesn't really qualify as it wasn't produced for The Exorcist, but I do concede it's great hearing it in the film.

The interesting thing about this list is the obvious eighties throwback renaissance which became part of the noughties culural zeitgeist eventually made its presence evident before it handed things over to the 2010s. Also, I can't immediatley recall any memorable electronic style soundtrack compositions from the nineties, other than Brad Fiedel's Terminator 2 Theme, but the original trumps it unequivocally, imo. 

It's also cool hearing elements of these soundtracks making their way into tracks I adore either via sampling or from obvious inspiration.

Dada Debaser Bonus:

Can't really sign off on this post without including two joints that don't really qualify since they are from television rather than cinema, but they're both personal classics and I have nothing but love for them:

Ron Grainer & Delia Derbyshire - Doctor Who (Original Theme)

(Doctor Who soundtrack, 1963)

 

Barry DeVorzon - V The Final Battle (Version 2 Theme)

(V soundtrack, 1984)

 

Unapologetic nostalgia based on the pair of them, however, both of these tunes have endured the test of time, imo; randomly getting spins in my mind's jukebox ever since first hearing them.