[deafmetal]

Finders Keepers:
From the same vibrant cinematic landscape of '70s studio supergroups as Goblin, The Pawnshop, The Feedback, and The Braen's Machine comes the Magnetic System, the Italian incognito dream-team composed of Milano prog keyboardist Vince Tempera, Cinevox sibling Franco Bixio, and video nasty maestro Fabio Frizzi (whose career it launched). Bridging giallo jazz-bass-driven prog and the arrival of home studios and synthesizers, the film music of the Magnetic System marked a sea change in Italian genre film music, promoting melodic electronics to the forefront of Italian pop culture and preempting the first murmurs of Italo disco and synthpop. Masterminded in the mid-'70s at the apex of Italian film music's most exciting transitional period, the Magnetic System was created to encapsulate the combined efforts of three of the country's most prolific and adventurous soundtrack composers and retarget their lauded behind-the-scenes personas toward the Italian commercial instrumental pop market. In the early 1970s, with a climate that nurtured instrumental rock such as the work of Franco Battiato, Sensations' Fix, and Le Orme, the soundtrack specialist label Cinevox (founded by Cesare Andrea Bixio) identified opportunities within their roster, finally finding chart success with the rebranded writing team known as Goblin. By 1977 the union of Franco Bixio, Fabio Frizzi, and Vincenzo Tempera as the Magnetic System would join a list of retitled outfits like The Pawnshop (featuring Alessandro Alessandroni, Giuliano Sorgini, and Giulia De Mutiis), The Braen's Machine (featuring Alessandroni and Rino De Filippi), and The Group (a drum-heavy version of Morricone's Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza), all of which took brief hiatuses from their soundtrack and library music day jobs to throw overqualified prog pop on the commercial craps table. The unfortunate low demand for these ambitious unchartered excursions resulted in small runs, which (with time as a healer) would cause future record collectors to salivate -- the one and only 7" single by the Magnetic System being no exception to this phenomenon. Also experimenting under further alter egos such as the day-glo Fruit Of The Gum and the Spaghetti Western-cum-disco Benjamin Franklyn Band, the group's third moniker, the Magnetic System, specifically showcased the trio's more aggressive, brooding, and heavier sound in comparison to its sister groups. This compilation gathers a wider selection of the trio's compositions that fall within the stylistic parameters of the Magnetic System's creative blueprint; culling drum-heavy synthesized psychedelic soundtracks with sympathetic leanings to the white funk/cosmic disco murmurings of the era. Limited edition of 2000.
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Tracklist
01. Allucinazioni Mistiche
02. Escape
03. Death's Song
04. Facce Violente
05. Attesa Insopportabile
06. Chaco
07. Vai Gorilla
08. Night Club Dance
09. Sette Note In Nero
10. Electronic Sound (Excerpt)
11. Avangiu
12. Godzilla
13. The Hunt Down
14. Concession Naturali
15. Escape
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UK/EU distros:
http://transmissionrecords.co.uk/shop/b ... c-systems/
US distros:
http://www.twoheadeddog.com/bixio-frizz ... ystems-lp/
http://www.forcedexposure.com/Catalog/b ... 084LP.html
https://www.dustygroove.com/item/760162

[Spun out of control]

Equally excited about this one - seen Andy Votel, Spencer and others have been tweeting 'bout it (as below), so hopefully imminent... feels like it's been a long time coming

EDIT: Amazon UK has the vinyl release date down as April 8th.

Digging the metallic/mirrored sleeve

Would love to see a full vinyl release for the Sette Note in Nero score too.

[monsterworship]

Preorder the LP a few weeks back on forced exposure.

[Mateo Sanboval]

Ditto.

[deafmetal]

Excellent, I didn't realize it was already in the distros for preorder. I have updated the first post with links to the US distros along with a confirmed vinyl track list from 2HD. It looks like they should start arriving in the US around April 15th.

I am glad to see both Godzilla and Escape (two versions?!) included on the compilation. I have listened to six different copies of the original Cinevox 45, and they all have some surface noise affecting the Godzilla track. It will be great if they were able to remaster it from the original tapes and get it nice and clean. I familiar with most of the tracks on the comp, but not all of them. Very excited to spend some time with this album.

[deafmetal]

Now available for preorder at Transmission Records.
http://transmissionrecords.co.uk/shop/b ... c-systems/

[deafmetal]

I have been doing some research. :)

Below is what OST info I could find for each track, and a few seem to be unreleased so far on vinyl.

01. Allucinazioni Mistiche (Fantozzi)
02. Escape (Operazione K: Sparate a Vista)
03. Death's Song (I Quattro Dell'Apocalisse)
04. Facce Violente (Roma, L'Altra Faccia Della Violenza)
05. Attesa Insopportabile (Roma, L'Altra Faccia Della Violenza)
06. Chaco (I Quattro Dell'Apocalisse)
07. Vai Gorilla (Vai Gorilla)
08. Night Club Dance (not sure, Rock N' Roll?)
09. Sette Note In Nero (Sette Note In Nero)
10. Electronic Sound (Excerpt) [?]
11. Avangiu (L'ultima Volta)
12. Godzilla (Cozzilla)
13. The Hunt Down (A Pugni Nudi)
14. Concession Naturali (La Preda)
15. Escape (Operazione K: Sparate a Vista) [Film Version]

Also, interesting to see a track from Franco Bixio's A Pugni Nudi. I am looking forward to hearing that repress on AMS as well.

[Spun out of control]

[quote="deafmetal"]


Wow are those your records @deaf...? If so you've caught the bug hard :)

Great research too!

[deafmetal]

@Spun - Yeah, that is my current pile, but I don't think I have heard even half of all the trio's releases yet. They have also written music that was performed by other musicians and vocalists. Quite a lot of material.

I am still looking for a copy of the Sette Note In Nero 45 if anybody has one to trade or sell. :)

[monsterworship]

my Magnetic system LP is out for delivery today, stoked.

[deafmetal]

my Magnetic system LP is out for delivery today, stoked.

Wow, way before the release date! Please post a review on this thread. I ordered one from FE, but it hasn't shipped yet.

[Aremagod]

my Magnetic system LP is out for delivery today, stoked.

Mine is due tomorrow...I ordered it Tuesday...thank you Forced Exposure!

[Mateo Sanboval]

Jesus, Deaf. Nice haul.

[deafmetal]

I've had a few of those for a while now, but Vai Gorilla was a recent scoop. Love that main theme. The copy of Febbre da Cavallo is a reissue from the Cinevox 45 box set that I picked up from Spencer last year at MondoCon.

I have yet to hear the Roma, L'altra Faccia Dell Violenza, or L'ultima Volta OST's. Very exciting.

[Occhionero]

Question, my copy sounds in the bass or louder parts very distorted. Do I need to adjust my turntable?

[lazyben]

My first copy of this had a pressing flaw which made it go all wobbly but that was easily visible. The replacement is fine.

If there's nothing visible you might want to clean the record and your stylus.

[deafmetal]

I did not notice any defects on my vinyl copy. I believe the tracks are sourced from different materials, but I did not notice any drastic EQ differences between tracks. Seems to be pretty well mastered overall. Reminds me that I need to write up a proper review for this LP.

[Occhionero]

It is mostly on track 1 of side A. I can live with that, no need for an replacement. Bought this from Utrecht directly from FindersKeepers and had some nice conversations about soundtracks with the guy behind the desk.

[deafmetal]

Magnetic Systems - review by @deafmetal

The tease way back in early 2015 of a potential Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera LP by Finders Keepers, which featured both the project name (Magnetic System) and cover artwork of a very incredible and rare Cinevox 45, had members of this board posting YouTube clips of the tracks from that 45, and that immediately sent me on an expansive research quest to find out as much as I could about the wide-ranging output of this legendary trio of composers. It also helped to blow the dust off some fading memories…

I was already somewhat familiar with the trio’s theme for Luigi Cozzi’s interesting reworking of the 1956 film Godzilla – King of the Monsters! (aka Cozzilla in Italy), which is quite a story in itself. In 1998, gorehound soundtrack aficionados rokOPERA released a split soundtrack CD in the US for Cannibal Ferox and Zombie (Zombi 2), along with including their own tribute material to both films. According to the liner notes, the band had traveled to Italy to obtain the master tapes and secure the rights to release the Ferox/Zombi 2 album, and had also managed to uncover a “lost demo” for the Godzilla theme. Before ever hearing about Magnetic System or Cozzilla, I had always considered this track, which certainly sounds like an earlier concept for Frizzi’s monumental theme for Zombi 2, to be some kind of low-fi remix of the Zombi 2 theme, especially since it was placed next to other remixes of the main theme. The track on the CD is nearly identical to the track appearing on the Cinevox 45, but it also contains a slightly wonky keyboard theme that seems a bit out of sync with the rest of the instruments. Whether this really is an alternate take/demo for the track appearing on the Cinevox 45, or some randomly recorded remix is unknown. Perhaps Fabio Frizzi or Stephen Romano could shed some light on this question. That said, the original track is a monster, and that is the one on the new LP. It features one of the best groaning mellotron solos in Frizzi's catalog of horrors. For me, it's right up there with the Voci Dal Nulla "hotel lament" theme from The Beyond.

Since Finders Keepers were not going to offer up any additional information about their release (I asked), it was unknown if the upcoming release would be a 12” repress of the original 45, or perhaps just unreleased Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera material. Many of us were hoping that the LP would include both the Godzilla theme and the original B-side track, the absolutely stunning proto-techno burner Escape. This tune blew my ears off when I first listened to it, and had me immediately scouring the world for a copy of the 45. It is pretty well-known that these three composers were blurring the lines between psychedelic disco and funk with the help of modern electronic synthesizers, but Escape is clearly way ahead of the early techno/rave music to come in the mid to late 80’s. It should be no surprise that the track is featured prominently on the LP, and in what may just be the icing on the vinyl cake, a surprise “film version” of the tune is the last cut on the compilation, which sounds electrifying and "live-as-hell". You can almost visualize the band on stage cranking out their energetic future-techno in a hazy and smoky club that still has 70’s disco lights on the floor. This in itself is enough to make the album a must-have, and is also worthy of praise for the research and care taken to master the material for a compilation release on vinyl. Finders Keepers kept it simple and low-cost with a black vinyl pressing, but added a bit of shine to the release with a glossy reflective sleeve featuring the original Cinevox artwork.

The other material selected for the compilation is excellently curated, pulling some favorites from previous Cinevox 45’s and LP’s. The main themes from Seven Notes in Black, Four of the Apocalypse, and Vai Gorilla are essential to showcase the best of the trio’s output, but another eye-opener for me were the two cuts from Rome, The Other Side of Violence, which are blistering funk thunderstorms. Cinevox released a compilation album in 2000 called Roma Violenta, which looks to feature at least one of these tunes (I do not own a copy), but I had to immediately search out the full soundtrack after hearing the two selections. Additional material is included from Fantozzi, L’ultima Volta, A Pugni Nudi, La Preda, and a few other pieces unknown to me. This compilation skims the cream from the large batch of quality material the trio wrote during their time together. The write-up I posted earlier from Finders Keepers describes their early history at Cinevox much better than I could myself, and the album itself features some very extensive liner notes that go into even more detail. Well worth the wait!

[Spun out of control]

Great write up @deaf.... thanks for taking the time to post that. The enthusiasm comes through... am still hoping we get a full, possibly expanded, score release for Seven Notes in Black. A DeathWaltz release was long rumoured but don't know if that has fallen by the wayside.

Also don't know why FK play their cards so close to their chest - competition I guess...? They also don't feel the need to shout too much about their releases - they seem the type of guys who are quietly confident and really love what they do

Try not to buy too many CDs these days - but the ones Digitmovies put out of the Italian scores are hard to resist, especially when they're expanded and vinyl originals of the same can go for 100 Euros

Just hope we see some more love for them from our favourite re-issue labels in the near future. :)

[Dollarhyde]

Nice review @deaf,

It's funny you mention that split cd. I had a rather anonymous rip of it, in a folder with other things titled horror OST. I got it from some dude online who sent me a bunch of rips on dvd, this is back in the day of soulseek. It was a few years later that I actually discovered the zombie 2 theme and godzilla mix you mentioned, this was about 8 or so years ago now. I rinsed those tunes to death on my mp3 player at the time but knew nothing of the film 'zombie 2' or frizzi. Fast forward a few years more and I flipped when I heard the zombie 2 theme sampled by La beatmaker samiyam for the intro to his debut lp Sam baker. Not long after this I think I stumbled across death waltz due to thier rsd Steve more release. As I investigated the label I was blown away when I realised they had released the zombie 2 score on vinyl. It took me a while to realise zombie flesh eaters was zombie 2 though.

[Bezulsqy]

Nice read @ Deaf.
And an impressive collection you have!

[deafmetal]

@Spun - Thanks, I am also hoping to see an expanded Seven Notes in Black vinyl release. Death Waltz seems to be having better luck with Frizzi's own material though, and look to be releasing both Contraband and The Scorpion with Two Tails this year. Still looking for those 45's...

@Dollarhyde - I have a similar soulseek story regarding that split CD. The first time I watched Zombi 2, I went absolutely mental over the soundtrack, especially the main theme. I could not find a CD release, and I knew nothing of things like Japanese vinyl releases of rare Italian horror film soundtracks, but I did find somebody on soulseek who had a "Zombi 2 (OST)" folder. It turns out this was actually the second half of the rokOPERA CD, but all the tracks were just titled "Track 1, Track 2, etc.". I could tell when the "remixes" started toward the end of the folder, and I always considered the Godzilla track to just be another random remix of the main theme. I also wore out those digital files. I remember driving from Minneapolis to LA in the early 2000's, and my homemade "Zombi 2" CD probably had the most plays. When Death Waltz launched, they had my full attention from the very start. :)

@Bezulsqy - Thanks, it is much more enjoyable than just listening to digital files., but it's an expensive "hobby".

[Dollarhyde]

@deaf

Heh Heh I thought the same about godzilla too. I had not seen any fulci movies until Death waltz and this forum educated me.
Don't torture a duckling and lizard in a woman's skin are my next 'to watch' fulci's. Oh, and The Beyond. ... And House by the cemetery.