Moderators: lazyben, static14, texasvinyl

#94207
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This has been a very enjoyable discovery. Not only has it functioned as an entry point to Dave Grusin’s discography for me personally, but I feel this music is a wonderful mix of mid 70’s sounds. Lush and orchestral in parts, sly and slinky in others, and just downright thick and funky overall. I have a serious hankering for jazz-funk lately, and this LP hit my ears at just the right moment for maximum impact. I must have been conceived back in ‘75 to this style of music. I have no other explanation for how much I love it, other than it makes me feel great when I listen to it. Especially that main theme, goddamn!



First off, the Sydney Pollack film is worth your time. Based on the novel Six Days of The Condor by James Grady, it’s a tightly-paced 70’s spy thriller with Robert Redford (aka “Condor”) playing a nerdish bookworm working for an obscure NYC research office (“Sector 17”) of the CIA.

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Things go south early on in the film, and after Redford is forced to “commandeer” Faye Dunaway’s character, it’s a franticly paranoid whodunnit that works well in the post-Watergate era of the US east coast. Max von Sydow's haunting presence plays a hitman on Condor’s trail. One of the great things about the film is that Grusin’s soundtrack is very high up in the mix and is featured prominently. In between the more dialogue-heavy scenes, the soundtrack really keeps things lively and is very fitting for the various street scenes throughout the film.

Sultry funk, lush strings, and then the space-echo electronic stabs sneak in just after a minute:



Check those funk basslines, just smooth as hell with the tight brass section:



There are some moody sax numbers, of course, but the lead characters’ romance is kept to a minimum. Also, the softer cues keep the intrigue going:



Almost inexplicably undercutting a very tense scene, Redford’s character turns on a stereo which is playing this monster of a funk tune featuring Jim Gilstrap belting out some powerful and rough-edged vocals:



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Gilstrap released a couple albums in the 70’s, and has also worked with Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. He sang some TV theme songs, including “Good Times”. The guy has a hell of a voice, and he just murders the Dave Gruisin cut.

The film takes place close to Christmas, and there is also a somewhat-forgettable cover of Silver Bells with vocals by Marti McCall, but it’s not much to write about. The last track is a medley of the Condor theme and the Gilstrap tune which plays out over the end credits.

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Overall, I felt this was a funky nugget that deserved some more attention. I stumbled upon it somewhat randomly, and it has been very rewarding. There are US, Japan, and Brazil pressings by Capitol Records, as well as an Italian pressing by Produttori Associati:

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You should be pick be able to pick up this up for ~$20-30 if you are patient. You could listen to the entire album here:



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Last edited by deafmetal on Mon Jan 29, 2018 5:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
#94215
Wicked good pick, Deaf. I'm very fond of this film and have never owned the score in any format. I'm only halfway through your post, but am loving it so far. The second have will be waiting for me after work. Cheers!
#94221
@deaf,

Loving it, it really is a top jazz funk joint. I'm always overlooking this kind of stuff, I think a lot of lalo schifrin falls down the same hole, where I keep on passing on it because it is cheap as chips and always seems available but essentially blows a lot of rare "grails" out of the water.
I think your post may tip me to grabbing a copy,along with some lalo.
#94224
@deaf -

Great choice! Really like this score/genre+era of film music, also a BIG fan of everything by Michael Small. Have sought this out a few times but will no doubt make another concerted effort now ;)

There's this one great scene in the film where Redford practically kidnaps Dunaway and treats her like a complete douche. It is quite prolonged, and I remember thinking it was pretty damn unprovoked (even though he was running for his life...)
#94226
ScoJo wrote:@deaf -

Great choice! Really like this score/genre+era of film music, also a BIG fan of everything by Michael Small. Have sought this out a few times but will no doubt make another concerted effort now ;)

There's this one great scene in the film where Redford practically kidnaps Dunaway and treats her like a complete douche. It is quite prolonged, and I remember thinking it was pretty damn unprovoked (even though he was running for his life...)
That scene really stood out to me the second time I saw this film. The first time I saw it I was just barely a teen, but even as a slightly older barely-a-teen I could sense the weirdness there. To this day it remains the only part of the film that can pull me out of the world it's built.

Anyhow, beer cracked, so on to part deux of Deaf's post.
#94231
ScoJo wrote:@mateo -
drunk-dj1.jpg
You know what, man? That's just a bit too far. You've made a pretty large assumption about me as a person and I don't think I can let this one stand uncorrected. I never ever wear my hat sideways. Ever. Even when I'm wallpapered.
#94338
@texas -

;) Larry's been on ma mind recently: ever since they announced that season nine has been filming/is on the way, I re-watched S1-8 in a fantastic flurry within a couple of weeks. Love that show y'all!

Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good.
#94723
Nice Deep Cut, Deaf.
Months ago I bought a Japanese 45 with the theme of All The President's Men on side A and Three Days of The Condor on side B. On the label it Grusin is written as Gursin: https://www.discogs.com/Chris-Carpenter ... se/9524097

And without seeing your Deep Cut I found and bought the soundtrack to Eric in a small record store in San Francisco: https://www.discogs.com/David-Grusin-Er ... se/2981867
Did not know the movie nor heard anything about the score, but couldn't let it sit there.