Deep Cut Record 27 - '3 Days of the Condor' by Dave Grusin
Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2017 11:58 pm
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.
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:
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.
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:
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: