Approach to Danger

Lalo Schifrin: Scorpio and Theme From Magnum Force
From Sudden Impact and the Best of Dirty Harry (Viva, 1983)

I've long been a fan of soundtracks from the 60's and 70's, and I don't really know that I could tell you why. I know that the sparce arrangments and the "cinematic" elements appeal to me, but these aspects could apply to rock based soundtracks from pretty much any era. There really isn't one specific thing about scores from the late 60's to the mid 70's that does it for me, but I can say the aesthetics of Lalo Schifrin's music from this time period had a large part in shaping what I look for in a soundtrack lp. The fuzzed out almost spaghetti western guitars, the sharp back beat drumming, the horn stabs, and most of all the attention to motion and tension. Schifrin's music is not the wacka-chicka-wacka of the lazier 70's action themes, nor is it often the lush, stirring stuff of some of the better soul soundtracks. While the tension is created through the use of rhythm and accents, there is enough of melodic interest to make the records worth listening to outside of the context of the film.

I'm going to post several Schifrin tracks for the next couple weeks, starting with one of my favorites. I don't believe a proper soundtrack LP to Dirty Harry (or the following two films) was released prior to the 180 gram Simply Vinyl editions which popped up a few years ago. While 1983's Sudden Impact and the Best of Dirty Harry doesn't include the entire score to the original Dirty Harry movie, it thankfully features the bad guy's theme: the soundtrack to his roof top snipings. Rough stuff it is, which an on point drummer leading many tempo changes. The "Magnum Force" theme is also worth a listen, with its call and response fuzz guitars and open drums. Stay tuned for some more Schifrin heat.