Ka-Boom!

If you ever wondered what a mash-up between Wild in the Streets and Two Thousand Maniacs might sound like, look no further than this 1970 "issues" movie from director Ralph Nelson (Once a Thief) about a small Southern town ripped apart when it gets a black sheriff. (Insert your favorite Blazing Saddles quip here.) The cast is a great slice of early '70s personalities including Jim Brown, George Kennedy, Fredric March, Lynn Carlin, Don Stroud, Bernie Casey, Clifton James, Dub Taylor and much more; keep your eyes open for occasional TV screenings. Songwriter Jerry Styner (The Cycle Savages, Mitchell) chipped on on the unique soundtrack, which is credted to "Tompall and the Glaser Brothers," or to give their full names, "outlaw singer" Tompall Glaser and his brothers, Chuck and Jim. A mixture of new material and some established Glaser standards (i.e., the often-played "Woman, Woman"), this album came near the end of their contract with MGM, which was headed at the time by composer/songwriter Mike Curb (wow, his name pops up around here a lot), who also penned the liner notes. A catchy mixture of folk, country and rock, this is usually overlooked in the discographies of everyone involved but is definitely worth a spin.

...tick...tick...tick...
1. Theme from Tick...Tick...Tick... (Set Yourself Free)
2. California Girl (And The Tennessee Square)
3. Why Do You Do Me Like You Do
4. All That Keeps Ya Going
5. Where Has All The Love Gone?
6. Woman, Woman
7. What Does It Take
8. Home's Where The Hurt Is
9. Walk Unashamed
10. Gentle On My Mind

Also, here are two excellent reader submissions courtesy of "Joe." First up is Ryuichi Sakamoto's great, Ravel-inspired score for Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale. Then there's the excellent alt-music soundtrack for the modern cult favorite demonlover, a fascinating, mostly improvished work by Sonic Youth. Strangely enough, neither of these were ever released on CD in the U.S.; click on the covers below to hear 'em.