The Costandinos Beat

Though his name doesn't ring too many bells today, Egyptian-born composer/producer Alec R. Costandinos hit it big on the charts in '78 with his high-concept disco opus, Romeo & Juliet on Casablanca Records, performed with his "Syncophonic Orchestra." Along with masterminding a few semi-successful pop groups (Sphinx, Love & Kisses), he made a name for himself in the clubs in Paris, where he got a gig writing the epic disco score for Trocadéro Bleu Citron, a delirious skating musical revolving around a bunch of Parisian kids. It's all upbeat, catchy stuff, highlighted by the massive, 15+ minute "Trocadero Suite."

As if that wasn't enough to fill out a busy '78, at the end of the year he also released a very unusual concept album, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a discofied adaptation of the Victor Hugo novel. Yep, it's a dark, gothic, romantic danceathon, and though it technically isn't a soundtrack, the approach is very cinematic throughout. Not surprisingly, the gypsy Esmeralda gets a sassy, Latin-flavored theme that's highly reminiscent of fellow disco-ers Santa Esmeralda (heard most famously in Kill Bill Vol. 1), but the rest is equally fascinating.

Fun with Roger and Jane

It's debatable whether controversial director Roger Vadim (And God Created Woman) is more famous for his films or his astounding string of female conquests he married, dated or bedded. One of his most fruitful partnerships was his marriage to Jane Fonda, leading to Barbarella and one-third of Spirits of the Dead. However, their first film together was 1964's La Ronde, a remake of the Max Ophuls classic better known to English-speaking viewers as Circle of Love. The plot is that old sexy chestnut about a string of lovers all connected by the wily coincidences of l'amour, with French-speaking Jane as an unfaithful wife who apparently doesn't have much use for clothes. Busy composer Michel Magne contributes the score, a string of romantic melodies appropriate to the period Parisian setting.

After getting married, Roger and Jane returned again in '66 with The Game Is Over, an updated, sexed-up adaptation of Emile Zola's La Curée. Jane plays an unfaithful wife (again) given to scantily-clad aerobics who dallies with her stepson, only to unleash some nasty psychological punishment from her husband. The highlight (both musically and cinematically) is easily the finale in which a nutty, sopping-wet Jane crashes the family's "Green Ball" party. The oh-so-mod, sitar-tinged music comes courtesy of Jean Bouchéty and Jean-Pierre Bourtayre, who also deliver some funky songs mixing psych and soul ("Baby You Know What You're Doing," "Don't Tell Me").

Circle of Love
1. La Ronde
2. Retour De Guerre
3. Bal Champêtre (Valse)
4. Le Soldat Et La Soubrette (Polka)
5. La Soubrette Et L'Étudiant
6. L'Étudiant Et La Femme Du Monde
7. Sophie, "À Coeur Ouvert"
8. Tendresse Bourgeoise
9. Maxim's Grande Époque
10. Salon Particulier
11. Pygmalion Et Galatée
12. Le Tzigane Mène La Ronde
13. Le Tango Des Folies Douces
14. Rêveries Orientales
15. Générique

The Game Is Over
1. Générique Debut
2. Un Certain Regard
3. Scène d'Amour
4. Renée
5. La Serre
6. Scène Du Lac
7. Attente
8. Avant Toi
9. Baby You Know What You're Doing
10. Don't Tell Me
11. Départ De Renée
12. Bal Vert
13. Générique Fin

Yikety Yak

The late-night cable favorite Gwendoline (or as we Americans know it, The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak) was the last collaboration between director Just Jaeckin and composer/French pop star Pierre Bachelet, who also brought the better-known Story of O and Emmanuelle. Tawny Kitaen stars as an American explorer looking for a mythical butterfly who, with her two companions, winds up in a demented S&M neverland run by a sadistic queen. Never released on CD and only available on vinyl in France, this sweet, catchy score features Bachelet's typically strong melodic instincts and boasts some tracks that rank among his best (especially "Gwendoline" and "A Pikao"). Forget the corrupt and glitchy torrent files floating around out there; this is a fresh new rip direct from the original.

New Download Link (FLAC/lossless)

Read an interview with Just Jaeckin here.