wah wah wa-wah

I'm taking a little break from the punk and new wave stuff today to discuss Ennio Morricone's Danger Diabolik soundtrack. Most famous for his much imitated spaghetti western film scores, Morricone also composed the soundtracks for dozens of other 60's Italian films, where his distinctive musical stylings add a level of value to even the shittiest low budget Euro-quickies.

Not that Danger Diabolik is a shitty film, notwithstanding its dubious distiction of being used for the final episode of MST3K. Based on an Italian comic, the film has supercriminal Diabolik (a very trim John Phillip Law) and his lover/partner-in-crime Eva Kant (Marisa Mell) tangling with both the authorities and the mob in their pursuit of the good life. A thrillseeking hedonist as opposed to a would be worldbeater, Diabolik makes for an interesting anti-hero. Pulling a heist in order to have sex under a pile of banknotes? That's slick, indeed.

(My wife, who has little tolerance for this sort of Euro-schlock, actually enjoyed this film. She really appreciated how the relationship between Diabolik and Eva was depicted -- as equal partners, rather than as a masculine hero and his vapid eye-candy escort.)

So enjoy these wonderful slices 60's Euro pop. Black skintight supervillian suit not required.

Ennio Morricone & Christy - Deep Down
Ennio Morricone - Under Wah-Wah (Extracted Au From H2O)

SPECIAL BONUS TRACK:

The Italian-language version of the theme to Operation Double 007. The cool kids will know what this is.

Ennio Morricone & Christy - O.K. Connery