After some interwebs searches, some of which end up here, I wanted to ask if anyone knows what kind of amps were being used for the Dollars Trilogy. I found out that Alessandro Alessanronini (sp?) played a strat and some other guy did the other two soundtracks possibly on a Jazzm or Jag.

One of the things that strikes me is, most people seem to think these parts are drenched in Echo or Reverb, have tremolo, and fuzz.

Listening to them, I wonder where we get that. Maybe later players playing this stuff with all the effects on?

What I DO hear is a "modulation" that could be the warble from a tape echo, but it could just as easily be tremolo bar work.

And that one (Few Dollars More I think) has a rather edge of break up and kind of thin sound - so it could be some kind of tape echo unit where the but again it could just be tremolo work with an amp slightly breaking up.

The remaining two soundtracks (at least the main title themes) have little to no effects on them at all. I think I might hear a touch of reverb in one, but that's about it.

Anyway, I'm curious about two things:

1. The "warbly" modulate-y sound - Tremolo use or side-effect from echo/verb?

2. Where do we get the idea that all these effects are on those soundtracks - are there others (Name is Nobody, ONce Upon a Time, etc.) that did have more noticeable drenched in verb/trem kind of sounds?

Jake, when you say "vibrato" you mean tremolo arm vibrato, not something in the amp correct?

I'll have to re-listen to Rey's theme. My son is learning trumpet and we got him a book of melodies from Star Wars (the previous 6) and we re-watched episodes 1-3 over the holidays and I was reminded how very few memorable themes there were - and most of the ones that stuck out to me ended up being included in this book.

When we saw TFA, the "March of the Resistance" stuck out to me - my son ended up making that his ringtone. Rey's Theme is probably one of the other few really stand out pieces (of course, obviously a lot of the music in the movie is meant to be background music).

What was interesting to me about Morricone, once I started figuring things out, was that compositinally speaking, it wasn't all that adventurous, but it was the instrumentation and orchestration that makes it so memorable (to this day). Even when I got to them 20 or more years after their releases, the whistling, shouting, caterwauling, and wonderfully strident guitar sound were all new to me.

I also didn't realize until I was older how much of a chimera music of the 60s in film was - it was a blend of Jazz, Rock, and Classical in fascinating ways.

In some ways, once Star Wars hit, we've been stuck in this loop of "Romantic" - and dare I use the all too often used word "epic" style orchestral soundtracks (Potter, LOTR, etc. etc.). Other films just grab pop songs direct from the radio.

Gone are the cool synth soundtracks, the mixing of all the genres, the interest in unusual orchestrations, and even avant-garde compositional styles that I hear so frequently in movies from the 60s.

JakeDobner wrote:
Leo Fender absolutely used the wrong terms on his amps and guitars.

Yeah, I know, but you can't fight city hall. I've been trying with all the metalheads calling it "legato technique" which is really "slurring", but you know, things like this stick whether correct or not.

I always like "Vibrola"!

So I know the correct terms, just caving to popular misnomers

Thanks for the link Ran! Didn't know they existed, but I think you are right about them getting it right.

Yeah, I see they've played Mississippi Studios recently, a pretty cool small venue that I've made the trek to Portland to see bands play before. I'm going to be keeping an eye out.

kick_the_reverb wrote:

Regarding phrasing and arrangement, I think Federale is the only performing band that "gets it".
Ran

Thank you very much for posting this, this band is AWESOME.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C68hdEw9j6w

Bit of wah used in My Name Is Nobody. That was my first exposure to Spaghetti Westerns. I still think that's some of Morricone's best stuff. Damned good movie too!
Good stuff Reverb17 definitely going to have to check them out. Thanks!
Lot of build up to this one but the acoustic picking and then the fuzz, hot cornbread! That's good stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzRaa3Oz06Q&index=11&list=RDfu2VZhXMSX0

Last edited: Feb 04, 2016 23:23:17

JakeDobner wrote:

Didn't know they existed, but I think you are right about them getting it right.

Ditto. Found them on iTunes, just now. Snagged a few tracks off those albums (for listening to in my iPod today). Thanks Ran.

He who dies with the most tubes... wins

Surf Daddies

Last edited: Sep 07, 2017 13:08:09