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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Best-Of SG101 »

Permalink The Spaghetti Western Thread

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http://www.moviegrooves.com/shop/deliciouspagwestern.htm

Here is a link to My Delicious Spaghetti Western from Italy. I have this one and there is also MORE DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI WESTERNS. There are several by Allesandroni on here.

The first time I heard The SAGA (OF THE FLOATING COWBOY HAT) I thought cowboy, must be that galloping guitar part.

IvanP
I'd say that the Space Cossacks' "Mir Rescue" is definitely western influenced. Mark English wrote that one. It's got several western-like characteristics: the major-key melody which sounds kinda 'heroic' (in the style of many western movies from the '40s and '50s) as well as the horse-gallop-like rhythm, and, maybe even more importantly, the bass playing rhythmically-alternating (fourth notes?) root-fifth throughout the song. Like Pipeline. I think that's the bit that gives the country-and-western feel to some or many surf songs.

Ivan

Wow! I really appreciate having a technical analysis applied to my intuitive speculation! (I feel a little bit like Keith Richards just chimed in to put my point about Chuck Berry on a sounder basis.)

Thank you for pointing out the alternating notes in the bass line! There's something similar in Ghost Riders, not to mention Saga and the two Torquays numbers I mentioned. I'd even noticed the pattern in Pipeline, actually, but I never associated it with the feel of the song, and I hadn't noticed it in the other cases.

I believe violins are tuned in parallel fifths. I wonder if alternating fifths would suggest fiddle music or a string bass? That might have some sort of subliminal effect.

I'm kind of embarassed not to have noticed the major scales. I'm hoping there's more to my "western" reaction than major scale + galloping rhythm and alternating bass, but those might be most of it.

As far as the "heroic" quality, maybe it's a bit more specific than major scale even. Like a lot of people who were mildly alert in elementary school music classes, but haven't done much with music in a technical vein since, I am not really able to hear the finer division of the major and minor scales into the classical modes, but I believe that beginning with the Greeks people have ascribed particular emotional qualities to each mode. It appears that mediaeval theorists regarded the standard major scale (Ionian mode) as lascivious. I've never noticed that effect myself, but I wonder if "western sounding" songs use a particular mode that we've learned to associate with heroic activity. (Please note that this is me saying this, not one of the experts.)

See The Eight Modes and A Brief Introduction to Modes. Sorry - no sound samples or even musical notation or examples at these sites.

In any event, a major scale, an alternating high-low base, and a non-blues, non-minor scale would probably say a lot at a subliminal level, especially when combined with a thubbeddy, thubbeddy cocoanuts-on-sand-table rhythm. It would at least say, "Not inspired by something heard on KDKO Soul Radio." Or at a Greek wedding.

One problem. Ever since Brian's remark about not hearing any come-uh-cow-cow-yicky-yicky-aye-yicky-aye elements (other than cowabunga), I've been wrestling with a suspicion that I may have over-extended myself in identifying "western sounding" surf music with "Western music" generally. Maybe it's more a question of themes for movie and TV westerns. I suspect there's a connection, but maybe not by the high road.

If I can suggest an analogy, I have the impression that some of my favorite Klezmer bands - well, the two I've heard were pretty good - seem to insinuate that they're slumming when they do Misirlou or Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen. They enjoy it, but it's a concession to the audience. And they definitely shy away from what I might call - in a very non-technical way - "Israeli" music. I think I remember hearing the announcement "We don't do Hava Nagila, so please don't ask." (Can I hear "We don't do Barbara Anne, so please don't ask.") I don't think they deny these are Jewish - but they're not quite part of the Klezmer canon. Not that Klezmer music isn't low, popular music itself, but it's the low popular music of Eastern Europe and purists are not quite so happy when they see it transmuted into something suitable for a musical about Jewish life in America (_Bei Mir_), etc. They're a bit looser playing a wedding than a concert, I notice.

Surf music has its own purities, of course - no, really! - but it's nothing if not low and popular music from the early 60s. Every time I track down one of the historical currents flowing into it I notice it's from the part of the stream with maximum popular appeal and maxium American thumb prints - Misirlou the pop song, not an actual Klezmer piece; Malaguena the pop song, not an actual Spanish piece; and so on. The preference is always for something a bit jazzed up and pre-adapted to America: the street musician's choice, not the musicologist's. So, maybe it's no surprise that I'm beginning to wonder if I've just noticed yet another thread in Surf music that can be thought of as characteristic of a certain kind of movie or TV show: Spy/Detective Shows, Space Shows, and now Cowboy Shows. The kids who started this stuff were playing in family gig bands and watching TV in their spare time, not studying in classical musical institutions, and they were reaching out to the hearts of other kids with the same backgrounds.

So maybe I need to move Silver Bullet into the "western" category, too. I hadn't anticipated that.

Any gamers among the surfers here?
I just noticed on my kids Xbox game Red Dead Revolver soundtrack some nice Spaghetti Western guitar licks.
They think it's cool music!

It's all about spanish music,or Mexican.
Isn't it the Phyrgian scale ?

and the guitar just adds the twang.

In fact I've become so enarmoured of it lately, thanks to the Cadillac Hitmen and other bands I've found on CD baby, that I'm thinking of starting up a web site, or perhaps just a chat group, called "Spag Guitar 101"......

(Tongue firmly in cheek, Thanks Brian)

Freshwater Surfin'

The Murray Basin
Australia

surfraptor
Any gamers among the surfers here?
I just noticed on my kids Xbox game Red Dead Revolver soundtrack some nice Spaghetti Western guitar licks.
They think it's cool music!

Yeah, I'm a gaming addict, I admit. (Born in 1970, I was of the first
generation weened on video games--can you say the Atari VCS,
aka 2600??? I still have mine from 1977!)

Anyhoo, the game, Timesplitters 2, for the PS2 has some nifty
spaghetti-westernesque music in the old west scenario. Good stuff!

Vincent

Is this something you can share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!?

surfraptor
Any gamers among the surfers here? I just noticed on my kids Xbox game Red Dead Revolver soundtrack some nice Spaghetti Western guitar licks. They think it's cool music!

Yeah! I'm pretty sure at the back of the instruction manual, they credit where each song is from. If I remember correctly (I don't have the game any more), they used a lot of soundtrack music from spaghetti westerns that Morricone didn't score, though there's one or two Morricone pieces in there.

mournblade
Anyhoo, the game, Timesplitters 2, for the PS2 has some nifty spaghetti-westernesque music in the old west scenario. Good stuff!

Man, I don't even want to think about how much time I've spent playing TimeSplitters.

-Warren

That was excessively violent and completely unnecessary. I loved it.

Has anyone played "Red Dead Revolver" for xbox or ps2? It had a wicked western soundtrack. Anyone know who did it?

www.myspace.com/vondrats
www.myspace.com/therobotssurfband

bots
Has anyone played "Red Dead Revolver" for xbox or ps2? It had a wicked western soundtrack. Anyone know who did it?

It's almost all from actual spaghetti western films. Morricone did one or two of the pieces, the rest are from other composers.

-Warren

That was excessively violent and completely unnecessary. I loved it.

Thats a shame. I was kinda hoping it was original.

www.myspace.com/vondrats
www.myspace.com/therobotssurfband

bots
Thats a shame. I was kinda hoping it was original.

I might be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure the song that plays over the opening cinematic (the one that introduces all the characters) was an original, and possibly some of the menu music as well, but I traded the game in at least a year and a half ago so I can't check for sure.

-Warren

That was excessively violent and completely unnecessary. I loved it.

there is a surf band out here in Las Vegas that is damn good and they never fail to dissappoint. They go by the "Ghost Riders in Disguise."

4 out of 5 people prefer Thee Swank Bastards to nothing.
theeswankbastards.com

I just got a package from C.A.M. in Rome with 3 totally great spaghetti western CDs. Most of their CDs are only 9.96 EUR each and they offer free world wide shipping if one buy 3 or more.

Click covers for CD descriptions and sound samples:

[image](http://www.camoriginalsoundtracks.com/site/imgs/CAM493106-2b2.jpg)

[image](http://www.camoriginalsoundtracks.com/site/imgs/CAM493271-2b2.jpg)

[image](http://www.camoriginalsoundtracks.com/site/imgs/CAM493274-2b2.jpg)

T H E ✠ S U R F I T E S

I'm going to have to check out a bunch of the stuff mentioned above. This thread is turning into my next shopping list.
There are definately a bunch of people worth mentioning. The top of the list would be James Calvin Wilsey, his instrumental album el dorado pretty much sets him up to be the king of the modern spaghetti. "The king of slow" indeed.
The Vanduras are incredible they cross all kinds of lines by adding a lapsteel into the mix.
There is a band called Spindrift that wanted to do a soundtrack to a western so bad they actually remade the film God's gun (Jack Pallance wasn't in the remake). If there was a "trad spaghetti western sound" without doing covers it would be Spindrift.
The Langhorns blur surf and spaghetti all the time. I suspect there name is word play on longhorns.

Five pages and no mention of the Cads Big Guitars Western Style...

And to think we were going to focus on this theme for a certain show...

wink.

Jeff Utterback

hey I played the whole 4 song ep on Whorehay's Radiofree Bakersfield show.

http://www.radiofreebakersfield.com/shows/rfb105.mp3

hope you all enjoy,
so here goes.

all 4 of these songs from the For a Few Guitars More, Morricone tribute cd
1. Penetrators, Guns Don't Argue
2. The Bradipos IV, Titoli( a fistful of dollars)
3. Dave Wronski (solo) For a Fistful of Dollars
4. Cosmonati, For a Few Dollars more


special segment,the entire Huntington Cads,Big Guitars Western Style 7"ep
5. The Huntington Cads, The Rattler
6. The Huntington Cads, Broken Arrow
7. The Huntington Cads, Western Skies
8. The Huntington Cads, The Vice of Killing


  1. Death Valley, El Conquistador, Que Pasta cd
  2. Insect Surfers, Horizon Riders, Satellite Beach- best of cd
    11.Brasil 2001, Cactus, v/a Spaghetti-Duck You Suckers, comp.
  3. The Plantronics, Cactus Your Ass, v/a Spaghetti II Revenge, comp.
  4. TheCadillac Hitmen,Tri State Killing Spree,v/a The Hour Of The Gun cd
  5. The Charles Napiers, Ballad Of Rockridge,v/a The Hour Of The Gun cd

  1. The Verb, Vomini Del Pistola, Reverberated For Your Pleasure cd
  2. Pollo Del Mar, Dripping Springs TX. The Golden State cd
  3. Sandblasters, Big Sky, Cactus Stingray cd
  4. The Hellbenders,Gunfight At OK Corral,Today We Kill,Tomorrow We die

  1. Mr. Neutron, Comanchero, Red Triangle cd
  2. The Five Outsiders, El Caballere Negre, On The Run cd

outro,
21, Ennio Morricone "Theme for Fistfull Of Dollars" Orig, Sndtrk cd.


Jeff(bigtikidude)

Jeff(bigtikidude)

I just wish the volcanos would stop doing volcanos crap and make another hellbenders cd:(

I wanna play just like him when i grow up...

Icetech
I just wish the volcanos would stop doing volcanos crap and make another hellbenders cd:(

"Volcanos crap" is a non sequitur.

Besides, as I understand it, they are working on their Meltdowns project more than The Volcanos or Hellbenders.

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
Need help with the site? SG101 FAQ - Send me a private message - Email me

"It starts... when it begins" -- Ralf Kilauea

Thanks for the request, Icetech! The Hellbenders have not played for a while. No immediate plans for revival, but the idea has been tossed around.

That's correct, Brian, we have been recording a Meltdowns album.
Probably follow that with another crappy Volcanos CD. Wink

The Volcanos

bigtikidude
hey I played the whole 4 song ep on Whorehay's Radiofree Bakersfield show.

http://www.radiofreebakersfield.com/shows/rfb105.mp3

Jeff(bigtikidude)

And what a killer show it is. Pun intended. I still hear from people about that one.

Radio Free Bakersfield--60 Minutes of TWANG, CRUNCH, OOMPH.
http://radiofreebakersfield.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Radio-Free-Bakersfield/172410279636
http://www.sandiegojoe.com/rfb.htm

I've been a big fan of the SW film genre for years. I can't remember where I read it, but one musican felt that Morricone and the rest borrowed a bit from Jack Nitzscke. (I think it was in the liner notes of one of the Lost legends of Surf Guitars CDs).

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