Soundtrack Saturday

Soundtrack Saturday has been running all year and I've got this far- mid- October- without mentioning Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino had a big impact in the world of cinema 90s and if nothing else gave soundtracks a huge shot in the arm (maybe shot in the chest would be more appropriate given the famous scene in Pulp Fiction where they revive an overdosed Uma Thurman). Today's soundtrack isn't from a Tarantino film but instead Steven Soderbergh's 1998 movie Out Of Sight. Soundtrack albums with several revived pop culture songs with dialogue from the film spliced in are surely indebted to Tarantino and the popularity of his soundtracks for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and Jackie Brown.

Out Of Sight is based on an Elmore Leonard novel, a crime caper about a bank robber, Foley, played by George Clooney. Soderbergh said that Out Of Sight was a deliberate move on his part to leave the arthouse world ('arthouse ghetto' I think he may have described it as) and make a blockbuster. 

The soundtrack was scored by David Holmes who Soderbergh hired to do just a few scenes but they clicked and Holmes stayed around to do the whole film, working round the clock to meet the deadlines. In keeping with the film's influences Holmes drew on other soundtrack artists and their work- Lalo Schiffrin and Quincy Jones- plus a slew of American funk and jazz artists. The soundtrack is best listened to in one hit, it makes perfect sense as a single piece, fifteen songs, nine original Holmes pieces with dialogue from the film and two songs from The Isley Brothers and one each from Dean Martin, Walter Wanderly and Mungo Santamaria. You can probably pick the CD up for pennies.

It's Your Thing opens with Clooney giving instructions to a bank teller who he's robbing and then fades into The Isley Brothers and their 1969 song.

 It's Your Thing 

I Think You Flooded It is by Holmes but starts with the sound of a car engine not starting and voices from the film, followed by a jazzy Holmes instrumental.

I Think You Flooded It

Watermelon Man is a Herbie Hancock song, 1962 bop jazz. The version of Out Of Sight is by Mungo Santamaria, a 1963 hit for the Afro- Cuban percussionist. 

Watermelon Man

Rip Rip is another David Holmes piece, more dialogue, wah wah bass and organ, guitar licks and funky drums. 

Rip Rip

David Holmes has worked with Soderbergh often since Out Of Sight- the Ocean's films, No Sudden Move, The Laundromat and this year's Black Bag. David was booked to play The Golden Lion this autumn. Holmes at The Lion is always a great night out- he had to apologise for being double booked. It clashed with his required attendance at a film festival/ awards event in Toronto with Steven Soderbergh which as acceptable reasons for absence go, ranks pretty highly.