Performance OST
Performance’, Original Soundtrack, 1970. I love this film directed by Nic Roeg. Starring James Fox and Mick Jagger, it was shot in 1968 when the Stones were at the height of meaningful Satanic Majesty-ness. The film was delayed until 1970 because Warner Brothers hated it. Famously at a pre-screening an Executive’s wife threw up, so soiled and nasty were the images on screen.
There have been umpteen books written about the film and lots of tales, which I won’t bother to go into here. Oh alright, just one. Co-star James Fox had a breakdown after filming, left acting and became a Christian missionary for 10 years. Suffice to say it’s one of the best British films of the Sixties or any decade. It captures the zeitgeist better than anything else from that period. The ultimate sex, drugs, rock n roll experience.
The soundtrack works on its own. Some rockers like ‘Gone Dead Train, moody atmospheric slide guitar by Ry Cooder on ‘Powis Square’, jaw harp, tablas and sitar on ‘The Hashishin’, eerie early synth drones, scary vocals from Merry Clayton (who sang on the Stones’ ‘Gimme Shelter’), trippy flute and strings on Jack Nitzche produced tracks, a lush MOR instrumental in ‘Harry Flowers’, proto-rap in The Last Poets ‘Wake Up, Niggers’ and a solo Jagger tune in ‘Memo to Turner’. This is not ‘The Sound of Music’…
If you’ve never seen the film, do.
Performance OST
Performance’, Original Soundtrack, 1970. I love this film directed by Nic Roeg. Starring James Fox and Mick Jagger, it was shot in 1968 when the Stones were at the height of meaningful Satanic Majesty-ness. The film was delayed until 1970 because Warner Brothers hated it. Famously at a pre-screening an Executive’s wife threw up, so soiled and nasty were the images on screen.
There have been umpteen books written about the film and lots of tales, which I won’t bother to go into here. Oh alright, just one. Co-star James Fox had a breakdown after filming, left acting and became a Christian missionary for 10 years. Suffice to say it’s one of the best British films of the Sixties or any decade. It captures the zeitgeist better than anything else from that period. The ultimate sex, drugs, rock n roll experience.
The soundtrack works on its own. Some rockers like ‘Gone Dead Train, moody atmospheric slide guitar by Ry Cooder on ‘Powis Square’, jaw harp, tablas and sitar on ‘The Hashishin’, eerie early synth drones, scary vocals from Merry Clayton (who sang on the Stones’ ‘Gimme Shelter’), trippy flute and strings on Jack Nitzche produced tracks, a lush MOR instrumental in ‘Harry Flowers’, proto-rap in The Last Poets ‘Wake Up, Niggers’ and a solo Jagger tune in ‘Memo to Turner’. This is not ‘The Sound of Music’…
If you’ve never seen the film, do.