Zabriskie Point (1997 Expanded 2CD version w/ Pink Floyd & Jerry Garcia rarities)

[soundsweird]

Hadn't pulled this one out for several years. Thought I'd mention it for those Pink Floyd and Jerry Garcia fans who might have missed the expanded version. In addition to the 2 Pink Floyd songs on the original soundtrack, disc two features 4 Pink Floyd tracks not found on any other album. I like 3 of them, and the blues jam is at least interesting. In addition to the Garcia track on the original soundtrack, there are four "okay" tracks of guitar improvisations. Nothing earthshaking on the Floyd stuff, but nice to hear any new stuff that sounds like it was recorded about the same time as "More" and "Atom Heart Mother". Other opinions?

[notallwhowander]

It's alright, for what it is. If you're buying it for Floyd, then they give you more Floyd. I mean, that's why I bought it. I think the same logic went behind the Garcia tracks. It really hangs on the completist end of the spectrum, though.

[Trane]

I tend to prefer the movie (which I find one of the best in the psych/hippie genre) to the OST or its expanded OST

What are the Floyd tracks not available elsewhere, though?

[Scrotum Scissor]

What are the Floyd tracks not available elsewhere, though?

"Crumbling Land" was never available elsewhere whatsoever, and it's a great tune; the Floyd's take on US West Coast folk-rock-psych. The version of "Careful With That Axe" was exclusive as well, IIRC - and famously used as illustration to that narrative high in an otherwise narratively hard-to-follow movie. Garcia's guitar mumblings on the original soundtrack are quite nice as well, and The Youngbloods' "Sugar Babe" is a wonderful ditty (but then I'm a huge 'blood fan).

[Trane]

"Crumbling Land" was never available elsewhere whatsoever, and it's a great tune; the Floyd's take on US West Coast folk-rock-psych. The version of "Careful With That Axe" was exclusive as well, IIRC - and famously used as illustration to that narrative high in an otherwise narratively hard-to-follow movie. Garcia's guitar mumblings on the original soundtrack are quite nice as well, and The Youngbloods' "Sugar Babe" is a wonderful ditty (but then I'm a huge 'blood fan).

Mmmhhhh!!!... I find ZB easy to follow in terms of a soryline, even if relatively disjointed...

Yup, that end scene is absolutely fabulous

I think it's time Roger & Dae & Nick find time to get all of these Floyd "almost lost" gems out in one collection (they might not think of them that way - gems - though)

[Scrotum Scissor]

I find ZB easy to follow in terms of a soryline, even if relatively disjointed...

The storyline as such isn't only easy to follow, but downright banale in progress (IMO). When I'm thinking of a difficult-to-follow narrative, it's rather the lack of a logical dynamic towards that crescendic ending - marred, I guess, by tactics of improvisatory dialogue and spontaneous tableaus onto which various scenes were choreographed without much coordination.

'Zabriskie Point' DOES have a fascinating background story, of course. Anyone who has attempted to watch it without knowing this, should try again after reading about it.

[Oreb]

Antonioni was a master IMO - L'avventura, La notte, L'eclisse, The Passenger - all masterpieces. I don't think ZB is at that level, although it's not as bad as the reviews at the time suggested - and certainly better than Blow-Up.

Trivia: one of his last movies, Identificazione di una donna, has the last part of Tangerine Dream's Tangram as the music for its final scene.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Antonioni was a master IMO - L'avventura, La notte, L'eclisse, The Passenger - all masterpieces. I don't think ZB is at that level, although it's not as bad as the reviews at the time suggested - and certainly better than Blow-Up.

I agree, except that I find 'Blow-up' to be his perhaps most interesting English-language flick (at least in close comp with 'The Messenger'). I'm probably biased at that, though; seeing 'Blow-up' when I was a teenager and "getting" absolutely nothing whatsoever - yet slowly becoming immersed in the wonders that were the 'Swinging London' era and all its surrealist vibes, including the music of the day.

[Phlakaton]

Heart Beat, Pig Meat = WIN

[Trane]

The storyline as such isn't only easy to follow, but downright banale in progress (IMO). When I'm thinking of a difficult-to-follow narrative, it's rather the lack of a logical dynamic towards that crescendic ending - marred, I guess, by tactics of improvisatory dialogue and spontaneous tableaus onto which various scenes were choreographed without much coordination.

'Zabriskie Point' DOES have a fascinating background story, of course. Anyone who has attempted to watch it without knowing this, should try again after reading about it.

Exactly... this was the counter-culture zeitgest of movie-making at the time, not far away from what was the Nouvelle Vague of Goddard etc... together with The Trip, Model Shop (Jacques Demy >> Spirit plays a tune in the movie), and the more straight-forward Blow Up, Easy Rider, etc...

Antonioni was a master IMO - L'avventura, La notte, L'eclisse, The Passenger - all masterpieces. I don't think ZB is at that level, although it's not as bad as the reviews at the time suggested - and certainly better than Blow-Up.

Yeah, I don't get that much the hoopla about Blow Up (outside showing the difference between fashion-laden swinging-London hippies and thei poorer and rebellious US counterparts in ZB), except maybe for the Yardbirds concert.

[Casey]

I had ZP on vinyl, being the Floyd "completist" that I was. When I heard about the 2CD release with even more Floyd, why of course, it was a no brainer. It's entertaining but., for my tastes, forgettable. Some of those "songs" sound as if the Floyd were in search of a song with a beginning, a middle, & an end, but came up with a rambling tune. The exception is "Come in No. 51..." which was one on many titles for "Careful with that Axe, Eugene."

[soundsweird]

Here's my take on the 4 Floyd songs on disc two... The first track, "Country Song", is an actual song with vocals, kind of similar to "Crumbling Land". The second track is an instrumental that starts out acoustically, with more instruments coming in later. It's a little more structured than a jam. The third track is a blues jam that is okay for a couple of minutes, but it goes on and on and on. The fourth track is a piano solo that, likewise, works for a few minutes but goes on and on. I do like the first two quite a bit, though I admit they're not essential. And of course you also get "Crumbling Land" and the version of "Careful..." on disc one, the original soundtrack.

[happytheman]

All of the cuts of Floyd that were done for Zabriskie Point can be had a various ROIO sites.. Lot's more than was was included with this 2CD set

[JKL2000]

I used to listen to this album (the LP) a lot. It was somehow just a fun collection of tunes, and I had the feeling I was listening to something only those in the know were into.

Always loved the song Brother Mary by Kaleidoscope, whoever the heck they were. Might need to check this out as I no longer own a copy.

[JKL2000]

Here's my take on the 4 Floyd songs on disc two... The first track, "Country Song", is an actual song with vocals, kind of similar to "Crumbling Land". The second track is an instrumental that starts out acoustically, with more instruments coming in later. It's a little more structured than a jam. The third track is a blues jam that is okay for a couple of minutes, but it goes on and on and on. The fourth track is a piano solo that, likewise, works for a few minutes but goes on and on. I do like the first two quite a bit, though I admit they're not essential. And of course you also get "Crumbling Land" and the version of "Careful..." on disc one, the original soundtrack.

What about Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up? Or is that what they were calling Eugene at that time? I forget what that track was, I just remember the title.

[Trane]

wasn't there a multi-disc ZP OST boxset that was released a couple of years ago as well??

[Scrotum Scissor]

Always loved the song Brother Mary by Kaleidoscope, whoever the heck they were. Might need to check this out as I no longer own a copy.

Kaleidoscope were a near legendary acid rock group from L.A. fronted by singer Solomon Feldthouse and ace guitarist David Lindley, probably that city's most eclectic and progressive psychedelic group together with Spirit. They were one of the first bands dealing in advanced ethnic fusion, executed in almost virtuoso manner espec on their third album, the classic Incredible! Kaleidoscope.

[yoyiceu]

Famously, Antonioni didn't use any of the music the Floyd recorded for the soundtrack, choosing instead the already recorded 'Careful...'. for me, Blowup is one of Antonioni's masterpieces, and certainly his most sucessful film: winner at Cannes and also in the box office. Later films, like Coppola's The Conversation, De Palma's Blowout and Argento's Deep Red, starring Blowups's David Hemmings and with the music of Goblin in its sountrack, are all clearly and openly indebted to Blowup.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^


Not incidentally, I also really dig those three titles you mention here.

[Oreb]

Blowup is one of Antonioni's masterpieces, and certainly his most sucessful film

You mean commercially successful? Yeah, that's probably right.

[yoyiceu]

You mean commercially successful? Yeah, that's probably right.

Well, winning the main prize in Cannes is about artistic merit and, for what it's worth, Roger Ebert give it a five star review. Besides the critical applause and the controversy caused by a supposed murder mystery that never reveals who the victim or the murderers were, it's also one of the most written about films of all times by critics trying to explain its meaning and philosophical background. Of course, it also was a commercial success -on its terms, not Avatar like-, which made it possible for the studio to give him the money to make Zabriskie Point in 1968, which cost a lot more and made a lot less. Zabriskie was such a bomb that it so tainted Antonioni that he wasn't able to make another film until The Passenger in 1975 thanks to the presence of top star Jack Nicholson.

[Mister Triscuits]

What about Come in Number 51, Your Time Is Up? Or is that what they were calling Eugene at that time? I forget what that track was, I just remember the title.

Yes, that was just an alternate version of CWTAE.

[Oreb]

Well, winning the main prize in Cannes is about artistic merit

If by "main prize" you mean the Jury Prize, L'avventura won that as well - some years before. If you haven't seen it you should check it out - all the enigma of Blow Up with a better script, better acting and better photography. That said, I don't know how much festival awards have to do with artistic merit.

for what it's worth, Roger Ebert give it a five star review

Was that before or after he scripted Beyond the Valley of the Dolls? Sorry - not worth much at all IMO.

Trivia Pt. 2. Antonioni and Ingmar Bergman died within hours of each other. Very different artists, but both masters.

[calyx]

The fourth track is a piano solo that, likewise, works for a few minutes but goes on and on.

I believe you mean "The Violent Sequence", which of course was later recycled into the music for "Us And Them" on "Dark Side Of The Moon".

As for "Come In...", the Floyd have said that Antonioni was interested in them on the basis of "Eugene", and no matter what other music they came up with during the sessions, it turned out all Antonioni wanted was "Eugene", so they relented and did a shorter version of it, which was by far the largest chunk of Floyd music used in the film.

[rcarlberg]

'Zabriskie Point' DOES have a fascinating background story, of course. Anyone who has attempted to watch it without knowing this, should try again after reading about it.

Which was????