Melbourne Haul Part Three

So here it is. Part Three of my recent sojourn to Melbourne



2000 and THIRTEEN Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks

Here is a great comedy record. Another in Carl and Mel's 2000 Man series, this one from 1974. The second to last in their five  album series this continues their hilarious  premise of interviewing a man who is over 2000 years old. This was recorded 13 years after the character was created hence the title 2000 and Thirteen. I of course couldn't turn down the opportunity to buy this in the year of it's namesake.

Here a boffin from youtube has awesomely uploaded the LP

CAR WASH- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Various inc Norman Whitfield and Rose Royce)

A funk/ blaxploitation classic. I love this album. As well as  the title track which is the most well known, there are some other great tracks on here including a cool bit of dialogue of Richard Pryor from the film. For me any soundtrack which includes dialogue from the film is always a worthy inclusion. This is the thing Tarantino got so right with the Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction soundtracks decades later.

for added awesome,..... here is the Trailer.

STAR WARS/THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK; THE ADVENTURES OF LUKE SKYWALKER

Total Geekgasm. This is one of those finds where the initial excitement of finding it has to be counterbalanced by the price. Sure it looks like  a must-have but are they asking you to pay through the roof? Only $20? Don't mind if I do.

 Its a cute and quaint little piece of ephemera having lifted sound effects and dialogue wholesale from the film and narrated  by Malachi Throne who voiced the original Star Wars Teaser Trailer

Malachi Throne was all over Science Fiction in the 60s and 70s/ He was also an original actor in Star Trek having been originally offered  the part of Bones McCoy which he turned down. He didn't want to play second fiddle to Shatner and Nimoy.

Its also  interesting how people are talking about J.J .Abrams bridging the Star Wars and Star Trek universes through his making of the new films but Malachi may be the first to have crossed both worlds way back in the 60s and 70s.

He also passed away on the 13th of March this year. Such a sad loss.

CRUISING- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Various)

 This is a great Soundtrack with some great tracks. I'm curious to know whether this soundtrack greatly reflects the music from the S & M gay subculture in the late 70s early 80s  which the film depicts. The songs sure have a barrel load  of homoerotic subtext. Brimming with aggressive male desire with ":Heat of the Moment" or outright bold faced innuendo like Mutiny's gutter funk track "Lump", i'd be interested to know if these tracks were indeed the backdrop to this lifestyle back then or picked up and embellished by the studio itself

This film is fascinating on so many levels. Originally protested at length  by the gay community when it was released, many were afraid it would create a hysteria about gays and S & M which would translate into further hate crimes perpetrated against them. And fair enough.  At first glance  the film does seem to depict leatherboys/ gays as twisted  and subversive individuals. A depiction which the gay rights movement were definitiely working hard to rally against. Also the film set a moralistic tone which  could have easily transcribed to the old notion that subversive environments are a breeding ground for misfortunate situations  which could result in getting yourself killed (i.e. if you're going to wear leather and whip each other for fun it's really oniy a matter of time before you start knifing each other for kicks) But once again with the passing of time and a few decades critical analysis, views towards the film have changed  and it has been heralded as an important part of Queer Cinema History. It shows a lifestyle or facet of gay culture quite unflinchingly in the pre-AIDS era. And its most beguiling but intriguing aspect is whether Pacino's protagonist inner struggle is to do with him a) discovering his sexuality, b) being frightened of it and  C) what will happen if he gives himself over to it. The subtext in the 80s was mostly would he himself become a thrill killer if he explores this world too much longer but after 30 years it could also be read that he is discovering he is not as straight as he initially once thought.

HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION- Various

This is a great Soundtrack Compilation. It has some truly rare source material on it such as Maniac, Patrick, Inseminoid, Mad Max and Phantasm.  It is pretty much a sampler of my Soundtracks most wanted list so I was over the moon to find it at Round and Round Records in Brunswick. Truly Awesome.

Anyhoo, that about wraps up this post. Yes i bought a lot of stuff and now my credit card is aching but there were  a few items which I just couldn't pass up and I just had to grab them. You all know how it is. Until next time. Check yuz later.