Title: Navajo
Joe
Year: 1966
Composer: Ennio Morricone
Inspired by
the extreme heat we’ve been having currently in Finland, which has turned the
area surrounding my apartment into a near wasteland, I decided to revisit some
Western scores. Among them was also Navajo
Joe, which is one of the most brutal musical creations for the entire genre.
The album
opens with haunting screams of I cantori
moderni choir highlighting the voice of one Gianna Spagnulo who creates simultaneously
Native American yet jazzy qualities with her performance. The main theme begins
with a simple guitar riff which is afterwards heard constantly during the score’s
suspense tracks. After a while an array of percussion instruments bang away and
the choir starts shouting the name of the titular hero. It’s bizarre to say the
least but immensely satisfying. The road
to Esperanza starts with a more plain arrangement for the choir and solo
percussion with an abstract, short interlude but eventually turns into a
hopeful rendition including the unmistakable voice of Edda dell’Orso. Sweet lullaby-like
renditions of A dollar a head and Joe’s departure offer some relaxing
atmospheres; a musical oasis in the middle of the overall madness. Both
orchestral and choral forces are once again released in Ride into town, probably the greatest main theme statement apart
from the titles. Joe and his woman offer
peaceful orchestral bliss with slight touches from the choir while From Esperanza is another massive
orchestral tour-de-force with stunning vocal performances.
Besides the
main theme, the album is built around moments of suspense and some source music
style pieces. A silhouette of doom starts
with the main theme riff on piano which makes way to staccato beats and brutal
string and woodwind harmonies clashing with the wailing voice. This music
returns later in devastatingly savage fashion in Torture which is the most difficult track to enjoy. Train massacre and Fear and silence offer two different suspense devices, the first
concentrating on main theme variations while the other resembles a
sneaking-around cue heard in nearly every Morricone Western. You know, the one
with solo percussion over only a minimal support from other instruments. While
effective in the film, not that much on its own.
The lighter
side of the score is heard in The Peyote
saloon, a happy duet for piano and strummed banjo. An Indian story is a beautiful, sparse piece which highlights a
solitary female voice and an ethnic bass flute. The two harmonica cues are also
beautiful in their understated play around the main theme. The following The Navajo escapes is a mournful, dark
piece for solo strings which Morricone does so well. While the score is mostly
monothematic there is another theme introduced rather late in The demise of father Rattigan with a
glorious arrangement for strings, woodwinds and guitar arpeggios. Another
version of this tune actually ends the film with a victorious hymn to the
fallen called After the end concluding
into the majestic vocal performance by Spagnulo. The bonus tracks include Raw hides and dead hides, a piece with
sad solo harmonica alternating between raving vocals and percussion, and reprises
of the suspense devices. The final two cues contain marvellous main theme and
vocal performances and last sendoff provided by the ‘demise’ theme.
Navajo Joe might have the best usage of choir within the
whole discography of the composer. Besides that, it is an entertaining album
that stands firmly amid the other more well-known scores of the genre. Though some
may find it repetitive, its boisterous attitude manages to win over any
listener if he can just get over the shocking opening bars.
Rating: *****
Tracklist:
1. Navajo
Joe (Main title) (02:50) *****
2. A
silhouette of doom (02:54) ****
3. Duncan's
plan (00:31) ***
4. The
Peyote saloon (02:32) ***
5. Wiping
out the town (00:41) ****
6. The road
to Esperanza (Main title - Navajo Joe) (01:54) *****
7. The engineer's
harmonica (00:09) **
8. Duncan's
wild bunch (Goodbye to Brother Jeffrey) (00:27) *****
9. Train massacre
(00:42) *****
10. Fear
and silence (01:49) **
11. A
dollar a head (02:20) *****
12. Joe's
departure (End title - Navajo Joe) (02:14) *****
13. An Indian
story (Healing the wound) (02:01) *****
14. Ride
into town (01:49) *****
15. But Joe
say no (01:20) ****
16. To intermission
(00:38) *****
17. Torture
(The bandit gets the train) (02:01) *****
18. Navajo
harmonica, pt. 1 (00:40) *****
19. Navajo
harmonica, pt. 2 (00:48) *****
20. The
Navajo escapes (01:38) *****
21. A bad childhood
(00:26) *****
22. Joe and
his woman (01:07) *****
23. The
horses set free (00:48) ****
24. The
demise of father Rattigan (The demise of Barbara) (02:56) *****
25. From
Esperanza (To Esperanza) (01:47) *****
26. Over
the mountain (01:13) *****
27. The
search for Joe (01:05) ****
28. The
confrontation / The return of Joe (01:53) *****
29. After
the end (02:16) *****
Bonus tracks:
30. Main title (Film version) (03:01) *****
31. Raw hides
and dead hides (01:20) *****
32. Fear
and silence (01:49) ***
33. The
Navajo's a prisoner (01:40) ****
34. Navajo
Joe medley (02:06) *****
35. Sadness
(00:33) *****
