Ennio Morricone / Gruppo D improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza

''This, the only credited soundtrack appearance of Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza, makes you wish Morricone had used his free improv unit for that purpose more often. Gli Occhi Fredda Della Paura, or Cold Eyes of Fear, is an Italian slasher (giallo) from 1971. The score has Il Gruppo augmented by a rhythm section and a fuzz-wah guitarist (most likely Alessandro Alessandroni). The results sound like a creepy take on 70s Miles Davis, with driving jazz beats and psychedelic guitar jabs filtering in and out of the suspenseful textural mayhem provided by Il Gruppo: ashtrays in pianos, bowed cymbals, scraping metal, jittery horns, string drones, etc. Besides an odd one in the Morricone canon, Gli Occhi is also an unusual endeavor for Il Gruppo. The ensemble set out to avoid all musical conventions: '...no sounds bound to the tonal system, no rhythmic periodicity, no motives, and no repetition allowed...,' yet here they break Franco Evangelisti's rules and find themselves locked in some serious grooves. This Dagored issue is the definitive version with great sound and seven previously unreleased cues on both vinyl and CD. I don't blame anyone for being on the fence or only occasionally dipping their toes in the world of Morricone, that world is a confounding and oft disappointing one -- the man scored nearly 400 films and finding the nuggets is tough. However, this is the one that all you adventurous/out-music gluttons needs to be able pull off the shelve when the avant-garde police knock on your door. Yep, this is THE ONE.'' -- Frank van den Elzen.