WTF? WHISTLING?

It's the fault of "The Whistler", Allessandro Allessandroni. He's the guy you hear in many of the soundtracks to Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, notably on the Ennio Morricone stuff. I had the inkling for that singular sound, just air and lips, and this guy was the king. That sent me on a tear looking for Morricone stuff, and I ran into a bunch of other stuff, so it's kind of a grab bag.

About this grouping. The first one, Ennio Morricone's theme to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" ("Il Buono Il Brutto Il Cattivo") is like Morricone 101, spaghetti western gold and all that. "For a Few Dollars More" features Allessandroni. Probably some of the others do as well, I'm too lazy to look it up. But on the subject of the Whistler, check "Fashion Party" by Danielle Luppi. In 2008 Luppi enlisted Allessandroni to whistle, backed by the I Marc 4, an Italian  studio band active in the sixties and seventies, sometimes referred to as the Wrecking Crew of Italy. If you think that combination can not help but sound vintage, despite the year it was recorded, you're right. But then again, some of you might think of 2008 as vintage.

The other stuff down there varies. Hugo Montenegro was kind of a musical slut, churning out sanitized cover versions of hit songs. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. His cover of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" was the one that became a hit in the U.S., in 1968. But on "Hang 'em High", he adds backing vocals that border on "Up, Up and Away" cheery. Too feh for my blood. For that material anyway. Al Caiola is down there because I wanted to hear a version of "(Theme From) The Magnificent Seven" with more guitar in it, Jackie Mittoo is down there because, hell, it's Jackie Mittoo, he's bad as shit.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Ennio Morricone Il Buono Il Brutto Il Cattivo mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Ennio Morricone - For A Few Dollars More (streaming) at YouTube
Ennio Morricone - A Fistful of Dollars (streaming) at YouTube
Hugo Montenegro - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly mp3 at Internet Archive
Hugo Montenegro - For A Few Dollars More mp3 at The Basement Rug
Hugo Montenegro - Hang 'em High mp3 at The Basement Rug
Hugo Montenegro - The Magnificent Seven mp3 at Golden Trout Pack Trains (?)
Al Caiola - The Magnificent Seven mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Jackie Mitoo - Hang 'em High mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Danielle Luppi - Fashion Party (streaming) at YouTube With Allessandroni and the I Marc 4