Hail to the Hive!

Image Source: Album Cover Good the Bad and the Ugly Soundtrack Capitol Records by Ennio Morricone.

Now this isn’t the tune many of you will be thinking of when you see ‘The Good the Bad and the Ugly’ on the link below, which is famous for another excellent piece of instrumental music by the same composer, Ennio Morricone. No this is from near the end of the movie and it is an extremely powerful and emotive work. Music, and I mean good music, has the ability to take you elsewhere. Out of yourself and send you places in your imagination in a vivid and emotional way. This piece does that for me. Due to its association with the movie my mind will drift over the visuals of the movie and I remember listening to this once, while supping on a few beers on the Narrowboat, imagining myself driving the boat into a strange town wearing Clint’s poncho and hat. A kind of Narrowboat Spaghetti Western on the UK Canal network. I actually wished I’d set a speaker on the roof of the boat and done that now. I still like to imagine myself doing that as I listen to this.It’s a piece of music I indulge in alone with my thoughts and generally with headphones played loud. Usually a beer or 3 as well.

Ecstasy of Gold lulls you and draws you in delicately and then slowly builds in intensity as the energy builds and then crescendos with the vocal ( but there are no words so I sincerely hope I don’t get called up on this) which just delivers such emotive power it’s difficult not to get a little choked up by it. Hmmm could be the booze as well but still.

Ennio Morricone has an adept ability at creating an atmosphere with his music, which is why it worked so effectively in the Dollars Trilogy of movies.

Apparently Metallica were looking for a piece of music to play before their onstage live performances to get the audience energized and in the mood and they chose this piece which goes to show the power of it. They felt that this was a fitting piece of music to get tens of thousands of metalheads stoked up and ready to rock. Says it all really.

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts and feelings about this piece as well as I believe it’s quite a special work.