Took a long birthday weekend of and am also trying to concentate more on finding a job than on this, so I'm sure you'll forgive......if last you recall, Brian was starting a new blog, Rustbeltoutpost, and here is his latest ddition to that. It was also on his old blog, I don't recall if I featured it here also or not, but it's tremendous, really, both the film and the musical soundtrack. grab it here, or go there and check it;-
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NEW EXPANDED YIELD EDITION!!!
On to the new stuff. Ever since I found the vinyl rip of this, I was frustrated that some of the best songs weren't on the soundtrack. So, I sat watching my copy of the movie with the Wiki info and poked around mp3 sites for awhile. With the new additions, I tried to resequence the whole thing in the order the songs play in the movie. I'm proud of this one.
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The first new addition is Glenn Miller's "Flying Home". If you're gonna have one 40's swing song, doesn't hurt to be this one. And chances are you've heard it before.
The next new one is Carson Robison's "I'm No Communist". A brilliant bit of Americana Red-baiting. Then there's Al Rogers'"The Hydrogen Bomb". This is one of my faves: a jauntily fatalistic tune, with the singer praying for an H-bomb to fall and end his problems. And check out that banjo solo!
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The next addition is one I had to dig for - all four and a half minutes of the soundtrack to "Duck and Cover", the famous nuclear "safety" film. I guarantee you, this will be the only song in your iTunes with "Federal Civil Defense Administration" as the artist!
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The next new song is Bill Haley's "13 Women (and Only one Man in Town)". Classic early R&R tune. I love that guitar solo and the moment where it plays in the movie...when the Atomic Cafe sign is revealed. The last addition is Floyd Tillman's country tune "This Cold War With You" - the song that plays over the end credits. There's something so forlorn and spooky about it.
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The only music in the movie that is not in this file is as follows -
Miklós Rózsa - excerpt from "Rózsa Conducts Rózsa"
Arthur Feidler and the Boston Pops - "Hungarian Rhapsody #2
Mussorgsky - "Pictures At An Exhibition"
Whatever that song is in the montage where you hear that guy sing "Live, live, live...in my fallout shelter!"
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For people who like the film and it's music, this is the final word on the soundtrack. If you're just a fan of the weird, poignant, and funny, give this one a listen.
NOW, THROW THE SWITCH!!!!!!
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Atomic Cafe Re-post - Now With More Megatons!!!
For those that missed this post the first time out, I'm reposting it on this new blog. For those that downloaded before, scroll on....this is an updated version. For those that're new, an explanation...
The Atomic Cafe is a documentary from 1982. It is assembled from newsreels, safety films, and government footage. It paints a brilliantly satirical portrait of the world's race into the atomic age after WW 2. It's one of the best dark comedies ever made. If you're a fan of "Dr. Strangelove", you must see this.
Castle-Bravo (Largest U.S. Test - 15 Megatons, 1952)
This movie sparked my interest in the early atomic program in our country. It is amazing we didn't blow ourselves up decades ago. Here is the whole film on YouTube -
And if you haven't seen it, I'd also recommend looking up "Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie". And Richard Rhodes's books about the making of the A bomb and the H bomb are fantastic. But, on to the main point of the post-
The Soundtrack
Released by Rounder Records in 1982 - and never ever released on CD - this is a collection of atomic-themed gospel, country, and rock & roll tunes. The songs reflect many aspects of Americans' feelings about The Bomb: to the country boys, it was befuddlement and being resigned to it. To the gospel folks, it was proof of mankind's fallibility and impending doom. To the rock & roll kids, it became just another aspect of their hot rod culture...
(Atomic car, Daddy-O!)
This was originally sourced from a vinyl rip I found out here back when RapidLibrary was still alive. There's a bit of vinyl crackle, but it's more than listenable. And again to clarify, I AM NOT talking about this album...
There's almost too many favorites to list....Sonny Boy Williamson's murderous "Win the War", the finger-snapping "Atom Bomb Party" and "Uranium", the deep gospel groove of "Atomic Telephone", and the strange "Sputniks and Mutniks". Also making appearances are Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, the pilot of the Enola Gay, and that dipshit senator that wanted to nuke North Korea (no, I mean back then, guys!)
On to the new stuff. Ever since I found the vinyl rip of this, I was frustrated that some of the best songs weren't on the soundtrack. So, I sat watching my copy of the movie with the Wiki info and poked around mp3 sites for awhile. With the new additions, I tried to resequence the whole thing in the order the songs play in the movie. I'm proud of this one.
The next new one is Carson Robison's "I'm No Communist". A brilliant bit of Americana Red-baiting. Then there's Al Rogers'"The Hydrogen Bomb". This is one of my faves: a jauntily fatalistic tune, with the singer praying for an H-bomb to fall and end his problems. And check out that banjo solo!
Miklós Rózsa - excerpt from "Rózsa Conducts Rózsa"
Arthur Feidler and the Boston Pops - "Hungarian Rhapsody #2
Mussorgsky - "Pictures At An Exhibition"
Whatever that song is in the montage where you hear that guy sing "Live, live, live...in my fallout shelter!"
For people who like the film and it's music, this is the final word on the soundtrack. If you're just a fan of the weird, poignant, and funny, give this one a listen.
NOW, THROW THE SWITCH!!!!!!
