THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH No, it’s not by Bowie…
released 28 OctOber (vinyl)/ OUt NOW! (cd)
Composers John Phillips,
stomu Yamashta Label UMc
The Man Who Fell To Earth is a strange film, and this soundtrack has an appropriately odd history. Star David Bowie was originally hired to compose it, but the music he created was deemed unusable. The Mamas And The Papas’ John Phillips and composer Stomu Yamashta were roped in instead, but what they came up with is hardly your typical soundtrack fare. It’s lurked in the vaults unreleased for 40 years.
Over 25 tracks, it’s nothing if not diverse. Tracks like Louis Armstrong’s “Blueberry Hill” and Holst’s “Mars, The Bringer Of War” will be familiar to most. More intriguing are Yamashta’s ethereal instrumentals, which alternate between meditative and menacing. Phillips’ excursions into groovy library funk are fun too.
There’s no forgiving the naff country and western pastiches, though. Director Nicolas Roeg apparently wanted some “twang” on the score, and he gets it, but songs like “Boys From The South” are eminently skippable. Weirdest of all, though curiously likeable, is the title track, which closes the album – a croony bit of easy listening that jars with the film’s detached tone. Will Salmon
The two LP/two CD deluxe box set comes with a bonus CD, booklet, art cards, the press book and an A4 poster.