FORMAT: VINYL / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Ennio Morricone’s score for Pasquale Squitieri’s 1977 gangster picture, Corleone (also known as Father of the Godfathers), is an impressive achievement. Not only does the Maestro evoke the same sentiments as those brought up in Nino Rota’s score for 1972’s The Godfather, but he does it in a way which is familiar, but by no means a lift. The title piece, Addio A Palermo, has a sweeping grandeur while still evoking that same sentimentality as Rota’s Love theme from The Godfather.

It’s a fairly subdued collection of music, choosing to evoke mood, rather than emotions. Violins and mandolin evoke the Italian countryside, with a maudlin flute also playing a major role. Thanks to the use of repeated themes – Addio A Palermo, Corleone, and Una Voce Dal Carcere – introduced early on, Morricone’s score for Corleone feels utterly cohesive in its composition.

While not particularly striking in any way, it’s still a lovely collection of pieces, and even mediocre Morricone is still superior to a lot of other film scores out there. Given that the picture itself is mostly forgotten these days, the fact that this score received a vinyl release at all is fairly striking in and of itself.

This release comes from Music On Vinyl’s At the Movies imprint, pressed to yellow vinyl which, when paired with the striking yellow of the album jacket, comes across as a visually-stunning package. The limited edition of 1000 copies comes on 180-gram vinyl, as well, and the pressing is up to the label’s usually-high standards of quality.