Though he was one of the three acting leads (along with Jodie Foster and Gary Busey) in the 1980 film Carny, it's debatable how many fans of Robbie Robertson and his work with and without The Band are aware of this key release in his discography. That's because, despite the pedigree of its cast and the colorful setting of a traveling carnival, the film bombed at the box office, weighed down by a weak script and questionable directorial choices. But the score--half composed by Robertson and half by the great Alex North (Cleopatra, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf et al.) remains a wonderful oddity. Robertson had himself spent two years working at a carnival in his teens, so it was a subject near and dear to his heart (witness The Band's "Life Is a Carnival"); he also reached out to friends like Dr. John and Randall Bramlett to create sonic settings alternately sleazy, strutting and funky (and don't miss his guitar solo on "Garden of Earthly Delights"). North, for his part, seemed affected by what Robertson in Rob Bowman's liner notes to this Real Gone reissue terms the "insane" nature of the film shoot, particularly on the closing "Carny Theme," which Robertson calls "like Nina Rota on acid." Right after the film wrapped, Robertson went to New York to serve as musical supervisor for Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull, which began a long string of collaborations with Scorsese and other film directors; thus, as his first involvement with dramatic film, Carny really heralded a new artistic avenue in Robertson's career. Worldwide debut on CD, with liner notes featuring copious quotes from the actor/composer himself!
F**K
Great production - lacking compositions
Full disclaimer, I am a decidedly biased reviewer. Robbie Robertson is one of my all time musical heroes. Most of his catalog, both with the Band and his solo career is exemplary material. This soundtrack was his first official solo release after the glorious "Last Waltz" put an end to the original Band line up's output.I wasn't very familiar with Carny before purchasing it, but knew it would be a day one commitment for me given my respect for Robbie. This soundtrack is divided into two sides. Side one is the AC/rock oriented material mostly composed by Robbie and played by studio musicians. Side two is a bit of odd musical bits from Alex North. I'm not going to spend any time on the Alex North side because I haven't listened to it enough yet.The musicians Robbie chose to play this music with are definitely top shelf. And the production of the songs isn't dated at all. But most unfortunately, the songs just aren't there. All but one are instrumentals, which is totally fine; even fun considering The Band didn't really enter into this territory. But every single song is a very straight forward blues based progression played with a jazz flair. Simply not the kind of thing that warrants repeated listening for me.For me personally, I'm happy to support one of my musical heroes and don't necessarily regret this purchase. But unless you are a diehard or are already familiar with this material, I would highly advise you try to hunt these songs down before committing to a purchase. I'm glad this super obscure title has finally been released, but don't think it will find all too many favorable ears.
B**A
Four Stars
a moody and interesting soundtrack perfect for the athmosphere of a seedy carnival.
F**N
ザ・バンドのファンでも少し厳しいサントラ作品
映画「カーニー」のサントラ盤は80年に発表されたものだが、2015年にようやくCD化となったのがこれだ。LPでいうとB面にあたる"Themes And Variations"はアレックス・ノースによるアンダースコアなので映画音楽ファン以外にはつらいものがある。A面にあたる"Midway Music"の箇所は映画にも出演した元ザ・バンドのロビー・ロバートスンがプロデュースしているので、どうしても関心はそちらに移ってしまう。まず収録曲を紹介しておこう。[Midway Music] 1. Garden Of Earthly Delights, 2. Pagan Knight, 3. The Fat Man, 4. Freaks' Lament, 5. Sawdust and G-Strings, 6. Rained Out; [Themes And Variations] 7. Carnival Bozo, 8. Remember To Forget, 7. Lust, 8. I'm A Bad Girl, 9.Rednecks Rumble, 10. Fear And Revelation, 11. Carny Theme"Themes And Variations"部分の評価は当方ではしかねるので割愛し、"Midway Music"部分についてのみ触れる。1はロバートスン作のインストゥルメンタルで、彼が中々強力なリード・ギター・ソロを披露する。2も同じく彼の書いたインストでギターも弾いているが、ここでの主役はマック・レベナック（ドクター・ジョン）のオルガンとジェリー・ピータースンのサックスである。レベナックのオルガン・プレイは流石の一言。3はファッツ・ドミノがヒットさせた「ザ・ファット・マン」のカヴァーでロバートスンが歌とギターだが、ご存知の通り彼の歌唱力は貧弱なのでそれなりの出来映え。原曲と違ってピアノを用いず差別化しているが、ここでもドミノ同様ニューオーリンズ出身のレベナックが弾くオルガンが素晴らしい。4～6にはロバートスンは不参加。 いずれもインストだ。少しボブ・ディラン作の「アイ・シャル・ビー・リリースト」に似たメロディを持つ4はロバートスン作。5はサックス奏者のランドール・ブラムレットがギタリストのデイヴィス・コージーと共作した曲で、彼等は演奏もしている。南部ジョージア州メイコンが拠点のキャプリコーン・レコードの諸作品で演奏していたビル・ステュワートがこの曲のドラマーだ。6は再びロバートスンが書いた曲で主役はジェリー・ピータースンの吹くサックスなのだが、このフレーズが殆ど前述の「ザ・ファット・マン」のものなので、作者クレジットとしては如何なものか。というわけで映画音楽のスコアのファンでない一般の音楽ファンだと、CD半分のためだけに購入するのはためらうのではなかろうか。繰り返しになるがレベナックのオルガン演奏の素晴らしさが救いだ。
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