Press Release from Music Box:
In collaboration with Éditions Bleu Blanc Rouge, Music Box Records presents three original motion picture soundtracks composed by Claude Bolling between 1970 and 1974: Le Mur de l’Atlantique (Atlantic Wall), Deux Grandes Filles dans un pyjama (Two Big Girls in Pyjamas) and Qui ? (The Sensuous Assassin).
This album highlights the remarkable versatility of Claude Bolling. A jazzman at heart since his teenage years, he explores very different musical worlds here.
For Deux Grandes Filles dans un pyjama (by Jean Girault), he delivers a light and carefree score full of charm and swing. The famous slow saxophone piece performed by Claude Luter creates the perfect seductive atmosphere for Lionel (Jacques Jouanneau), a lonely husband spending the summer trying to charm two young foreign tourists. Bolling blends flute, xylophone, brass, and strings with humor, even playfully quoting Beethoven with timpani, harp, and bongos during the fantastical suspense sequences.
For Le Mur de l’Atlantique (by Marcel Camus), Bolling composed a contrasted score blending humor and tension. The film follows the misadventures of the restaurant owner Duchemin (Bourvil), who steals one of the plans for the Atlantic Wall. The anthem God Bless Rugby and the German theme Kamerad form the backbone of the narrative, culminating in a long final chase where the two motifs intertwine.
With Qui ? (by Léonard Keigel), Bolling successfully ventures into pop and Californian rock. The songs, including the well-known Who Are You?, accompany Serge (Maurice Ronet) and Marina (Romy Schneider) on their various car journeys. Recorded at Morgan Studios in London, this score features driving electric bass, nervous piano, and psychedelic atmospheres.
Fully remastered from the original master tapes, this album also includes two rare bonus tracks from the 1973 45 rpm single (Concert Piano + Voices of Mother Nature). The package includes an 8-page booklet featuring exclusive liner notes by writer Gilles Loison discussing the films and the scores. The CD release is limited to 300 units.
