Day of the Dead

Music by John Harrison

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Double CD release with his music John Harrison for Day of the Dead (1985) the third part of the saga of George Romero began in 1968. Day of the Dead was certainly the most memorable moment of the composer, Romero´s partner in other occasions.

For this third part of the trilogy of the undead music is fully electronic and very characteristic of the period.

The score explores deeply the possibilities of electronics with its multiplicity of ways in creating percussion, wave modulation, distortion and suppression amplitude of the sound. The result is claustrophobic. Romero defends it as being more participatory of movie action than the previous track, Dawn of the Dead, done by Goblin.

Harrison explores the maximum of electronic resources as synthetic raises, abstract passages as in Logan's Madness, the obvious techno-ostinatos of Miguel Biten and Shoot That Woman, and reaches melodically depressive passages like Sarah Brakes Down and Sarah Dopes Miguel.

The hypnotic circulatory riff of Sarah Hallucinates is the most easily recognizable track from the film. In its synthetic obstinacy Day of the Dead sums the best and the worst of the techno-music that characterized the mid-80s.

The main highlight is the musical opening sequence (Main Title) who can suggest claustrophobia with its repetitive rhythmic motifs, but does not bore the hearing for its progressive construction and the succession of effects.

The second CD includes the music as it was previously available on vinyl. The main motifs were rearranged in a continuous suite (The Dead Suite). CD 2 also contains versions of the main theme in techo-rock version (with group Modern Man) and the ballad The World Inside Your Eyes wich closes the film after track On the Beach. Concluding, an excellent and very complete edition of LaLaLand Records.