The soundtrack to a cult classic horror film gets a well-deserved release...

It really is hard for one to describe The Wicker Man to someone who has never seen it. The skeletal story isn’t so much the problem – you can easily say it’s about a policeman who gets murdered by a Pagan cult – but everything that makes up the rest of the film makes it difficult to explain, even though it’s all essential to understanding the story in its entirety. It has gained a huge cult following, and was described by Cinefantastique as “the Citizen Kane of horror movies”. But one major contributing factor to what makes this film great is the soundtrack.

"After listening to the CD, I hit play again, just so I could hear it all a second time"

Composer Paul Giovanni brings us something that was atypical for British horror films. On SilvaScreen Records’ new release of The Wicker Man Original Soundtrack Album, we get to see what Giovanni intended to be released as an album. The first eight tracks of the album are original songs, written by Giovanni and performed by folk group Magnet. The songs are easily listenable, incorporating parts of folk, Celtic, and other sounds to make an intriguing musical experience that is like nothing else. Songs like “The Landlord’s Daughter” and “Gently Johnny” wouldn’t sound out of place in a pub or the local coffee shop on open mic night. It’s a wonderful blend of guitar, piano, recorders, lyre, and other acoustic instruments, rich in tone and beautifully played. I will admit that after listening to the CD, I hit play again, just so I could hear it all a second time.

According to the liner notes, the next three tracks on the album were recorded for the film and used for playback on set. However, they are in mono, and not of the best quality, but they were cleaned up enough to enjoy them nonetheless. The soundtrack is rounded out by songs taken from various sources, to represent what was intended to be a proper soundtrack for the film. Sounds from the film are inserted in spots during the songs to give the listener a short suite of background music for the film. One particular track that is terrific is “Festival/Mirie It Is/Sumer Is A-Cumen In/Sunset”, the lyrics of which were taken from a 13th-century six-part canon about the arrival of Summer.

The insert includes a wonderful little essay on the soundtrack by Gary Carpenter, Associate Musical Director, lead vocalist on the first tracks, and member of Magnet. He goes into great detail about the history of the film, how he was brought onboard for the recording of the soundtrack, the recording process, several wonderful anecdotes about musicians and being on set for filming, his love for Britt Ekland (well, come on, who doesn’t love her?), the struggles of getting the film distributed – and the horrible cuts made to the film and score in the process – and a brief epilogue telling the fate of those involved in the recording process. Only briefly, though, does he mention that there had been trouble trying to get a soundtrack album released in 1973 – hence why it is only now being compiled for a new release – but he never goes into much detail. Through his writing, Carpenter shows that he has a real love not only for the film, but the music that was created for it. The last page of the insert gives several sources for even more in depth interviews and articles about the soundtrack, listing several magazine and book titles. Whether you are a fan of the film or not, the soundtrack is one that I think many would enjoy. The original songs are wonderful, and the orchestral pieces are just downright beautiful.

The Wicker Man (Original Soundtrack Album) is out now.

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