• Mark Isham – The Beast OST
5 December, 2008
CD, A&M, 1988
Too-obscure industrial-tinged soundtrack to an equally obscure Russians-in-Afghanistan war movie. Really should be much better known, because this is dark and deep. Hints of Muslimgauze and Jon Hassell, more ambient stretches and occasional loud guitar even, this is a real hidden gem. Isham’s had a questionably tasteful career, from pretty ECM records to well over a hundred film soundtracks, which is perhaps why genuinely tasty stuff like this gets lost in the deluge.
1. Badal I-V (27:20)
2. Nanawatai I-V (23:31)
I got that LP after I saw the movie. I never decided whether to find the film exploitative or not. But it made a strong statement how War destroys Culture for good. And 20 years later, I find “my” homeland (Germany) partaking in an equally senseless follow-up war in the same country.
However, Isham always came for me directly after Hassell. There are some interesting similarities in their works featuring solo trumpet, and “The Beast” is a really impressive and intense work.
Good blog. Keep it up, and thanks for the Techno classics. I’ll put a link to “friendsound” on my own blog: http://hushcautionecholand.blogspot.com/