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Manfred Hübler & Siegfried Schwab, "Vampyros Lesbos"
Whenthe previously obscure scores were widely released on CD by MotelRecords and Crippled Dick Hot Wax in 1995 as the compilation Vampyros Lesbos: Sexadelic Dance Party,its newfound popularity was in large part responsible for thesubsequent wealth of ‘60s and ‘70s European B-movie soundtracks to bereissued. Crippled Dick Hot Wax
The films for which Huebler and Schwab wrote and conducted the music in1969 (performed by “The Vampire Sound Incorporation”) are a diversetrio of genre movies, all directed by Jesus Franco. The mostfamous, Vampyros Lesbos,is a mind-bending, disjointed tale of blood-sucking countess in Turkeywho moonlights as an avant-garde nightclub performer. Lesserknown are She Killed In Ecstasy, about a woman who takes sexy revenge on the people who drove her husband to suicide, and The Devil Came From Akasava,a rather dubious spy thriller based on a novel by EdgarWallace. Aside from having the soundtrack composers and themaverick Spanish director in common, the three films also share thelegendary actress Soledad Miranda, who tragically passed away in anauto accident shortly after completing them.
Crippled Dick Hot Wax does great justice to these soundtracks, not onlyby way of reissuing bonus tracks on the CD, but with an excellentremastering job which makes this once nearly lost work sound betterthan ever. The liner notes from 1995 by cult film expert Tim Lucas arereproduced here, as well as a brief bio of star Soledad Miranda, whoselovely image graces the cover and numerous photos in the booklet. TheCD in its entirety is dedicated to her memory. Newly added is a shortessay on Franco’s work.
Musically, there is something unifying in the three scores, despite therange of films for which they were created. The overall sound isso well integrated that the compilation seems as if it could be acomplete album unto itself. All 15 tracks (including three bonus cutsnot found on the Motel Records edition) on this recent reissue fromCrippled Dick Hot Wax could easily be lumped into a “lounge music”category for their combination of danceable funk, exoticinstrumentation, and full-on acid-drenched weirdness. Fuzzyguitars and a bright horn section commingle with growled, murmured andsqueaked vocals. Playful harpsichord and winsome xylophone areseamlessly matched with sultry sitar and tight percussion. Butrather than being just another example of this genre, this album setsthe standard by which all other such music can be measured.
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