Music: Ode to the Spaghetti Western

We're coming up on the anniversary of the release of "A Fistful of Dollars," the immortal Spaghetti Western that launched the careers of both Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone. But today's entry is a music post, not a movie post, and that means it's all about the Spaghetti Western composers, great names like Ennio Morricone and Luis Bacalov (below is his famous track from "The Grand Duel," which would later be recycled by Quentin Tarentino in "Kill Bill"):



Many of these composers have gone on to great fame (Bacalov would later win an Oscar for his work in "Il Postino"), but most are obscure. My favorite Spaghetti Western cue of all time is "Ballata per un Pistolero" by Roberto Pregadio, off of the "Il Pistolero Dell'Ave Maria" soundtrack. As you listen, imagine a team of desperados in the distance, closing on our outnumbered hero, who walks out into the town for the final showdown:



(If you've ever seen "The Adventures of Pete and Pete," you'll probably recognize the dramatic, whistling tune from the episode "The Call.")