Previously released by Alhambra in Germany , Ennio Morricone's score for the Bud Spencer 1981 comedy western is just as quixotic as the actor's odd use of action, adventure, and humour, though by 1981 Morricone clearly had no desire to return to the spaghetti western formula, milked to death by the early seventies.

Occhio alla Penna / Buddy Goes West reflects some of the approaches Morricone had used in prior westerns. The title tune, “Non fare l'indiano,” recalls the quasi-Indian harmonics and vocals of Navaho Joe, though here the composer adds ambient screeching, and a structure that's basically a repeated vocal statement set to strumming guitar, which shifts octaves until a more contemporary pop-rock beat replays the melodic sections with wordless vocals.

For “Estasi del miracolo,” the composer uses warm, soothing harmonies and wordless interlaced chorals, breathy recorder, and subtle piano. A somewhat humorous chime breaks the repeated phrases, and the cue's finale emphasizes sadness in place of Heavenly exultation.

The score's third theme, “Alleluja del buon raccolto,” clearly picks up the mood, but it's a radical stylistic shift: a ditsy pop jingle for small ensemble, using drums, chimes, woodwinds, and perky vocals repeating ‘Halleluja', somewhat recalling a similar (but much more brief) outburst in Morricone's equally oddball score for Four Flies on Grey Velvet.

The only real nod to Morricone's spaghetti westerns is “L'ultima tromba,” which riffs the wailing harmonica used in his Sergio Leone scores, here backed by soothing chorals, oboe, and guitar strumming. Likely an in-joke, the film's humour is also reflected in “Sfida all'ultima forchetta,” which emphasizes a certain corpulence under duress (likely Spencer). Morricone creates a witty series of contrasts by pitting piccolo with bass clarinet, hammering piano, and high piano hits, for when the fluttering phrase reaches its natural finale. Morricone also reintegrates his “tromba” theme via trumpet, which he nestles between the piccolo segments, and closes the track with a vocal muttering.

Fans of Morricone's classic western scores will find chunks of Occhio too stylistically jarring, mostly because the score is deliberately referential and comedic, and Morricone clearly felt no need to stay faithful to the classic instrumentation of his prior efforts and chose to incorporate more contemporary instruments, like a Moog synthesizer in “Grandino e piccolone,” and a pop beat and electric guitar in the film's title theme renditions (including various alternate versions that boost the album's running time farther than the original's half-hour limit).

Fans of Bud Spencer (whose films are scarcely available in North America ) will relish DigitMovie's expanded album, which contains all of the film's main themes and clever variations in crisp stereo. The label's release of vintage soundtracks from the seventies has consistently revealed the beautiful engineering practiced at the time, and this 1981 recording is another example of the superior recordings made by Italian labels for their massive soundtrack catalogues.

This CD is part of DigitMovies' recent Bud Spencer tributes, which includes Occhio alla Penna / Buddy Goes West, and Il Soldato di Ventura / Soldier of Fortune.

© 2007 Mark R. Hasan