Music
20th November 2009. We know, we know, we should've made a soundtrack album by now, but we've just been so busy with Indie Screenings and Global Premieres and 10:10 and on and on.... It's coming, really it is. We've already done most of the work getting the tracks licensed and mastered and all that... But for now, all we can offer are these notes and audio samples.
Big thanks to music licensor Daniel Cross (who attempted to license Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Shakira, System of a Down & The Smiths and came out with Radiohead, Depeche Mode and Boots Are Made For Walking), composer Chris Brierley, producer Paul Sampson, writers Alfie Thomas, Tom Dyson and Christopher Rees, and groups Dragnerve and The Band of Holy Joy.
The tracks everyone always asks us about
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Opening Sequence = All Of Time by Chris Brierley / Stupid Orchestra
All the orchestral tracks were written by Franny's long-term musical collaborator Chris Brierley and were performed by the Stupid Orchestra (Chris's musician friends, squashed into a scout hut recording studio) and recorded and mixed by Paul Sampson. Click on the little icon thing to have a listen to a sample.
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Jazz Club Scene = Here's to Life by Betty Shirley
New Orleans local Rob Davis set-up his complete recording studio into the back of the Spotted Cat night club to record 24 channels of Betty Shirley and her band for the jazz club scene. A brilliant job he did too. More about the jazz gig recording.
Betty Shirley + her band + film & recording crews
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> End Montage of Doc Characters = Real Thing by The Band of Holy Joy
The song featured in the round-up of all the doc characters is "Real Thing" from the album "Love Never Fails" by The Band of Holy Joy. Interesting fact 1: the same track was used in the climactic scene in Franny's previous doc McLibel and they couldn't beat it for Stupid. Interesting fact 2: The song was actually written about Franny, as she was going out with the band's singer/lyricist, Johny Brown, at the time.
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Pete fires message into space = The End? by Chris Brierley / Stupid Orchestra
Another Stupid Orchestra classic, responsible for causing many a tear at many a screening.
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> End Credits = Reckoner by Radiohead
Had our hearts set on this one and Radiohead are well-known for being into climate change... so we were obviously delighted when they donated this track to the film. And then Thom Yorke played live at our Global Premiere too, what a star:
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Tracks written specially for the film
-> Fernand the mountain guide's theme = Fernand's Theme by Chris Brierley
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> When Layefa goes to Odiama = Massacred Village by Chris Brierley
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Bike Protest = Flicker by William D Drake
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Alvin describes Katrina = Hurricane Coming by Paul Sampson
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Alvin rescuing his neighbours in New Orleans = Hurricane Rescue by Deri Roberts
After weeks of trawling old jazz records for the perfect track, Daniel suggested we contact his pals Chris Evans and Deri Roberts, who are dab hands at the classic New Orleans sound, despite being young and Welsh.
y
The only and only time Stupid employed a steadicam
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Layefa goes fishing = Nigerian River by Chris Brierley
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Animation sequence about politics and oil = Big Oil by Tom Dyson
The two tracks People Power and Big Oil are by Tom Dyson, who is also the technical genius behind the website. And he wrote the theme tune to Charlie and Lola. Multi-talented.
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Heavy metal for war montage = A life in Ashes by Dragnerve
After we failed to persuade System of a Down to llicense us one of their tracks, Daniel suggested we ask local heavy boys Dragnerve to write something specially. Kick arse.
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Animation of singing water bottles = Bottle Song by Alfie Thomas & Louise Kleboe
There was only one man to turn to when Franny decided she needed a song for some singing water bottles, "like the potatoes in the old Smiths Crisps adverts". Alfie Thomas duly roped in his kids and some of their friends to be the bottles.
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Al goes back to his house post-Katrina = Flattened Home by Christopher Rees
y
Chris and Paul mixing the tracks in their makeshift 5.1 studio (with speakers all around them mimicking a cinema set-up - normally Paul mixes pop songs for radio)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Piers & Lisa tackle their family's emissions = New Dawn by Chris Brierley
y
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Piers gets a threatening answerphone message = Good Life by Chris Brierley and Alfie Thomas
y
[ANDY = ADD THE MAKING OF CLIP HERE]
Watch the orchestra recording the soundtrack two minutes into the Making Of documentary. Complete doc here.
Existing tracks bought in
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Alvin rides round on his big shiny motorbike = Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-> Jamila and Adnan lug bags of shoes to market = These Boots Are Made For Walking
As soon as David the Editor used this track in this scene, we absolutely had to have it. Nancy Sinatra wouldn't let us use her version, so Franny's friend Rob Hacker from super-cool indie pop band Morton Valence sang the vocals over Chris's backing track. Only problem is that Paul and Chris did such a good job that everyone thinks it actually is the Nancy version and then gets surprised when a bloke starts singing. Interesting fact: Morton Valence used Stupid's crowd-funding model to fund their new album.
