... you know: chance rules...One evening of several years ago, I was back home at 1 A.M. or so, I remember, and wasn't willingly wishing for a bed... so, turned ON the TV-set... and a younger me was captured by a siren-like acoustic guitar sound... it was an LSD-hinted, visionary western, something TRULY strange... at the very end of the movie, like petrified, I discovered I just saw "The Hired Hand" by Peter Fonda - his first movie as a director... music was by Bruce Langhorne.
A very, very long time hiatus... and I remembered that late-night experience and tried for a looong time to find the soundtrack, often badly mispelling the movie title - consider italian distributor translated the original title as "The return of Harry Collings"!!! - or the soundtrack composer... and ALWAYS unsuccessfully, for years.
Only some years ago, while lazily browsing, I found an UK-based little company re-issued the about 20 minutes long soundtrack...
WOW... it was like I took a time-machine... the OST was still, decades after my first and only exposure, a MUCH worthwhile listen.
Some searches and I discovered "who" really Bruce Langhorne was... second guitar with Bob Dylan (Freewheelin', Bringing it All Back home, etc...), he knew and played with the very best - i.e. Richie Havens, Joan Baez, Eric Andersen, Odetta, Buffy St. Marie, Tom Rush, Dick Rosmini, etc. etc...
... now, as Brother Bru-Bru, he's DEEPLY into exotic super-hot, chilli sauces home-brewing!
A wise man and an humble, funny and relaxed hero.
This is a beautiful, mysterious, hypnotic, transporting album. Anyone considering whether to download it or not, stop considering and do! One of my favorite things to do with it is, it's great music to put on repeat and drift off to a nap with. I mean that in a good way! He uses lots of cool, exotic, antique instruments on it, too.
ReplyDeleteThe film it is from is magical too, as you say, and is available now on DVD in a standard edition and a "Collector's Edition" with a bonus disc of special features.
Bruce is not only the musical contributor to Dylan, etc., as you mention, but it is him and the extra-large tambourine he used to play that inspired Bob to write Mr. Tambourine Man!
... maybe a "tar" more than a "tambourine"... imagine a fussier young Bob singing: "Heeeey mr. Taaaar Maaaan, siiiing a soooong foooor meeee...";-)))
ReplyDeletePfeeew...
Thanks for yr. contribution.