Dick’s Picks: ‘Tabu, I’ – Monster-rare Italian ‘Shockumentary’ Original Soundtrack Vinyl LP

Dick’s Picks: ‘Tabu, I’ – Impossibly rare 1963 Italian ‘Mondo Film’ original soundtrack vinyl LP by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino…

What’s a ‘Mondo’ Film?

A Mondo Film (from the Italian word for world) is a little known genre that mixes up elements of documentary or reportage with a liberal dash of good ‘ol fashioned exploitation; topics include sex and death (well, why sweat the small stuff eh?), and many feature sequences that blur the boundary between reality and fiction – think ‘mockumentaries’ or ‘shockumentaries’ and you’re halfway there.

The Film ‘Tabu, I’

To clarify, we’re not entrirely sure of the title, some sites list it as ‘Tabu I’, others ‘Tabu’ and some ‘Tabu, I’ – whatever, what we do know is the the movie was made in 1963 and directed by Romolo Marcellini, ‘Tabu, I’ ticks all the right boxes as far as ‘Mondo’ is concerned with plenty of focus on those (ahem) taboo aspects of the human condition not usually covered by early ’60s cinema, violence, racism, murder, sexuality and even circumcision make appearances – YIKES!

The OST

The OST is highly sought after and somewhat of a holy grail for the avid soundtrack collector. As with many Italian films from this era music is key; scored by celebrated Italian composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino, and like fellow compatriots Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicholai, it’s not afraid to go straight for the musical jugular – expect strings that push the button marked ‘melodrama’ and liberal sprinklings of exotica provided by a plethora of ‘ethnic’ instrumentation, here’s a small sample entitled ‘Danza Afgana’, an unusually upbeat section replete with all manner of rattling percussion….

Such is the demand for the OST that recent years have seen prices for the LP go for big bucks – usually between £500-£1000 according to Jeffry Osbourne’s Movie Soundtracks Guide and is exceptionally hard to find in decent shape…until now!

Looking for new and back catalogue vinyl, rare pressings and collectable vinyl and CDs?

Explore eil.com… the world’s largest online retailer of rare and out of print vinyl, CDs and music memorabilia – since 1987.