Kritzerland is proud to present a world premiere CD release:
ODE TO BILLY JOE
Composed and Conducted by Michel Legrand
“Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge”
In 1967, Billie Joe jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge was one of the hottest topics of that summer, all over the world. The fact that it all had to do with a surprise number one hit song shows the power of great storytelling. Everyone was conjecturing what it was that was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge and why Billie Joe had killed himself. It became part of popular culture almost instantly. The song garnered eight Grammy nominations, winning three for Gentry and one for arranger Jimmie Haskell.
Nine years later, Warner Bros. decided to turn the song into a feature film and hired author Herman Raucher (Summer of ’42) to do so. Max Baer, Jr. directed and produced the film - he was, at the time, best known for playing Jethro Bodine on the hit TV series The Beverly Hillbillies. Young actors Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor were cast in the leads, along with Joan Hotchkiss, James Best (giving a sensitive and wonderful performance), and others. Raucher changed the spelling of Billie to Billy and his screenplay fleshed out the events of the song, and gave the audience the reason for Billy Joe’s jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge.
The film was a box-office hit. Roger Ebert’s review said, “What’s good about the film is that it doesn’t just exploit the materials of the Gentry song. It goes to some lengths to give us a touching, convincing portrait of its people.” Much of that sensitive, touching romantic tragedy can be attributed to the wonderful score by Michel Legrand. Legrand had already scored another hit Warner Bros. film written by Herman Raucher, Summer of ’42, providing that film with an incandescent score and getting an Oscar for it. For Ode to Billy Joe, he wrote a score of great beauty, basically variations on a theme, and one of his most beautiful themes at that. Legrand was and is one of the great film melodists of all time and his music is instantly identifiable and unique to him. While it’s a short score, it does exactly what it needs to do in the film.
Ode to Billy Joe was released on LP by Warner Bros. Records. This is its first CD release. In addition to Legrand’s score cues, the album also contained the classic Gentry song as well as some country-flavored source cues. It has been mastered from the original album masters.
Ode to Billy Joe is limited to 1000 copies only -KRITZERLAND
トラックリスト
1. Ode to Billy Joe - Main Title (written and sung by Bobbie Gentry) 2. By the Pond 3. On the Bridge 4. Night 5. Reflections 6. Morning Stillness 7. There’ll Be Time (Love Theme) 8. Magnolia Turn-Around (Thurman Box) 9. Rattle Snake Daddy (Hoyt Ming) 10. Standing Pine Breakdown (Morgan Gilmer) 11. Memphis Thelma (Sherrill Parks) 12. Ode to Billy Joe - End Title (instrumental version)
サウンドトラック初CD化！ボビー・ビェントリーの「ビリー・ジョーに捧げる歌」の映画化。ティーンエイジャーの純粋な愛を切々と謳い上げ、ミシェル・ルグランの秀麗な音楽と見事なハーモニーを奏でる青春映画の佳作。ミシェル・ルグランのスコアの他、ボビー・ジェントリーによる主題歌やカントリー色のソースミュージックを収録。アルバムマスターテープからリマスター。限定1000枚。
トラックリスト1953年夏。ミシシッピーはチカソー・カウンティ。その夏、ボビー（グリニス・オコナー）にとっても、ビリー（ロビー・ベンソン）にとっても苦悩と迷いの季節であった。ボビーは16歳、ビリーは18歳。2人は幼なじみであり、今、ＳＥＸの問題に直面していた。ボビーの両親は、娘にボーイフレンドなんて早すぎるというような人間である。そんなある日、ボビーとビリーは、小川の水をかけっこしたりしてたわむれていた。そして彼は、拒まれた事を悲しみ、彼女は堕落させられた事を嘆く。彼女の家は未だに1920年代のまま、ＴＶさえなかった。ある夜、彼女の兄ジェームズ（テレンス・グッドマン）の働く製作所でバンドのコンテストが行われた。喧嘩、酒、歌……。ビリーも飲みかつ笑う。それから2日間、ビリーの姿は消えた。彼をさがす人々。その中にボビーもいた。やがて、裏通りで再会する2人は、数時間後、橋の上にいた。ビリーは誤って、彼女の持っていた大切な人形を川中へおとしてしまう。そして森の中で愛し合う2人。でも、ダメだった。「男といっしょだった。自然に罪を犯したんだ」ビリーは言った。6月3日、ビリーはタラハッチー橋より身投げした。何日か後、ボビーに赤ん坊の噂が流れ、彼女は町を去る。そんな彼女に製作所のデューイー（ジェームズ・ベスト）が声をかけた。彼はボビーがビリーの子を生む筈はないと言う。さらにデューイーは、ビリーへの行為を恥じ、世間にあやまるというが、ボビーは許さなかった。「だって、ビリーは伝説なのよ。気に入った娘をみごもらせて、逝ってしまったんですもの。そうでしょ」と。...監督： マックス・ベア・Ｊｒ、出演： ロビー・ベンソン、グリニス・オコナー。1976年米。
Kritzerland is proud to present a world premiere CD release:
ODE TO BILLY JOE
Composed and Conducted by Michel Legrand
“Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge”
In 1967, Billie Joe jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge was one of the hottest topics of that summer, all over the world. The fact that it all had to do with a surprise number one hit song shows the power of great storytelling. Everyone was conjecturing what it was that was thrown off the Tallahatchie Bridge and why Billie Joe had killed himself. It became part of popular culture almost instantly. The song garnered eight Grammy nominations, winning three for Gentry and one for arranger Jimmie Haskell.
Nine years later, Warner Bros. decided to turn the song into a feature film and hired author Herman Raucher (Summer of ’42) to do so. Max Baer, Jr. directed and produced the film - he was, at the time, best known for playing Jethro Bodine on the hit TV series The Beverly Hillbillies. Young actors Robby Benson and Glynnis O’Connor were cast in the leads, along with Joan Hotchkiss, James Best (giving a sensitive and wonderful performance), and others. Raucher changed the spelling of Billie to Billy and his screenplay fleshed out the events of the song, and gave the audience the reason for Billy Joe’s jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge.
The film was a box-office hit. Roger Ebert’s review said, “What’s good about the film is that it doesn’t just exploit the materials of the Gentry song. It goes to some lengths to give us a touching, convincing portrait of its people.” Much of that sensitive, touching romantic tragedy can be attributed to the wonderful score by Michel Legrand. Legrand had already scored another hit Warner Bros. film written by Herman Raucher, Summer of ’42, providing that film with an incandescent score and getting an Oscar for it. For Ode to Billy Joe, he wrote a score of great beauty, basically variations on a theme, and one of his most beautiful themes at that. Legrand was and is one of the great film melodists of all time and his music is instantly identifiable and unique to him. While it’s a short score, it does exactly what it needs to do in the film.
Ode to Billy Joe was released on LP by Warner Bros. Records. This is its first CD release. In addition to Legrand’s score cues, the album also contained the classic Gentry song as well as some country-flavored source cues. It has been mastered from the original album masters.
Ode to Billy Joe is limited to 1000 copies only -KRITZERLAND
1. Ode to Billy Joe - Main Title (written and sung by Bobbie Gentry)
2. By the Pond
3. On the Bridge
4. Night
5. Reflections
6. Morning Stillness
7. There’ll Be Time (Love Theme)
8. Magnolia Turn-Around (Thurman Box)
9. Rattle Snake Daddy (Hoyt Ming)
10. Standing Pine Breakdown (Morgan Gilmer)
11. Memphis Thelma (Sherrill Parks)
12. Ode to Billy Joe - End Title (instrumental version)