2023 reissue - Championed by everybody from John Lennon to Peter Gabriel to Marilyn Manson - and decried by 'establishment' critics ranging from Vincent Canby to Gene Siskel - El Topo remains one of the most controversial movies ever made. Director Alejandro Jodorowsky's bizarre, blood-soaked blend of spaghetti Western, druggy surrealism, Christian allegory, Zen Buddhist themes and avant-garde sensibilities gave rise to the entire 'midnight movie' counterculture phenomenon of the early '70s and forever changed the way adventurous audiences viewed film. Or, for that matter, heard film; for no soundtrack, before or since, has embraced so many styles in its pursuit of spiritual and artistic goals. Atonal, Tibetan Buddhist thighbone trumpets clash with beautiful, even sentimental, chamber orchestra pieces alongside pan flute rhapsodies, brass bands and parlor jazz; that Jodorowsky himself composed the score - after, no doubt, intently studying the work of Morricone - is almost as impressive an artistic achievement as the film itself.
A1 | Entierro Del Primer Juguete = Burial Of The First Toy |
A2 | Bajo Tierra = Under The Earth |
A3 | La Catedral De Los Puercos = The Pigs Monastery |
A4 | Los Mendigos Sagrados = The Holy Beggars |
A5 | La Muerte Es Un Nacimiento = Death Is Birth |
A6 | Curios Mexicano = Mexican Curios |
A7 | El Agua Viva = Living Water |
A8 | Vals Fantasma |
B1 | El Alma Nace En La Sangre = The Soul Born In The Blood |
B2 | Topo Triste |
B3 | Los Dióses De Azúcar = The Sugar Gods |
B4 | Las Flores Nacen En El Barro = Flowers Born In The Mud |
B5 | El Infierno De Los Angeles Prostitutos = The Hell Of The Prostituted Angels |
B6 | Marcha De Los Ojos En El Triángulos = March Of The Eyes In The Triangles |
B7 | Le Miel Del Dolor = The Pain Of The Honey |
B8 | 300 Conejos = 300 Rabbits |
B9 | Conocimiento A Través De La Música = Knowledge Through Music |
B10 | La Primera Flor Después Del Diluvio = The First Flower After The Flood |