"Two-Lane Blacktop" soundtrack

Some of these projects are fairly easy to compile. And then there are ones like this one. At some point in the not-too-distant past, I read that the cult 1971 film “Two-Lane Blacktop” never had a soundtrack album. This was likely due to the fact that there were licensing issues involved. The rights to use one of the songs in the film, The Doors’ “Moonlight Drive,” prevented the movie from coming out on video for a while.

To determine which songs appeared in the film, I went to the Independent Movie Database (IMDB). While that website is usually a good source for such things, this time around, it was less so. Some information turned out to be incorrect or incomplete.

As a result, I decided to sit down and watch the film and pick out the songs. I hadn’t seen the movie in years, so seeing it again was at first kind of fun. However, sometimes, only tiny snippets of songs are used. And despite a couple of easily recognizable tunes, several were unfamiliar to my ears. Using SoundHound and Shazam music apps was only helpful some of the time.

One odd thing about this film is that it stars two musicians -- James Taylor and Dennis Wilson -- yet neither one sings or plays a lick in the entire movie.

SIDE A

1. Hit the Road Jack – Jerry Lee Lewis (from The Locust Years…)

2. Moonlight Drive – The Doors (from Strange Days)

3. Gee – Eliza Gilkyson (from Eliza [out of print, good luck!])

4. John Henry – Kentucky Colonels (from Kentucky Colonels featuring Roland and Clarence White)

5. Truckload of Art – Terry Allen (from Lubbock (on everything))

6. Cattle Call – Eddy Arnold (from Cattle Call)

SIDE B

1. Me and Bobby McGee – Kris Kristofferson (from Kristofferson)

2. Maybelline – John Hammond (from John Hammond)

3. Peace in the Valley – Red Foley (from Old Shep)

4. Stealin' – Arlo Guthrie (from Running Down the Road)

5. No Money Down – John Hammond (from Big City Blues)

6. Girl of My Dreams – James Clarke (from KPM 1000 Series: Gentle Sounds, Volume 3)

A short snippet of "Cattle Call" is played at one point, but I couldn't identify which version it was, even after listening to about a dozen versions. It may be the Eddy Arnold version, but it's definitely not Tex Owens or Slim Whitman or a gaggle of other yodelers that I listened to on YouTube. It could be just some friend of the director singing and strumming a guitar. I went ahead and included the Eddy Arnold version, but note that it may not be correct.

There's some mariachi music played early in the film that I couldn't figure out either. Plus, IMDB lists songs "Early Cocktail" and "Taylor Made" as being in the film, but I never noticed them, even though I went through the film twice.

But even the identified songs aren’t all easy to find. This is especially true for the song “Gee” by Eliza Gikyson. Her album has been out of print for years. If you can track down all the songs, you'll end up with an interesting and rather unique collection that flows together nicely, I think.

For a cover for this soundtrack, I used existing poster artwork and made some alterations.

"Who's That Knockin' on My Door?" soundtrack

This is my first in a series of soundtrack albums for three Martin Scorsese films that were never released.

Who's Knocking on My Door? was Scosese's first feature film, released in 1967. Not only was no soundtrack album released, but the songs in the film weren't even credited in the film.

Using the Independent Movie Database website, I found a full list of the songs used in the film to build the album.

SIDE A
1. Jenny Take a Ride -- Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels
2. I've Had It -- The Bell Notes
3. El Watusi -- Ray Baretto
4. Shotgun -- Jr. Walker and the All-Stars
5. Our Love is a Vow -- The Victorians
6. Don't Ask Me (to be Lonely) -- The Dubs
7. Ain't That Just Like Me -- The Searchers

SIDE B
1. The End -- The Doors
2. The Closer You Are -- The Channels
3. The Plea -- The Chantels
4. Who's That Knocking -- The Genies

The song selection is heavy on doo-wop. Whether this was because Scorsese really liked doo-wop or because getting the rights to use them in his film was cheap, I don't know.

I am a little surprised he got the rights to a Doors song. I wouldn't think that would be very economical for a low-budget film since the band was a very hot commodity in 1967. Due to the length of "The End," only four tracks are on the second side.

I used a picture from a DVD to make an album cover.

The Doors' "Whiskey, Mystics and Men"

Here's a what-if -- Electra Records is freaked out about Jim Morrison leaving The Doors and demands the group follow up L.A. Woman with a new album featuring Morrison. But Morrison has no interest in returning to the studio. He's already left for Paris to focus on his poetry.

Digging in the archives and tape vaults the three remaining band members piece together one more album with Morrison before releasing two new Doors albums as a trio. The result is Whiskey, Mystics and Men:

SIDE A

1. Whiskey, Mystics and Men

2. Who Scared You

3. Gloria

4. (You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further

5. Rock Me

6. Talking Blues

SIDE B

1. Woman is a Devil

2. Push Push

3. Money Beats Soul

4. She Smells So Nice

5. Orange County Suite

The result isn't great; it's mixed at best. But it serves as an outlet for leftover music, and with two tracks with Ray Manzarek on vocals, it's a bit of a transition to the next two albums. The two non-album B-sides of "Who Scared You" and "(You Need Meat) Don't Go No Further" were obvious choices. The rest are outtakes or live recordings that have surfaced. 

All these tracks are available as bonus tracks on various Doors albums. The cover I threw together using the band's logo and a desert shot I found on the web that I thought worked. I admit it looks a bit amateurish, but I'm not a graphics artist. :)