Don Julian
Savage! (Southbound Groovin'/Ace Records CDSEWM 114)

Savage! is a fairly obscure blaxploitation soundtrack that never quite attains the symphonic quality of Trouble Man or Foxy Brown, but remains a pretty solid listen. The music is in some ways so fringe that you are transported back to 1973 in a very real way. I love stuff that preserves forgotten moments in time, and this CD definitely does that. I haven't seen the movie, so all I envision is the studio session – wild flutes, dashikis and all.

Don Julian is the composer and guitarist, aided by no "names" unless you count Jimmy Vinson on flute and sax. The ten-and-a-half minute title theme smokes with some brassy brass and ass-kickin' ass. "Lay It On Your Head" is the kind of thing the Beastie Boys wish they could make, essentially a flute solo over a street-walkin' vamp.

"Where I'm Coming From" is similar in feel to "Pusherman" by Curtis Mayfield, had that song been recorded in Ghana. This must have been the golden age for black flautists – before James Galway came to reclaim it for the white man. I'd love to see a flute showdown between Jimmy Vinson and James Galway … it'd be a cryin' shame.

"It's a Sad Song" is an acoustic guitar/flute duet very unlike what you'd expect on a blaxploitation album. About twenty seconds in it veers into Spanish romantic guitar (imagine Segovia scoring an "Emanuelle" movie), and with an audible tape splice to boot. The production values show throughout the album, not in a terrible way.

"My Favourite Beer Joint" is unimaginitive but unobtrusive blues, followed by "Janitizio," featuring the only vocals on the album: a spoken introduction which gives a little history lesson on "soul in a latin groove" or latin jazz – then, plenty of tape splices and some Santana-lite. It is my guess that the intro wasn't used in the movie, unless the character of Savage was something along the lines of Tom Berenger in The Substitute.

The album closes with "Just Kiss Me," a love theme of sorts which recalls both Sesame Street (I'm thinking of those short film interludes where you'd see kids walking by a lake, not the "Rubber Ducky" type songs per se) and CTI Records (if they recorded on a Tascam Porta 4). Breezy, man.

Sample freaks will like this one, it's got plenty of moments to steal. And although I'd say it's probably worth owning and in fact is a pretty good album, it's not one I ever really listen to. Don't go out of your way unless you're crazy for blaxploitation music or just love listening to CDs no one else owns.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Dan Stripes