MANTOVANI - “Moulin Rouge Theme”
Something that hardcore nostalgists occasionally lament is the disappearance of instrumentals from the pop charts. They have a point, in that it’s very rare for a bad instrumental to be remotely as bad as a bad song. To be honest though even among the classics I prefer “Dreams” to “Albatross”; I prefer the MGs as someone’s backing band and I even prefer “The Only Rhyme That Bites” to “Pacific State”.
Listening to “Moulin Rouge Theme” it’s hard to shake the impression that people knew how to bash out proper instrumentals back then: an easy swinging rhythm, a bit of obvious local colour (in this case an accordion), and the listener is whisked away to the gauloise-scented backstreets of some Paris of the mind. Oh I can mock but it works: I was mildly yet thoroughly entertained by “Moulin Rouge Theme” and even a little unhappy when it ended. Even more accordion and it would have been better yet. 5
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Marcello Carlin on November 8th, 2007
Once more I think of immediate postwar Britain (even though the tune doesn’t directly have anything to do with Britain); people tucking into bed early, perhaps more scared of the future than they care to let on, the world changing around them in ways they can scarcely lead themselves to comprehend, the lingering promise of an imminent better world, maybe too many things still suppressed. So when I listen to this I think of closedown on the Light Programme or the Home Service, a lullaby for an uneasy nation, reassuring, soothing…
“It’s OK, it’s OK…no more bad stuff…”
intothefireuk on November 8th, 2007
Not sure it conjures up too many images of Paris for me save for the very light smattering of accordion, but it is a very lovely, soothing piece. I can imagine Marcello’s scenario where it fits cosily into post-war Britain’s bedtime routine with, perhaps, a cup of Ovaltine and a digestive biscuit.
I would definitely be of the school of thought that instrumentals can be far more powerful & endearing than songs, and out of the examples given by Tom, Albatross, Pacific & Green Onions or Time Is Tight would all take some beating.