Blow-Up (soundtrack)


Blow-Up is a soundtrack album by Herbie Hancock featuring music composed for Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blow-Up released in 1966 on MGM Records. The album features performances by Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Newman, Phil Woods, Joe Henderson, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, and Jack DeJohnette. Although Jimmy Smith is credited with playing organ on the album some sources claim it was Paul Griffin that was present at the recording sessions. The liner notes to a 2000s CD release indicate that Hancock first recorded his score in London with British musicians, but rejected the results and re-recorded the music in New York with American jazz musicians. According to a Library of Congress listing, in addition to Hancock on piano, the New York sessions involved Hubbard and Newman on trumpet, Woods on alto sax, Henderson and Don Rendell on tenor sax, Griffin and Gordon Beck on organ, Hall on guitar, Carter on acoustic bass, and DeJohnette on drums. London sessions are said to have involved Hancock, Rendell and Beck, along with Ian Carr on trumpet, Pete McGurk on acoustic bass, and Chris Karan on drums. Hancock is also listed as being the arranger and music director.
The album also includes "Stroll On", a rewrite of Tiny Bradshaw's "Train Kept A-Rollin'", by the Yardbirds featuring Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.
A mono mix of this album features slightly longer versions of several songs. The CD of this soundtrack currently in print includes, along with Hancock's material, two Lovin' Spoonful songs recorded by British musicians, which are used as incidental music in the film, and two songs recorded by British rock act Tomorrow which were originally intended for use in the film. This CD also features an alternate take of "Bring Down the Birds." The bassline to "Bring Down the Birds" was sampled by Deee-Lite for their 1990 single "Groove is in the Heart."

Track listing

  1. "Main Title from Blow Up" - 1:41
  2. "Verushka " - 2:47
  3. "Verushka " - 2:15
  4. "The Naked Camera" - 3:27
  5. "Bring Down the Birds" - 1:55
  6. "Jane's Theme" - 5:02
  7. "Stroll On" - 2:49
  8. "The Thief" - 3:17
  9. "The Kiss" - 4:17
  10. "Curiosity" - 1:35
  11. "Thomas Studies Photos" - 1:17
  12. "The Bed" - 2:39
  13. "End Title Blow Up" - 0:52

    Personnel

Except track 7 performed by the Yardbirds