Exotica Song Of The Month: June 2012
The Fantastic Oceans
Sunshine
1981
Now it has come to this. That strange reviewer of AmbientExotica comes up with music of a Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movie … and christens one of the soundtrack's skits as an Exotica Song Of The Month. Indeed I do! This month, it's all about the Italian duo of Angelo and Carmelo La Bionda who created synth-heavy Exotica Pop under the name of The Fantastic Oceans. Sunshine is the hit I'm talking about that the duo co-wrote with guitarist Richard Palmer-James, and even years later, it creates a huge buzz in predominantly German movie forums of all kinds, causing the same question to come up time and again: "What's that gorgeous tune of the movie?" This entry might help many people, though it will cause a lot of bewilderment and raised eyebrows: "Music of a Bud Spencer movie? Is there any kind of music you don't count to the genre pool of Exotica?" Yes and yes. But this tune is oh so sweet and all about a dreamy atmosphere. You better like it, or else…! Featured in the Sergio Corbucci movie A Friend Is A Treasure (Chi Trova Un Amico Trova Un Tesoro is the original Italian title and, as can be seen on the above front artwork, Zwei Asse Trumpfen Auf is the inappropriately titled German take) of 1981, Spencer and Hill run ashore a tropical island with lots of tribal natives, a dim-witted Japanese war veteran – and a mysterious treasure to be found! You see, the story is kitsch by the numbers, but these movies find their audience – including me! – because of the funny jokes, convivially choreographed fighting scenes and exotic landscapes.
In all these regards, the movie delivers. And more so, for The Fantastic Oceans' Sunshine is played while Spencer and Hill stroll along the island independently, lost in their thoughts and fed up with each other. Launching with vocoded (!) "Sunshine" chants, a punchy steel guitar base frame and mellifluous synth backings, this song evokes a pitch-perfect, care-free and sunbeam-laden aura of a lavish paradise with stylistic devices that are usually linked to Synth Pop territory, to which this song belongs at the end of the day. The nine-note main melody is played on a MIDI brass module, all the while the beautifully vocoded voices continue with their, now slower, "Sunshine" chants. Gleaming synth pads float in for short moments, enhancing the technicolored mood, and high-plasticity steel guitars join them time and again. Pumping synth drums, bass guitar accompaniments and a few scattered bongos aren't overly exotic percussive devices, but they still work harmoniously with the electronic mélange of the composition. After about 70 seconds, the admittedly kitschy female lyrics – one of the lines being "We gonna shine on!" – start to appear, degrading the sumptuous flow of the song a bit. But all in all, these lyrics are still tolerable for me, but your opinion may vary. The final third of the album features a real trumpet solo that sparkles of eupeptic happiness. The song fades out and leaves a smile on my face.
The use of vocoders is outdated nowadays. Sure, they are still in use today, and in the right surroundings, they can still mesmerize me, but since every other act has used this vocal filter almost to death, I am more than a bit critical about its inclusion. Not here, though. Sunshine is one of the best saccharine exotic Pop tracks ever created! The swirling synths merge wonderfully with the glistening galactic pads, steel guitar melodies and the positively clichéd trumpet solo. This song works entirely well outside the film's context, and I managed to listen to it without having the bearded face of Spencer or Hill's icy eyes on my mind. Its powerfully auroral melody is easy to hum along with, and its rudimentary structure is perfectly masked by the coruscating synth washes that swirl in the background and which are surprisingly deep and full despite their age. Forget the context of the song, forget about Spencer's fists and Hill's forceful kicks in the never-ending changelessness of the plot and their good-natured opponents: this song fittingly shines on its own. I consider it an Exotica song, not just because of its bongos and steel guitars – both of which aren't the main attractions anyway – but due to the sunny aura, the strong sense of benign adventures and sporty beach runs. It captures the essence of great Exotica music. A superb song that, unfortunately, is only available on vinyl. Even diehard vintage Exotica collectors would have hearts of stone if they didn't at least try to smile during this song.
Further listening:
Sunshine by The Fantastic Oceans is available on YouTube here, and you need to listen to it if you don't know it yet!
Exotica Song Of The Month Review for June 2012: The Fantastic Oceans – Sunshine (1981). Originally released on Jun. 2, 2012 at AmbientExotica.com.