A guest Listening Post by SamuraiFrog, revolving around Meco Monardo, the guy who disco-ized movie scores.
Meco – Ewok Celebration – 1983 (not available)
Oh, the glory days are over. Just finished. This album is terrible.
I mean, you expect that Meco is going to do an album based on a third Star Wars movie, but it’s just so half-hearted. The main spectacle here is “Ewok Celebration,” based on the music in the movie, done with Meco’s usual style, and a rap by Duke Bootee in character as C-3PO. A rap in Ewokese, name-checking the characters from the film. When I was 7, it was genius. Now, it’s just a so-so novelty that reminds me of being a kid. (I think my 45 of this is still floating around somewhere.) It’s not up to the brilliance of “Star Wars,” The Empire Strikes Back, or Christmas in the Stars. Did Meco just lose interest?
He doesn’t do anything with the film’s fantastic score; think of what he might have done with Williams’ great themes for the Ewoks and the Emperor. Instead, he does a cover of “Lapti Nek,” the song from Jabba’s throne room, which sounds almost exactly like the one on the original Return of the Jedi soundtrack. There’s no joy in it, none of that Meco revelry in cheesiness. “Themes from Star Wars” is basically a re-editing of the original disco hit “Star Wars” with a nod to Vader’s theme and a lot chopped out (it only runs half as long as the ’77 track). The electronic drumbeats don’t help.
The B side has nothing to do with Jedi. It’s mostly forgettable (a cover of the theme from “Simon & Simon”?), although the cover of “Maniac” (the song from Flashdance) answers a question that no one ever asked: What would Michael Sembello’s song sound like with Kenny G on the sax? “Themes from War Games” is an embarrassment, even for Meco.
The only thing really worth salvaging on the album as good music is “Love Theme from Superman III,” which is very pretty and sounds like the old Meco. It’s a brief point of light that makes the rest of the album look worse in comparison. And it’s already pretty bad.
Grade D
A Side: none (“Ewok Celebration” is a novelty, but you don’t have to have it)
BlindSide: “Love Theme from Superman III”
DownSide: “Themes from War Games” is the absolute pits
