LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Blow-Up is a soundtrack album by Herbie Hancock featuring music composed for Michelangelo Antonioni's cult film Blow-Up, released in 1966. Musically the songs evoke the ambience of swinging Sixties' London with grooves that create effective bluesy Jazz moods on the slow pieces, and funky ones on the up-tempo tracks.

The album features performances by Hancock on keys, Freddie Hubbard and Joe Newman on trumpet, Phil Woods and Joe Henderson on sax, Ron Carter on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Rumours go that either the fabled Jimmy Smith or Paul Griffin played the Hammond organ on this record.

Rock fans remember the film and the soundtrack for the inclusion of a rare Yardbirds number, "Stroll On" (actually, an adaptation of Tiny Bradshaw's "The Train Kept A-Rollin'"), one of only three songs they recorded with both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page on guitars. The bassline to "Bring Down The Birds" was sampled by Deee-Lite for their 1990 hit single "Groove Is In The Heart" featuring Bootsy Collins.

180 gram audiophile vinyl

Side A
1. Main Title - ”Blow Up”
2. Verushka Part I
3. Verushka Part II
4. The Naked Camera
5. Bring Down The Birds
6. Jane’s Theme

Side B
1. Stroll On
2. The Thief
3. The Kiss
4. Curiosity
5. Thomas Studies Photos
6. The Bed
7. End Title - ”Blow Up”