Ennio Morricone ‎– Il Diavolo Nel Cervello (1972, LP, Italy)

Tracklist:
A1 La Ragione, Il Cuore, L'Amore 3:26
A2 Viaggio Primo 2:05
A3 Prima Della Rivelazione 5:06
A4 Oltre Il Silenzio 3:28
A5 Viaggio Secondo 2:24
B1 Il Diavolo Nel Cervello 2:56
B2 Viaggio Terzo 2:25
B3 Vita Sospesa 5:30
B4 Viaggio Quarto 2:05
B5 La Ragione, Il Cuore, L'Amore 3:16

"Il Diavolo nel Cervello" (Devil in the brain) is a film directed in 1971 by Sergio Sollima and screened at the beginning of the following year; it's a psychological thriller in which tension is determined by the character's psyche more than their actions. At this time the horror audiences were into Dario Argento's suspense thrillers made up of serial killers, ferocious murders and a pinch of erotism.

After three movies in the 'spaghetti western' genre and the noir "Città violenta" Sollima then decided to make something unpredictable, and paid the consequences of his resolution: his film out went almost unnoticed, and it's been re-evaluated recently, together with the soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, who had already scored Sollima's previous works.

"Il diavolo nel cervello" works on an almost-full symphonic register: on a strings background we have piano, harpsichord, flutes and brass instruments. It's a very airy work that creates moments of tension, where the pace is dictated solely by jazzy drums played with drum brushes. Undoubtedly, one of the best productions of the Maestro from those early '70s, including Bruno Nicolai as a conductor and the wonderful Edda Dell'Orso singing choirs.

R.I.P. Maestro