Saturday, April 12, 2008

RYMDINVASION I LAPPLAND (Terror In The Midnight Sun) - Allan Johansson/Brita Borg/Golden Gate Quartet/Unger/Herbert - "Midnight Sun" (1959)

"Terror In The Midnight Sun" is right up there with "Dementia" in the musical quality department! Okay, it's not the greatest movie in the world, but when was the the last time you got to hear some good Lapplander music anyhow? 
 
If Lapplander music isn't your bag, the super cool theme song is sung by The Golden Gate Quartet, one of the most successful Jubilee Gospel groups of all time. They also sang one of the all-time classic wartime tunes, "Stalin Wasn't Stallin'" which kinda goes like this, "Stalin wasn't stallin' when he told the beast of Berlin, that he wouldn't be contented until he had driven him from the land, so he called the Yanks and English, and proceeded to extinguish, Der Fuhrer and his vermin, that is how it all began!" Whew! The Golden Gate Quartet is the bomb, and a lot of their work was A Capella, so it's too sweet to hear them with musical backing!! Hallelujah Brothers and Sisters!!! 
 
Based on an olde Swedish song written by Gustaf Unger with English lyrics by Frederic Herbert, "The Midnight Sun Lament" is sung by 1950's Swedish Pop Queen Brita Borg, and the rest of the soundtrack is jazzed up by her husband Allan Johansson, a fellow member with her in the Swedish jazz vocal group, "The Flickery Flies," and Harry Arnold, another great Swedish composer! 
 
How much musical talent can you pack into one movie? Wow!!! 1950's Lapplanders Gospel Swedish Jazz Pop, now that's What's Happening!!! 
 
And, not to forget, a really big, pretty scary monster to boot!!! He does kind of look like a giant hairy penguin, but ............... 
 
He's pretty scary when he gets right in your face!! Aaarrrgghhh!!!!! 
 
Now as much as we love Jerry Warren, it's kind of hard to forgive him for not using the theme as sung by The Golden Gate Quartet, in his "Invasion Of The Animal People" version, and at least in this case, I think it's safe to say, that the original was better than Jerry's version, but at least he got another payday out of it and got this awesome film a little more exposure, and "Invasion Of The Animal People" does have a great title card!!!! Viva La Jerry!!!

1 comment:

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??