New Jean Rollin Soundtrack Release Coming From Finders Keepers Records, Plus News on Night of the Hourglass

Cathy Castel steps behind the camera on the set of one of Rollin's Michel Gentil productions of the seventies.

Here's a really exciting bit of news for Rollin fans. It looks like the incredible label Finders Keepers Records are going to be releasing a double soundtrack compilation vinyl and CD in the near future. Here is a link that mention this collection, which looks to include music from Requiem for a Vampire, Fascination, The Nude Vampire and Rape of the Vampire. It's been awhile since we have had a Rollin soundtrack project so this is really terrific to hear. Also, the releases I have from Finders Keepers have all been top of the line (in regards to both sound quality and visual presentation) so this should be a real quality release. While the link at Finders Keepers just mentions the double LP/CD comp, this post at Salvation makes it sound like they might do a whole series. Either way, this is very welcome news.



Also, it looks like Night of the Hourglass is now available on PAL Region 2 DVD with an English subtitle option. Diabolik DVD has it listed but as of right now it is out of stock. I will be placing my order within the next couple of weeks and can't wait to see this film. Has any reader here had an opportunity yet to view this particular DVD???

Finders Keepers Records 1st Rollin Release Now Available: Jeunes filles impudiques (Limited Edition EP)

The first release in what promises to be an absolutely amazing soundtrack series dedicated to Jean Rollin is now available from Finders Keepers records. Here is the link to a five track EP containing music from Jeunes filles impudiques (Schoolgirl Hitchhikers). There are only 500 of these beauties being printed so I would advise you to get your order in soon if you want a copy. Thanks to Finders Keepers for kicking off the series with such a rare and valuable release.

Le Frisson des Vampires CD Now Available from Finders Keepers Records

A landmark release from Finders Keepers Records, the 27-track Le Frisson Des Vampires Soundtrack is the first complete release of the legendary 1971 score from one of Jean Rollin’s most powerful films. Armed with a stunning near 20 page booklet, with beautiful stills and unbelievably informative notes by Andy Votel, this release of the tremendous Acanthus score is, simply put, one of the most essential Jean Rollin related products ever assembled.
I have dreamed of having the complete score to Le Frisson des Vampires since I first saw it shortly after discovering Rollin in the mid nineties. Even with the faded and quite scratchy print of the film that first came into my possession my mind was thoroughly blown by the hypnotic and exciting music of Acanthus. The several tracks that appeared on the quite rare Films of Jean Rollin CD wetted my appetite even more, but they were just a mere teaser to this new release by Finders Keepers.
From the explosive title-track to the frenetic "Runaway Train", the soundtrack to Le Frisson des Vampires is an absolute joyous listen. Switching gears easily from free-form hysteria to grooves of an extremely laid back nature, Acanthus’ score really comes into its own here as one of the key works of seventies French Rock. After years of hearing it as only an accompaniment to Rollin’s unforgettable imagry, it is such a pleasure to be able to sit back now and take this striking music on its own terms as its own powerful entity.
Of course a lot of the appeal of the Le Frisson des Vampires score has always been the mystery surrounding Acanthus. Up to this point not much had been known about the “inexperienced high school students” (The Films of Jean Rollin) that were said to have made up the group but Votel’s exhaustively researched booklet ends much of the mystery, but manages to add to the allure. Votel manages to uncover the history of the band and what happened to the key-players in his liner notes. He even reveals a rare 45 with an A-Side entitled "Rollin Five Years" from the band that formed out of Acanthus (Unity), that was no doubt a dedication to the director that had believed so much in them. I absolutely don’t want to give away too many of the book’s surprises here though, as there are many. I can say that upon reading, Votel’s notes immediately became one of my favorite pieces written on Rollin and they alone would make the CD worth buying.
Audio-quality wise it is hard to imagine these tracks sounding much better considering how rare they are. A great improvement over both the Films of Rollin CD, as well as the bonus samples found on Encore’s DVD box-set, Finders Keepers release seems taken from both the original tapes as well as directly from the film (as small bits of dialogue (English dubbed) and effects are heard throughout). Don’t expect Beatles remasters quality but Finders Keepers have obviously put a lot of care into this release and have gotten it to sound better than any of us probably could have imagined years ago.
This kick-off Rollin release from Finders Keepers is a really special one, and I have to admit I teared up a bit when I saw my name and this site mentioned in the credits. To say it serves as a great introduction to what will be a watershed series for Rollin fans is putting it mildly. Up next, according to the booklet, are the scores for Fascination and Requiem for a Dream, and fans that head over to Finders Keepers fairly quickly to order a copy will also see the company offering a poster reproduction of Fascination, in a limited number of just 100! I hope everyone here reading will order a copy of this very special release to support Finders Keepers and the legacy of Jean Rollin, it's a knockout.

New Jean Rollin blu-Ray and CD Releases for 2019

2019 sees the arrival of two new Jean Rollin releases.  On February 19th Kino Lorber/Redemption continue their Jean Rollin series with a double feature of  DRACULA'S FIANCEE  and LOST IN NEW YORK.  This set features an audio commentary by Samm Deighan and is a particularity welcome addition to their previous blu-ray releases.  I'm especially excited for LOST IN NEW YORK, which is extraordinary.   More information on this release can be found here and Samm can be followed at Twitter.  Copies of the Rollin Book, LOST GIRLS, Samm edited for Spectacular Optical are still available here as well.  

Another Rollin related release arrives next month in the form of another limited edition soundtrack collection from The Omega Productions Recording Company.  This release features Philippe d'Aram's soundtracks to LA MORTE VIVANTE / LA FIANCÉE DE DRACULA in a limited run of just 500 copies.  More information can be read here.

-Jeremy Richey, 2018-
  

 

CATHODE LOVE: A New Jean Rollin related Book and Vinyl Set

A new Jean Rollin book and vinyl set is getting ready to come out! 

Here is part of the official press release on CATHODE LOVE:

"Cathode Love is a BOOK & LP focused on the fantastique, the impulse of mystery, horror and eroticism, containing essays, short stories and unreleased or exceedingly underappreciated and brilliant works of writing and music, rare soundtrack and musical materials all on the LP. It is designed to work together. Full details are below. The editions are to make the experience affordable to all. The book and LP are the same contents, but they have very different levels of intensity in terms of presentation! 
BOOK CONTENTS:

Includes essays, short stories, poetry, interviews and new translations from:
Antonin Artaud, Théophile Gautier, Stephen Thrower, Marina Warner, Michel Leiris, David Tibet, Roger Gilbert-Lecomte, Remy de Gourmont, Count Eric Stanislaus Stenbock, Matthew Brendan Clark, Charles Baudelaire, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Saint-Pol Roux, Catherine Ribeiro and more. 248pp.

This boxed set, book and LP, is an abandoned cathedral full of little prayers to directors Jean Rollin and Jess Franco, little songs from Count Stenbock and Théophile Gautier, all with colorfully darkened windows for its light source, singing its praises through a cloud of smoke, death, beauty, and WONDER. Essays on Roger Callois’s “Writing of Stones” push language into the permanent, primal and automatic, encountering others, such as the macabre oppulence and romance of Baudelaire's "unnatural" poetry of decadence, death and lust. New Coptic translations and a lovely new and insightful essay along with lyrics to his work Birth Canal Blues are offered up by the beautiful and visionary artist David Tibet. A wonderful essay by Stephen Thrower, with his incredibly perceptive and loving reading of the under-sung and mesmerizing Lorna...The Exorcist, all these coupled again with broader, essential selections on the actual processes facilitating these arts, in the essays on the metaphysics of theater by Antonin Artaud, or a variety of other works reflective of the falling shards of some Greater Mirror, then shattered and now gathered again, all that cut to the root of visual poetics. In this way, it also functions, overall, as a diary of perception by the editor. Multiple essays and poems by editor and compiler, Matthew Brendan Clark (sometimes as Comte Computer) exist, woven in and out of the shards, helping to guide this aspect. The rare essay The Hieroglyphic Monad by Michel Leiris, an ode to the Mysteries and language at once, all for your lovey-dovey pleasure, with more poems, essays and extracts supporting the nature of this book, all making up a surprising and new, totally accidental and fully-charged aesthetics treatise, that is FULL OF SUGGESTIONS WHERE TO TAKE THIS ART FORWARD FROM without spelling it out (certainly not in all caps).  Cathode Love seems to be loving "the language of aesthetics and meaning" with an open and suggestive embrace, full of black warmth, allowing all light to penetrate inside it. From the aesthetic and theatrical semiotic theory of Artaud and Michel Leiris and the poetry of renegade surrealist and true "Black Mirror", Roger Gilbert-Lecomte, to the transfigured lettering found in the work of Saint Pol Roux, or overarching symbolic curatorial aspect of Remy de Gourmont, CATHODE LOVE IS LOVING ALL WAYS NOW.  Take advantage of these readings.  They are here now.

LP CONTENTS:

The LP includes the first ever issuance of the hypnotic and elliptical soundtrack to Jess Franco's masterful Les possèdèes du diable (Lorna...The Exorcist), by Andre Bènichou, as well as the first vinyl release of Jean Rollin soundtracks to La nuit des traquèes (Night of the Hunted) and Les Raisins De La Mort! (Grapes of Death). Also, accompanying the exclusive interview with Catherine Ribeiro in the book is the epic, 25-minute Un Jour...La Mort by Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes, the first official issue of this since their 1972 album Paix. The LP is rounded out by key selections from Les deux orphelines vampires (Two Orphan Vampires), Ennio Morricone, and Goblin's work for the Suspiria soundtrack.

Many of these selections are issued for the first time ever on vinyl, and were all sourced from the best available elements and remastered for vinyl at Chicago Mastering Service by Jason Ward. LP housed in jacket featuring Parsifal by Jean Delville."

More information can be found at its official website and the book's progress can be followed at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Jean Rollin's ZOMBIE LAKE World Premiere Soundtrack CD

The Omega Productions is preparing to release the world premiere of Daniel J. White's soundtrack for Jean Rollin's Zombie Lake.  

From the press release the CD, which will be limited to just 500 copies, "will be remastered for the first time ever, with the help of Daniel Lesoeur, producer of the film and director of Eurociné. It will contain 22 (+ bonus) tracks, included sound design (the "bird's song") and quotes".  While the film itself remains, arguably, the absolute lowpoint in Rollin's filmmaking career, this soundtrack is a very welcome release and the early shots of the accompanying booklet look wonderful.  For ordering information on this release, please visit this page.

Finders Keepers Records unleash LA REINE DES VAMPIRES 1967 on Cacophonic Records

Finders Keepers Records have just released the newest addition to their excellent Jean Rollin soundtrack library via their Cacophonic label. LA REINE DES VAMPIRES 1967 contains the amazing atonal free jazz work of composer Francois Tusques that graced Rollin's first two feature films, Rape of the Vampire and The Nude Vampire. Mastered from the original tapes, as submitted to Rollin, the sound quality on this release is really excellent and it is an essential addition to any hardcore Rollin fan's collection. More information on this vinyl only release (a digital copy code comes with each order) can be found over at Finders Keepers.

Two New Jean Rollin Related Releases

 

Our friends at Finders Keepers Records have just issued Pierre Raph's incredible score to The Iron Rose on vinyl.  Details on ordering can be found here. 

 

 

Also the Jean Rollin limited edition Bobblehead is now available to pre-order over at Cult Collectibles. 

 

A Look at the New Finders Keepers Jean Rollin Soundtracks

In a terrific recent interview with Fact, influential musician and Finders Keepers Records founder Andy Votel states that one of the main goals behind their terrific Jean Rollin soundtrack series is, "to present Rollin fans with something that they’ve deserved for a long time", and to hopefully, "open up his work to another generation of open-minded viewers." Votel isn't just spouting off typical PR bullshit here as the man is clearly a great fan of Jean Rollin, and these Finders Keepers releases are are real works of passion looking, in part, to help spread the great Rollin legacy to a whole new audience.
Finders Keepers have recently released the newest editions to their Jean Rollin soundtrack library, Pierre Raph's score for Requiem for a Vampire and Philippe D'Aram's score for Fascination, as 2 gorgeous ten-inch vinyl editions and as a single combo-CD. These discs feature the most complete versions of both scores ever released and are accompanied by informative and moving liner notes by the great Daniel Bird.
Votel likened putting together these soundtracks to, "detective work" to Fact and admits that, with especially Requiem for a Vampire that, "a lot of the original parts and tapes were missing, so the project is made up of a mixture of studio recordings and music taken from the film reels." While this is a bit unfortunate, the fact that both of these releases are so compulsively listenable and enjoyable is a real tribute to the hard work and dedication of Votel and the entire Finders Keepers team.
Of the two releases, Fascination is absolutely the most sonically pleasing. D'Aram's score sounds incredibly inviting and rich and Finders Keepers disc serves as a reminder to just how truly great D'Aram's work for Rollin was. Playful, sensual and extremely haunting, the music from Fascination stands with any of the many great soundtracks from the late seventies and this new release is a perfect way to celebrate it. Daniel Bird's notes are, not surprisingly, wonderful as well and he continues to be able to mix scholarly and personal writing, with an incredibly sharp historical perspective, like no other film writer on the planet.
The Requiem for a Vampire soundtrack sounds like it was a much more difficult project for Votel and company to put together as a number of tracks are indeed taken from the film reels Votel mentioned to Fact. Votel explained to Fact that, "Requiem was a film that was almost a no-go from the outset due to the music and dialogue channels on the original print being bounced into one then replaced with a badly dubbed version with distorted music on the music channel", and that he could have released, "this record as stand-alone music and arguably de-Rollinise it" but thankfully he hasn't done that. So as it stands, the soundtrack for Requiem for a Vampire is a wonderfully imperfect piece of bliss that offers up one of the most challenging, and forward thinking, scores of the seventies in the most complete version currently possible. Votel holds out the hope that one day the studio-tapes might surface but, until then, this is a fine release that has many pleasures, including Bird's powerful and moving notes, far outweighing any sonic imperfections.
The Requiem for a Vampire and Fascination soundtracks from Finders Keepers join their Le Frisson des Vampires, Jeunes Filles Impudiques and The B-Music of Jean Rollin releases as loving reminders to the power of Jean Rollin's artistic legacy. A big thanks to Andy Votel, Daniel Bird and the entire team at Finders Keepers Records for releasing all of these and I certainly hope more are on the way (The Iron Rose PLEASE!!!). These are really special releases that will bring a lot of joy to longtime Jean Rollin fans, as well as turning on a lot of new ones.
***

Congratulations to the Winners of The B-Music of Jean Rollin CD

Congratulations to Thomas D. and Hans A. for winning the B-Music of Jean Rollin CD! Thanks to all of the other participants who emailed their answers as well. Keep a look out for more giveaways down the road. Here are the answers to the trivia questions for those interested:

1. Jean Rollin contributed several fine commentary tracks for the Encore DVD sets. His first commentary track appeared in the nineties though for a laserdisc release of one of his most popular films. Which film was that recorded for?

The Living Dead Girl

2. This striking French actress is probably best known for her work in the Italian genre cinema of the seventies and early eighties, with directors like Massimo Dallamano, Joe D'Amato and Ruggero Deodato, but she starred in two of Rollin's films, including her first. Name her.

Annie Belle

3. One of Jean Rollin's most memorable male performers now heads a French museum dedicated to eroticism in Paris. Name him.

Cyril Val

4. Although Rollin beat him to the punch, Claude Mulot made a film that was billed as "The First Sex-Horror film ever made". What was this name of this work?

The Blood Rose (1970)

5. In the early-nineties as grey market copies of Rollin films began appearing with more and more regularity this odd little 1992 film that featured Rollin as an actor also found its way to the grey market. Name the film.

Trepanator

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A Fascination Giveaway: Win a Free Copy of The B-Music of Jean Rollin CD!!!

-CONTEST CLOSED- We have two winners and I will be announcing them later this evening.


Easily among the best archival music releases of the decade The B-Music of Jean Rollin: Various Artists 1968-1979, is a grand-slam disc from the great minds over at B-Music and Finders Keepers. Featuring a whopping 31 tracks (including many unreleased cuts and an amazing booklet featuring superlative liner notes from Daniel Bird and Andy Votel), The B-Music of Jean Rollin is an absolutely essential release for Rollin fans, and outre-music connoisseurs in general.
Kickstarting with a lovely Nicole Romain sung track entitled "Blind Songbird" from Le Viol du Vampire, The B-Music of Jean Rollin is a wonderfully sequenced and compulsively listenable album dedicated to Rollin in the seventies, a period in which our man unleashed many of his greatest works. The collection includes music from La Vampire Nue, Le Frisson des Vampires, Requiem for a Vampire, Jeunes Filles Impudiques, Fascination as well as the already mentioned sixties work Le Viol du Vampire and focuses on the composers Pierre Raph, Philippe D'Aram, Francois Tusques, Yvon Gerault as well as the rock band Acanthus.
Since the tracks from Les Frisson des Vampires will be recognizable from Finders Keepers amazing soundtrack release from last year and the Requiem and Fascination tracks will be heard on their upcoming soundtrack releases from FK, the remaining tracks are the real jewels of the collection, considering their rarity (and just how bloody great they are). The Jeunes Filles songs are making their CD debut here and the majority of the remaining material has been unreleased up until this point. The release of the incredible music from Le Viol du Vampire and La Vampire Nue is alone cause for celebration among Rollin fans.
As if the music on the disc wasn't enough, B-Music have assembled a truly fantastic booklet featuring the writings of Andy Votel (who also interviews a member of Acanthus!) and Daniel Bird. Both of these fine artists and gentlemen deliver some of the best writing I have ever read on Rollin here. I am of course very proud to have some notes featured as well in this very special release.

So, I have a couple of these bad-boys to giveaway and am looking to get them in the hands of a two fellow fans today. Here are five Rollin-related trivia questions (which aren't exclusively related to the CD release). Be the first two people to send me the correct answers via email at mooninthegutter@gmail.com and you win the discs! It's as simple as that. I will announce the winners here once it happens and will send you both the disc. Keep a lookout for some giveaways in the upcoming month as well here at Fascination and, as always, throw a lot of love to the artists over at B-Music and Finders Keepers. Here are the questions:

1. Jean Rollin contributed several fine commentary tracks for the Encore DVD sets. His first commentary track appeared in the nineties though for a laserdisc release of one of his most popular films. Which film was that recorded for?

2. This striking French actress is probably best known for her work in the Italian genre cinema of the seventies and early eighties, with directors like Massimo Dallamano, Joe D'Amato and Ruggero Deodato, but she starred in two of Rollin's films, including her first. Name her.

3. One of Jean Rollin's most memorable male performers now heads a French museum dedicated to eroticism in Paris. Name him.

4. Although Rollin beat him to the punch, Claude Mulot made a film that was billed as "The First Sex-Horror film ever made". What was this name of this work?

5. In the early-nineties as grey market copies of Rollin films began appearing with more and more regularity this odd little 1992 film that featured Rollin as an actor also found its way to the grey market. Name the film.

-CONTEST CLOSED- We have two winners and I will be announcing them later this evening.

***

The New Finders Keepers/B-Music Jean Rollin Titles are Now Available to Order

This morning a whole slew of exciting Jean Rollin CD and Vinyl release went up for order, and pre-order, at both the UK Finders Keepers Records site, as well as the US B-Music page. I will have full looks (and some giveaways) coming up for the new releases very soon but for now I just wanted to supply some links and quick details on these great discs.

Over at Finders Keepers we have the new Requiem for a Vampire and Fascination soundtrack issues. Vinyl junkies can Pre-order the Limited Edition Die-Cut 10" records of both Requiem for a Vampire and Fascination now. I believe these beautiful vinyl copies should be shipping later in March. The CD version (which combines both of these incredible soundtracks) is already ready to ship. A handful of the limited Cassette version are still available as well.
The Finders Keepers site is also offering The B-Music of Jean Rollin compilation for sale as well for their UK customers.

Heading over to the B-Music site, US customers can also pre-order the vinyl versions of Requiem for a Vampire and Fascination as well as order the in-stock CD. Of course, The B-Music of Jean Rollin CD is available there as well.

Speaking of The B-Music of Jean Rollin release, I am thrilled to announce here that I have two pieces included in the lengthy liner notes of this great release. I supplied new notes on Le Viol du Vampire and La Vampire Nue and am really honored to share space with both Daniel Bird (who contributes two of the best pieces I have ever read on Rollin's works, focusing on Requiem and Fascination) and Andy Votel (who contributes an amazing interview with Acanthus member Daniel Buffet as well as a beautiful piece on Jean-Philippe Delamarre!). My full look at this incredible disc will be up soon and, again, I am just ecstatic to be a part of this release!

Soundclips and full-track listings are available at the links above. Be sure to get your orders in to show Finders Keepers and B-Music how much we appreciate their dedication to the soundtracks, films and legacy of Jean Rollin!

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Coming Soon: The B-Music of Jean Rollin

As if the Finders Keepers Records upcoming release of the Requiem for a Vampire and Fascination soundtracks wasn't enough, here is a sneak peek at the cover of the upcoming Rollin soundtrack compilation from the Finders Keepers US arm B-Music. This exciting disc streets on March 27th and contains a whopping 31 tracks, many unreleased, from Le Viol du Vampire, La Vampire Nue, Le Frisson des Vampires, Requiem for a Vampire, Jeunes Filles Impudiques and Fascination! I'll have more information on this incredible release soon but for now I just wanted to share this gorgeous cover for my readers here. Bravo to the folks at B-Music and Finders Keepers!

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(CONTEST CLOSED) Win a Free Copy of Finders Keepers New Jean Rollin Limited Cassette Release!

***A great big congratulations to Derek Hill for correctly answering the questions. Enjoy the collection Derek and thanks for participating!***


The great team over at Finders Keepers Records recently announced that their next release in their Jean Rollin soundtrack series will be the scores for Requiem for a Vampire and Fascination! While the CD and vinyl versions will come out in March, Finders Keepers have just released a special cassette of the scores that is limited to just 200 copies and I have one to give-away here. These hand-numbered editions are extremely cool, and will be wildly collectible, and I appreciate my friends over at Finders Keepers for supplying me an extra to give to one of my lucky readers here. Before we get to the contest details, take a moment and head over to Finders Keepers for more information about this exciting release and, if you can, drop them a line to let them know how much we appreciate these Jean Rollin releases!

Doing giveaways here are a bit tricky because I know most of my readers are Rollin devotees, a fact that makes a screenshot or trivia challenge difficult. So, I thought I would attempt a challenge that focuses on a couple of films that have some very loose connections with Rollin. It might still be super-simple but hell the main thing I am trying to do is get this tape to another fan. So okay, be the first to leave a comment with the correct answers to the following and you win the tape! After I announce the winner, you will just need to email me your address and I will ship the tape to you...that's it and now here we go:

Here is a still from a 1971 French film that has often been called very Rollinesque, although he had nothing to do with it. Name the film.



This 2001 American film was set in the late sixties and had a number of striking film references including a humorous nod to a director of Rollin-like erotic vampire films. Name the film.