Marvelous Music from the Magnificent Mademoiselles
| Marvelous Music from the Magnificent Mademoiselles | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 1 December 1997 |
| Recorded | 1994–1997 |
| Studio | Palace of Sound, Mişeyáke, Mişeyáke |
| Genre | |
| Length | 158:00 |
| Label | Sound Records |
| Producer | Susan Shelley |
Marvelous Music from the Magnificent Mademoiselles is the soundtrack album to the animated series The Magnificent Mademoiselles, released in 1997. The soundtrack was performed by Susan Shelley, Combustible Edison, and The Sweethearts of Rhythm, with additional musicians including the series' voice actors Teresa Ganzel and Valeria Martínez. Due to the abundance of material, it was a double album, with two CDs that last the maximum length of 78:59.
The album was a massive critical and commercial success, reflecting the popularity of the cartoon. It is one of the most successful Gylian soundtracks, and is considered a pinnacle of the new old hat movement.
Background
When The Magnificent Mademoiselles entered production, Studio Fantasia approached Susan Shelley to be the composer. Susan accepted after a discussion with Studio Fantasia and Tegneforening producers that made her excited about the project. She chose to use the same approach she had employed for My Stepmother Is an Alien, which she had scored "as if it was a serious film" to enhance the comedy.
Susan sought out a group of musicians to collaborate with that could pull off the intentionally "old-fashioned" jazz sound envisioned. She found Combustible Edison, whose first album I, Swinger had just been released in January 1994. Combustible Edison eagerly accepted the offer; frontwoman Liz Cox quipped, "When Ms. Shelley asks if you'd like to work with her, there's only one answer: 'YES!'".
Susan also assembled several other collaborators for the soundtrack, seeking out well-established Gylian jazz luminaries to bolster the project's prestige. These included The Sweethearts of Rhythm as the horn section, pianist Jutta Hipp, double bass player Vivian Gary, and Virginia Astley on flute.
Recording
The soundtrack was recorded at Palace of Sound in Mişeyáke, with Susan producing, and her children Alex and Lucy assisting with engineering and mixing.
The recording schedule was sporadic, built around the participants' own schedules. The sessions overlapped with the recording of Combustible Edison's second album Schizophonic! (1996), which Susan produced.
Composing and recording the soundtrack was saved for the last step of the production process, allowing the soundtrack to be tailored to the respective segments with greater precision and preparation. Susan and Combustible Edison would receive a segment, watch it to take notes of timings and scenes, then record the soundtrack and send it to be mixed into the episode. They used non-linear editing software to watch the segment, time their musical cues precisely, and experiment with ideas in the studio.
Liz Cox described the composing process to Animonthly as follows:
You notice how in old cartoons, there's never a dull moment? There's always something playing in the background? We agreed with Ms. Shelley from the outset that we'd seek to capture that spirit — wall-to-wall music, richness of sound, pacing changes that would make an orchestra go on strike. Every segment has its own score. We'd make a theme once, and then we'd play it again for new episodes, slower or faster, in different keys, changing the instrumentation, to fit what's on screen. We went to the limit and squeezed as much as possible into 7 minutes. That's really the magic of those old cartoons, they went to the limit and never had to worry about time and money."
Music
The album mainly contains jazz music, and was described by some commentators as big band and straight-ahead jazz. A wide range of influences are in evidence, such as blues, country, folk, space age pop, lounge music, and Alscian music hall. Liisa Salmela wrote that while the soundtrack does not contain "anything that can be properly called 'rock'", it nevertheless displays influences from rock music in its energy, performances, production, and spirit.
Susan and Combustible Edison made much use of pitched percussion instruments on the soundtrack. Drummers Liz Cox and Arno Oppenheimer played several of these, including vibraphone, marimba, and xylophone. Vintage keyboard instruments were also favoured, including the Hammond organ, Clavioline, Ondioline, and the Mellotron and Chamberlin for their distinctive sounds.
The majority of the album is instrumental. The vocal songs are mainly musical numbers sung by Teresa Ganzel as her character Miss Vavoom. Several lyricists worked on the vocal tracks, including Evelin Tanli, Teresa's brother Edmund Ganzel, and Terri "Cupcake" Mason, an old friend and collaborator of Susan's. Popscene described the lyrics as "saucy, winking, sweet, good-natured, and delightful above everything else."
Selected songs
"The Magnificent Mademoiselles" is the opening theme of the cartoon. It is an upbeat big band number with boastful lyrics sung by Valeria Martínez and Teresa as their respective characters Miss Mystery and Miss Vavoom. It is the only song on the soundtrack with Valeria contributing vocals. An instrumental reprise plays over the end credits, and is included at the end of the album.
"Let's Get You Dolled Up Nicely" is the instrumental cue that plays when Miss Mystery helps Miss Vavoom pick her wardrobe before going out. It has a bossa nova rhythm guitar juxtaposed against jazz drums. Three versions are included, with different lead instruments: Liz's vibraphone, Mick Cudahy's lap steel guitar, and Jutta Hipp's piano.
"Hold On To Your Hat" is the instrumental cue that plays when Miss Vavoom is heavily implied to receive oral sex off-camera. Praised by Sonic Review as "brilliantly sultry and classy", it has a swing beat at a slow tempo, tenor saxophone as the lead instrument, and humorous stop-start dynamics that mirror Miss Vavoom's reactions.
"It's All in the Way You Walk" is the instrumental cue that plays in scenes showing Miss Vavoom and Miss Mystery's voluptuous walks. It has a swing beat at a moderate tempo, an elaborate bassline, recurring use of horn stabs, and clarinet as the lead instrument.
"The Breathtaking Bombshell" is the instrumental cue that plays when Miss Vavoom is seducing her love interest. It has a mambo arrangement with a "sizzling" trumpet solo that mimics the exaggerated swoons of her love interests.
"Little Me" is a vocal number performed by showgirl Lolly Vavoom. Teresa sings lead vocal, accompanied only by Susan's honky-tonk piano. The "cutely boastful" lyrics have Lolly describing her irresistible sex appeal.
"Something Sweet" is a vocal number performed by chanteuse Melody Vavoom. The slow tempo and instrumentation of brushed drums, vibraphone, heavily reverbed pedal steel guitar, double bass, and piano create a "late-night atmosphere". The lyrics were written by Terri "Cupcake" Mason and are entirely double entendres, with Melody's innocent delivery ironically highlighting the metaphors for sex.
"Such a Lovely Moment" is a romantic piano instrumental. Three versions were recorded, performed by Susan, Pete Dixon, and Jutta, with each improvising and embellishing the theme in their trademark style.
"More Than Satisfied" is the instrumental cue that plays at the end of every episode. It has brisk shuffle drumming, walking bass played simultaneously by Vivian Gary and Nick Cudahy, and strong use of vibrato to mimic Miss Vavoom and Miss Melody's sense of satisfaction.
Artwork
The album cover shows Miss Vavoom and Miss Mystery dancing on a street in front of a movie palace, with the title written on the marquee above them.
The back cover shows Miss Vavoom and Miss Mystery embracing each other and laughing. The back cover features no text apart from the copyright notice at the insistence of the musicians, who felt the image was so good that additional text would distract from it.
The liner notes feature various stills and images from The Magnificent Mademoiselles, band portraits photographed by Annemarie Beaulieu, and the complete lyrics and track listing.
Release
The album was released on 1 December 1997, three months after the cartoon had ended. Susan felt that a soundtrack album needed to be the definitive version, so she and her collaborators scheduled some additional sessions to refine certain tracks or expand others into full-length songs. The delay was caused by Susan having a notably busy schedule that year, as she also produced the Beaties' Flaming Pie, Stella Star's Made in Gylias, and The Verve's Urban Hymns.
Reception
Marvelous Music from the Magnificent Mademoiselles was a massive critical and commercial success, capitalising on "Mademoiselles mania".
Reviews
The album received rave reviews in the Gylian music press.
Distribution
The album's distribution surpassed 1 million copies by the end of the year, making it one of the fastest-distributed albums in Gylian history.
Legacy
Marvelous Music from the Magnificent Mademoiselles is considered one of the greatest soundtracks ever made. A 2017 retrospective in Gylias Review wrote that "the triumph of the soundtrack is in its good cheer and friendliness. Even in its hottest moments, it still feels like a great time with a beloved friend."
Since The Magnificent Mademoiselles had kickstarted the new old hat movement, the album is considered a pinnacle of it. Sound Observer wrote that the album is distinguished from the broader movement it inspired by its polished production, tight band performances, and lack of overt rock elements.
Liisa Salmela considered the soundtrack a great representation of what she called the post-Jenny Ford transformation of older Gylian jazz styles into "the soundtrack to sex appeal", highlighting "Hold On To Your Hat", "It's All in the Way You Walk", and "The Breathtaking Bombshell" as examples.
Several songs from the soundtrack became hits outside of the cartoon, including "Let's Get You Dolled Up Nicely" and "Hold On To Your Hat", which became a beloved jazz standard, and especially popular in Gylian strip clubs. In the documentary Susan Shelley: A Musical Life, Susan expressed pride in this, stating: "A good strip club needs good taste."
Cowboy Bebop creator Roald Myren was strongly influenced by both the cartoon and the soundtrack, and once called his CD copy of the soundtrack one of his prized possessions.
Personnel
Musicians
- Susan Shelley – keyboards, arrangements, backing vocals
- Liz Cox – vocals, drums, percussion, melodica, vibraphone, marimba, xylophone
- Mick Cudahy – guitar, lap steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, ukulele
- Nick Cudahy – bass
- Pete Dixon – keyboards
- Arno Oppenheimer – drums, percussion, vibraphone, marimba, xylophone
- Jutta Hipp – piano
- Vivian Gary – double bass
- The Sweethearts of Rhythm – horn section
- Virginia Astley – flute
- Teresa Ganzel – lead vocals
- Valeria Martínez – lead vocals ("The Magnificent Mademoiselles")
Production
- Susan Shelley – production, engineering
- Alex Shelley – engineering, mixing
- Lucy Shelley – engineering, mixing
- Annemarie Beaulieu – design, photography
- Studio Fantasia, Gylian National Film Institute, Tegneforening – artwork