The one that tells you exactly what kind of film you just walked into.
Cue sheet
Spaghetti western score, space-age surf. Twangy baritone guitar with spring reverb, wordless lone whistle, Minimoog lead, tubular bells, dry tom-heavy drum kit. 92 BPM, A minor. 1970s tape saturation, close dry drums, huge spring reverb, warm low end. Steely swagger: the whistle states the theme and the guitar answers a beat late. [0:00-0:40] baritone riff and whistle over toms [0:40-1:30] full kit, Moog doubles theme [1:30-2:20] tubular bells, bass swells [2:20-3:00] kit drops, whistle and guitar alone. Instrumental apart from wordless whistle.
Coffee, gossip and a gun under the table, somewhere past the asteroid belt.
Cue sheet
70s crime-funk library music, space lounge. Wah-wah electric guitar, Fender Rhodes, fuzz bass, ARP string synth, dry breakbeat kit with shaker. 104 BPM, D minor. Warm analog tape, dry room drums, short plate on Rhodes, vinyl-style saturation. No modern polish. Cool, loose menace: the fuzz bass struts under a lazy, behind-the-beat wah. [0:00-0:45] drums and fuzz bass groove [0:45-1:40] Rhodes and wah trade phrases [1:40-2:30] ARP strings rise, bass breaks down [2:30-3:00] groove fades on tape wobble. Instrumental, no vocals.
Three ships, three barrels, nobody breathing.
Cue sheet
Italian western standoff score, cosmic duel music. Mariachi-style solo trumpet, reverb-drenched baritone guitar tremolo, tubular bells, low heartbeat kick drum, Minimoog sub drone. 68 BPM, E minor. Heavy spring and hall reverb, tape hiss, dark low end, muffled highs. Unbearable held breath: the trumpet holds long notes over a kick like a pulse. [0:00-0:50] drone and heartbeat kick, guitar tremolo [0:50-1:50] trumpet theme enters, bells toll [1:50-2:40] snare rolls, Moog climbs a semitone [2:40-3:00] everything cuts to one bell. Instrumental, no vocals.
The fight scene, loud and fast and grinning.
Cue sheet
Surf rock, fuzz garage rock, space-age twang. Reverb-drenched Fender-style lead guitar with fast tremolo picking, fuzz bass, pounding floor-tom drum kit, farfisa organ, Minimoog squeals. 148 BPM, A minor. Dripping spring reverb, overdriven 60s tape, dry slapping drums. Gleeful violence: tremolo picking races the drums. [0:00-0:30] tremolo riff and drums at full tilt [0:30-1:20] organ stabs join [1:20-2:10] breakdown, bass and toms only, Moog squeal [2:10-3:00] full band returns doubled, ends on one ringing chord. Instrumental, no vocals.
A smug little breather between killings, feet up on the dashboard.
Cue sheet
Space lounge exotica, 70s easy-listening library. Hammond organ with rotary speaker, vibraphone, nylon-string guitar, upright bass, brushed bossa kit. 86 BPM, D minor. Warm tape, soft room reverb, gentle saturation, rounded highs. Unbothered cool: the vibraphone plays a sly minor tune while the organ smirks under it. [0:00-0:40] brushes, bass, nylon guitar comp [0:40-1:30] vibraphone melody [1:30-2:20] Hammond solo with rotary swirl [2:20-3:00] band thins to vibraphone and bass. Instrumental, no vocals.
The long, lonely drift between planets when the anger goes quiet.
Cue sheet
Analog space drone, western desolation ambient. Theremin-like Minimoog glide, bowed baritone guitar with EBow, ARP string pad, distant tubular bell, sub-bass sine drone. Free time, E minor. Muffled, low-passed, heavy sub-bass, vast hall reverb, tape hiss, no top end. No drums, no beat: sustained tones that swell and decay. Hollowed-out grief: the glide bends a quarter-tone flat and never returns. [0:00-1:00] drone and ARP pad [1:00-2:00] EBow guitar rises in register [2:00-3:00] filter closes, lone bell. Instrumental, no vocals.
Old kung-fu film energy aboard a starship, every hit landing on the break.
Cue sheet
70s kung-fu funk, breakbeat library soundtrack. Heavy break drum kit with open hi-hats, clavinet, fuzz baritone guitar, brass stabs, Minimoog bass. 112 BPM, A minor. Dry punchy drums, saturated tape, short spring reverb, gritty mids. Gleeful fury: brass stabs land exactly on the snare cracks. [0:00-0:35] drum break alone [0:35-1:25] clavinet and Moog bass lock in [1:25-2:15] brass stabs and guitar riff trade blows [2:15-3:00] tempo feel doubles, gong hit ends it. Instrumental, no vocals.
The sad soul record the killer plays when nobody is watching.
Cue sheet
70s soul ballad instrumental, space-age slow jam. Fender Rhodes with tremolo, fuzzy clean electric guitar, sweeping ARP strings, lazy rimshot kit, round electric bass. 72 BPM, D minor. Warm vinyl-style saturation, soft plate reverb, dusty highs. Tender regret: the guitar bends every phrase downward like a sigh. [0:00-0:45] Rhodes chords and rimshots [0:45-1:40] guitar melody enters [1:40-2:30] strings swell, bass walks up [2:30-3:00] strings leave, Rhodes and guitar only. Instrumental, no vocals.
The final showdown, every instrument in the room going off at once.
Cue sheet
Spaghetti western finale, space opera fuzz-rock. Wordless choir, full brass, fuzz baritone guitar, tubular bells, Minimoog lead, thundering drum kit with timpani. 128 BPM, A minor. Saturated 70s tape, big hall reverb, dry drums, dense low end. Triumphant vengeance: the choir and brass hammer the whistle theme. [0:00-0:40] timpani and guitar riff [0:40-1:30] choir enters, drums full [1:30-2:20] Moog lead and brass climax [2:20-3:00] slows to half-time, final bell. Wordless choir only, no lyrics.
The walk away, lighting one last cigarette as the sun sets on the wrong planet.
Cue sheet
Western ballad coda, dusty space twang. Lone wordless whistle, fingerpicked nylon guitar, harmonica, soft baritone guitar swells, brushed snare. 76 BPM, A minor. Warm tape hiss, spring reverb, close intimate mics, rolled-off highs. Dry, weary satisfaction: the whistle plays the opening theme slower and slightly out of tune. [0:00-0:50] nylon guitar and whistle [0:50-1:50] brushes and baritone swells [1:50-2:30] harmonica takes the theme [2:30-3:00] tape slows and warps to stop. Instrumental apart from wordless whistle.