MORNING OF THE EARTH ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Considered one of the best surfer flix of all time, MORNING OF THE EARTH is a 1972 Australian film by Alby Falzon and David Elfick which portrays surfers living in spiritual harmony with nature as they travel across the northeastern coast of Australia, Bali and Hawaii. While practically unknown outside of Australia, the film is considered there as one of the best Australian films ever made as it became an instant hit at the box office with sold-out shows for months after its release. The bold film was cutting edge in its editing and visual effects but more importantly offered a strong connection to the ecological ethos that was permeating the world at the beginning of the 1970s.

One of the greatest contributions to the success of the movie also came from the accompanying soundtrack which has been deemed one of the top 100 Australian albums of all time. The entire score was produced by G. Wayne Thomas and was originally intended to be entirely recorded by the Sydney based progressive folk band Tamam Shud but due to voice problems of the lead singer Lindsay Bjerre, the plans were changed to make the soundtrack a various artists affair. The soundtrack was released by Warner Brothers and was the first Australian soundtrack to sell over a million copies and be certified gold. So that tells you how big of a deal this movie and soundtrack were during its day.

The original release featured 12 tracks with three tracks from G. Wayne Thomas, three tracks from Tamam Shud, three tracks from Brian Cadd and a track each from Terry Hannagan, John J. Francis and Peter Howe. The 30th anniversary edition featured three more tracks that were in the film but left off the original soundtrack due to time limitations of the era. Although i haven't seen the actual film yet, the soundtrack is said to be the perfect backdrop for the films numerous surfing scenes and other powerful moments that helped captivate and entire nation's attention for a brief moment in time. Ironically the film delivered a strong narrative thread with no spoken words in the movie itself therefore relied heavily on the musical accompaniments to convey the intended emotive responses and in that regard the soundtrack delivers brilliantly.

The music on this one is more on the mellow side of things with straight forward Cat Stevens type folk music delivers by producer and songwriter G. Wayne Thomas to the more complex progressive folk gems performed by Tamam Shud. Although the soundtrack is rather subdued in its mood settings, somehow the tender melodies delivered through the sounds of country rock, blues, folk music and touches of progressive rock actually work quite well. All of the tracks are instantly catchy and the arrangements are brilliantly written. The lyrics are key to the movies narrative and also excel at capturing the spirit of the film's intent. The soundtrack has a good flow to it as well and the decision to employ the talents of many different artists adds a nice diversity to the overall impression.

Soundtracks are hit and miss with the majority working adequately with the film while watching it but more often than not don't hold up on their own. MORNING OF THE EARTH may have been a great flick in its own right but as it turns out the soundtrack is actually pretty good as well. Personally i like the more upbeat tracks such as Brian Cadd's "Sure Feels Good" or Tamam Shud's excellent "Bali Waters," even the folky hippie vibe tracks aren't bad either. This is definitely a nice slice of Australian talent collaborating for a unique perspective on spiritual connections to the Earth through the art of surfing. Perhaps a bit too much country folk to make it absolutely essential for me personally but definitely a brilliant album for what it delivers and those into this type of music will absolutely love it.

3.5 stars rounded down