GDM Music releases on CD the OST composed by Piero Piccioni the Western movie “Minnesota
Clay” (aka “L'homme du Minnesota”) directed by Sergio Corbucci, released in november 1964 (in
the same year of Sergio Leone’s “For a fistful of dollars”) and starring Cameron Mitchell, Antonio
Casas, Alberto Cevenini, Diana Martin, Julio Peña, Nando Poggi, Georges Rivière, Ethel Rojo,
Fernando Sancho, Madeleine Dehek. Sentenced to twenty years of penal servitude for a crime he
did not commit, Minnesota Clay (Mitchell) escapes from the prison, motivated not only by the instinct of freedom, but buy the wish to come back to Mesa Encantada, in New Mexico, where the witness reticent of Clay’ innocence lives. He finds the city disputed between two gangs: one is front by fierce Ortiz, a Mexican general deserter, the other front by the clever Fox, the man who had not told the truth at the trial. The two chiefs would like to have the collaboration of Clay who has the fame of expert gunman; but he,
disgusted by the proposals, refuses, winning the enmity of both. Pursued, he succeeds fortunately to
save himself together with the found again daughter Nancy and Jonathan. Having later eliminated
Ortiz, Fox would like the same with Minnesota Clay. He ramshackle and almost blind, duels with Fox
using his hearing: he strikes the adversary and he forces him to confess publically the truth. Piero
Piccioni has written a memorable symphonic score much more influenced from Hollywood
(orchestrations of the veteran Ralph Ferraro) than the just rising sound of the Italian Western. The
main theme is a motif where the strings play an epic passage that is often reprised in the score,
alternated to motifs to horse rides, ambushes and all the narrative elements of the genre. At that
time a 33 rpm was issued with 17 tracks with a length of only 34:04. To realize this special edition
CD the original session mono master tapes have been used, also including two rare stereo mixes,
that gave the chance to release the complete version (71:50) of a much requested score, digitally
restored and remastered.
Tracks 34
Length 71:50