This is a compilation of original soundtrack recordings, by composers Hideakira Sakurai and Kuuihiko Murai, from the legendary 70's Japanese Samurai films series LONE WOLF AND CUB a.k.a. THE BABY CART SERIES. Based on the famous Manga of the same name, these films tell the story of a Father and infant son who wander the Japanese countryside lending their skill as assassins to help those in need while trying to avenge the death of their family and restore honor to their name.
Never before available in North America in any format, this remastered compilation of music from all six LONE WOLF films showcases fascinating, eclectic movie music that combines traditional Japanese stylings with Western, 70's-era motifs. CD Booklet contains production stills and promotional art and features an in-depth look at the LONE WOLF film series and its sensational music.
SWORD OF VEGEANCE
Music by Hideakira Sakurai
1. Main Title (1:37)
2. The Vow (1:28)
3. The Ball and The Dotanuki (3:28)
4. The Suioryu Swordsmanship (:52)
5. The Bird and the Beast (2:08)
6. Shiver: Itto Ogami the Assassin (:43)
7. Ending (1:42)
BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX
Music by Hideakira Sakurai
8. The Wolf Crosses the Ocean (1:16)
9. Bentenrai the Public Guard (2:38)
10. The Ogamis and Sayaka Yagyu (1:53)
11. Duel at the Dune (2:59)
BABY CART TO HADES
Music by Hideakira Sakurai
12. Prologue: Shining Waters (1:39)
13. Daigoro at a Rainy Night (from "Kozure Okami" composed by Tadashi Yoshida) (1:25)
14. The Wolf howls in the Wilds (2:54)
BABY CART IN PERIL
Music by Hideakira Sakurai
15. Main Title (1:52)
16. Besieging Army of Ura Yagyu (4:41)
17. Ending (1:04)
BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS
Music by Hideakira Sakurai
18. Main Title (1:38)
19. The Wolf's Cub (1:08)
20. The Setting Sun (:25)
21. The Kuroda Menbo Army (1:54)
22. The Running Wolf (3:09)
23. Ending (:30)
WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL
Music by Kunihiko Murai
24. Main Title (2:36)
25. Ending theme song from "Baby Cart to Hades " (3:27)
Sung by Tomisaburo Wakayama
Lyrics Kazuo Koike
Music Hiroshi Kamayatsu
SWORD OF VENGEANCE - The first in a series of six films based on the long-running manga concerns Itto Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama), a shogun's executioner who is framed by the Yagyu clan and forced into exile as a wandering assassin for hire. After the killing of his wife by the Yagyus, Ogami gives his young son Daigoro the choice between instant death (a ball) and the life of the ronin (a sword). As the child reaches for the sword, father and son's fate is sealed to a life of violence and tragedy. Wheeling Daigoro through the countryside in a baby cart rigged with deadly weapons, Ogami comes to a town held hostage by brigands, where he is to stop a planned assassination. The final duel between Ogami and the Yagyu man at dawn is exhilarating and beautifully filmed. Although extremely violent and gore-drenched, the series remains highly stylized and remarkably intelligent. The first two episodes of the series were edited together and released in the U.S. as "Shogun Assassin." 1972
BABY CART AT THE RIVER STYX - In the second film of the "Lone Wolf and Cub" series, Ogami Itto battles a group of female ninja in the employ of the Yagyu clan, and must assassinate a traitor who plans to sell his clan's secrets to the Shogunate who is guarded by the three "Gods of Death". 1972
BABY CART IN HADES - Installment number three in the Lone Wolf and Cub saga finds Ogami hired by a female yakuza to kill a corrupt governor. While wandering the countryside, Ogami stumbles upon a brutal crime being committed by three mercenaries accompanied by the ronin Kanbei. After killing the mercenaries, Ogami refuses to do battle with the ronin, taking refuge in a nearby town. It is there that Ogami meets Toizo and is offered the job of assassinating the corrupt governor Gamba. After exposing the previous leader's mental illness and exploiting it to his own benefit, Gamba is now the wealthy and powerful leader of the clan. Gamba attempts to hire Ogami to kill the previous governor, then suspects that he is Ogami's intended target after he refuses the job. His suspicions are confirmed, as Ogami is led into a treacherous series of cat-and-mouse games with Gamba's men. What follows is an incredible orgy of violence as Ogami single-handedly faces off against an entire army of men, then faces Kanbei on the blood-drenched battlefield. 1972
BABY CART IN PERIL - A group of grieving widows hires Ogami to kill tattooed female assassin Oyuki in this noir-ish fourth entry in the popular "Lone Wolf and Cub" series. After being raped and subsequently desecrating her perfect body with tattoos to detract her foes, Oyuki, an expert with the short sword, seeks vengeance on those who wronged her. As Ogami seeks Oyuki's father in order to track his hit, Daigoro is separated from his father, encountering Lord Retsudo Yagyu's vengeful son Gunbei in a compelling sequence. After the resourceful boy survives a burning field, as well as defends himself from his would-be assassin, Ogami comes to the rescue of his son. Ogami later discovers the truth about Oyuki, and allows his sympathetic victim to do battle with the man who wronged her before carrying out his mission. After doing battle with another horde of Yagyu soldiers, Ogami is confronted by none other than Lord Retsudo Yagyu himself. This thrilling battle is notable as the only time the two actually cross swords in the series. 1972
BABY CART IN THE LAND OF DEMONS - Five swordsmen hire Ogami, each revealing a portion of his mission as they are defeated in this fifth entry in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. After defeating the swordsmen, Ogami discovers his mission is to save a clan's honor by killing its royal family. The senile lord of the clan has substituted his daughter (raised as a boy) to be the heir he never had. In addition to murdering the lord, his concubine, and the girl, Ogami must stop a document revealing the deception from reaching the hands of Lord Retsudo Yagyu. Daigoro is again separated from Ogami in a delicate sequence revealing much about the relationship between father and son, and finding young Daigoro learning to maintain honor in the face of injustice. After seeking out the lord and carrying out his mission in a final battle within the castle, father and son become closer than ever as they follow the road to their final battle. Graced with the finest photography of the series, along with excellent action set pieces, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons is noted as possibly the best (as well as the grimmest) of the series. 1973
WHITE HEAVEN IN HELL - While boasting one of the most memorable battles ever filmed, the final installment in the Lone Wolf and Cub series came as somewhat of a disappointment to fans anticipating a final confrontation between Ogami and Lord Retsudo Yagyu. Sadly, this battle never occurs. The reason for this omission is that the entire six-film series was filmed between 1972 and 1973, as the manga version was still being published. Thus while the manga version does have the final confrontation between Ogami and Lord Yagyu, it was not published until 1976. Due to this omission, White Heaven in Hell finds Ogami confronted by the last remaining descendants of the Yagyu clan: Hyouei, an illegitimate son who practices the black arts, and Kaori, a female expert in the lethal art of knives. In the most supernatural entry in the series, Hyouei wages psychological warfare on Ogami and Daigoro, killing all innocent people the pair come into contact with. As a result, Lone Wolf and Cub are forced into a solitary existence in order to save the innocent victims from harm. It is in this final episode of the series that the terminally stoic Ogami becomes truly unnerved and expresses fear for the first time. The climax on a snowy mountain, while exhilarating, lacks the closure that fans of the series had so eagerly anticipated. 1973
