This 1982 score from
Goblin represented just how much their sound had changed their mid-1970s beginnings: their grasp on creating an atmosphere through sound remains strong, but their approach is gentler and more electronic-oriented than earlier, more frenetic albums like Profondo Rosso. Although
Notturno is the score for a thriller, the casual listener could be excused from not recognizing this: the guitar-driven main theme has an energetic sound that makes it feel like a modern update of the "James Bond Theme," but other numbers like "Landing Strip" and "Helicopter (reprise)" are romantic, saxophone-dominated mood pieces whose sound borders on easy listening. The musicianship is high and the music is well produced, but too much of the album's material is the kind of background music that simply doesn't have much effect unless one is watching the film it appears in. The one other real highlight that stands out on this otherwise subdued score is "Bass Theme," a throwback to
Goblin's funkier '70s sound that prominently features a thumping bassline over its atmospheric bed of synthesizer sounds. Both the main theme and "Bass Theme" can be located on Italian soundtrack compilations, so
Notturno can only be recommended to completists who want to have every
Goblin score. ~ Donald A. Guarisco