Search - Alden Shuman :: The Devil In Miss Jones: Original Soundtrack Recording

Gonna Take a Sentimental Journey, All You Late Boomers?

wiglaf62 | San Francisco, Calif. | 02/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was ten or eleven when The Devil in Miss Jones Came out. It piqued my curiosity: an early pubescent in the south suburbs of Chicago, I saw the ad for this X-rated feature day after day, month after month, in the Chicago Sun-Times; I had read the review in Roger Ebert's column; I knew the basic plot; but it would be YEARS before I could ever see the film. Now, I'm 42, I still haven't seen the film (and maybe never will; I've got to say, I don't feel a great urge -- I've seen enough porn to last a lifetime, and this really doesn't look all that compelling), but I really have to tell you that the soundtrack, which came MY way for a mere $5.95 at Streetlight Records on Market Street in San Francisco, is a treat. It brings to you the sound of old things, with a slightly sleazy edge that, from today's standpoint, shocks as Mae West shocked in the seventies, which is to say, uh, not really much at all. But a tiny bit -- enough of a bit -- of shock is here to make this record sort of aphrodisiacal; you could use it as Georgina Spelvin did, as a soundtrack for earning yourself a better reason for going to Hell. That's, personally, my own favorite use for it."

Simplistic Pornographic Brilliance

W. Perry Aggers | Avon Lake, Ohio USA | 07/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Never has 70's porn had so stunning and elegant a soundtrack as "The Devil In Miss Jones". I first watched this film in my teens and couldn't help paying special attention to the brilliant but sparse piano/string compositions behind the dark-themed visuals. This soundtrack provided the standard for 70's erotic films and catapulted the adult movie to an art form. Shuman's stunning arrangements do more to accentuate the strange scenes in "Miss Jones" than even Khatchaturian did for the bloated orgical vignettes in "Caligula". Don't expect the ersatz funk-disco instrumentals that you find in most 70's pornos or the eighties new-wave-made-in-a-basement junk. This is lush and atmospheric, but simple and accessible. Get it now."

A triumph of sensuous beauty

Michael J. Mazza | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 03/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have never seen the film "The Devil in Miss Jones," and it was mainly out of curiosity that I bought the soundtrack. I found Alden Shuman's musical score to be a truly beautiful work of musical artistry. Moody and sensuous, this is a score that seems to get better with repeat listenings.Most of the disc's 11 tracks are instrumental. There is one excellent vocal performance--it occurs on track 3, "I'm Comin' Home." The singer's plaintive voice perfectly accentuates the melancholy lyrics. Another outstanding track is #5, "Ladies in Love," a sweet yet exuberant instrumental selection. Also memorable is track 6, "Love Lesson," with its incorporation of bells that evoke a church setting."Devil..." is a wonderful CD, rich in passages of delicacy and loveliness. Whether or not you are a fan of the film, check out Shuman's outstanding work. This is yet another "must have" CD for those with a serious interest in the art of film scoring."