On the Record, Nov. 19
By Casey Gillis on Nov. 19, 2008
By Bradford Brady and John Maron
Q: There’s a Nike commercial with LaDainian Tomlinson that features a sample of “Ecstasy of Gold” by Ennio Morricone. I was wondering what CD that’s off of.
A: The popular commercial featuring the San Diego Chargers’ LaDainian Tomlinson and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Troy Polamalu has backing music by the great soundtrack composer Ennio Morricone. The music in the commercial is from the movie “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” It comes from an album of remixes called “Remixes Volume 2.” When searching for the song, look for it under its Italian title “L’estasi Dell’oro” and look for the Bandini remix.
Q: One of my favorite bands when I was living in Washington, D.C., during the early ’90s was the Judybats. They seemed to have a bright future, but then I never heard anything more from them. Are they still together?
A: The band was formed in Knoxville in 1988 by University of Tennessee students, Jeff Heiskell (vocals), Johnny Sughrue (acoustic guitar) and Ed Winters (electric guitar). Reportedly, their name was inspired by a line in a friend’s song that referred to being punched with a judybat, the stick that was used in Punch and Judy shows. By 1990, the band had added keyboardist/vocalist Peggy Hambright, Terry Casper on drums and Timothy Stutz on bass. Soon after, the band was signed to Sire Records, and released four albums during the course of the next four years. Perhaps their best-received album was their second, “Down In The Shacks Where The Satellite Dishes Grow,” released in 1992. In addition to the title track, it features such radio-friendly tunes as “Our Story” and “She’s Sad She Said.” By the time the band broke up in 1995, it had undergone massive personnel changes. In 1999, however, Heiskell resurrected the Judybats with a new lineup, including bassist Rob Bell and twin brothers Doug and Mike Hairrell on guitar and drums, respectively. In 2001, Sughrue returned to the band. These days, they largely record independently. Heiskell has a new solo album due out later this month entitled “Clip-On Nose Ring.”
Q: In the movie “The Shawshank Redemption,” there is a scene when a record is played with two Italian ladies singing. Can you tell me who they are and what the song is?
A: In one of the movie’s most memorable scenes, Andy, played by Tim Robbins, locks himself in the supervisor’s office and plays a selection from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” on the PA system. The song is called “Duettino Sull’aria,” and it is performed by Edith Mathis and Gundula Janowitz. Mathis is a Swiss soprano who began her operatic career in 1956 and specializes in works by Mozart. Janowitz is an Austrian soprano, who debuted in 1959 and performed in operas throughout the world until her retirement in 1990. In the piece heard in the movie, Mathis sings the part of Suzanna while Janowitz sings the part of the countess. This piece of music can be found on the soundtrack to “The Shawshank Redemption.”
What’s the name of that song? Where are they now? What does that lyric mean? Send questions to
or visit http://www.musicontherecord.com. Brady and Maron are music writers based in Raleigh, N.C.
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