Music Composer/Conductor: Brian May

Cabaret Music Nic Gazzana

(Cast)Singer Robina Chaffey

1. Incidental Music:

Robina Chaffey, who plays the tongue-displaying singer in the Sugartown Cabaret, was the only cast member not to be dubbed for the US release of Mad Max.

Chaffey is now mainly known for her appearance in Mad Max, though she did work in the wardrobe department on the 1982 feature film Early Frost and her name has been known to appear in recent times on the LOTL Facebook site (here).

Nic Gazzana, who devised the cabaret music, is also largely unknown, though he did appear in five episodes of the hit ABC mini-series Brides of Christ, and did other television work, including the 1984 Kennedy-Miller mini-series The Cowra Breakout, and the 1991 telemovie Ring of Scorpio.

According to the Mad Max movies website, here: Licorice Road and Jessie's Theme (the saxaphone solo played by Jessie to Max) were written and produced by Nicco Gazzana, who also played Starbuck in the film. The on screen performance of Licorice Road was given by Robina Chaffey, however the female voice on the track actually belongs to Creenagh St. Clair. The track, which was not released, featured some of Melbourne's most loved musicians including Garry Costello and Mal Capewell.

(Below: Nic Gazzana as he appeared at a Popcorn Taxi presentation of the film, here)

2. Uncredited Music and References:

Nic Gazzana is not credited for "Jessie's Theme"

The rant indulged in by the Nightrider just prior to his spectacular demise is notable for the line I am the Nightrider, I'm a fuel-injected suicide machine which is immediately followed by a reference to the AC/DC song "Rocker", I am a rocker, I'm a roller, though again it is not credited.

The AC/DC song's lyrics begin:

I'm a rocker, I'm a rollerI'm a right out of controller (this is sometimes transcribed as as I'm riot out of controller)I'm a wheeler, I'm a dealerI'm a wicked woman stealer

I'm a bruiser, I'm a cruiserI'm a rockin' rollin man (etc, with I'm a rocker, I'm a roller repeated many times). (Available to watch on YouTube at time of writing here)

The Nightrider's poetic rant runs, based on the largely reliable Roadshow subtitles, as follows:

You should see the damage, Bronze, huh?(laughs) Metal damage, brain damage huh?Are you listening, Bronze?I am the Nightrider (laughs)I'm a fuel-injected suicide machine!I am a rocker, I'm a roller(engine roars)I'm an out of controller (laughs)I'm the Nightrider, baby!And it's me and my Marmadukeand we ain't never coming back!Yee ha-ha-ha!…The Toecutter, he knows who I am!I am the Nightrider!I am the chosen one!The mighty hand of vengeancesent down to strike the unroadworthy.(hee hee hah hah)I'm hotter than a rolling dice!Step right up chumand watch the kid lay down the rubber road back to freedom!

(Then with assorted sobs and weeping and with Lulu Pinkus asking what's wrong, what's wrong, the Nightrider crashes and flames out of the show)

Shortly after the Nightrider's demise, Joanne Samuel is also featured, performing the "soulful saxophone music".

3. Composer Brian May:

Born 28th July 1934, composer Brian May began life in music studying piano, violin and conducting at the Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide. He joined the ABC in 1957, and formed the ABC Adelaide Big Band, and when he was 35, he moved to Melbourne to take charge of the ABC's Show Band there, making his radio debut with the band in 1969.

May started to record television underscore, most notably arranging and recording George Dreyfus's score for the ABC goldfields drama Rush.

May became interested in composing for feature films, and The True Story of Eskimo Nell was his first score. It also marked the beginning of a collaboration with director Richard Franklin, perhaps most successful in the 1977 thriller Patrick. In turn, this led to other film scores for producer Antony Ginnane, and perhaps most importantly to the score for Mad Max (though cultists will have a soft spot for Turkey Shoot in 1982).

The story goes that producer Bryon Kennedy and director George Miller were convinced there was no one in Australia who could compose the score for their film, but when they were having dinner one evening with Franklin, Miller asked what Bernard Hermann score was playing on Franklin's stereo.

It turned out that it was May's score for Patrick, and so May got the gig. May would also do the score for the second Mad Max, but Universal preferred to go with Jerry Goldsmith when they gave the chance of making Psycho II to Franklin. May also lost to out Maurice Jarre for the third Max Max, and turned to writing the score for the TV mini-soap Return to Eden in 1986.

May did write a few more horror film scores, but his later titles were not as appealing as his early work.

His wiki is here, but at the time of writing, it failed to mention his first feature film score - an important step in his career. The wiki is also careless with chronology.

There is a sympathetic study of his work here in the form of an obituary.

(Below: composer Brian May)

(Below: The Age 26th April 1977 and then The Age 2nd May 1977):

4. Soundtracks:

The Brian May soundtrack score has been made available in a number of forms:

 

LP stereo Varese Sarabande (USA) STV 81144 1980 (CD VCD 47144 1993)Winner of the A.F.I. award for Best Score. Also Australian Variety Club award for Best Original Score.Composed and Conducted by Brian May, Recording Engineer: Roger Savage, Mastering Engineer: Richard Simpson, The Reference Point, Plating: Rick Goldman, KM Matriz, Produced for Varese Sarabande by Scot Holton, Executive Producers: Chris Kuchler and Tom Null

SIDE 1:

Main Title (2'03")Max The Hunter (2'10")Max Decides On Vengeance (2'40")The Final Chase (1'47")The Terrible Death Of Jim Goose (1'02")Weʼll Give ʼEm Back Their Heroes (1'13")Pain And Triumph (2'15")Dazed Goose (0'35")Foreboding In The Vast Landscape (2'08")

SIDE 2:

Declaration Of War (1'30")Flight From The Evil Toecutter (2'25")Pursuit And Tragedy (1'55")Jesse Alone, Uneasy And Exhausted (1'40")The Beach House (1'55")The Nightriders Rave (1'20")Jesse Searches For Her Child (0'55")Rampage Of The Toecutter (1'47")The Crazing Of Johnny The Boy (2'05")

Brian May's score has also turned up on a number of compilations:

2LP's, 6WF AO-7055/56 1980 gatefold, theme from Mad Max, along with Picnic at Hanging Rock, Newsfront, My Brilliant Career.

CD Silva Screen, FILMCD 195, 1998, which included a suite from Mad Max I and II, the Albinoni adagio from Gallipoli and music from The Year of Living Dangerously.

CD, ABC Classics 476 4555, 2011

Mad Max: Max Decides on Vengeance was track 13.

Milan also released the film score on LP and CD:

LP stereo Milan (France) A 120 143 1981 Distribution France RCA.

This title has also been released on CD. See below for details:

Tracklist:

1. Main Title2. Max The Hunter3. Max Decides On Vengeance4. The Final Chase5. The Terrible Death of Jim Goose6. We'll Give 'Em Back Their Heroes7. Pain and Triumph8. Dazed Goose9. Foreboding In The Vast Landscape10. Declaration of War11. Flight From The Evil Toecutter12. Pursuit and Tragedy13. Jesse Alone, Uneasy and Exhausted14. The Beach House15. The Nightriders Rave16. Jesse Searches For Her Child17. Rampage of the Toecutter18. The Crazing Of Johnny The Boy19. Outtakes Suite [in 5 parts; indexed]

(Below: inner sleeve)

Tracklist:

1. Main Title2. Max The Hunter3. Max Decides On Vengeance4. The Final Chase5. The Terrible Death of Jim Goose6. We'll Give 'Em Back Their Heroes7. Pain and Triumph8. Dazed Goose9. Foreboding In The Vast Landscape10. Declaration of War11. Flight From The Evil Toecutter12. Pursuit and Tragedy13. Jesse Alone, Uneasy and Exhausted14. The Beach House15. The Nightriders Rave16. Jesse Searches For Her Child17. Rampage of the Toecutter18. The Crazing Of Johnny The Boy19. Outtakes Suite [in 5 parts; indexed]

(Below: inner sleeve)

Tracklist:

1. Main Title2. Max The Hunter3. Max Decides On Vengeance4. The Final Chase5. The Terrible Death of Jim Goose6. We'll Give 'Em Back Their Heroes7. Pain and Triumph8. Dazed Goose9. Foreboding In The Vast Landscape10. Declaration of War11. Flight From The Evil Toecutter12. Pursuit and Tragedy13. Jesse Alone, Uneasy and Exhausted14. The Beach House15. The Nightriders Rave16. Jesse Searches For Her Child17. Rampage of the Toecutter18. The Crazing Of Johnny The Boy19. Outtakes Suite [in 5 parts; indexed]

(Below: inner sleeve)

Composer Brian May is still frequently confused with Brian May of Queen, and at one time, Amazon had placed this disc under Brian May of Queen's name.

5. Japan's Rollin' Into The Night:

The Japanese release of Mad Max replaced Brian May's music from the closing credits with the track "Rollin' Into The Night". This was released on vinyl in Japan as a 45, LK-123-A:

Side ARollin' Into The Night (Vocal Version)

Side BRollin' Into The Night (Instrumental Version)

This item can still be found on Ebay occasionally.

6. The Liquorice/Licorice Ride:

Lyrics for the Liquorice Ride song (frequently spelled as licorice, the preferred US and Canadian spelling. In Australia, both spellings are known, but the liquorice spelling is favoured in the UK, Ireland and by tradition-minded Australians):

Oh the liquorice rideMmm mmm mmm mmmWhoo (scats) …… Looking for some juiceOut this side of townMister, won't you show the way?Trying to get aroundOnly one thought leftIt makes me come aliveAnd that is you and meside by sideOn the liquorice rideMotorbikes and leather menTake me to the end of the dreamHold on tight,You know, it sure feels rightStick to you like a tyre on the liquorice ride!

(Below: sound engineer Roger Savage, who mastered both the film's mix and the music mix, on the right, with Byron Kennedy, left, and George Miller, centre)

(Below: Robina Gaffney as she appears in the film)

(Below: Joanne Samuels hammering out the licks)