An audio document of the Colonial Roma neighborhood of Mexico City circa 1971, based on filmmaker Alfonos Cuarón’s own recollection of the environment he grew up in. The music of Roma is woven seamlessly into Cuarón’s meticulously-crafted world, with a period-specific soundtrack chosen based on what was playing on the radio at the time and place of the film’s semi-autobiographical events. Those who’ve seen the film will recall that there’s no original score; the movie instead relies entirely on incidental pop music to color in the already-gorgeous black & white photography. “Everything in the film was selected down to the most minuscule detail,” says seasoned Mexican music supervisor Lynn Fainchtein (Birdman, The Revenant). “I worked with Alfonso on creating different musical environments around the house. We divided the house in terms of the music that was heard in the children’s room, in the kitchen, in the living room, and that’s how we went about building the musical world within Roma. I’m a bit younger than Alfonso, but we’re close enough in age that I was able to immediately identify what he was trying to convey. In many cases, it was less about research, and more about opening up my memory.” There’s selections from 1970s Mexican radio mainstays Juan Gabriel, Leo Dan, Pérez Prado and La Revolución de Emiliano Zapata, sprinkled with the occasional English pop or rock tune (Christie, Roger Whittaker, Ray Connif). This audiophile pressing from Music On Vinyl collects 19 tracks from the film, spread across four sides of 180g vinyl housed in deluxe gatefold jacket, clear PVC outer sleeve and 4-page booklet.

• 180g black double vinyl pressing
• housed in deluxe gatefold jacket
• clear PVC outer sleeve
• includes 4-page foldout booklet
• tracklist: SIDE A 1. LEO DAN - TE HE PROMETIDO 2. ROCÍO DÚRCAL - MÁS BONITA QUE NINGUNA 3. JUAN GABRIEL - NO TENGO DINERO 4. JOSÉ JOSÉ - LA NAVE DEL OLVIDO 5. RIGO TOVAR - GRACIAS SIDE B 1. JAVIER SOLÍS - SOMBRAS 2. CHRISTIE - YELLOW RIVER 3. YVONNE ELLIMAN - I DONT KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM 4. ORQUESTA PÉREZ PRADO - CORAZÓN DE MELÓN 5. TRÍO CHICONTEPEC - LOS OJOS DE PANCHA SIDE C 1. ROGER WHITTAKER - MAMMY BLUE 2. RAY CONNIFF & THE SINGERS - THOSE WERE THE DAYS 3. JAVIER BÁTIZ - LA CASA DEL SOL NACIENTE 4. LA REVOLUCIÓN DE EMILIANO ZAPATA - CIUDAD PERDIDA SIDE D 1. LOS SOCIOS DEL RITMO - VAMOS A PLATICAR 2. LUPITA D'ALESSIO - MI CORAZÓN ES UN GITANO 3. ANGÉLICA MARÍA - CUANDO ME ENAMORO (QUANDO M' INNAMORO) 4. ACAPULCO TROPICAL - MAR Y ESPUMA 5. ELBERT MOGUEL MOGUEL Y LOS STRWCK - LA SUEGRA
• music label: Music On Vinyl 2019

reviewed by Barbequed Iguana 05/2019