Gary Lucas' Cinefantastique could be described as a collection of film music performed on solo guitar, but while not inaccurate, it really doesn't tell the whole story, either. Lucas can (and does) play the sort of fingerpicked acoustic guitar that probably comes to mind when most people think of "solo guitar" but he also plays an elaborate electric setup that allows him to accompany himself. Either way, he's got a knack for sounding like he's always playing at the very edge of his own prodigious technique.
Lucas is no newcomer to film music, either. He's been performing live with silent films for decades and, in fact, two of these performances actually appear on his first solo album, the long out of print Skeleton at the Feast. And while some of these tunes are well-known film themes, others are more obscure, and still others were written or improvised by Lucas. He gets some help on violin on one track, but other than that it's all solo guitar with no overdubs. Cinefantastique is a nice collection that's likely to redefine "solo guitar" for the listener who isn't familiar with Lucas' work.
