Soundtracks — All Formats  

Finally – the long overdue release of one of the funkiest soundtracks ever! The music to Black Belt Jones has always been the stuff of legend – mostly only issued as a promo single back in the 70s, but funky enough that it's ranked among the best soundtracks of the decade! The score was composed and performed by Dennis Coffey and Luchi De Jesus – the former a funk star in his own right, the latter the composer of the ultra-hip Friday Foster soundtrack – and together, the pair have crafted some killer grooves that mix guitars, congas, and blasting orchestrations that could plow Enter The Dragon into the dust! Plus, the soundtrack nicely mixes together bits of dialogue and sound effects from the film – making things sound a lot like some of those cool Japanese Bruce Lee soundtracks that were floating around from years back. Titles include "Love Theme", "At The Beach", "Main Theme", "Opening Theme", "Drama", "Mafia Theme", and "Sexy".

Not as much of an all-out funk party as some other kung fu soundtracks of the 70s – but a really great record that's filled with plenty of great spoken bits too! The album's the soundtrack to the Kung Fu TV show, which starred David Carradine – and it's mostly made up of "Eastern" sounding cuts that have a moody soundtrack feel, done in a traditional orchestral mode – spare, brooding numbers that almost feel like they're pulled from 60s Italian westerns and peplum films, but with some exotic twists and turns too! But almost best of all are the spoken bits – dialogue from the show with hokey takes on Eastern philosophy – completely charming from today's perspective, and a great counterpart to the music. Titles include "Sign Of The Dragon", "Dark Angel", "Time Of The Soul", "An Eye For An Eye", "Caine's Theme", "The Ancient Warrior", and of course, "Grasshopper"!

One of Lalo Schifrin's greatest soundtracks ever – a gem of a TV score that's been lost for years – and not nearly as famous or well-reissued as Mission Impossible, Bullitt, or Enter The Dragon! The tunes are pure Schifrin all the way through – a mix of jazz, bossa, and funk – served up with a style that's always tight, and which makes for plenty of great groovers all the way through. Instrumentation includes vibes, flutes, guitar, and plenty of great horns – but the rhythms at the bottom are what really hold the whole thing together – romping along with lots of great 70s touches, in a groove that's much hipper than even most of the other cop show soundtracks of the time! Titles include "The Shadow", "Hunt Down", "The Edge Of Night", "Mannix", "Turn Every Stone", and "Fear".

An amazing double-header – and a set that really adds a lot more music than we might have expected! First up is a richly expanded version of Cleopatra Jones – one of the best of the blacksploitation scores of the early 70s – a masterpiece of music that we rate every bit as high as Shaft or Superfly – maybe even higher! The music here is incredible – a surprising funky turn for JJ Johnson, who most folks know for his straighter jazz work – and like Marvin Gaye, Barry White, and others who were surprising the world with their ability to score music for a full film during the early 70s, JJ really knocks it out of the park with this one – coming up with a batch of tunes that are a wonderful mix of sophisticated scoring, creative instrumentation, and some damn funky grooves! The title cut features Joe Simon on vocals, and Millie Jackson sings on the cuts "Love Doctor" and "It Hurts So Good". The rest of the set is instrumental, and other cuts include an instrumental take on "Cleopatra Jones", plus "Go Chase Cleo", "Goin To The Chase", "Wrap Up", and "Airport Fight". This new version features 17 bonus tracks from the original film score, not the record – amazing extra music by Carl Brandt, with titles that include "Emdee", "Elevator/Cleo & Captain", "Pot Burn/Mommy/Police Raid", "Ambush", "Doodle Apartment", "Before Crash", and "Snake Crib". CD 2 features some long-lost music from the film Cleopatra Jones & The Casino Of Gold – a well-known follow-up to the original movie, but one that was never properly represented on record – making this CD set a long-awaited premiere of the original music for the film! The set features music by Dominic Frontiere – penned in a mix of funky action modes, with some slight exotic touches too, due to the location of the story. Frontiere's in his best soul/funk mode – a side that few folks realize he can do this well – and the music has a slightly different feel than JJ Johnson's Cleo Jones work, but is equally nice. Titles include "Casino Source", "Chopped Meat", "Oymia", "Les Orgie", "Fatman Stomp", "Dead Dragon Lady", and "Pool Hall Rock" – plus the vocal number "Playing With Fire". CD also features 4 more bonus tracks from Cleopatra Jones – including extended versions of the theme, and Pattie Brooks singing "Swing Down Chariot" and "Am I Blue". Great notes too – very full, with lots of photos, in the best Film Score tradition!