Soundtracks — All Formats  

Mostly Master P/Crucial Conflict/Foxy Brown type isht, but also "Adidas" featuring Havoc of Mobb Deep, "Usual Suspects" by Mic Geronimo/DMX/Fatal/Ja, "Down Wit Us" by Redman, and "Young Casanovas" by Junior Mafia/Mase/KAM.

A fantastic bit of rare funk from Manu Dibango – originally scored for a film that starred Greg Morris, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis – but every bit as funky as Manu's own work of the time! The tunes are all very firmly in the best style of his earliest work of the 70s, with loads of great rhythms and choppy instrumentation – some tracks in the upbeat "Soul Makossa" mode, but others in a slower, snakier, funkier mode – one that he wasn't showing much on other studio albums by the end of the 70s. The whole thing's great – and just when we thought we knew everything there was to love about Manu Dibango, we turn up this sweet little gem from the 70s! Titles include "Go Slow Streets", "Motapo", "Jam Session", "Bokolo's Boogie", "Marnie", "Liberations Song", and "Blowin Western Mind".

A wonderful bit of cinematic jazz from the 50s – played by the Chico Hamilton group as part of the soundtrack! The combo was a key part of the LA scene at the time, but are oddly featured as a regular club act in the movie's New York setting – but we'll gladly forgive that geographic error, given that the music on the set is so great. The quality's a bit like some of the Hamilton Quintet work on World Pacific – but there's a slightly freer, more urgent feel here too – work that's sometimes somewhat driving, and beautifully blended from the guitar of John Pisano, clarinet of Paul Horn, cello of Fred Katz, piano of Carson Smith, and drums from Chico. Side one features a lot of short incidental cuts – like "Susan", "Cheek To Chico", "Jam", and "Night Beat" – and side 2 is an extended "Concerto Of Jazz Themes From The Soundtrack Of Sweet Smell Of Success".

A jazz soundtrack double-header – one that features both the small combo and larger band version of the soundtrack to The Sweet Smell Of Success! The first half of the CD features the Chico Hamilton Quintet's album of music – a wonderful bit of cinematic jazz from the 50s. The combo was a key part of the LA scene at the time, but are oddly featured as a regular club act in the movie's New York setting – but we'll gladly forgive that geographic error, given that the music on the set is so great. The quality's a bit like some of the Hamilton Quintet work on World Pacific – but there's a slightly freer, more urgent feel here too – work that's sometimes somewhat driving, and beautifully blended from the guitar of John Pisano, clarinet of Paul Horn, cello of Fred Katz, piano of Carson Smith, and drums from Chico. Side one features a lot of short incidental cuts – like "Susan", "Cheek To Chico", "Jam", and "Night Beat" – and side 2 is an extended "Concerto Of Jazz Themes From The Soundtrack Of Sweet Smell Of Success". The second half of the CD features the full orchestral version of the Sweet Smell Of Success soundtrack – but done in a style that's almost as jazzy and swinging as the small combo one! Elmer Bernstein's at the helm here – and the music's a wonderful pastiche of modes that's right up there with his sublime score for The Man With The Golden Arm – done in a similar blend of driving jazz, somber moments, and some slightly more raucous touches! As with that album, the players are all great – and soloists on the album include Pete Candoli, Ted Nash, and Shelly Manne – west coast players despite the New York setting of the film, and playing here with a fair bit of grit in their groove. Titles include "The Street", "Hot Dogs & Juice", "Toots Shor's Blues", "Nite Spot Rock", "Love Scene", and "Out Of Darkness".

Mad funk from the great Galt MacDermot – a wonderful selection of obscure tunes from some of his best funky soundtracks! Galt's work on Hair has been sampled heavily by a variety of hip hop producers over the years – but even better is his work for less famous soundtracks, a good variety of which are sampled here in a wonderfully-done set that focuses on the truly funky tracks that Galt wrote for these films – and which gets past the sometimes-off tracks that can occasionally get in the way of his lesser soundtracks. The package is a total jam throughout – filled with tunes that have weird rhythms, moody keyboards, and the kind of offbeat approach to funk that's always made his work so great. There's only a few tracks from previously reissued soundtracks like Woman Is Sweeter and Cotton Comes To Harlem – plus lots lots more from weirder films that include American Express, Nucleus, Fortune & Men's Eyes, Moon Over The Alley, and Rhinoceros! In true Galt MacDermot funky fashion, there's lots of great drum work on the set from Bernard Purdie – and titles include "Golden Apples", "Coffin Ed", "Dead End", "Fragments II", "Tango", "Ed & Digger", "Duffer", "Bedroom", "Queenie's Theme", "Fortune & Men's Eyes", "Rhinoceros Theme", and "Never Die Desire Not".

A groovy erotic film score by Piero Umiliani – his soundtrack for 1970's Le Isole Dell'Amore – and it's a wonderfully arranged one by the maestro! The film is apparently Island-set, so you can expect some raw percussion and a sunny vibe overall – but it's actually got a lot more going on! The strings are lovely, there's a lot of groovy chorus vocals and layers of nstrumentation. Simply put, this is Piero Umiliani here – he's a composer who goes well beyond cliched exotica! This Quartet Records edition is jam packed with bonus tracks, too – with the complete original album and many alternate versions and extended bits – with 41 tracks in all! Includes "Le Isolle Dell'Amore", "Tamoure Titoli", "Papete Aru", "Vele Al Vento", "Comunita' Hippy", "La Danza Del Turista", "Corale Isole Dal Tema", "Palme E Cocchi", "Nuku" and more – plus nearly 2 dozen bonus tracks.

Three mad soundtracks from the great Francois DeRoubaix – all penned during his formative years of the 60s! Even at this early point, Francois shows a great ear for bringing up more inventive sounds from his orchestrations – sometimes great jazzy flairs on flute or vibes, sometimes playful tuning of familiar instruments, and sometimes incredibly groovy vocal passages that rival some of our favorite French pop of the period! The whole thing's wonderful – nearly 80 minutes of music that's filled with joy and delight – and plenty of sweet twists and turns along the way – with titles that include "Juke Box De La Drague", "Cover Girl", "Maquettes", "Nos Les Play-Boys", "Peggy", "Le Roi Du Yeye", "La Proposition", "Miracle A L'Italienne", "Brigade Du Twist", "Rendez-Vous Au Ritz", and "Session Jam".

Mad funk from the great Galt MacDermot – a wonderful selection of obscure tunes from some of his best funky soundtracks! Galt's work on Hair has been sampled heavily by a variety of hip hop producers over the years – but even better is his work for less famous soundtracks, a good variety of which are sampled here in a wonderfully-done set that focuses on the truly funky tracks that Galt wrote for these films – and which gets past the sometimes-off tracks that can occasionally get in the way of his lesser soundtracks. The package is a total jam throughout – filled with tunes that have weird rhythms, moody keyboards, and the kind of offbeat approach to funk that's always made his work so great. There's only a few tracks from previously reissued soundtracks like Woman Is Sweeter and Cotton Comes To Harlem – plus lots lots more from weirder films that include American Express, Nucleus, Fortune & Men's Eyes, Moon Over The Alley, and Rhinoceros! In true Galt MacDermot funky fashion, there's lots of great drum work on the set from Bernard Purdie – and titles include "Golden Apples", "Dead End", "Fragments II", "Tango", "Ed & Digger", "Duffer", "Bedroom", "Queenie's Theme", "Fortune & Men's Eyes" and "Rhinoceros Theme".

The 70s rock soundtrack classic for Dazed & Confused – pressed on vinyl to commemorate for the 20th anniversary Richard Linklater's stoner masterpiece – a double LP on hella appropriate green vinyl! On big loud dumb (in a good way) radio rock jam after another – with "Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo" by Rick Derringer, "Slow Ride" by Foghat, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, "Jim Dandy" by Black Oak Arkansas, "Tish" by ZZ Top, "Love Hurts" by Nazareth, "Low Rider" by War, "Highway Star" by Deep Purple, "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath and more.

The soundtrack that put John Barry over the top – and to many, THE James Bond soundtrack! The album chills from the first notes of the haunting title theme – the majestic "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey with a tone that's as dangerous as a razor-sharp hat spinning through the air! Barry then takes over with some wonderful instrumentals – a blend of crime jazz, mood pieces, chase themes, and more – all peppered with that dark dark Bond theme that we love so much! Titles include "Into Miami", "Teasing The Korean", "Alpine Drive", "Bond Back In Action", "Gassing The Gangsters", and "Death Of Goldfinger".

Tripped out electronics meet progressive rock jamming – all in a weird and wonderful film score from the early 70s! The record's one of the best by French experimentalist Philippe Besombes from the time – and it's got a style that sort of starts in the territory of Francois De Roubaix similar electronic work for film – but gets a lot darker and noisier right away! There's a textural depth here that's really great – almost a pre-industrial music exploration of sounds – but the work's also not that over-indulgent, either – and Besombes always has a great way of getting back to a tune, especially on the shorter tracks. Titles include "La Plage", "Rugby", "Ceremonie", "Hache 06", "La Ville", "Les Cosmonautes", "Tis A Song", "Boogimmick", and "PJF 261".

An odd little soundtrack of 50s-sounding tunes! The film, in case you don't know it, was an early low budget JD film – set in Brooklyn at the end of the 50s, with Sylvester Stallone in the lead. The budget appears to have been so low that they couldn't afford to pay for using the big hits of the day, so the director had Joe Brooks come up with a bunch of oldies-sounding tunes with kind of a Sha-Na-Na sound to them. Artists performing the music include Jamie Carr, Bill Dean, George Marge, and Charles Brown – and titles include "The Chase", "The Wedding Song", "Gypsy Woman", "A Very Fine Day", "You & Me", and "Rock & Roll Music".

Damn, is this a great record! The album's not only one of the best blacksploitation soundtracks ever recorded, it's also one of James Brown's funkiest outings of the early 70s! Nearly every cut's a winner, and James gets some very funky help from The JBs, who groove hard on the best instrumental cuts, plus Lyn Collins, who sings a sock version of "Mama Feelgood" that's worth the price of the record alone! Includes the classic "Down & Out in New York City", plus "Blind Man Can See It", "Sportin' Life", "The Boss", "Dirty Harri", and "Chase".The original on wax, with the split middle gatefold cover! One of James' best records from the 70's, and includes the cuts "Sportin' Life", "The Boss", "Down & Out in New York City", "Blind Man Can See It", and lots more good grooves. This is the original pressing – with a split die-cut gatefold cover in the middle!

Easily one of the funkiest albums that James Brown ever recorded – and one of his few entries into the blacksploitation genre of the 70s! James really outdid himself for this one – working at a hard burning pace that had the JBs cooking up some killer funk for just about every number in the set – and which also has James himself stepping out vocally for a few key tracks. The album features the massive groover "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul" – a slamming track that beats nearly every number in the JB 70s catalog – plus other cuts that include "To My Brother", "Brother Rapp", "Sexy Sexy Sexy", "Slaughter Theme", "Transmogrification", "King Slaughter", and "How Long Can I Keep It Up".

Wonderful sounds from the great John Carpenter – one of those records that reminds us that his music is often just as important as the images he puts on the screen! Carpenter's music for The Fog follows nicely in his work for other films – particularly Halloween – in that it's got this slow-building style that often makes great use of keyboards – often used sparely, with a really spooky sort of energy – and even more space, and at slower speed than his other horror soundtracks! The style really fits the "fog" theme of the film – and this 2CD version features the 2000 remix of the soundtrack album, plus 1980 score cues – and a bonus interview with Jamie Lee Curtis too. Titles include "Matthew Ghost Story", "Tommy Tells Of Ghost Ships", "Reel 9", "Blake In The Sanctuary", "Number 6", "Walk To Lighthouse", "Dane", "Andy's In Trouble", and "The Fog Enters Town".

A trio of sex film soundtracks from 70s England – but done in a way that's a lot classier than you might expect! The sounds here aren't the usual bump-n-grind you might expect from US porno – and instead, the tunes are really great soundtrack numbers, penned with a distinct undercurrent of sound library work of the period – sweet jazzy moments, soft erotic themes, electric touches, and some subtle funky bits too – mostly used in very short cues for the film, but occasionally stretched out to more song-long levels as well. The package is a great discovery – given that we haven't seen the films or heard the music at all – and it features a whopping 34 tracks that include "Heavy Keyboard", "Tight For Time", "Tricky Hand", "On Stage", "Bicycle Girl", "Home Again", "Fiona's Theme", "You Turn My Legs To Water", "The Tension Mounts", and "House Of Straw".

One of the greatest Italian crime soundtracks of all time – a totally groovy little record that's done in a style that's quite different than American crime scores of the time, but still completely wonderful! Most of the instrumentation here is relatively spare – almost a small combo funk approach to scoring for a cop film, but done with the penchant for isolated focus on a key instrument that makes Italian soundtracks so great. There's no full horns nor funky orchestrations – and in their place are stepping bass bits, lightly dancing keyboards, and plenty of guitar parts – some jamming, some nicely spacey with a really eerie feel! The sound is great – never as cheesy as other Italian work from the mid to late 70s – and there's a grittier feel here than you'd expect, one that really keeps things interesting. CD features note in English and Italian, and a total of 23 tracks that include "The Reason Of A Just War", "The Punitive Justice", "The Other Face", "Undercover Investigation", "Gangster Story", "Casa Di Muda", and "Chicca".

The soundtracks to 2 of Jean Luc-Godard's greatest films – back to back on one CD! The score to Pierrot Le Feu features 9 tracks in all – 3 of which are vocal numbers by Anna Karina, who starred in the film, and who delivers the vocals with a decadently deadpan style that fits perfectly with the songs. The score to Week-End offered here is a new recording – done by the Orchestre Sinfonietta Moldava, under the direction of Leonardo Gasparini. There's a total of 16 tracks in all, with images from the films and notes in English and French! Titles include "Jamais Je Ne T'Ai Dit Que Je T'Aimerai Toujours", "Ferdinand", "Pierrot", "Twist Pour Jean-Luc", "Lamento", "L'Internationale", and "Elle Et Lui".

Sweet guitars, creepy keyboards, and even a bit of funk from time to time – all wrapped up beautifully in this vintage horror soundtrack from Goblin! There's a bit less rock here than on other Goblin albums – and instead, there's almost a John Carpenter-like sense of spareness that comes through especially well in the keyboards – with some great moody numbers that step along in a slowly-building style, almost like the best of 70s cop show work – moving the group past some of their more rockish or jamming postures. The spare, minimal approach only seems to make things spookier than before – and titles include "Vibrazioni", "Metamorfosi", "Visioni", "Patrick", and "Transmute".

An excellent trippy soundtrack – to a film we'd love to see, and which starred Charles Aznavour, Ringo Starr, John Astin, James Coburn, John Huston, Richard Burton, and Marlon Brando! The crazy outing is accompanied by a great Dave Grusin score that includes lots and lots of heavy guitars – quite different from his usual bag, and a nice fit with the few vocal numbers in the film – some standout rock titles that go along nicely with Dave's sweet instrumental grooves! Includes "Rock Me" and "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf, "Child Of The Universe" by The Byrds, and the excellent Grusin instrumentals "Marlon & His Sacred Bird", "Constant Journey", "Spec Ra Tac Para Comm", and "Opening Night By Surgery".

Hard to believe how important this soundtrack was, back in the day. One of the first good hip hop soundtracks, and a motherlode of great cuts like "Paid In Full (7 minute Cold Cut remix)" by Eric B & Rakim, "Butcher Shop" by Kool G Rap, "Colors" by Ice T, "Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste" by M.C. Shan, and "Go On Girl" by Roxanne Shante. More by Salt N Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, 7A3, and Rick James. Marley Marl produced the motherlode of these cuts, and this was the early days of the Cold Chillin/Warner alliance.

Way different than any other Indian film music you might have heard before – hardly the festive jams of Bollywood classics – and instead, a fresh funky electro mode that's mighty nice! If it weren't for the lyrics, some of these tracks might well have come from the New York street scene of the early 80s – given the beats, the keyboards, and the way the tunes often use sharp short sonic impulses to create some of the best energy in the mix – which also means that there's plenty of groovers along the way! If you dig synth-heavy grooves and 80s club jams, there's plenty here to love – and even if you don't, the package is a wonderful discovery too – filled with notes and photos that really help us appreciate the music. Titles include "Vikram", "Anand", "Paadu Nilave", "Iravu Pookkal", "Poovizhi Vasalile", "Sathya", "Chinna Veedu", and "Agni Natchatram".