Now Sound -- In Stock -- LPs  

Bossa guitar, dreamy orchestrations, and a wonderful American take on the Brazilian sound of the 60s -- served up with sparkling Capitol Records production in a set that's easily one of the greatest by guitarist Laurindo Almeida! Almeida's guitar is matched here with some lightly jazzy backings... read more

A very groovy batch of pop bossa tracks, and one that has Laurindo Almeida nodding to his Brazilian roots, and the movement that was supposedly inspired by his early 50s records with Bud Shank. This album expands the west coast jazzy concept, by adding a larger group with players like Bob Cooper,... read more

A beautiful document of a magical musical moment -- one of the few live performances ever of the work of David Axelrod -- a concert that's presented here in a special vinyl package! Axelrod's 60s albums are the stuff of legend -- orchestral efforts with a funky undercurrent, and longtime favorites... read more

High concept work from David Axelrod -- and following on the same progression that he began with his work for the Electric Prunes, and on some of his Capitol work. The record's a version of Handel's Messiah, but it's done with all the right Axelrod touches -- plenty of subdued funk, nice jazzy... read more

A masterpiece! This is one of David Axelrod's most perfectly realized albums -- and it's a brilliant batch of baroque arrangements, jazzy solos, and slightly subtle funky bits! The album contains the much-sampled song "Holy Thursday", but the whole thing has a very similar feel to that... read more

... read more

Excellent lost funky work from Italy! The Barigozzi Group were one of these obscure little combos that churned out tight funky tracks for bigger outfits -- very much in the style of I Gres, Marc 4, or some of the other great Italian groups that are being discovered lately. Their strength was a... read more

Fantastic funkiness! Although Les Baxter's best known for his easy listening work in the late 50's/early 60's, this 1969 biker flick soundtrack is a motherlode of funky funky tracks, and a veritable cornucopia of breakbeats! Highlights include the classics "Hogin' Machine" and "Hot... read more

A beautiful bit of 70's grooviness from one of our favorite Italian composers! This set brings together 2 extremely rare soundtracks by the great Alberto Baldan Bembo, and they're both a fantastic mix of Fender Rhodes piano, vibes, wah wah guitar, and stunningly sensuous orchestrations. All of... read more

One of Bonfa's better pop-bossa efforts of the 60s, and a record that features some pretty solid arrangements by Deodato. The record's still a mix of easy tunes and bossa ones, with the usual confusion of some of Bonfa's other American records -- but the groove is pretty solid Now Sound stuff,... read more

One of the hardest to find LPs by Phil Bodner's combo The Brass Ring, which is saying a lot, since nearly the rest of the groups output is taking up space in nearly every thrift store's basement across the country! Besides that the set has a very groovy sound with sax, brass, and organ a meeting... read more

A more Latin-styled set than usual from The Brass Ring -- as you might guess from the title and cover! The sound is slightly fuller here -- a bit of brassy trumpets used sparingly, but just enough to fill out the groove at times -- and other new elements too, like acoustic guitar, added rhythms,... read more

One of those groovy funky pop-jazz sessions that World Pacific was doing so nicely at this time, featuring Bobby Bryant's funky trumpet at the head of a large group that includes players like Wilton Felder, Ernie Watts, and Joe Sample. Wayne Henderson produced, so the set's got a nice crisp edge... read more

Jack "Bongo" Burger was similar to Jack "Mr. Bongo" Costanza -- that is, he was a west coast studio player who also made a number of albums under his own name, and who could groove pretty hard if he wanted to. This LP is a bongo instructional record with him playing along with... read more

Groovy! This is a great A&M/CTI album of easy funky grooves, with all the great backing you'd expect on a record like this! Players include Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Jerome Richardson -- and of course, Artie Butler, who plays piano and ondioline in a very groovy way. The whole thing has... read more

Man, somebody at the Light label had to have been smoking something behind all those bibles -- because this album, like some of the other groovy ones on the label, has a great sound to it that's nothing like some of their mostly religious records! The album's a mostly-moog affair -- offered with... read more

A wonderful combination of music and sound effects -- very similar to some of the bigger label work from artists like Jack Fascinato or Dean Elliott over at Capitol Records in the late 50s, but an even more sonically-sensitive session done for the smaller Cook imprint! Jimmy Carroll leads an... read more

Long-overdue compilation of the rare work by this enigmatic Latin funk band! Although Chakachas are best known for their heavy sex-funk classic "Jungle Fever" (included here), they were a pretty far-reaching band that combined Latin, jazz, funk, and Euro easy styles into a very unique... read more

A bit goofy, but a pretty compelling record issued on Motown's MoWest subsidiary. Tom Clay creates these groovy tracks that mix popular soul instrumentals (arranged by Gene Page and Artie Butler) with recitations that have a very righteous political feel. The single on the record, "What The... read more

Wonderful wonderful wonderful -- and one of the best albums we've ever heard of modern bossa and soundtrack grooves! For years, Nicola Conte has been a seminal force in the new Italian scene -- working as a DJ, promoter, producer, and sometimes recording artist under the odd 12" single. ... read more

One of the most insanely wonderful soundtracks from the late 60's -- filled with weird instrumental touches and sublimely groovy vocals that really match the mad spirit of the film! Although Bob Crewe's best known for his work as a producer for bigger names in the 60s, he really shines here on... read more

Claude Denjean's always been one of our more favorite moogy artists, and this LP's a really nice batch of 60's covers done in a very moogy way, with little or no backing behind them. Tracks include "Venus", "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head", and "Everybody's Talkin'".... read more

A very nice album that's sort of a "Bacharach meets The Left Banke" kind of album. The 18th Century Corp peform nice baroque versions of Bacharach material, including many hits like "Are You There", "Wishin & Hopin", "Reach Out For Me", "Walk On... read more

A beautifully baroque batch of tracks, written and arranged for the Electric Prunes by the great David Axelrod. The record shows Axelrod's perpetual fascination with the spiritual -- mixed with that great modern style of funk that he was forging at Capitol during the late 60s. The record's not... read more

Wonderful funky fuzzy moogy! The cover proclaims that this is the "first album of electronic rock" -- and although we don't know how true that is, the record's a nice batch of moogy covers -- featuring tracks like "Grazin In the Grass", "Aquarius", "Penny... read more

The twin piano magic of Ferrante & Teicher really makes the Holidays come alive -- working here with full orchestrations that are heavy on strings, but leave plenty of room for the boys' pianos to ring out strongly! Side one is a bit more lush, side two a bit more playful -- and titles include... read more

... read more

Killer Hammond from Polish player Piotr Figiel -- a player with a really wonderful sort of groove! The album's got a vibe that's halfway between the Hammond antics of Alan Hawkshaw and the freer lines of American jazzmen like Jimmy Smith or Charles Earland -- augmented by other cool production... read more

Jackie Gleason's soundtrack for "that moment" of love, lust, whatever. Like a lot of his stuff from this period, not totally spot-on for the specified act (at least we'd never try to make "that moment" happen with this stuff), but it's still pretty great lush orchestral stuff,... read more

An album with as much power as you'd expect from the title -- and a set that's billed as featuring "Music To The Limits Of Audibility"! The limits explored are the farther ones in sound -- not the lower tones at the end of hearing -- and Marty Gold does a very good job of hitting the... read more

The hard-to-find soundtrack for the first Planet Of The Apes film! The record has a nice mix of dramatic orchestral scoring with some other tracks that have a cool jingly jangly noisy sound. Jerry Goldsmith did some great work for this one, and the album has a cool gatefold cover with images from... read more

Wild record! Benny Golson recorded this odd LP for Audio Fidelity in order to demonstrate the full range of stereo effects by including two completely different programs in the right and left channels. The left channel features a pop orchestra, led by Golson, while the right contains a tight jazz... read more

You know, in these days of vintage pop songs used ad nauseum in every commercial, it's easy to forget that at one time, loads of great music was written just for advertising! This great album was cut at the height of the Madison Avenue Music Industry -- and it features Benny Golson leading a tight... read more

A sweet little album of cinematic-inspired instrumentals -- featuring the sax work of Brit Easy star Johnnie Gray, over backings put together by Peter Smith. The sound is easily grooving -- not really funky, but in that streamlined late 60s British mode -- and the best tracks come off in very nice... read more

Mad electronics from the legendary Bruce Haack -- easily one of the most unusual talents to ever pick up a moog! The set brings together numbers from a range of sources -- Haack's classic Electric Lucifer album, and a host of his more obscure private recordings too -- an amazing array of unusual... read more

These Hellers are pretty darn hip fellers -- way more than just singers, talkers, players, swingers, and doers -- and also experimentalists with a very groovy approach to their music! At one level, the record's got a dreamy pop feel that's very much in keeping with the album's inclusion on the... read more

A groovy moogy pop classic! Hot Butter weren't the most groundbreaking moog combo, but they certainly were the most successful. The title cut of this one, their version of Gershon Kingsley's "Popcorn", was used in a gazillion commercials and TV shows during the 70s -- and was certainly... read more

An incredible little set by Dick Hyman -- as light and lovely as his other records are groovy -- and done in a way that mixes Dick's breezy work on piano with a sweet set of woodwinds in the background! The sound's not exactly bossa, but it draws plenty of inspiration from the sound of Brazil in... read more

A groovy LP that features this swinging 60s keyboardist playing his versions of some of the bigger soul covers of the day! The album features Hyman on piano, organ, and clavinette, and he's playing with "The Group", a tight little combo that gives him a hip kind of mod edge that wasn't... read more

One of the most important modernist expressions of the city! Gordon Jenkins' Manhattan Tower is a wonder -- an extended narrative work about a guy who moves to, discovers, falls in love with and in New York City. The music's a bit flowery, but the narration is fantastic -- lifted right out of... read more

A lost chapter in the career of cellist Fred Katz -- an album recorded after his small combo work with Chico Hamilton, and sort of a larger group take on the whimsical sound of the classic Hamilton Quintet! The tracks are all older folk tunes, adapted by Katz to fit a chamber jazz mode -- and... read more

A lovely little set from Johnny Keating -- in his best early mode that's partly jazz, and partly mood music -- and all great all the way through! Keating's work always had a percussive approach -- even when straight -- and here, it's applied to a set of tracks that crackle with the best approaches... read more

James Last's cool version of the Hair score, played with funky staccato beats and sharp horn blasts -- both of which augment Galt MacDermot's groovy music in a very good way. All the faves are here, in nice groovy versions, including "Walking In Space", "Hare Krishna", and... read more

Enoch Light and his Big Band give upbeat renditions of "Desifinado", "One Note Samba", "Perdido", "E Luxo So", "Sem Saudades De Voce", "Besame Mucho", "Take The A Train", "Lullaby Of Birdland", and others.... read more

Wonderfully groovy stuff! Enoch Light has made more than his share of mediocre records over the years -- but this isn't one of them! Instead, this set is an excellent batch of groovy tunes -- mixing together mod 60s instrumentation that includes sitar, organ, moog, backing vocals, and some nice... read more

Excellent work from Enoch Light! Sure, the guy was a knock-off snoozer back in the early 60s -- but by this point, he's gotten a very hip sound, and is working here with his Brass Menagerie ensemble to craft a lightly groovy late 60s easy back of tracks! The group's got horns over the top, and... read more

One of the rare post-A&M recordings by the lovely Claudine Longet -- best known to the rest of the world as the groovy Frenchy in the film The Party, or as the woman who shot Olympic skier Spider Savage in a love quarrel in Aspen Colorado! This one's got got Claudine singing a strange batch of... read more

A New Look At Latin indeed -- as Los Escudos are a British vocal group, working here with some sprightly arrangements by the great Mike Leander -- all in a 60s pop remake of older Mexican harmony styles! The approach has all the right elements of cheeseball to make things work -- including lots of... read more

Strong compilation of some of his hits from the sixties. One side's got TV stuff -- like "Mr. Lucky" & "March of the Cue Balls" -- the other's got film stuff -- like "Experiment in Terror" and "Baby Elephant Walk".... read more

Delightful instrumentals -- not as jazzy as Mancini's regular soundtrack work, but still pretty nice! The tracks are more in an easy instrumental vein -- but given Hank's style, they're still pretty cool, especially as they feature work by west coast jazzmen like Shelly Manne, Victor Feldman, Bob... read more

Classic holiday tunes from Henry Mancini! Hank's working in a mellow Holiday mode here -- using fuller arrangements than usual for the session -- to match the auspicious nature of the event! The first half is in a more popular mode that's in keeping with some of Mancini's themes for soundtracks... read more

One of Henry Mancini's grooviest LPs from the 70s -- a mixture of tight large arrangements with a smooth funky edge, similar to some of his best soundtrack work at the time! The rhythm section is great -- with Harvey Mason on drums and Joe Sample on keyboards, and guitar by David T Walker and... read more

Oh for the mellow genius of Henry Mancini! The album's a sublime testament to Mancini's talent for understatement -- and features tunes that move along quietly, smoothly, and with a wonderful blend of piano, strings, and slight chorus vocals -- to to mention some great flugelhorn solos from Doc... read more

Short electronic pieces released as part of KPM's sound library service. Most of the tracks have a spare cold German electronic feel, with a sound that's somewhere between Kraftwerk (without vocals) and Tangerine Dream. Titles include "High Flying", "International Report",... read more

The man responsible for so many great soul arrangements strikes out on his own -- and with some really wonderful results! The style here is a bit more groovy and mod than some of Arif's soul work -- but still has a nice little groove on the bottom -- a kind of bouncy mix of Atlantic soul and mod... read more

A lost lounge gem from the RCA catalog -- with a dreamy exotica feel that's right up there with the best of the bachelor pad era! Gerald Fried arranged and conducted this ersatz studio group, and his overall approach has lots of sweeping woodwinds and percussion, similar to the great Les Baxter... read more

Percussion and effects -- wrapped up together beautifully in this rare Italian sound library set! The album's got a groove that's exactly what you'd expect from the title -- acoustic percussion mixes with electronics that are sometimes spare and stark, sometimes production effects, and sometimes... read more

This is actually just a repackaging of McFarland's "Soft Samba" LP from 1964 -- a dream of a record from Gary McFarland -- lightly jazzy instrumentals with a warm bossa nova undercurrent! The style is incredible -- a sweet blend of vibes, guitar, and even some light whistling -- often... read more

A wonderful album from the great Gary McFarland -- and completely sublime all the way through! The record's part jazz, part easy, and all McFarland, with a cool compressed breezy vibe that's just about impossible to describe accurately. Gary's vibes are wonderfully set in a small combo with reeds... read more

... read more

... read more

This is the 70's repackaging of the first Mystic Moods LP -- the one with 60's instrumental pop themes, mixed with sound effects of a rainy stormy night. Titles include "Love Is Blue", "Waltz For Tricia", "Lover's Lullaby", "Visions", "Come Saturday... read more

Breathy, sexy pop stuff from 101 Strings, featuring a nice remake of "Je T'Aime...Moi, Non Plus", with vocals by Bebe Bardon. Sexy gatefold package, too, and very different than their other records. More of a sexy easy pop sound than usual, with covers of "This Guy's In Love With... read more

... read more

Nice one! This is a groovy reissue of the soundtrack to Milano Violenta, written by Enrico Pieranunzi and Silvano Chimenti, and performed by the funky studio group Pulsar Music Ltd. The feel of the album is similar to that of some of the best tracks on the Stroboscopia comps -- with lots of tight... read more

Terrible! But pretty darn wonderful, too -- at least if you dig The Odd Couple! Considering their roots in Broadway, Randall and Klugman should be pretty decent singers -- but instead, they decide to camp it up for this one, as they spend a lot of time arguing about and during sweet old-fashioned... read more

One of the best Nelson Riddle instrumental albums for Capitol Records -- nice and jazzy! Let Yourself A set that's almost like soundtrack jazz at its best -- well conceived, and tightly arranged -- but with some strong moments of individual instrumentation! There's a slight touch of sweetness at... read more

One of the weirdest Beatle-related projects of the 60s -- and one of the most abstract, as well! The album's got kind of an odd concept -- in that it purports to be a rediscovery of rare baroque music roots of famous Beatle tunes by Lennon & McCartney -- recorded with offbeat arrangements done... read more

A swirling batch of easy groovers -- the light and lively orchestrations of Aldemaro Romero, augmented by lead guitar from Charlie Byrd! The sound is Latin-inflected with a soaring finish -- part 60s easy, part bossa-inspired orchestration, with touches of Italian soundtrack styles as well. If... read more

The album to back up David Rose's famous single of the title, a track that, no matter how many times we hear it, still sounds great today. Too bad the rest of this isn't as great, but still, it's not too bad, especially on tracks like "Deserted City", and his take on "Laura".... read more

Nice one! Clint Eastwood will forever be remembered for his groundbreaking tough guy work in the Dirty Harry films -- but equally famous are Lalo Schifrin's funky soundtracks for the movies! The work is some of Schifrin's best -- a mix of the jazzy style he created in the late 60s, and a funkier... read more

Classic percussion and brass recording by one of the loudest conductor/arrangers in the business. Tracks include "Stumbling", "The Thunderer", "Misirlou", and "Chimed, I'm Sure" (get the joke?).... read more

A great album from Shirley Scott -- with some excellent arrangements by Gary McFarland! We've always felt that Shirley plays best when she's not leading the group -- when someone else is handling the arrangements, so that she can groove mightily on her own -- and this album is a perfect... read more

An excellent bit of space-age jazzy and grooviness! Don Sebesky conducts a host of crack Verve studio players, and the mix of instruments includes piano, sax, flute, guitar, and lots of moog. The basic groove has sort of a 70s funky soundtrack feel, and the instrumentation on top adds lots of... read more

A cool change in the style of guitarist Bola Sete -- a shift from the mellower, bossa-inflected styles of his 60s work on Fantasy Records -- and a jauntier set of grooves overall! The instrumentation here is still mostly small combo -- Bola's acoustic guitar with bass, drums, and percussion -- yet... read more

A fab set of James Bond tunes -- performed by Brit easy maestro Roland Shaw, in a style that's arguably groovier than the original soundtracks themselves! There's some nice instrumental touches on a few of these that push the mood of the set in a good way -- and Shaw's also chosen a lot of less-fam... read more

Wonderful exotic work from George Shearing -- a mixture of jazz piano, Latin percussion, and lyrical guitar and vibes intertwined around the whole operation. The set's got the feel of a Martin Denny album -- but without all the easy tricks, and with a lot stronger jazz feel on the part of the... read more

Great work from Shearing -- gently Latin, in a mode that mixes his jazzy piano with percussion and flute, dancing around in a simple but strong approach to the material. Armando Peraza's in George's quintet here -- playing with the same strength that he brought to his later work with Cal Tjader --... read more

Arranged by Clare Fischer, Shearing plays a set of bossa nova standards including a few Clare Fischer compositions. The songs include "One Note Samba", "Blue Prelude", "Desafinado", "Pensativa", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Algo Novo",... read more

Classic Shearing, from one of his best periods! The group's a great one -- a sublime mix of jazz and Latin, with some great players that include Armando Pereza and Willie Bobo on percussion, Johnny Rae on vibes, and Toots Thielemans on guitar and harmonica. Great moody stuff, with a fab rendition... read more

Lots of percussion -- and loud! Slatkin's normally a bit sleepy, but this record's filled with drums and chimes and vibes and loads of exotic percussion instruments -- and swings with a groove that's in the best of the Liberty easy styles from the late 50s. Titles include "Night Train",... read more

An excellent little groover from that great period where CTI was affiliated with A&M, this record is the kind of pop/jazz/easy listening crossover stuff that's been such a hit with the loungecore fans over the years. Don Sebesky handled the arrangements -- and players include Herbie Hancock,... read more

One of the better albums by this great Chicago soul studio group -- but all of them are pretty nice! The great Richard Evans is still at the head of The Strings, and the album features solo work by Charles Stepney and Lennie Druss, in a cool breezy Chess/Cadet soul jazz kind of mode. The group... read more

Totally totally cool LP that has this groovy group playing with Oliver Nelson -- who plays soprano on most tracks. The sound is very groovy, and very Now Sound, with a female vocal duet, and mod swingin' jazzy lyrics. The LP's got a nice version of "My Favorite Things", a cool track... read more

Pretty darn groovy! Jack Pleis is at the helm of this obscure studio group designed to cash in on the younger generation (or older easy fans who wanted to be hip!), and he does a great job of laying down some slightly-funky easy arrangements with a light 60s Capitol pop feel! Titles include "... read more

Incredible electronics from Bruno Spoerri -- one of the hippest cats to ever grace the sound library scene of the 70s! Bruno's got a groove that's way more than just the moog trickery of the 60s -- and it's easy to see why his compositions were so in-demand back in the day -- for use in everything... read more

Although there were plenty of easy and studio musicians who tried to cash in on the success of the Bond-era spy soundtracks, few did it as well as Billy Strange! He gets a helping hand here from Les Baxter and a boatload of west coast session greats like Carol Kaye, Tommy Tedesco, Dennis Budimir,... read more

Capitol 12" LP that features work from 2 earlier Yma Sumac 10" LPs -- Voice of The Xtabay and Inca Taqui. Voice Of The Xtabay is one of her earliest Capitol albums, with classic arrangements by Les Baxter, of material that was written by Yma's Partner Moises Vivanco. Titles include... read more

A wonderful album from Gabor Szabo -- one with the same freely grooving, slightly-psychedelic sound that he was using on his best records for the Impulse label! Two guitars head up the quintet -- those of Gabor and Jim Stewart -- and they trade breezy lines throughout, grooving over slyly shifting... read more

An excellent 2LP collection of some of the best work that Gabor Szabo recorded for the Impulse label during the mid and late 60s -- tracks that mixed together jazz, Eastern spiritualism, and a hip 60s pop sensibility. At one time, we used to dismiss this stuff as too cheesy for our tastes -- but... read more

A great record that's sort of a follow-up to Gabor's excellent Sorcerer LP -- and like that one, features long tracks that have a spiralling modal feel that's much more serious, much more grooving, and a lot less campish than some of his other albums of the time. The album features a two-guitar... read more

Sublime sounds from the legendary Jonny Teupen -- the harpist best known for his freaky sides for MPS, heard here in an earlier set of bossa nova tunes! The approach is quite unique, and really warmly wonderful -- Jonny's sweetly lyrical lines on harp, mixed with gentle bossa rhythms, and topped... read more

Groovy Toots -- just the way we like him, with a bit of jazz, a bit of easy, and some cool 60s approaches to his sound! The album has Toots on both harmonica and guitar -- working in a stripped-down small combo setting that has some really surprising elements, like piano and organ by Dick Hyman,... read more

Moog -- with a twang! This excellent set is by the enigmatic Gil Trythall -- a moog musician who turned his talents towards the sound of 60s Nashville, with some incredible results! The format is simple -- take country hits, strip them down, and fill them with cool electronics and moogy bits --... read more

Moogy country stuff that actually sounds pretty great (imagine all of the plinks and ploinks of the moog in bluegrass stuff.) Tracks include "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", "Last Date", "Cattle Call", and "Walking the Floor Over You" -- but our two faves are... read more

A key album in Stanley Turrentine's catalog from the pre-CTI years -- a set that has Turrentine mixing his soulful tenor with some larger orchestrations -- but always in a wonderful way that's still filled with plenty of life, love, and a real jazz sensibility! The sound's a great precursor to the... read more

Groovy pop orchestrations from one of the best bandleaders working at Verve in the late 60's. Sweet Verve sounds, with a mix of jazz, easy, and Brazilian sounds, and tracks like "Laia Ladaia", "Cinnamon & Clove", "The Look of Love", "Arrasto", and "B... read more

3rd amazing volume of lost electrono-funky grooves from the folks at Trip Records. 14 tracks in all, with a lot of stuff from rare overseas sources and limited sound library releases. We've only ever seen one of these in the original -- the amazing "Plummer Park" by Pete Jolly -- and... read more

The Easy Tempo groove is wider than ever here -- still plenty funky, but also jazzy and groovy too -- with some mod 60s influences filtering into the mix, and even a bit of vocals too! As always, the style is heavy on Italian soundtrack modes -- that great blend of bossa, jazz, and other elements... read more

A wonderful collection of older electronic music -- pulled mostly from a variety of 60s albums, and featuring some really playful little bits! The tracks are spare and analogue -- often slightly funky, but not necessarily funk oriented -- if that makes sense at all. There's plenty of bleeps,... read more