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One of the more laidback western soundtracks we've ever heard – and we mean that in a great way! Franco Micalizzi seems to work here in a way that's more focused on the overall music than the genre of the film – and turns in some really beautiful slow-stepping numbers – some with a bit of fuzz, some a bit of acoustic guitar – often in a warmer style than the usual western score, with a lyricism that's really striking on some of the tracks! Instrumentation includes some cool distorted old piano, a bit of flute, and fuzzy keyboards – and the set includes the vocal number "When Spring Is In The Air" – and 12 more instrumental numbers.

A gothic horror soundtrack with a nice undercurrent of adventure – scored by Franco Micalizzi with some surprisingly warm touches at times – that mode of starting out sweet, then going dark – a bit like Ennio Morricone on some of his best similar scores from the time! Woodwinds and strings are often used to lure you in with a sense of warmth, which then gets a bit colder and sharper as the score moves on – especially when some more offbeat notes pop out from around the corner, and really create a nice sense of tension. One of the more obscure Micalizzi moments from the time – and indeed, a film that's hardly ever been seen in later years too – brought back to CD with great sound throughout! Titles include "The Rising Truth", "The Church Choir", "Helpful Buffoon", "One Following", "Tyranny & Fury", "Tema Di Francoise", "Deadly Pool", and "Mamuia".

A bouncy little soundtrack – with a feel that's just what you'd expect from the cover – plenty of playful 80s grooves with a good mix of sex and schlock – all pretty heavy on keyboards, basslines, and beats! The film's an erotic romp, in the best style of the decade – and Franco Micalizzi has plenty of fun with the music – moving into styles that are a lot more playful than most of his serious scoring of the decade before – almost a musical equivalent of the sexy image on the front! CD features 22 tracks in all – with titles that include "Topeka Surfin", "Rimini Rimini", "Makin Changes", "Summer Night", "Funky Banana", and "Sweet Money".

A soundtrack steeped in Euro funk and disco from Franco Micalizzi – his work for Stridulum, also known as The Visitor – a wild film starring John Huston as Jerzy – as a being from outerspace with telekinetic earthling offspring and a crazy cast that includes Glenn Ford, Shelly Winters, Sam Pekinpah and Lance Henriksen! Somehow, this plot provides for a soundtrack filled with funky bass and drums, flute, breathlessly cooed wordless vocals and other 70s dancefloor touches! Titles include "Stridulum Theme", "Here's The Dream", "Atmosphere", "Sadness Theme", "Running Away From Jerzy" and more. This CD version includes 8 previously unreleased bonus tracks!

We don't normally dig spaghetti western soundtrack scores – but this one's pretty darn groovy! The main theme "Trinity" starts off with some cool vocal backing by Alessandro Alessandroni's I Cantori Moderni, singing underneath the English-language lead vocal – and the group also make an appearance on the film's reprise of this song at the end of the movie. Other tracks mix together guitar, organ, whistling, and some other cool sonic elements that give the soundtrack a cool late 60s feel that reminds us more of some lost French gem than an Italian thriller! Titles include "Lazy Cowboy", "Un Cowboy e Due Ragazze", "Di Fronte Ai Killers", "Trinity: Con La Stella Di Viceseriffo", and "C'e Un Tempo Per Vincere". New CD version features an additional 9 bonus tracks – plus 7 more tracks from a rejected score for the film too!

A wonderful memoir from the glory days of the Italian soundtrack scene – penned by Franco De Gemini (aka "The Man With The Harmonica"), and filled with loads of color photos and images of albums! Franco's memoirs are often quite personal – at a level that sheds tremendous new light into the workings of the Italian scene back in these days, and filled with loads of great asides and stories that are as compelling as the historical details themselves. The book is heavy on text, but features many images in color – including a huge section in the back that offers cover images for dozens of classic albums on the Beat label! CD features 19 of the funkiest, grooviest tracks ever from Beat – titles by Armando Trovajoli, Franco Micalizzi, Alessandro Alessandroni, Roberto Pregadio, and many others – and the book is over 200 pages, softcover, and very nicely done! (Note: This is a second edition of the book From Beat To Beat – reprinted with a new title, and 24 more pages of material.)

A killer CD – filled with funky tracks all picked by Cinedelic Records, with an ear towards the kinds of drums, basslines, and keyboards that have helped these older Italian soundtrack gems stay alive with a younger funky generation! The disc was formerly part of a more expensive special box, but is now presented here in a more reasonable version with just a focus on the music. CD features a whopping 22 tracks in all – with titles that include "Il Grande Racket" by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, "Montreal Non Stop" by Luis Bacalov, "Tira A Rezza Oj Piscatore" by Raoul, "Folk & Violence" by Franco Micalizzi, "Sangue Di Sbirro" by Alessandro Alessandroni, "L'Intoccabile Mr Cliff" by Riz Ortolani, "La Polizia Chiede Aiuto" by Stelvio Cipriani, "Preludio" by Osanna, "Gangster Story" by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, "Inseguimento E Fuga (2)" by Ennio Morricone, and "Kidnap" by Piero Piccioni.

One of our favorite volumes in this now-legendary series – a set of grooves that runs from 70s electric back to 60s groovy – with plenty of space in between! There's a number of cuts on here that feel like they were lifted from lost CTI sessions of the 70s, thanks to warm keyboards and spare, subtle beats – while others mix together mod 60s styles, and even bits of Latin and Brazilian influences! The track selection is sublime, and still one of the best illustrations of the genius of this period – with tracks that include "Diamond Bossa Nova" by Franceso De Masi, "Lady Magnolia" by Piero Umiliani, "Nago" by Luiz Bacalov, "Bob E Hellen" by Piero Umiliani, "North Pole Penguin" by Piero Piccioni, "Beryl's Tune No 2" by Agusto Martelli, "Flute Sequence" by Franco Micalizzi, "Danza Citar Free" by Piero Umiliani, "Honey Rhythm & Blutter" by The Green Future, "Esquetando Os Tambourinos E Cuica" by Sergio Nilo, and "Soul Samba" by Attilio Donadio.

A fantastic collection of rare bossa material from Italy! The set's one of the best we've ever seen of this type, and it's a completely fresh batch of tunes that breaks past a lot of the other Italian compilations of recent years. Some of the artists are familiar names – like Morricone, Piccioni, and Trovajoli – but there's plenty of other artists that we've never even heard before! A few themes are reworkings of familiar soundtrack tunes, but most of the material is original – and done with a sparkling sound that's really great! The grooves are filled with loads of tight drums, bubbling organ, jangly piano, and sweet female vocals in sort of a Morricone-ish tradition. Great stuff, and with 20 excellent tracks that include "Amori Finiti" by Giancarlo Gazzani, "Relief" by The Black Fire, "Rossana" by Armando Trovajoli, "Sometime" by A Santisteban, "Tema Di Linda" by Franco Micalizzi, "Curriculum" by Franco Chiari, "Coronado 990" by Orchestra Henry Stone, "Meditation" by Romano Mussolini, and "Warm Blood" by Tullio Gallo.

A fantastic collection of rare bossa material from Italy! The set's one of the best we've ever seen of this type, and it's a completely fresh batch of tunes that breaks past a lot of the other Italian compilations of recent years. Some of the artists are familiar names – like Morricone, Piccioni, and Trovajoli – but there's plenty of other artists that we've never even heard before! A few themes are reworkings of familiar soundtrack tunes, but most of the material is original – and done with a sparkling sound that's really great! The grooves are filled with loads of tight drums, bubbling organ, jangly piano, and sweet female vocals in sort of a Morricone-ish tradition. Great stuff, and with 20 excellent tracks that include "Amori Finiti" by Giancarlo Gazzani, "Relief" by The Black Fire, "Rossana" by Armando Trovajoli, "Sometime" by A Santisteban, "Tema Di Linda" by Franco Micalizzi, "Curriculum" by Franco Chiari, "Coronado 990" by Orchestra Henry Stone, "Meditation" by Romano Mussolini, and "Warm Blood" by Tullio Gallo.