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An overlooked gem from the mighty Piero Piccioni – scored for a 70s comedy with Alberto Sordi, and served up with some nice global touches in the music! The best tunes have a bouncy sound that's almost samba – but inflected with a lot of Italian soundtrack charm – which makes for a mixing of modes that's completely charming, and almost a warmer bossa take on a batucada style! Some tunes get even more stripped-down, with elements that show the orchestral work from Berto Pisano – and I Cantori Moderni lend chorus vocals to a few moments too. Titles include "Pic Nic Calypso", "West Africa", "Sketch Notturno", "Safari Esquisito", and "Eexperanca Em Lab Com Rugido Do Leao". Features 3 previously unreleased bonus tracks too!

Dreamy genius from Piero Piccioni – one of our favorite Italian composers ever! This set does for Piccioni what the Mondo Morricone sets did for Ennio – in that it pulls together an assortment of his best tracks from late 60s and early 70s soundtracks – with a focus on the loveliest work of the period! Bossa rhythms meet bubbling organ, tinkling piano, floating voices, and other soft and pillowy elements – creating tunes that have a groove, but which are also topped off by lots of sweet easy touches. The collection features 20 tracks in all – and honestly, if you'd asked us to pick our favorites by Piero, we'd hardly have done a better job ourselves! Titles include "Cera Una Volta-Finale", "Capriccio", "Coming To The Point", "Il Dopolotta", "Sycamore Trails", "Nolan Theme", "Mystery", "Una Colt In Mano Al Diavolo", "Easy Dreamer", and "Amore In Fiore".

The rare sound library disco record from Piero Piccioni & Luis Bacalov from the end of the 70s – really cool stuff with funky drums, guitars and bass that soars gloriously with strings – anchored by the 18+ minute title track and featuring several other cues! "Fire Stars Dances" is a langorous late period disco, while "Warsaw Concerto" recasts some more operatic sounds in a disco mode. Other tracks include "Prelude To Love" and "You Never Told Me" and this great CD edition includes 2 shorter alternate takes of the title track.

A wonderfully different score by the great Piero Piccioni – filled with loads of bubbling understated grooves on organ, electric piano, and wah wah guitar! The soundtrack has all the sophistication of Piccioni's best work – but it's also got a mellow moody groove that's just great, and which reminds us of some of our favorite tracks in the Mighty Mellow series of compilations. As usual, the whole thing's extremely well packaged and reissued by the folks at Easy Tempo – with a set of 20 tracks that includes "Katmandu", "Starless Sky", "Inventions", "It's Possible", "Nights To Come", "New Ways To Live", and "Love Will Find A Way".

An excellent jazz soundtrack from Piero Piccioni – captured at a great early point in his film career, when he was still mixing in lots of elements from his work in jazz as well! The style here echoes some of the French jazz soundtracks of the new wave – and the tunes often sport breakout solos with plenty of fire – tenor, trumpet, and lots of piano – the latter of which has an especially great feel on some of the more mellow, moody tunes. Rhythms are great too – sometimes slow and loose, sometimes more vibrant and boppish – and together, the tunes work together to offer up a vibrant version of the movie that's almost as striking as the images on the screen! CD features a total of 26 tracks in all – over 70 minutes of music, including a number of unreleased tracks.

Definite demonic sounds from Piero Piccioni – one of the darkest soundtracks we've ever heard from the legendary Italian film composer – and a real standout from the rest of his work of the 60s! There's some very oddly-tuned instrumentation on the set – weird organ that's not entirely pipe organ, yet hardly Hammond either – often played in these long, twisted notes mixed with very offbeat and abstract percussion – all in ways that seem to reference the world of Xenakis and Stockhausen, yet which have a bit more of a cinematic focus here too. A few tunes are a bit more conventional, but still plenty darn tense – and titles include 14 tracks from the unreleased album, and 3 more long numbers from the film score!

Lots of jazziness here – including tight piano, snapping snare, and moody vibes – all served up in one of the best early soundtracks we've heard from Piero Piccioni! The core of the record features the original EP release of the film score – some of the most tight, tuneful numbers that really showcase Piccioni's jazz potential – but even the rich array of bonus tracks (29 extra tunes!) still mostly retain the jazzy flourish of the originals, and offer up some sweet instrumental variations that are mighty nice! The whole thing stands strongly next to some of the best French or American jazz soundtracks of the period – and this reissue adds in so much extra music, the CD runs for almost 80 minutes in length.

Sublime sounds from Piero Piccioni – one of the Italian soundtrack genius' best moments of the mid 70s! The album's got a nicely laidback, slinky sort of feel – one that's almost a 70s update of the vibe Piero first laid down in Tenth Victim – with snakey keyboard bits and sax lines – some sweet bossa moments, and other sexy touches. There's a few funky moments too, but these are in the minority – leaving most of the record to have this wonderfully mellow glow, but still with all the odd little twists we've come to love in Piccioni's music! Titles include "Number One Superman", "Let's Face Love", "Going My Round", "Guitars Improvviso", "El Agitato", and "Combinazione Special". Plus, this set features a bonus CD with 32 more bonus tracks – loads of variations, alternates, and outtakes – a real treasure trove of great music!

A trio of soundtracks from Piero Piccioni – all done for films directed by Francesco Rosi! First up is a great batch of tracks from Le Mani Sulla Citta – an early 60s film handled by Piccioni in a mix of jazz and some of the groovier touches he'd bring to his late 60s scores – really changing things up nicely between some piano-led groovers, organ numbers, and a few other tunes that use this really great echoey electric bass – quite sinister, but really propulsive too! There's 17 tracks from the film on the CD – way more than the original 45 rpm release. Salvatore Giuliano is represented by a 14 minute suite of tracks – very dark music that builds slowly from a brooding bassline, with lots of deep tones! Il Caso Mattei is featured on another long track – one that runs for almost 20 minutes, and which has some cool electronic effects in the mix – creating an almost pulse-like feel at points!

One of our favorite Italian soundtracks of the 70s – a wonderful score written by Piero Piccioni and conducted by Berto Pisano – easily our idea of heaven! The tunes are languid and laidback – moving in a way that's slow, yet often with an undercurrent of funk too – this great stepping bassline that moves underneath these very cool organ parts, and some haunting strings and tinkling piano too – recorded beautifully, and with a bit of light vocals from Nora Orlandi. Titles include "Vertigo", "Spirale D'Amore", "Andante Improvviso", "Guitars", "Turquoise", and "Significa Amore". This excellent version features a huge amount of bonus tracks – 17 more numbers added to the original 11 – with amazing variations on the theme, and other wondeful bits!

One of the hippest Italian soundtracks of the 60s – and a motherlode of tracks by the great Piero Piccioni! The soundtrack is the source of the oft-compiled "Mr Dante Fontana", a nutty groover about the mod fashion scene in Italy – and it also features the famous tracks "Richmond Bridge" and "You Never Told Me". Most of the music is by Piccioni and the wonderful vocal group I Cantori Moderni, with Edda Dell'Orso on vocals – but the CD also features some work by Lydia Mac Donald, Julie Rogers, and Ennio Morricone. Includes a few versions of the "Fontana" and "Richmond", plus "Ascot Dream", "Magic Castle", "Tango Walk", "Drag Beat", "This Is Life", "Palace Parade March", "Babylon, I'm Coming", and "His Dream Has Come True". Very groovy – with loads of excellent material, and 27 cuts in all!

One movie, and two different soundtracks – each handled by really great composers, and packaged here with a wealth of bonus tracks too! First up is the Piero Piccioni version of the score – put together with these brooding, subtle sounds that are then expanded nicely in orchestrations by Bruno Nicolai – almost a bit fuller on orchestrations than usual for Italian scores of this time – but also filled with cool percussion, exotic instrumentation, and other cool touches that really make the music shine! Titles include "Bora Bora", "Tamoure Festival", "Tamoure Nella Sera", "Eros In Hiro", "Tahiti Tamore", and "I'Sola Incanta". CD also features 17 more bonus tracks worth of music by Piccioni! Next up is the Les Baxter soundtrack – not classic exotica, but some fantastic soundtrack work with a groovy late 60s feel! Many of the tracks have a rumbling electric bass and some warm keyboards underneath a canopy of sexy strings – in a way that sounds like some of the best Italian scores from the late 60s, which probably accompanied exotic sex films as silly as this one! Titles include "Coral Cliffs", "Schooner", "Amber Skin", "Trade Winds", "Emerald Sea", and "Bora Bora". CD features 22 more bonus tracks from Les, too – making for a huge 60 titles in all!

A sexy little soundtrack from Piero Piccioni – penned for an early 80s film, but done with a slinky style that's pure Euro 70s all the way! Keyboards mix nicely with strings on many tracks – almost in a way that Piccioni seems to borrow from American soul maestros of the previous decade – but there's also some more Italian-styled touches too – including some later bossa inflections that really round out the sound of the record in a wonderful way. And a few especially nice gems have this sense of space that almost makes the music float in the air – recalling the sounds that first made us fall in love with the 60s music of Piccioni. Most solo piano is by Piero, and Toquinho plays guitar on one track – and titles include "Anche Se Sai", "Notte Preziosa", "Occhio Discreto", "Volo Di Mezzanotte", "Bona Nox", and "Ritmo Macumbeiro". CD features 11 bonus tracks too!

A nice one from Italian soundtrack great Piero Piccioni – his work for the mid 70s film Tutto A Posto E Niente In Ordine – one that travels through a number of modes! There's a bit of jazz funk, more laidback numbers with easygoing horn, strings and piano arrangements and others with more stripped down grit! There's quite a bit of funk to be found throughout, especially in the drums, yet it's a fairly sprawling set that works in a number of the styles – all areas in which Piccioni excels! 28 tracks in all: "Traffic Boom", "La Ragazza Nella Vetrina", "Palazzo Del Ghiaccio", "La Bella Signira", "Adelina", "Tema Citta", "Sante Mariuccia Tango", "Per Le Strade", "Calzer Sul Palchetto" and many more.

Freewheeling grooves from the great Fanco De Gemini – a swinging score that nicely hangs onto some of the best 60s styles of the mod years, of the sort you might hear from Piero Piccioni or Armando Trovajoli! Some cuts have vocals – sung by the lovely Melody – and others have romping rhythms with either organ, or what seems to be amplified harmonica by De Gemini – a perfect fit for the playfully swinging sounds of the tunes! Titles include the sublime scatting "Cheops & Nefertiti", plus "Omar Khayyam", "What Is This Love", "Cairo Night", "Sphinx Show", and "Cos E L'Amore".

The Voice is certainly the most beautiful sound in the world here – thanks to the vocals of the amazing Edda Dell'Orso! Edda's was THE voice heard in virtually all the best Italian soundtracks of the late 60s/early 70s era – that floating, dreamy singer who graced countless Morricone film scores, and also appeared on a fair bit of work by other composers too! And although Edda could also sing with some darker, sharper edges, the work here is all from the more beautiful side of the sound spectrum – and focuses on Dell'Orso's haunting wordless vocals, plus a few lyrical numbers – set amidst a backdrop of bossa rhythms, light instrumentation, and slightly groovy rhythms. The package features a whopping 21 tracks in all – with Edda's vocals on tunes that include "Con O Senzo Sole" and "Scacco All Regina" by Piero Piccioni, "Love Is A Woman" and "Let's Find Out" by Armando Trovajoli, "El Primo Baso" and "Delirio Secondo" by Ennio Morricone, "Eva's Beguine" by Roberto Pregadio, "Messalina Theme" by Giacomo Dell'Orso, and "Angelo E Giuditta" by Armando Trovajoli.

Great 60s grooves from Carlo Savina – two playful comedic scores from the 60s, both filled with whimsical instrumental touches! Veneri Al Sole is excellent right from the start – with a Piero Piccioni-like blend of jazz, Latin rhythms, and some mod 60s instrumentation – especially on organ, electric harpsichord, and vibes, which both ring out on some of the album's best tracks – in ways that have sonic properties that go way beyond their familiar use! The record's a great example of the way that 60s Italian composers were really changing things around – and that spirit follows strongly on Veneri In Collegio – a set of tracks that's almost more vivid overall – especially in the way it uses wider woodwind passages to flesh out the sound. CD features 26 tracks in all – with great remastering!

Groovy tunes with a heavy soundtrack bounce – all great numbers lifted from older Italian scores, plus a few other tunes by recent Italian groups who have a definite retro groove! The feel is great – with lots of organ, bouncy drums, and weird little sounds, all humming some hip grooves that sound very very fresh to our ears. Beat, shake, and jerk tunes abound – and many of these numbers are making their first appearance ever on CD, too! Titles include "Laila Laila" by Ennio Morricone, "Gimme Time" by Sante Maria Romitelli, "Psycho Sitar" by Magnetic 4, "I Was A Yeh Yeh Girl" by Doing Time, "I Giovani Tigri" by Piero Piccioni, "Roma Bene" by Luis Bacalov, "Quand Ero Un Bebe" by Vip 2000, "Il Tallone Di Achille" by Franco De Masi, and "Il Divorzio" by Fred Buongusto.

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.

Excellent funky and groovy tracks pulled from the catalog of the legendary Cinevox Records – home to some of Italy's greatest soundtrack work of the 60s and 70s! Sure, we've had some of the label's great stuff on single CDs – but this set pulls from a lot of soundtracks that haven't been reissued yet, and also includes a number of tracks that were never issued before at all! There's plenty of funky drums, fuzzy guitars, groovy organ, and lots of other nice bits in the set's 16 tracks – and the overall sound is a nice departure from some of the other Italian compilations. Titles include "Unknit" by Carlo Rustichelli, "2968" by Carlo Savina, "Up To Date" by Fred Bongusto, "5 Bambole Per La Luna D'Agosto" by Piero Umiliani, "Milano Rhythm & Blues" by Gianni Ferrio, "Serata Al Night" by Guido De Angelis, and "Il Dopolotta" by Piero Piccioni.

Fab and groovy! The Cinevox label was home to some of the swinginest soundtrack music to come out of Italy in the 60s and 70s – but lots of it's been buried for years, or relegated to pricey Japanese-only reissues. This set does a great job of correcting that problem – by sampling some of the greatest grooves from the legendary label, serving them up in a very strong 16 track set that's filled with loads of wonderful moments that you won't find elsewhere! Tracks include "Diamonds" by Franco Bixio, "Quicksilver (new edit)" by Giorgio Gaslini, "Car Chase At Margellina" by Guido e Maurizio De Angelis, "Fai Presto" by Gianni Ferrio, "Blue Rhythm Festival (new edit)" by Piero Piccioni, "Crazy Sax" by Augusto Martelli, and "Break" by Franco Bixio.

We don't know if this music actually "started" the Italian Lounge scene – because Italy's always been pretty darn loungey to us – but we can say that the package is a great batch of groovy soundtrack tunes, as sparkling musically as the cover is visually! The set pulls together 15 tracks from obscure 60s and 70s soundtracks – featuring work from some of Italy's hipper composers, and focusing on tunes of theirs with an upbeat, bouncy, mod 60s kind of approach! Titles include "Beirut Shake" by Luis Bacalov, "Love War Call" by Piero Piccioni, "Big Doll Shake" by Luis Bacalov, "Inchiesta (new edit)" by Bertio Pisano, "Party Mood" by Armando Trovajoli, and "Seven Times Seven" by The Casuals.

Fuzzed-out groovy 60s tunes – very mod, hip, and out of this world! These tasty little gems are pulled from obscure Italian soundtracks – very nicely collected in this fab package, with an ear-popping sound that includes great work on organ, guitars, electric harpsichord, and other instrumentation just right for coming up with a Blow Up party mood! Titles include "Discoteque Party" by Piero Umiliani, "Franco Nero Shake (new edit)" by Fred Bongusto, "Catherine Spaak Shake (new edit)" by Armando Trovajoli, "Easy Dreamer" by Piero Piccioni, "I Baronetti" by Alessandro Alessandroni, "Gaby Shake" by Nico Fidenco, and "Black Sheep Shake" by Luis Bacalov.

Bernardo Bertolucci in music and pictures – presented here with a 32 page booklet filled with images from his films! The CD offers up a full range of themes from famous Bertolucci movies – and includes "Cha Cha Cha Cantato" by Piero Piccioni, "Vecchia Hollywood" by Ennio Morricone, "Chi Pi Felice Di Me" by Georges Delerue, "Il Conformista" by Augusto Martelli, "Splash" by Ennio Morricone, "Why Did She Choose You" by Gato Barbieri, "Tema Di Ada" by Ennio Morricone, "The Last Emperor" by John Williams, "Little Buddha" by Ryuichi Sakamoto, and "La Tragedia Di Un Nomo Ridiculo" by Ennio Morricone.

Sublime bossa groovers from Italy! The first volume of this series was one of our favorite compilations that year it was released – and this second volume is equally as great! Schema groover Gerardo Frisina serves up a hand-picked batch of 16 tunes, mostly classic numbers from the late 60s and early 70s, pulled from the ranks of Italian soundtrack, jazz, and easy listening albums – all with a flair for making the bossa even groovier than it already is! Electric keyboards abound – and the rhythms run from dreamy to driving to slightly funky, always at the right pace for the material, and always making the set dance with delight! Titles include "Incontro All'Aereoporto" by Piero Piccioni, "Allora, Il Treno" by Bruno Nicolai & Edda Dell'Orso, "Avances" by Gerardo Frisina, "Wind" by Red Redford Sound System One, "Bossalonga" by Mustang, "Unreality Landscape" by Angel Pocho Gatti, "Susan Theme" by Daniele Patucchi, "Per Lei" by Stefano Torossi, and "Colpa Tua" by Giancarlo Gazzani.

Rare work from composer Robby Poitevin – pulled from two groovy Italian films of the late 60s! Tecnica Di Un Omicidio is a great action score, put together with a heavy dose of jazz – great vibes, flute, and plenty of other horns – blasting out with a hip style over lots of tight percussion – almost in the manner of spy films from the time, but with a lot more complexity at points, almost the depths of a drama, without any of the sleepy moments. The film's represented by 12 tracks here, all of them pretty great, and pretty different from each other – a really fresh batch of music that includes "Alba A New York", "Central Station", "My Man", "L'Ultima Vittima", "Bassifondi", "Clint In Agguato", and "Tecnica Di Un Omicido". Quella Carogna Dell'Ispettore Sterling is a great score to a hip 60s crime thriller – served up with a mod mix of bossa nova, jazz, and some groovier bits – really great music that easily rivals the late 60s greatness of better-known Italian composers like Armando Trovajoli or Piero Piccioni! Some tunes are upbeat and driving – almost in a mod mode – while others have a dreamier style that makes cool use of organ and voice, the latter of which is handled by I Cantori Moderni on two tracks, and Gianfranca Montedoro on one more. There's an odd sort of feel to the music, in ways that have the same sort of charm as the great score for The Tenth Victim, especially in the use of organ. Titles include "Allucianzione", "One More Step", "Alba A San Francisco", "Tema Dell'Ispettore Sterling", and "Adesso Che Hai Vent'Anni".

A pair of very groovy soundtracks – back to back on a single CD! I Due Vigili is a real departure from Carlo Rustichelli – and a score that has him in the best mod territory of Piero Piccioni and Armando Trovajoli – with lots of cool guitar, sweet Hammond lines, and other hip instrumental touches that make for tunes that are as groovy as they are playful! There's still a few echoes of early 60s Italian scoring at times, but most numbers have a great bouncy comedic feel – and the CD features 11 tracks from the film, including one unused number! Ma Chi T'Ha Dat La Patente is pretty great too – with some very cool moments that include a whimsical main theme with echoey whistling, some jazzier interludes, and weird use of voices and guitar at points! The whistling enough is more than enough to draw us in – and the CD features 9 tracks from the film!

Fuzzed-out groovy 60s tunes – very mod, hip, and out of this world! These tasty little gems are pulled from obscure Italian soundtracks – very nicely collected in this fab package, with an ear-popping sound that includes great work on organ, guitars, electric harpsichord, and other instrumentation just right for coming up with a Blow Up party mood! Titles include "Discoteque Party" by Piero Umiliani, "Franco Nero Shake (new edit)" by Fred Bongusto, "Catherine Spaak Shake (new edit)" by Armando Trovajoli, "Easy Dreamer" by Piero Piccioni, "I Baronetti" by Alessandro Alessandroni, "Gaby Shake" by Nico Fidenco, and "Black Sheep Shake" by Luis Bacalov.

On the heels of their Sessomato Experience LP, Easy Tempo release this compilation of older Italian soundtrack grooves – by Luis Bacalov, Armando Trovajoli, Piero Umiliani, and Piero Piccioni – remixed by modern European mixologists – like Kid Loco, Jazz Brothers, Rainer Truby Trio, Maffia Sound System, and Gak Sato. As with the other projects, the effort is an attempt update some of these funky grooves, and turn them towards the modern dancefloor. The album's packaged on 3 long 12" singles, which makes it extra DJ friendly, and it's a nice batch of tracks to mix in with a lively now sound set.

The first-ever volume of the now-legendary Easy Tempo series – a collection of soundtrack grooves that hipped us back to the wonders of the Italian scene of the 60s and 70s – and did so at a time when few folks had ever thought to reissue this music! Right from the start, this series set a whole new level for soundtrack appreciation – and the collection features an incredible range of tunes that run from jazzy, to groovy, to funky, with lots of mod spaces in between – all served up with great sound, and even more of a sense of focus than the original soundtracks! Titles include "La Gabbia" by Gianni Ferrio, "Blue Rhythm Festival" by Piero Piccioni, "Notte Al Grand Hotel" by Riz Ortolani, "One Fine Morning" by Augusto Martelli, "Mark Il Poliziotto" by Stelvio Ciprani, "Grigioperla" by Gianfranco Plenizio, "Serena E Lamuno" by Riz Ortolani, and "Ira Rhythm & Blues" by Gianni Ferrio.

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.

Soundtrack funk doesn't get any better than this – thanks to a head-expanding of tracks from the Italian scene of the 60s and 70s – served up with the usual ear for a great cut by the folks at Easy Tempo! The groove here is far from the "easy" you might expect – and most numbers have tight drums, funky basslines, and other heavy elements – all put together with an approach to the music that's far different than anything happening in the US at the time, especially in the way the instruments sound in the end – and in the way that the production techniques make them do really crazy things! Titles include "Parangua" by Luiz Bacalov, "Flirt a Rio" by Piero Umiliani, "Side Sleep" by Berto Pisano, "Little Shakie Girl" by Armando Trovajoli, "Tremendous Stars" by Piero Piccioni, "Under Drama" by Giancarlo Gazzani, "Realta No 5" by Stelvio Cipriani, "So" by Lara Saint Paul, "Israelites" by Capuano, and "Citta Viva" by Ennio Morricone.

The bikini beat is a great one here – no simple beach music classics, but a range of mod groovers from the classic years of the Italian soundtrack scene! This volume is heavy on electric elements – fuzzy guitars, keyboards, and more – all filtered nicely through a range of rhythms from the 60s and the 70s – bossa, jazzy, and funky – filled with amazing twists and turns throughout! The double-length collection is a treasure through and through – easily one of the greatest soundtrack sets we could have hoped for. Tracks include "Teresa L'Illusa" by Riz Ortolani, "Malizie Di Venere" by Gianpiero Reverberi, "Spy Chase" by Bruno Nicolai, "Airport Rock" by Barigozzi Group, "Shake 2000" by Piero Piccioni, "Amanda Blues" by Gianni Ferrio, "Un Detective" by Fred Bongusto, "Katmandu" by Piero Piccioni, "Theme" by Armando Trovajoli, and "La Bambolona" by Luis Bacalov.

This great series keeps on redefining itself! While previous volumes have focused on funky, jazzy, and Latiny cuts – this fab 8th volume features a beautiful blend of tracks with a spare easy feel, and an exploration into the Italian minimalist groove – that ethereal, almost otherwordly style heard on some of the dreamiest soundtracks by Ennio Morricone! There's a floating, lilting groove here that's as lovely as the lady on the cover – and the set's overflowing with a whopping 21 titles in all – including "Tema Di Barbara" by Alberto Baldan Bembo, "Bai Des Anges" by Walter Rizzati, "A Ciascuno Il Suo" by Luis Bacalov, "To Jean" by Berto Pisano, "I Tuoi Sospiri" by Bruno Nicolai, "Metropoli" by Gino Marinacci Ensemble, "La Famiglia Nicotera" by Piero Piccioni, "Running Fire" by Lou Stein, and "Tema B" by Paolo Vasile.

A Guido Crepax cover, and a batch of amazing soundtrack grooves – all wrapped up wonderfully as the 9th installment in the all-great Easy Tempo series! The sound here is superb – a blend of jazzy, bossa, and slightly funky numbers – all played with plenty of soul, and served up with a sound that easily shows why Italy was one of the hippest music scenes in the world at the end of the 60s. Instrumentation includes snakey sax, slinky keyboards, rumbling percussion, and more – all arranged with plenty of amazing twists and turns that go far beyond any expectations you might have from American cinema of the time! Highlights include a live version of Piero Piccioni's "Colpo Rovente"; work by the swinging vocal group I Cantori Moderni on both "La Ragazza Dalla Dalla Pelle Di Luna" by Piero Umiliani and "L'Uomo Dagli Occhi Di Ghiaccio" by Pepo De Luca & I Marc 4; a Gak Sato edit of "Death Dies" by Goblin; an extended take on "Dancing For You" by Armando Trovajoli; and the sweet cut "Hard Times" by Piero Umiliani. 20 tracks in all – and wonderful throughout!

Genius! Pure mad genius – and one of the best volumes in this always-great series! After 10 volumes, the folks at Easy Tempo have become incredibly well skilled at picking groovy soundtrack tunes – and this beautiful 20 track package is as much a delight for the ears as it is for the musically-driven mind. The range of grooves is incredible – with elements that include swinging Hammond organ, breezy wordless vocals, spare sax and reeds, cool vibes, and just about anything else the Italian soundtrack composers of the 60s and 70s could get their hands on! Titles include "Swing E Sesso" by Carlo Rustichelli, "On Ce Voit Ce Soir" by Philippe Sarde, "Allora Il Treno" by Bruno Nicolai, "Tough Guys" by Carlo Pes, "Face To Face" by Stelvio Cipriani, "L'Isola Misteriosa" by Piero Piccioni, "Mary's Theme" by Stelvio Cipriani, "Qualcosa Piu Grande Di Noi" by Armando Trovajoli, and "La Pupa Del Gangster" by Piero Umiliani.

Genius! Pure mad genius – and one of the best volumes in this always-great series! After 10 volumes, the folks at Easy Tempo have become incredibly well skilled at picking groovy soundtrack tunes – and this beautiful 20 track package is as much a delight for the ears as it is for the musically-driven mind. The range of grooves is incredible – with elements that include swinging Hammond organ, breezy wordless vocals, spare sax and reeds, cool vibes, and just about anything else the Italian soundtrack composers of the 60s and 70s could get their hands on! Titles include "Swing E Sesso" by Carlo Rustichelli, "On Ce Voit Ce Soir" by Philippe Sarde, "Allora Il Treno" by Bruno Nicolai, "Tough Guys" by Carlo Pes, "Face To Face" by Stelvio Cipriani, "L'Isola Misteriosa" by Piero Piccioni, "Mary's Theme" by Stelvio Cipriani, "Qualcosa Piu Grande Di Noi" by Armando Trovajoli, and "La Pupa Del Gangster" by Piero Umiliani.

Really hip work from Italian flautist Gino Marinacci – a player with a sound that's unlike anyone else we can think of, recording here in a group that really matches the best side of his talents! Gino plays a bass flute – which has a nice low-end, rumbling sort of sound – quite different than some of the higher-toned flutes usually used in jazz, and mixed here with trombone work from Dino Piana, which makes for a nicely bottom-heavy record that's really great. Other players include Antonello Vannucchi on piano and organ and Angelo Baroncini on guitar – and the rhythms on the record are often as unique as Marinacci's sound – not quite modal, not quite bossa, not quite soul jazz – but with cool elements of all of them. Arrangements are by Marinacchi and Vannucchi, but Piero Piccioni also arranged one tune too – and titles include "Idea", "Metropoli", "Club Privato", "Comunicativa", "Dialogo", "Intesa", and "Un Volto Una Storia".

A sublime second set of work from Orgasmo Sonore – even hipper than their first, and again a wonderful reworking of soundtrack modes from the Italian scene of the 70s! Compositions here are by Ennio Morricone, Stelvio Cipriani, Piero Piccioni, and others – but the group makes the music very much their own – by transforming the tunes with tighter, funkier instrumentation – almost giving the songs a small combo sort of feel, while still retaining all the majestic charm of the originals! The approach is mindblowing – easily one of the best contemporary experiments of this nature we've ever heard – and the record is pleasing both to ears that love vintage soundtracks, and to those that dig funky instrumentals too. Titles include "Too Risky A Day For A Regatta", "Incubi Ricorrenti", "Metropolis", "Summertime Bossa", "Volto Di Donna", "Pillage", "Les Dunes D'Ostende", "Un Ombra Nell'Ombra", "La Sconda Caccia", and "Pearls".

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 that graced so many cinematic excursions of the period – and which have been beautifully re-presented by Easy Tempo over the course of their excellent series. Set features titles that include "Sweden" by Tito Fontana, "Caccia Al Ladro" by Armando Trovajoli, "Tap 5" by Ettore Ballotta, "Notte In Allegria" by Piero Umiliani, "Golden Gate Bridge" by Riz Ortolani, "Gangster Song" by Piero Umiliani, "Ebony Ride" by Piero Piccioni, "Gordon Blues" by Francesco De Masi, "Concerto Blues" by Gianni Ferrio, and "Glad" by Lou Stein Trio.

Sublime bossa groovers from Italy! The first volume of this series was one of our favorite compilations that year it was released – and this second volume is equally as great! Schema groover Gerardo Frisina serves up a hand-picked batch of 16 tunes, mostly classic numbers from the late 60s and early 70s, pulled from the ranks of Italian soundtrack, jazz, and easy listening albums – all with a flair for making the bossa even groovier than it already is! Electric keyboards abound – and the rhythms run from dreamy to driving to slightly funky, always at the right pace for the material, and always making the set dance with delight! Titles include "Incontro All'Aereoporto" by Piero Piccioni, "Allora, Il Treno" by Bruno Nicolai & Edda Dell'Orso, "Avances" by Gerardo Frisina, "Wind" by Red Redford Sound System One, "Bossalonga" by Mustang, "Unreality Landscape" by Angel Pocho Gatti, "Susan Theme" by Daniele Patucchi, "Per Lei" by Stefano Torossi, and "Colpa Tua" by Giancarlo Gazzani.

A sublime second set of work from Orgasmo Sonore – even hipper than their first, and again a wonderful reworking of soundtrack modes from the Italian scene of the 70s! Compositions here are by Ennio Morricone, Stelvio Cipriani, Piero Piccioni, and others – but the group makes the music very much their own – by transforming the tunes with tighter, funkier instrumentation – almost giving the songs a small combo sort of feel, while still retaining all the majestic charm of the originals! The approach is mindblowing – easily one of the best contemporary experiments of this nature we've ever heard – and the record is pleasing both to ears that love vintage soundtracks, and to those that dig funky instrumentals too. Titles include "Too Risky A Day For A Regatta", "Incubi Ricorrenti", "Metropolis", "Summertime Bossa", "Volto Di Donna", "Pillage", "Les Dunes D'Ostende", "Un Ombra Nell'Ombra", "La Sconda Caccia", and "Pearls".

A really cool collection that's got way more to offer than you might guess from the Italo in the title – as the set's filled with obscure funk, jazz, and sound library gems from the 70s! Usually, we associate Italo with Italo Disco – that 80s version of club music that broke big around the world in many scenes. But the tracks here are sort of the "roots" of that version of Italo – the funky experiments of a generation before – which were often inspired by American jazz and soul of the time, but took things into a whole new dimension – thanks to the wide range of creative instrumentalists and unusual studios in Italy during the 70s! A few names are familiar here, and others are composers you might know from soundtracks – but together, the vibe is something else entirely – and something entirely great, thanks to wicked work from Big Bang/Arision Records, who put together the whole thing. Titles include "Aflogelia" by Narassa, "Open Space" by Piero Umiliani, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Tony Esposito, "Ore 24" by Alberto Baldan Bembo, "Pearls" by Piero Piccioni, "Five, Four, & Three" by Lee Konitz, "Lavoro Veloce" by Farlocco, "Louisville" by Made In USA, "Depressione" by Jazz Video, "Tip Cat" by Santucci Scoppa, and "Greenleaf Street" by Max Rocci & His Friends.