The great Luis Bacalov is one of the longtime masters of Italian cinema scoring – an artist who's done everything from 60s westerns to more contemporary sentimental films – and who turns out some really nice sounds for this obscure thriller from the 70s! The main theme of the film has this really cool mix of electronic waves and clubby grooves – almost like Andromeda Strain meeting Studio 54 – and those moments are balanced by others that have a more laidback, spacious, piano-led quality – almost at the level of Stelvio Cipriani, but maybe a bit more sinister at times! There's a few nice woodwind moments too – and Bacalov does a great job of moving between dense moments and more open-ended sounds – in a selection of 22 tracks from the film, including two versions of the single "Shock Me" – which is a funky disco surprise! CD

Spooky keyboards galore – and a classic horror soundtrack from Goblin – done with just the right blend of rock influences and film score modes to live up to their well-deserved legacy! As on other records, the approach here is more that of a rock group – with guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums as the main instrumentation – but the sound is less jamming and very spare at times – so that these familiar elements get a weird sort of twist, and head into styles that are as tense as some of the images on the screen! A few numbers get slightly funky, but overall things are more in a slasher-type mode – and titles include "The Carver", "Rush", "Time Is On", "Ogre", "Quiet Drops", "Bikini Island", and "Flood". LP, Vinyl record album

A non-soundtrack album from Goblin – but one that's right up there with the spirit of their classic scores for director Dario Argento! The tunes here are a bit longer, and spin out with a great mix of funky rhythms and electric keyboards – Fender Rhodes and clavinet, mixed nicely with tight basslines and fuzzy guitar – really showing the group's earlier rockish roots, but handled with the lean, jazzy style that would make them kings of the Italian soundtrack scene of the 70s. Titles include the long versions of "Aquaman" and "Dr Frankenstein" – which were both used later in Suspiria – and other cuts include "Roller", "Goblin", "Snip Snap", and "Il Risveglio Del Serpente". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal Italian horror soundtrack, played by the great Goblin, and created for this totally creepy film by Dario Argento! The band are using a lot of airy keyboards and electronics here – in broad washes of sound filled with evil and darkness, instead of some of the group's usual funkier rhythms. Not that the whole score's slow and moody, though, because some of the tracks have a nice early 80s electronic feel – like late Tangerine Dream, or instrumental Ultravox. Plus, a few themes have very haunting vocals, set to very creepy orchestrations! Titles include "The Wind", "Sleepwalking", "Jennifer", and "Jennifer's Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the heaviest soundtracks scored by Goblin during the 70s – with lots of funky club influences, and a funky disco sound on a number of tracks that feature vocals by the great European club diva Asha Puthli. Puthli sings on the tracks "The Whip" and "The Sound Of Money", and there's one more track, "Welcome To The Boogie", that's got unidentified vocals – but which follows in a similar disco sort of mode! The rest of the material is mostly uptempo cop show type stuff from the era – with plenty of keyboards, wah wah guitars, and heavy rhythms – that funky mix of rock and soundtrack styles that Goblin did so well back in the day. Titles include "Trumpet's Flight", "Sicilian Samba", "Stunt Cars", and "Disco China". CD features bonus material – "Squadra Antigangsters (movie take 1)", "Squadra Antigangsters (movie take 2)", and "Trumpet's Flight (alt version)". CD

One of the more obscure soundtracks from the great run of early 70s material on Cinevox – and a set that's right up there with the best of the time, like Ennio Morricone or Stelvio Cipriani! The score's an unusual one by Augusto Martelli – for a film about a woman who is converted to the "erotic religion of the Snake God", and sacrifices herself at the end of the film! Who cares about the plot, though, because there's some great little groovy bits on here – played by nicely compressed guitar and Hammond organ, plus lots of exotic percussion, in keeping with the theme of the film. For starters, the score contains the great track "Beryl's Tune", which has a great jangly guitar sample that's been used at least once over the past few years. Other nice ones include "Djamballa", "Beryl No 2", "Ciche Ton Ton", "Beguine Venezuela", "Mood", and "Zombie's Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great little soundtrack – an unusual comedic moment for Ennio Morricone, and scored with this very groovy blend of light orchestrations, gentle rhythms, and even a bit of bossa! Keyboard lines ring out with this spare, resonant feel on some of our favorite numbers – recalling the best Morricone modes at the start of the 70s, but with a slightly different twist – and the overall approach is way more classy and careful than the usual Italian comedy of this vintage – no throwaway disco or too-cheesy cuts – just the kind of careful sense of sound we'd expect from the maestro. Vinyl version features 20 tracks in all – titles that include "Marcetta Poplare", "Un Povero Emigrante", "Dance On", "Autostrada", and a number of variations on the title. LP, Vinyl record album

The kind of sexy Morricone soundtrack we really really love! This overlooked gem is a sweet 70s side – written for a love story starring Marcello Mastroianni and Nastassja Kinski, and done with the lightly erotic touches that make even Morricone's prettiest melodies extremely haunting and edgey. Most of the music is by a larger orchestra, with some isolated instrumentation – and although a few tracks get a bit uptempo, overall the mood is very languid, slowly drifting from note to note, like a breeze through a window on a summer afternoon. Sultry grooves from the master! Titles include "Verso Madrid", "Amore Per Amore", "Cosi Come Sei", "Spazio 1999", "Postludio Di Amore", and "Cosi Come Sei". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully building score from Ennio Morricone – one that's filled with tracks that start out slow, then layer on elements in a really wonderful way! The main theme is a bit dreamy, but some others are a bit dark – and are done in an arry of jagged sounds and offbeat instrumental tunings that reminds us a bit of Morricone's brilliance on the score for The Burglars (Gli Scassinatori). As with that one, piano figures strongly on some of the tunes here – recorded with spare, echoey qualities – but in ways that are hardly the sweeter tones of Morricone's more famous scores of later years. CD features a total of 19 tracks in all – a nicely expanded version of the soundtrack! CD

A dark little score from Ennnio Morricone – penned for a mid 70s film that starred Rod Steiger as Mussolini! The style here is even more spacious, and almost more tense, than some of Morricone's horror work of the time – and in a way, the music often has a cold, grey quality – with far less color or striking sound than some of Morricone's lighter, whimsical soundtracks. There's also a pronounced sense of space, too – a feel that almost has you waiting for each new note to come – instead of that more flowing Morricone style of familiar work. Titles include "SOS La Fine", "Ultimo Atto", "Giustiziato", "Verso La Frontiera", and "Mussolini Ultimo Atto". CD

A Morricone score penned for a comedic western – but music that's really on a par with any of his more familiar classics of the genre! The styles here run from dark to bright – with some numbers that feature trademark Morricone styles like isolated harmonica or chanting vocals, to others that cascade with slightly more contemporary instrumental modes – including just a bit of subdued electricity amidst the larger orchestrations. But in any setting, the Morricone genius shines through beautifully – and there's a sense of depth to even the simplest tunes here that's really great – and the balance here is what really makes the album strong. CD features a whopping 29 tracks in all – way more than any other issue of music from the film – with titles that include "Non Fare L'Indiano", "Sfida All'Ultima Forchetta", "L'Ultima Tromba", "Tanti Pugni", "Occhio Alla Pena", "Passagio Dal Male Al Bene", and "Dal Sarto". CD

A nice collection of 70s work on the Cinevox label – with work by Goblin for the film Profondo Rosso, Ennio Morricone from La Donna Della Domenica, Bixio Frizzi Tempera from Vai Gorilla, Stelvio Cipriani from Due Cuori Una Cappella, and Gianfranco Plenizio from Amici Mie. LP, Vinyl record album

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! CD

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A heck of a great little record from Italian soundtrack composer Carlo Rustichelli – an obscure mid 70s score, and one that's got some groovier moments than a lot of his other work from the time! The album's got a playful, jaunty sort of feel – one that's right in keeping with the cartoony image on the cover – and most numbers feature keyboards of some sort (organ, piano, accordion) springing along in variations of the main theme – a haunting little tune that's sweetly swinging and a bit jazzy, yet also touched with a nice undercurrent of sadness. The arrangements are great too – and often feature weird passages bursting in – at a level that reminds us of some of our favorites from the late 60s. Titles include "Una Partita A Carte", "Al Trani", "Amici Miei", "Una Bravata", "Un Goccio Di Tristezza", and "Amici Sempre". Plus, this version features 7 more bonus tracks – all very cool alternate takes! CD

A really striking soundtrack from the great Armando Trovajoli – working here in a style that's a bit less bossa or mod than some of his other late 60s film scores, but with some wonderful musical moments throughout! The film's a period piece, and the instrumentation is somewhat more traditional than some of Trovajoli's modder or bossa moments – but the change is a nice one, and shows a richer, more complicated side of his music – especially on the few tracks that feature vocals from the lovely Edda Dell'Orso. Titles include "Nell Anno Del Signore", "Addio", "I Carbonari", "Paolina", "Tema De Giuditta", "Sapessi Quanto Amore", and "Coro Della Morte". Also features the bonus suite of tracks "Nell Anno Del Signore". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest soundtracks we've ever heard from Piero Umiliani – an incredibly groovy record from the very first note! The score's got a fantastic mix of groovy scoring, jazzy bits, and cool little vocals – spare organ lines that set the tune on most numbers, stepping basslines to set the rhythms, and scatting lyrics from I Cantori Moderni – a group who make the act of counting to 5 sound incredibly cool! The feel is quite similar to Umiliani's sublime Sweden Heaven & Hell soundtrack (and at one point, you even can hear the guy with the funny voice from "Mah Na Mah Na") – and the music is exactly the kind of wonderful stuff that first got us digging Italian film scores so many years ago. This great reissue adds a bunch of previously unreleased tracks to the original – a whopping 34 tracks in all – 14 from the original album, plus 3 stereo bonus cuts, and another 17 mono tunes. Titles include a few versions of the main theme, plus "Titoli Coda", "Luna Di Piero Agosto", "Bambola Omicida", "Interludio Azzurro", "Cinque Bambole", and "Danza Jazz Moon". CD

A rare spaghetti western score from Piero Umiliani – an Italian composer we usually know best for bossa or more jazz-oriented scores, but who sounds right at home in this genre too! The album's got a sound that really shows the full range of Umiliani's talents – a few western-styled numbers with guitar in the lead, but also a number of different styles too – quieter moments that are cool variations on the main theme – played with either organ, saxophone, or harpsichord – recorded with some cool changes and a great sense of play throughout. The CD features 12 tracks from the film's score – plus the vocal number "Roy Colt", which is sung by the group Free Love, and originally only issued on a 45! CD

Dario Agento hired aging prog rock star Keith Emerson for this 1980 horror soundtrack, and the overall approach used by Emerson is similar to some of his solo instrumental work from the late 70s – with lots of keyboard-heavy tracks (acoustic piano, organ, electric piano) that show off Emerson's virtuosity and classical training. The score has some elements that are similar to some of Argento's other soundtracks – like the contemporary work by Goblin – but it's also much more of an Emerson-driven album. The whole thing's remastered here and presented with a total of 15 tracks that include "Mark's Discovery", "Rose Gets It", "Elisa's Story", "Inferno", and "Taxi Ride". LP, Vinyl record album

It's hard to believe that anyone ever took the electronics of Giorgio Moroder seriously enough to think they'd be the right setting for an intensely dramatic thriller like this – but in the decade when Italian thrillers were doing the same thing, it's kind of easy to see. And if you think of this one as a dated American soundtrack, you'll be lost – but if you see it as some groovy bit of Italian sexy electronics from the 70s, you'll find that it's got some pretty nice moments, and would fit perfectly with some of the Cinevox material from the end of the 70s. Titles include "The Chase", "The Wheel", "Cacophony", and "Midnight Express". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastically dark Morricone score! Morricone originally wrote this material for the film Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio, the third part of Dario Argento's cult terror trilogy – and until the release of this reissue, only 2 of the tracks ever made it to the public, on a rare single issued by Cinevox in 1971. The leadoff track – "4 Mosche Di Vellutto Grigio (titoli)" – is actually a bit funky, with some very heavy drums and cascading fuzzy guitar riffs that sound very nice. Then, the record moves into spookier material – like the cut "Come Un Madrigale", and a number of self-titled themes – all of which feature strange harpsichord work, dark orchestral passages, and some very spooky production work! Fortunately, the score ends on an upbeat note – a hard driving, beat group sounding version of the main theme that's a nice cap to the whole package! LP, Vinyl record album