A really unusual project from electronic music legend Delia Derbyshire – sounds that were created for a film of abstract photographic images, but which work beautifully here on their own! Partner Elsa Stansfield contributes a lot of core elements to the music – Derbyshire works in sounds that are even more abstract and beautiful than her better-known music for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop – and together, they create something that we'd be more likely to call a "sonic painting" than just an ordinary record album! The set also features a bit of spoken introduction by Pamela Bone – whose photographs formed the core of the images – but overall, most of the proceedings are instrumental, and come from the team of Derbyshire and Stansfield. (Sound Library, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A western soundtrack with a different twist – one that definitely shares some of the darker aspects of the crime score work by Gianni Ferrio! There's a few hard-driving themes, but most of the tracks are pretty spare, short, and moody – almost melancholy at points, with great spare instrumental lines on guitar or flute, occasionally augmented with a bit of strings – but in ways that differ from more familiar western modes. Surprisingly rich stuff – and this special edition from Digitmovies is loaded up – including the complete film score in mono as the first half, and the the stereo soundtrack as it was originally released as the second half of the disc – a really nice approach to give a more complete presentation! The score half of the CD includes 18 sequences off the Quei Disperati, and titles on the stereo soundtrack titles include "Uno Dopo L'Altro", "Notturno A Toiuca", "Oltre Il Confine", "Que Disperati", and "Alba Senza Speranza". 40 tracks in all! CD

Over the years, we've come to realize that the best thing about the Peanuts cartoons isn't the actions of Charlie Brown and Lucy, but the wonderful music from Vince Guaraldi – perhaps the one aspect of the cartoons that's kept on giving over the years, and which we can proudly carry into adulthood! Vince's music is sublime – often simple, but groovy – a mix of rhythmic vamps and more lyrical passages that perfectly underscore the melancholy that graced the characters of Charles Schultz, and which perhaps defines them even better than the clunky stories or voiceovers on the screen. This set features all the best numbers from the glory days of those cartoons – mostly holiday numbers, but some other gems too – titles that include "Skating", "Little Birdie", "Baseball Theme", "Linus & Lucy", "Happiness Is", "Oh Good Grief", "Christmas Is Coming", "Great Pumpkin Waltz", "Thanksgiving Theme", and both vocal and instrumental versions of "Christmas Time Is Here". (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Soundtracks for two great 60s Frank Sinatra films – both back to back on a single CD, both scored by maestro Jerry Goldsmith! First up is The Detective – a soundtrack we've been trying to find for years – given the way the music works perfectly in the surprisingly dark film! Goldsmith uses lots of jazzy tones in his scoring – especially trumpet lines – which works wonderfully not just for the urban location of the narrative, but to underscore the really melancholy mood of the whole movie – one of those Bullit-era cop stories that shows the overwhelming effect of crime upon the outlook of a detective. There's a few weird touches in the mix – some swirling, almost watery moments – and titles include "A New Love", "A Family Affair", "Beach Scene", "Joe", "Night Talk", "The Safe Cracker", and "The Ball Game". Von Ryan's Express is a lot more driving and dramatic – Goldsmith serving up a rich score to a wartime action thriller with Sinatra in the lead – but also bringing in some moodier elements of the type he used in some of his more cerebral scores of the 60s. Titles include "Fire Sale", "Meet Von Ryan", "The Love Birds", "A New Crew", "Dead End", "German Control Center", and "Mission Accomplished" – plus a few rare bonus tracks too! CD

One of the greatest Henry Mancini soundtracks of the 60s – and a record that showed the world that he could do a lot more than just crime jazz and groovy tunes! The title track is a well-known gem from the Mancini songbook – perfect for the bittersweet, melancholy of the film – and a great start for Mancini's music – which first shows some of the joy of the couple in the narrative, then moves into much bluer, deeper territory. There's an undercurrent of sadness that haunts even the more sprightly numbers – and some of the best instrumentation is handled by west coast jazzmen who include Pete Candoli and Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Harry Klee and Ted Nash on reeds, Bob Bain on guitar, and Larry Bunker on percussion. The music was never properly issued on record at the time – and this CD features very detailed notes, lots of images, and 27 tracks that include "Cocktail Hour", "No Guts", "A Sad Pop", "I Want To Go Home", "Man Meets Girl", and "Hi Fi". CD

An album that tries to do a heck of a lot in such a short space – and turns out to be even better than you might guess! Few folks would try to take on the entire black motion picture experience of the 70s with a single record – but funky arranger Cecil Holmes does just that, and turns out this beautiful blend of the best cuts from famous soundtracks – all remade by his ensemble in a soaring melange of strings and soul! There's plenty of funky currents here – thanks to sharp arrangements from Tony Camillo, and a killer group that also includes the mighty Pat Rebillot on keyboards – plus plenty of wah wah guitar, and enough strings to make the album rank up there with the soundtrack feel of the day. Titles include versions of "Superfly", "Slaughter", "Freddie's Dead", "Across 110th Street", "2001", "Ben", and "Trouble Man". (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album