(Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Alex Brown, Q-Feel, Rainey, Chris Farren, Amy Hart, Holland, and Animotion. LP, Vinyl record album

Our favorite chapter in the long and storied career of film score legend John Barry – music from a moment when he'd moved past the fame of his earlier James Bond soundtracks, and started hitting territory that was even more mindblowing overall! Barry was already great with Bond, and as those films moved on, he developed this amazing ear for more sophisticated, subtle elements – which unfold here at a level that easily puts the composer/arranger in territory of much more lauded studio and sound library talents! There's still some catchy vocal tunes in the mix – but what's even more striking is Barry's evolved sense of sound and timing – so that familiar instruments can sound all weird and unusual – yet still tuneful too – almost as if he were running over to the European avant garde to borrow a few sonic ideas, then fold them into the groovier numbers included within. The set features some of our favorite John Barry tracks ever, mixed with other more obscure numbers that are equally great – tunes that include "Follow Follow", "The Adventurer", "Highway 101", "The More Things Change", "Theme From The Appointment", "Fun City", "Midnight Cowboy", "Theme From Romance For Guitar & Orchestra", "We Have All The Time In The World", "Afternoon", "Theme From The Persuaders", "Lion In Winter", and "Who Will Buy My Yesterdays". CD

A sublime soundtrack from John Barry – common, to be sure, but also a wonderfully-crafted set that goes way beyond the stereotypes of his work for the James Bond films! The record is probably best known for Nilsson's famous version of the Fred Neil tune "Everybody's Talkin" – which is great in itself – but it's Barry's own work on the title theme that we totally love. "Midnight Cowboy" is a darkly turning slowly pondering tune that will haunt us until the day we die – performed here on the original number with a sad-tinged harmonica that unites both the country of Joe Buck's roots and the sleaze of the love generation. The tune's great – and is matched here by the whimsy of "Florida Fantasy", and the Barry tracks "Fun City" and "Science Fiction". But also, Barry acted as the overall music director for the film – and used some tracks from the hip group Elephant's Memory, plus others by The Groop – but offbeat acts who really fit the spirit of the film. The record's almost worth it just for the cut "Old Man Willow", a really tripped-out longer track from Elephant's Memory – swirling around in organ and hippie vocals, and oddly echoing the main Barry theme of the set at times! LP, Vinyl record album

Hilarious! This is the soundtrack to a goofy late 60s shocker film about the time when hippies and young folks would take over America. Les Baxter handled the musical score for the film, but the real treat is the schlocky rock tracks – written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, with arrangements by Mike Curb in that fuzzy Tower/AIP mode! The lyrics are hysterical, but also oddly catchy, even though they're trying to make fun of 60s rock. Titles include "Psychedelic Senate", "Fourteen Or Fight", "Wild In The Streets", "Sally LeRoy", and "Free Lovin". LP, Vinyl record album

A great lost crime jazz soundtrack – penned by Elmer Bernstein in the style of some of his best work from the 50s! There's a real Man With The Golden Arm feel here – as the orchestra rises and falls in a mode matching the Staccato title – and solos break out with a fluid and brazen sort of feel – plenty of jazz to show the west coast origin of the recording! Players include Don Fagerquist and Pete Candoli on trumpets, Dick Nash on trombone, Ted Nash and Dave Pell on saxes, John Williams on piano, and Barney Kessell on guitar. The show itself is pretty darn cool – and starred a young John Cassavetes as detective Johnny Staccato – a role that supposedly gave Cassavetes enough money to shoot the film Shadows in his free time! Great all the way through – with tracks that include "Staccato's Theme", "Thinking Of Baby", "Poi & Juice", "Deadly Game", "Night Mood", "Jazz At Waldo's", "Like Having Fun", and "MacDougal Street Special". LP, Vinyl record album

A really sweet soundtrack to an earlier Spaghetti Western flick – 1965's Una Barra Per Lo Sceriffo, composed by Francesco De Masi! As with most of these 60s western gems, this one opens with a very cool theme – "A Lone And Angry Man", sung in English and with kind of a fun, almost loungey charisma to the vocals, which is a nice balance to the galloping, wild west instrumentation! The tracks that follow range from sweeping string sections to spare acoustic guitars, often with clip-clopping percussion and horns on the grander numbers – that sublime spaghetti mode that was always very different than the drama of American westerns, and which makes a set like this so great. CD features 15 tracks in all – a few of which feature chorus vocals by I Cantori Modern. CD

A heady brew of early work from Iggy Pop and The Stooges – some bigger classics mixed with rare tracks, all in support of the Jim Jarmusch documentary on the group! Unusual tracks here include "I Got A Right" and "I'm Sick Of You" – both from an early aborted session for Raw Power – plus "Lost In The Future (take 1)", from the Fun House sessions. Other titles include "No Fun", "Loose", "I Wanna Be Your Dog", "1969", "Down On The Street", and "Asthma Attack" – plus the David Bowie mix of "Gimme Danger". (Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite records ever from the great Sven Libaek – an artist who's possibly best known for his underwater soundtrack work of the 70s, but who shines equally well here on a 60s album that has him hitting the top of the waves! The music was written for a surf film in 1966, but has a vibe that's much richer than that – some vibes-heavy tracks that showcase Sven's background in jazz, and which tie nicely to some of the Bruce Brown jazz/surf soundtracks of the early 60s LA scene – mixed with other numbers that have more of an Aussie vibe, in that light wrapping of rhythmic currents and lyrical instrumentation! The vibes alone are worth the price of admission – and titles include "Bikini Girls", "The Lost City", "In The Wave", "To Ride A White Horse", "Turistas Turistas", "Bush Fire", "Break Of Dawn", and "Fun & Games". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty nice action soundtrack from French composer Jacques Loussier – not as all-out groovy as some of his other work from the 60s, but filled with some nice touches that include jagged instrumentation over orchestrations, creating some jazzed-up bits that feel more like 60s crime jazz than 70s adventurism. Titles include "Curry & The Diamonds", "The Mercenaries", "Claire's First Appearance", "Friendly Natives Having Fun", "The Fight", and "Curry Kills Henlein". LP, Vinyl record album

We're alright. . .don't nobody worry 'bout us, we're smiling like fools at the sounds of this most classic of lowbrow 80s comedies – the unimpeachably hilarious Caddyshack – with we-don't-care-how-uncool-you-think-they-may-be pop anthems by Kenny Loggins and original music by Johnny Mandel! The Loggins tunes blend a masterful ear for the pop & soul hits of the previous couple decades, they're undeniable fun and catchy (if profoundly unhip, boo and hoo) and the cheeky bits of score by Mandel co-opting classical compositions in the interest of toilet humor are just as boisterous. Titles include "I'm Alright", "Make The Move" and "Mr Night" by Kenny Loggins, "There She Goes" by The Beat, "Divine Intervention", "Marina" and "The Big Bang" by Johnny Mandel and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty great soundtrack work from Wynton Marsalis – done for a somewhat forgettable film, but featuring a wide array of sounds and styles – all a bit of a break from some of Wynton's stiffer work of the time! There's a definite ear here for New Orleans roots – which echo through the vintage-styled tunes nicely – and some numbers bring in a bit of vocals, either from Shirley Horn or Johnny Adams, which further helps expand the range of tunes. Many numbers are somewhat short – which allows the group to leap out before any cliches might take over – and Wynton's trumpet is augmented by a fair bit of extra horns, including some great clarinet from Alvin Batiste and Michael White. Titles include "Big Trouble In The Easy", "May Be Fact Or Fiction", "Albanians", "Don't Run From Fun", "On The Eve Of Entry", "Mama Leona", and "I Can't Get Started". (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD

A great mix of 70s action and exotica from Riz Ortolani – a set that mixes funky touches in with tribal elements, and comes across with a very groovy sound overall! The record's definitely one of the coolest that Ortolani ever recorded, and he's clearly having fun with the mid 70s elements at his disposal – including wah wah guitar, sweet keyboards, and a tight rhythm section who are more than able to follow the maestro on all his many twists and turns on the tunes! A few of the more upbeat numbers almost have a tribal club sort of vibe – and titles include "The World Is Mine", "Festival Dance Of The Llama Sacrifice", "Making Out", "Eden Disturbed", and "Dance Of The Virgins". CD

One of the coolest, grooviest soundtracks we've ever heard from Riz Ortolani – an artist who did bigger, more mainstream film scores in the 60s – but who really developed a more electric vibe in the 70s! This soundtrack has Riz working at the top of his powers – bringing in keyboards and guitars to really spice things up, and make for a few key funky moments – but also still handling some larger charts with the professional flair he always brought to his music – showing that the best horror work of this time still came from composers who had deeper skills than just a few slick keyboard lines. Titles include "Love With Fun", "Massacre Of The Troupe", "Cameraman's Recreation", "Adulteress' Punishment", "Savage Rite", and "Drinking Coco". CD version has a huge amount of bonus tracks – 10 more tunes added to the original soundtrack! CD

Prince got tagged to do the music for the big breakout Batman film from Tim Burton – and the performances here are definitely not the stuff of The Dark Night – and in fact, maybe nothing like you'd expect from Batman at all – even though the music does make a nod or two towards the cowled crusader with some samples! It's clear that Prince just had a fun time putting the whole thing together – and like many other star soundtracks from the 90s, the feel of the music is very much its own thing – which is probably why the record was such a hit, and maybe has had a lot more endurance than the film! Titles include "The Future", "Electric Chair", "Vicki Waiting", "Partyman", "Scandalous", and "Batdance". (Soul, Soundtracks) CD

Prince got tagged to do the music for the big breakout Batman film from Tim Burton – and the performances here are definitely not the stuff of The Dark Night – and in fact, maybe nothing like you'd expect from Batman at all – even though the music does make a nod or two towards the cowled crusader with some samples! It's clear that Prince just had a fun time putting the whole thing together – and like many other star soundtracks from the 90s, the feel of the music is very much its own thing – which is probably why the record was such a hit, and maybe has had a lot more endurance than the film! Titles include "The Future", "Electric Chair", "Vicki Waiting", "Partyman", "Scandalous", and "Batdance". (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Prince got tagged to do the music for the big breakout Batman film from Tim Burton – and the performances here are definitely not the stuff of The Dark Night – and in fact, maybe nothing like you'd expect from Batman at all – even though the music does make a nod or two towards the cowled crusader with some samples! It's clear that Prince just had a fun time putting the whole thing together – and like many other star soundtracks from the 90s, the feel of the music is very much its own thing – which is probably why the record was such a hit, and maybe has had a lot more endurance than the film! Titles include "The Future", "Electric Chair", "Vicki Waiting", "Partyman", "Scandalous", and "Batdance". (Soul, Soundtracks) CD

The fun fun soundtrack to Rock 'N' Roll High School – that gloriously, knowingly trashy Roger Corman produced movie vehicle for the Ramones! Of course The Ramones are all over the soundtrack, but it's got a bunch of 70s new wave and hard rock from Devo, Eno, Nick Lowe, Todd Rundgren and more – even a version of the title track by PJ Soles in character as Riff Randell. Includes "Rock N Roll High School", "I Want You Around", a medley of "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Pinhead", "California Sun" and more by The Ramones, "Come Back Jonee" by Devo, "Energy Fools The Magician" by Eno, "So It Goes" by Nick Lowe, "School Days" by Chuck Berry, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper and more. (Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Pull on your board shorts, fasten those bikinis, and look out for speeding hot rods – we've got a killer batch of movie surf grooves for you soak up! Summer Beach Baby gathers up some of most sun-soaked, cornball fun tunes from the mid 60s surf days – soundtrack cuts featuring cast members and participating music groups from camp classics like Bikini Beach and Dr Goldfoot And The Bikini Machine – and features standout work by a few rock and garage heroes, to boot! 19 tracks in all: "Beach Party" by Frankie Avalon, "Secret Surfin' Spot", "Surfin' And A-Swingin'" by Dick Dale, "Pajama Party" by Annette, "Ride The Wild Surf" by Jan & Dean, "Bikini Drag" by The Pyramids, "Love's A Secret Weapon" by Donna Loren, "Gotcha Where I Want You" by The Exciters, "Surf Party" by The Astronauts, "Girls On The Beach" by The Beach Boys, "Hot Rod Roadster" by The Rip Chords and more! CD

An earnest, kinda lovable hard rock soundtrack to the modern classic movie version of the earnest, TOTALLY lovable SNL-sketch Wayne's World! Naturally opening with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", thanks the flick's most unforgettable scene, the soundtrack is a goofy, but fun mix of glammy and hard rock, classic 70s jams and early alt rock of the time, plus glam pop tunes by co-star Tia Carrarre and Mike Myers and Dana Carvey on the Wayne's World theme. Party on! Includes "Foxey Lady" by Jimi Hendrix, "Ballroom Blitz" by Tia Carrere, "Feed My Frankenstein" by Alice Cooper, "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright, "Time Machine" by Black Sabbath, "Loving Your Lovin" by Eric Clapton and more. CD

One of the grooviest racing soundtracks we've ever heard – a set that's a lot more funky than some of the better-known racetrack film scores that were coming into the racks during the late 60s! The vibe here is almost a bit like some of the sound library material of Alessandro Alessandroni – lots of great melodic elements, wrapped around rhythms that are nice and slinky on the slower moments, and downright funky on the faster ones – mostly instrumental, but with just a bit of vocals at points from I Cantori Moderni – that very cool harmony group that Alessandroni used on many recordings. The instrumentation is never too complex, and the focus feels more small combo than some of the larger orchestrations on Italian scores at the time – served up here in an assortment of 17 tracks from the film! LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of soundtrack funk – from a film named after one of our favorite streets in Chicago! Although the record's got an approach that's perhaps a bit tighter and smoother than anything going down on Stony in the late 70s, it does manage to share a good deal of styles with the Chi-soul scene of the time – thanks to work on the record from Chicagoans Gene Barge, Sonny Seals, and Tennyson Stephens! Many of the tracks on the set have a bad-walking soul approach – one that's kind of a mixture of funky and bluesy – and these are laid out next to some jazzier instrumentals that we like most of all – tunes that have a great funky soundtrack feel, but with a bit more fusion touches than usual, probably because of the work of David Matthews. Titles include "Percy Fired", "Party Lights", "High Speed Posters", "Back To Business", "Chase The Train", "Gangster City", "Dream Ride", and "Peace Of Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout set from the end of Les Baxter's run at Capitol Records – originally scored for a film that was never released, but a great set of tracks that more than stands strongly on its own! The theme here is a Mexican/Latin American one – explored by Baxter with his trademark blend of larger orchestrations and lighter exotica touches – often swirling around in an extremely evocative mode that makes us wish the film had been issued to the public, and at a few key moments even hinting at the funkier modes that would follow on some of Les' later work for other labels. Titles include "Aqueducts", "Gardens Of The Moon", "Pyramid Of The Sun", "Temple Of Gold", and "Procession Of The Princes". (Now Sound, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

The film soundtrack version of this famous 60s musical, which was based around the sounds of Belgian singer Jacques Brel. The film version shares many similarities to the broadway one – translations by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, vocals by Shuman and Elly Stone – but the overall sound is quite different, as the versions presented here are more subtle, less campy, possibly due to the freer range of expression allowed to the actors on a film soundstage. Plus, this version also includes a few of Brel's best songs that were left out of the original show – making for a total of 26 titles that include "The Bulls", "Sons Of", "The Desperate Ones", "Amsterdam", "The Statue", "Brussels", "Funeral Tango", "Bachelors Dance", "Carousel", and "Next". If you want Brel in English, this may well be the best way to get it – as nearly all other English language versions of his work (by Scott Walker, Marc Almond, and others) came from these translations. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest moment ever from Brit soundtrack genius Roy Budd – an artist who started with his roots in jazz piano, but who really explodes here in a range of groovy styles! The main title is an incredible blend of Eastern percussion and moody jazz – and other cuts bring in some trippier elements, mixed with funkier bits and warmer moments – all at a level that have Budd even outdoing the best late 60s work by Lalo Schifrin! The keyboards are often at the forefront – either acoustic or electric – and the album's got so many groovy grooves, with such variety, it's got a feel that's much richer than the usual soundtrack set. Titles include "Love Is A Four Letter Word", "Carter Takes A Train", "Looking For Someone", "The Girl In The Car", "Livin Should Be This Way", "Manhunt", "Goodbye Carter", and "Hallucinations". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more orchestral of Roy Budd's scores from the 70's, but still with some nice moments that give a good focus to Roy's piano. The score was written for an Eastern thriller starring David Niven and Toshiro Mifune, and the tracks are a mix of easy and action themes – including "Kidnapped", "Out Of Control", "Who Knows The Answers", "The Reception", "Diplomatic Dance", and "The Cable Car". Some cuts have a vocal chorus, for a dreamy haunting sound, and others have Budd's piano right up front. LP, Vinyl record album

Very weird soundtrack to this spooky 70s film starring Peter Boyle! Bobby Scott did the score, and it's hipper than most of his other stuff – with a mixture of jazz, groovy, and straight orchestral scoring. Jerry Butler sings vocals on the tracks "Where Are You Going?" and "You Can Fly", which is a killer 11 minute workout with hard soulful drums, a tight driving groove, and lots of funky changes! Exuma sings on the cut "You Don't Know What's Going On", and other tunes include "Compton's Hangout", "The Expiration Of Frank", and "Send The Hippies To Hell". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest albums we've ever heard from Erlon Chaves – a Brazilian arranger who got his start in the bossa generation, later did some more traditional music – but here explodes with this great fusion of European and Brazilian soundtrack styles! The record's credited to the Orquesta St Moritz – most likely a studio group with a European name, for good pedigree – but there's a huge amount of sounds here that rival some of the best modes coming from the EMI/Odeon label at the start of the 70s – particularly the mix of samba and bossa elements with larger funky arrangements, then given a more sophisticated twist – as you'd find in the music of Marcos Valle! Most of these tunes are instrumental, and there's some really wonderful organ work on a number of the titles – on tracks that include "Procura Se Uma Virgem", "Grilo", "Uma Velha Bossa", "Ba Oba Oba", "Vamos Nos", "O Anjo E O Diabo", and "Tema De Amor". (Brazil, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A strange little record from the days when the music industry had so much money to throw around, they could make sessions like these! The record is sort of a space rock opera – featuring a huge cast of stars like Cooper, Moon, Hopkins, John Entwistle, Jim Dandy, Eddie Jobson, Elkie Brooks, Justin Hayward, Bill Bruford, and others. The overall feel of the work is a bit like the Rocky Horror Show – a high camp, heavy rock parody of a vintage artform (in this case, the radio space opera.) The musicianship is actually pretty darn strong, even if the overall concept is a bit silly. Tracks include "I'm Flash", "Country Cooking", "What's Happening", "Space Pirates", and "Blast Off". Also includes the great funky break track "Trapped" by Elkie Brooks, which we think was sampled by DJ Shadow! (Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A nice bit of funky crime work from Italy – a soundtrack to an obscure payback film from the 70s, done here with a nice mix of heavy beats, tight guitar, and some cool keyboards! The groove here is very much in the style of some of the best compilations of Italian cop soundtrack work we've stocked – and unlike some other thrillers of the time, the set's overflowing with funky tracks, so that you get way more than just a few funky numbers for your money! The blazing image on the cover is a great idea of what you'll hear inside – and titles include "Drivin All Around", "Goodbye My Friend", and "Il Cittadino Si Rebella". CD

One of the first great Italian cop movies of the 70s – and a superbly-scored film with a really wonderful soundtrack! The DeAngelis brothers are clearly drawing heavily from an American tradition initiated by Lalo Schfrin – using heavy guitar, funky undercurrents, and even some soulfully righteous touches to really set this one apart from other Italian films of the time. Yet the approach here is also a bit more different, touches with some of the darker modes and more redemptive themes of Italian westerns – a sense of suspension and drama that's incredibly powerful, and heard to best effect on the solo instrumental passages – which include guitar by Maurizio and flute by Guido. CD features notes in both English and Italian, great images from the film, and even a number of previously unreleased tunes! 20 tracks in all – with titles that include "Festa A Genova", "Gangster Story", "Chicca", "The Life Of A Policeman", "Il Libanese", "Casa Di Moda", "Rock Al Porto", and "La Storia Comincia". CD

One of the first great Italian cop movies of the 70s – and a superbly-scored film with a really wonderful soundtrack! The DeAngelis brothers are clearly drawing heavily from an American tradition initiated by Lalo Schfrin – using heavy guitar, funky undercurrents, and even some soulfully righteous touches to really set this one apart from other Italian films of the time. Yet the approach here is also a bit more different, touches with some of the darker modes and more redemptive themes of Italian westerns – a sense of suspension and drama that's incredibly powerful, and heard to best effect on the solo instrumental passages – which include guitar by Maurizio and flute by Guido. Titles include "Festa A Genova", "Gangster Story", "Chicca", "The Life Of A Policeman", "Il Libanese", "Casa Di Moda", "Rock Al Porto", and "La Storia Comincia". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a real Escape From New York look to the cover here – and the music by Guido & Maurizio DeAngelis has a very strong John Carpenter vibe – lots of spare, stark numbers that shift between electro funk and moodier numbers – really setting up the action with a dose of horror, and maybe having a depth that can last longer than the film itself! Instrumentation is very 80s, in the best way possible – lots of keyboards and electro drum patterns – at a level that certainly make the DeAngelis brothers a key precursor to the sort of sounds that are very much favored by the Stranger Things generation. 17 tracks in all – and very strong all the way through. LP, Vinyl record album

A set that pays tribute to the glory days of European sound library music, and which is particularly heavy on modes from the early 80s – that point when library funk was stripped down a lot more from the fuller bands of the previous decade, and relied heavily on beats and keyboards! There's plenty of both here – and the tune are all instrumental, and have enough vibrancy to also allow room for solos from time to time – partly jazz, but mostly cinematic, and with a warmth that also shows a bit of an influence from fusion! Titles include "Skipass", "Voxon", "Studio 70", "Synthporn", "Blitz", "Redemption", and "Killing". (New Grooves, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album