A timeless collaboration between Nujabes and Fat Jon – tracks done for the animated Samurai Champloo project, but music that stands more than strongly on its own – with a sublime mix of soulful currents and beat-heavy rhythms! The set begins with a number of tracks that have Nujabes in the lead – with that soul-heavy style that makes his work of this moment so wonderful – balanced by Fat Jon contributions that are maybe even better than records issued as a solo act! Titles include "Ole", "Genome", "No Way Back", "Transcendence", "Aruarian Dance", "Battlecry", "The Space Between Two Worlds", "1st Samurai", and "How You Feel". (Hip Hop, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Music from the film of the same name – with some extracts from the film, too! (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime soundtrack music from Edward Artemiev – not a big name for film scoring on this side of the Iron Curtain, but a really well-remembered talent for his classic 70s work for the films of Andrey Tarkovsky! Side one of this album features wonderful sounds from the film Stalker – music that begins in a sweet electronic mode, but soon gets darker – a weird space that's somewhere between the German elements of Cluster and Tangerine Dream, and some of the more abstract electronics of the underground academic scene! Yet throughout it all, Artemiev has a very visual approach to his sounds – one that steps out nicely on the one track from the film The Mirror, and an extended tribute to the director too. Titles include "Exodus", "Dedication To Andrey Tarkovsky", "Meditation", "They Go Long", "Stalker", and "Train". LP, Vinyl record album

A weird little record from John Barry – the soundtrack to a 1963 television special recorded by Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her early popularity, and featuring Taylor reciting a variety of poems and speeches over music by Barry! There's a relatively high concept feel to the album – as Barry's backings are fairly string-laden and serious, penned to match the mood of Taylor's presentation of material written by William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Pitt, Winston Churchill, and Queen Victoria. And although Taylor speaks on about half the record, the best tracks here are actually the instrumental ones – which have more of the depth of Barry's serious soundtrack work from the time, and manage to have their own sense of presence apart from the star quality of Liz on the set. Arrangements are by Johnnie Spence, and titles include "Elizabeth", "London Theme Jazz Waltz", "Queen Elizabeth At Tilbury", "Queen Victoria", "English Garden", "The Fire Of London", "Lovers & Browning", and "London At Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

The soundtrack that put John Barry over the top – and to many, THE James Bond soundtrack! The album chills from the first notes of the haunting title theme – the majestic "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey with a tone that's as dangerous as a razor-sharp hat spinning through the air! Barry then takes over with some wonderful instrumentals – a blend of crime jazz, mood pieces, chase themes, and more – all peppered with that dark dark Bond theme that we love so much! Titles include "Into Miami", "Teasing The Korean", "Alpine Drive", "Bond Back In Action", "Gassing The Gangsters", and "Death Of Goldfinger". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest jazz soundtracks of all time! Elmer Bernstein wrote the score to Otto Preminger's chilling film version of Nelson Algren's book The Man With The Golden Arm – a sad tale of jazz, gambling, and heroin addiction on the streets of Chicago (not far from Dusty Groove, in fact!) – and in doing so, he came up with one of the first jazz soundtracks to really work strongly with a dramatic narrative. The film's striking theme is played in a number of variations, either with orchestral backing, or in small combo format by Shorty Rogers & His Giants, a crack west coast group that features work by Bud Shank, Shelly Manne, Bob Cooper, and Pete Candoli. The tracks work perfectly together as a suite of tracks, even without the images of the film – telling a tale of temptation, sadness, tragedy, and rebirth. Titles include "Clark Street", "Breakup", "The Fix", "Zosh", "Frankie Machine", and "Audition". Worth the price for the Saul Bass cover alone! LP, Vinyl record album

A killer little soundtrack – and one that's quite different than the usual blacksploitation set, but still pretty funky overall! The film Black Girl was a surprisingly sensitive movie directed by Ossie Davis in the early 70s – not as much about action as it was about the everyday life, and the hopes and dreams of the lead characters – all of which made for some really well-rounded music, of the sort you'd find on some of the other great Fantasy Records soundtracks of the time, especially the classic Cornbread Earl & Me score. Ed Bogas and Ray Shanklin put together the whole thing, and the album's a mix of hip instrumental tracks with some other vocal ones – a really nice range that draws from singers like Betty Everett, Rodger Collins, and JJ Malone – and jazz players like Sonny Stitt and John Hunt (plus organ from Merl Saunders on one cut.) Titles include "BJ's Step", "Black Girl", "Sister", "Earl (Still A Pearl)", "Mothers Day Song", "Power", "Get Me To The Bridge", "Chock-lite Puddin", and "Black Girl Cue". 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

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

One of the weirdest Don Cherry albums you'll ever hope to hear – and that's saying a lot, given the range of incredible albums the man has given us over the years! The music here was recorded for a French film based on the music, poetry, and "antics" of Cherry – done in the Saravah Records studios in 1969, around the same time as Cherry's albums for the BYG/Actuel label on the Paris scene – but with a much looser, more freewheeling vibe overall! The first side of the record features music done with Karl Berger – in a mix of piano, percussion, wood flutes, electronics, and pocket trumpet – shifting many times in terms of tone and spirit, with Cherry at his most organic. Side two features most of the same music, but with Anthony Braxton joining in – as well as poetry at some parts – in the complete edit that was used in the film. A fantastic document in so many ways – of the musicians, of post-68 Paris, and even of European avant cinema! (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A lost treasure from the legendary John Coltrane Quartet – material recorded as the soundtrack for the Canadian film Le Chat Danse Le Sac – which features new recordings of material that Coltrane had done in previous years, but really updated by the fresh version of this group! Although the music was used in the film, which was an art house hit at best, it's never been issued on record before – and in fact, its existence was something of a mystery until not that long ago – quite a surprise, given that the sessions were done at Rudy Van Gelder's studio, and have a quality level that really matches the Impulse Records best by these musicians! The tunes are almost like this amazing bridge between the mid 60s Impulse years and the Coltrane sound at the start of the decade on Atlantic – as the grooves are modal, and most music is more inside than the group was hitting by 1965 – yet still burning with that searching spirit that made them so great. The lineup, of course, features John Coltrane on tenor, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and the whole thing is an instant key addition to the catalog of this tremendous quartet. Titles include two takes on "Naima", three takes on "Village Blues", and the tracks "Like Sonny", "Traneing In", and "Blue World". (Jazz, 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

Although not actually a proper album – this is still one of the greatest Miles Davis albums of all time! Side one features 10 tracks from Miles' amazing soundtrack to the film Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud – with excellent work by French players Barney Wilen, Rene Urtreger, and Pierre Michelot, on haunting moody tracks like "Generique", "Lassassinat De Carala", "Au Bar Du Petit Bac", and "Dinner Au Motel". Great stuff – and with a wonderful sound that's like no other Miles album! Side 2 is equally great – as it features 3 classic sextet tunes – "On Green Dolphin Street", "Put Your Little Foot Right Out", and "Stella By Starlight" –peformed with Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, and Bill Evans in that amazing Kind Of Blue mode of perfection. Truly one of our favorite albums of all time! (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy little soundtrack from the team of Guido and Maurizio De Angelis – one that was penned to accompany an offbeat Bud Spencer film of the late 70s, and which offers up plenty of variations on the catchy theme! Bud plays Bulldozer – an ex-US football player, holed up in Italy – where he cobbles together a team of locals to take down the team of the US Army stationed nearby – a goofy plot, but one that's made that much better by the work of the De Angelis brothers! The core theme is initially sung by Oliver Onions, in English – then taken through a range of great instrumental readings that echo some of the styles used by Guido and Maurizio on their straighter crime and action scores, but with lots of sweet twists and turns along the way. LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in the Piedone series of films from Italian comedic legend Bud Spencer – scored by the DeAngelis brothers with a col sort of 80s take on their earlier cinematic modes! As with most of the Italian scores of the time, spare instrumentation and keyboards are used in place of fuller orchestrations – and the result is a batch of playful themes that really fit the goofy action that Spencer spins out on the screen – cheesier sounds that work very nicely with the offbeat performance that always made Bud's films such guilty pleasures! Features a total of 22 tracks – including two versions of the vocal theme "Sphinx" – fitting as the film is set in Egypt! 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

That's a cheesy 80s action shot on the cover, and the music within really carries through on that promise – from the starting cut "Black Inferno", which is a very groovy clubby sort of cut – to the more stark, keyboard-driven grooves from the brothers DeAngelis! The duo did plenty of great cop/crime work in the 70s – and hear they follow the more lean styles of their contemporaries in the early 80s – using lots of keyboards, basslines, and drum machine bits to make most of the music – kind of a John Carpenter mode, but a bit fuller and more groovy – definitely in keeping with the duo's legacy! There's two versions of "Black Inferno", one nice and long – plus 24 more instrumentals from the film. LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of cool keyboards from Francesco De Masi – served up in a style that's a lot more 80s than his famous earlier work – almost as if Francesco was trying trying to get in with the younger horror soundtrack generation! The style is still great, though – with sounds that show all of De Masi's rich understanding of broader instrumental arrangements – which sometimes factor into the music, but which also seem to emanate from his keyboards even when they're in the lead. The music has a nice current of warmth from time to time – not just the starkness of the usual electric keyboard score, which makes for a very rich vibe to the whole record! Titles include "House In The Park", "Dreadful Cellar", "Twisted Mind", "Fear & Blood", "Girl & Violence", "So Many Corpses", and "Handicapped Girl". Wow – creepy song titles! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the darkest soundtracks ever from the wonderful Francois De Roubaix – a moody, brooding score that really fits the solitary spirit of the main character! There's still plenty of those cool De Roubaix elements in the mix – even some weird melodies on organ and electronics – mixed with other piano or flute lines, all in these slow-stepping modes that have a wonderfully haunting vibe. Titles include "Laetitia Par Alain Delon", "Journal De Bord", "Enterrement Sous-Marin", "Acrobaties Aeriennes", "Hotel Sandwich", "Martey's", "Valerie", "Le Samourai", and "Le Destin De Costello". LP, Vinyl record album

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 really standout horror soundtrack from the 80s – one that's maybe got a bit more richness than some of its contemporaries, and a sonic depth that really adds a lot to the action onscreen! The main theme is wonderfully brooding – a mix of light keyboards and darker, murkier orchestral sounds, with occasional Wicker Man-like vocal moments – continued throughout in variations of a similar mode that shifts nicely as the record moves on, and the action creeps forward with a hell of a lot of tension! Jonathan Elias wasn't one of the biggest names in scoring at the time, but this work is certainly some of the best – and titles include "The Cornfield", "Dream Music", "Barn Run", "Vicky's Dream", "Attack Of The Children", "Fighting Back", "Burning The Cornfield", and "The Invasion". LP, Vinyl record album