Did you think that Star Lord launched into space with only one special mixtape from his mom? Think again – as this second volume serves up an equally great array of pop tracks from the past – a mad musical mixup that made the second Guardians Of The Galaxy film every bit as enjoyable as the first! As before, most of these tracks are familiar, but they really sound great together – and hey, for the youngsters hearing them for the first time, they're a perfect path back to the musical genius of the 70s! Tracks include "Brandy" by Looking Glass, "Mr Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra, "Fox On The Run" by Sweet, "Lake Shore Drive" by Aliotta Hayes Jeremiah, "The Chain" by Fleetwood Mac, "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell, "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison, "Wham Bam Shang A Lang" by Silver, "Surrender" by Cheap Trick, and "Flashlight" by Parliament. Also includes "Guardians Inferno" – the fake disco tune at the end of the film, with vocals by David Hasselhoff! CD

Composed and arranged by trumpeter Orbert Davis and performed by the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic featuring Nicole Mitchell, Ari Brown, and special guest Willie Pickens. (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD

Two very playful soundtracks – both composed by Lallo Gori, who we mostly know for more serious action work! Scusi Ma Le Paga Le Tasse is from the start of the 70s, and begins with a vocal number from Franco Fanchi, but soon moves into much groovier territory with a blend of funky jazz and dreamier moments of the sort that you might be likely to hear from some of the bigger Italian composers of the period. There's occasional light piano, ala Stelvio Cipriani – and even an appearance from the Nora Orlandi singers over the course of the 17 tracks from the film. Come Rubammo La Bomba Atomica is from 1967, and the music has some slight currents of spy spoof scores of the period – that nice comedic/dramatic mix of jazz and dynamic pacing, blended with a few exotic elements too. The set features two vocal numbers sung by Elsa, and the rest of the 12 tracks from the film are instrumental. CD

Features more than a side of work by Los Lobos – their own 80s takes on Ritche Valens classics – plus more by Bo Diddley, Marshall Crenshaw, Brian Setzer, and Howard Hutsberry. (Rock, Soundtracks) 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 wicked little James Bond soundtrack – one of the lesser-known ones, which is why it's all that more great! The title theme is a totally catchy number, sung by Shirley Bassey with all the dark energy of her best pop work – and Barry's score has some really surprising moments, including some nicely restrained tracks that are a good blend of spareness and moody instrumentation. Titles include "Bond Smells A Rat", "Bond Meets Bambi & Thumper", "Diamonds Are Forever", "Circus Circus", "007 & Counting", and "Q's Trick". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully sensitive soundtrack for this early film from the team of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill – very different than most of the other western music of the time – which is a fitting accompaniment to the unique actions of the pair onscreen! There's a fair bit of acoustic guitar in the instrumentation, used in ways that are sometimes warmer and more sentimental than you'd expect – played with a subtle sort of character that really comes through in this well-done reissue of the music – and which gets even better when groovier elements on piano or horns come into the mix. Things build nicely as the set moves on, with a very vivid feel throughout – and titles include "Remember", "Il Carro Al Fiume", "Assalto Alla Diligenza", "Ranch Di Parker", "Trinity E Bambino A San Jose", and "Trinity Stand Tall". CD

One of the rarest albums ever from the legendary Mort Garson – an all-electronic film score, one that was originally only available on record in the lobby of a Seattle theater that was showing the film! The tracks are shorter than on some of Garson's more commercial projects of the time, and there's a lot more of them too – all with a vibe that resonates nicely with some of Mort's more private recordings, including some of his advertising work – showing that even though the project was a small one, Garson was still bringing his all to the music. Titles include "Sail Sail", "Kevin's Theme", "No Smoking", "Bamboo City", "Walk To Grange Hall", "Jeep Ride", "Dead Tree", "Walk To The Other Side Of The Island"- and "Virgil's Theme". (Now Sound, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Sweetness and darkness – perfectly blended together in this classic mid 70s soundtrack by Ennio Morricone! The main theme of the film – "Bambole" – is one of those Mondo Morricone type numbers that floats along on a gossamy sheen – vocals gliding softly over light woodwinds, stepping rhythms, and a bit of electric harpsichord – all used gently, but beautifully to create a wonderfully groovy little tune. But other numbers on the album are much more tense – strings drawn tighter, and sometimes into more atonal passages – and offset by descending woodwind passages that further underscore the melancholy of the film! Additional instrumentation includes some abstracted and slightly fuzzy guitar – and the whole album beautifully blends the sweet and dark tracks together with a great sense of pacing. Titles include "Bambole", in a number of variations – plus variations on "Spasmo" and "Stress Infinito". LP, Vinyl record album

A lesser-known Morricone soundtrack – written for an obscure western, but right up there with some of the maestro's best for much bigger movies! A number of tunes have that spooky "whistler" style of writing that we love from Morricone – spare whistling over darker orchestrations – in ways that create some spare and wonderful passages that are especially great! Other tracks are a bit fuller, and more dramatic – the bolder western modes of the 60s – and the set also features two vocal numbers, sung by I Cantori Moderni – that wonderful vocal group that shows up on some of our favorites from the time. Titles include "Paco", "Ricciolo", "Liberta", "Estasi", "Bamba Vivace", "Fiesta", and "Il Mercenario" – and the CD's got 16 tracks in all. CD

Includes selections by Alabama, Autograph, Mike Post, Joey Scarbury, Bill Medley, Deborah Allen, and Earl Thomas Conley. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most haunting Morricone soundtracks ever – and one of the grooviest too! The album's a perfect blend of our two favorite styles of Morricone work – that of the floating female vocal over a gentle groove, and the darker, tenser side of his music. The main "Verushka" theme is one of his most beautiful – a variation of female vocals with a gentle edge, in the tradition of classic soundtracks like La Donna Invisible or Le Photo Proibite. This theme shifts from mood to mood over the course of the LP, occasionally giving way to some more atonal passages and other more jazz-based tunes – more of which are included here than on the original release, thanks to an expanded reissue job by Right Tempo! In fact, the whole thing's bubbling over with great music – one of the best Morricone reissues we've ever stocked – done with great sound and a huge array of extra tracks! Titles include a number of takes on the "Verushka" theme, plus "Astratto", "La Bambola", "Le Fotografie", "Magia", "La Spiaggia", and "Dopo L'Intervista". CD

As any reader of these pages will know, we're nuts about Ennio Morricone – the greatest Italian soundtrack composer ever, and quite possibly one of the greatest composers to have ever walked the face of this planet! Here, a similarly Morricone-mad bunch of folks pay tribute to the maestro, by remixing tracks from his classic soundtracks of the 60s and 70s! Titles include "The Man With The Harmonica" by Apollo Four Forty, "Chi Mai" by Nightmares On Wax, "Giocoso, Gioioso" by Groove Corporation, "La Bambola Come Maddalena" by Sofa Surfers, "La Lucertola" by De Phazz, "Clan Of The Sicilians" by DJ Dick of Rocker's Hi-Fi, "Il Grande Silencio" by Thievery Corporation, and "Belinda May" by Fantastic Plastic Machine. 13 tracks in all! CD

Includes themes from Popeye The Sailor, Mighty Mouse, Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, The Bullwinkle Show, The Jetsons, Magilla Gorilla, Johnny Quest, Atom The Ant, Space Ghost, Speed Racer, Pebble & Bamm-Bamm, Captain Planet, and more! CD

A classic to end all classics – and the record that showed the world that the kung fu genre could be every bit as funky as American crime and action films! Lalo Schifrin's at the height of his powers on this set – working in a blend of raw guitars, rolling bass, and choppy rhythms that groove about as fast as Bruce Lee's hands move on the screen in the film – and the album's a real standout in the 70s soundtrack scene, well worth all the hype and attention that's been given to it over the years! The record's one you'll dig if you're a fan of funk, or a student of Schifrin – and even after the passage of decades, it's still a tough soundtrack to beat. Titles include the classic "Theme From Enter The Dragon", plus "Bamboo Bird Cage", "The Monk", "Han's Island", "The Big Battle", and "The Human Fly". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic to end all classics – and the record that showed the world that the kung fu genre could be every bit as funky as American crime and action films! Lalo Schifrin's at the height of his powers on this set – working in a blend of raw guitars, rolling bass, and choppy rhythms that groove about as fast as Bruce Lee's hands move on the screen in the film – and the album's a real standout in the 70s soundtrack scene, well worth all the hype and attention that's been given to it over the years! The record's one you'll dig if you're a fan of funk, or a student of Schifrin – and even after the passage of decades, it's still a tough soundtrack to beat. Titles include the classic "Theme From Enter The Dragon", plus "Bamboo Bird Cage", "The Monk", "Han's Island", "The Big Battle", and "The Human Fly". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique collection of sounds from the legendary Piero Umiliani – one that was created to be given away at a wedding party, and was never sold to the public at the time! The work here is the coolest, grooviest side of the Umiliani spectrum – and mixes together rare soundtrack material with sound library gems – all with a focus on the kind of jazzy, funky, and moogy numbers that Piero can do so well! The set features 22 tracks in all – and titles include "Princess", "Cinque Bambole Rosa", "Swing Com Sempre", "Gassman Blues", "Bob E Elen", "Alba Sul Mare", "Bus Stop", "Flirt A Rio", "Mah Na Mah Na", "I Micione E La Gattin", "La Pupa Del Gangster", "Topless Party", and "Essere Donna". (Sound Library, Soundtracks) CD

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. (Funky Compilations, Soundtracks) CD