A trio of mid-to-late 60s Italian spy soundtracks – Italo Greco and Gianni Boncompagni's work for Riuscira' Il Nostro Eroe A Ritrovare Il Piu' Grande Diamante Del Mondo, Boncompagni's score for Colo Di Sole, and Bruno Canfora's work for Spia Spione – on one great CD from Beat Records! We'll admit to knowing very little about the films, but we must say, this material is very nicely curated, which shouldn't come as surprise given Beat's always warmly presented film score sets. It covers the genre terrain beautiful, from big scale, action-y orchestras, to stripped down, loungey cocktail jazz and beyond. The material from each of the three soundtracks is comprised of sequences on the title themes. 31 tracks in all! CD

A huge collection of later work from these two Italian maestros – material done long after their fame in film during the 60s and 70s, but with a richness that really matches those classic recordings! The work here is much more obscure than some of their famous film scores, and served up in a massive 7CD box that really fills in the gaps during these later years – bringing together work that we never would have heard otherwise, and in modes that update some of the instrumentation of previous decades, but which also reflects some greater care with orchestrations over leaner modes. The set features many tracks from each show – programs that include Tomorrow, Nel Gorgo Del Peccato, A Big Man, Passi D'Amore, Il Cielo Non Cade Mai, Quando Ancora Non C'Erano I Beatles, La Storia Spezzata, Il Ragazzo Dal Kimono D'Oro, Uomo Contro Uomo, Cinque Ragazze A Parigi, Ti Ho Adottato Per Simpatia, La Moglie Nella Cornice, Un Amore Rubato, Il Prezzo Della Vita, Vite A Termine, La Storia Di Chara, Mia Per Sempre, Addio E Ritorno, Dove Comincia Il Sole, and Sotto Il Cielo Dell'Africa. CD

A nice little shark-themed soundtrack, but one that comes across with a vibe that's quite different than any of the music used for Jaws – partly because there's a number of vocal tunes in the mix! The set features three standout songs – "Hollywood Big Time" and "You've Changed The World For Me", sung by Yvonne Wilkins – and "Ballad", which is sung by composer Maurizio De Angelis himself – which are then mixed with instrumental numbers that are electric and keyboard-heavy, maybe more in line with Italian slasher/horror work of the period than you might expect! The colder electronics must have given the watery scenes a really great vibe on the screen – and the package features great sound throughout, and a mighty nice graphic appeal. LP, Vinyl record album

Tomas Milian's the scruffy guy on the cover, and the light style of illustration lets you know that you're not in the spooky territory you might expect from Fabio Frizzi – but instead the kind of quickly-done comedy that was big business on the Italian scene of the 80s! With those films, the music was often the main glue holding the narrative together – and that's definitely the case here, as Frizzi's music is filled with catchy numbers that use electro rhythms and plenty of keyboards – playful and poppy, but with maybe a bit more thought than some of the dialogue on the screen! Back in the day, the original music was only issued as two tracks on a 7" single – but this package marks the full release of other tracks from the film, along with the cuts "Jolly Sax" and "You & I" – the latter with vocals by Tommie Babie! 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

A trio of western soundtracks from the great Riz Ortolani – music that's not in the usual spirit of his bigger film scores of the 60s! I Tre Spietati begins with the sort of theme that should have been huge – a driving, powerful melody that has the best anthemic modes of the generation, and which appears in instrumental variations through the dozen tracks within – mixed with some more dramatic moments as well – but all with a vibe that's very different than more standard spaghetti western styles. Next up is Requiescant – a beautiful western score with a big, brooding use of guitar – and a sound that's even more robust than usual! About half the tracks feature the guitar strongly – used in a twangy way, unfolding slowly, with lots of echo – very cool, very striking, and almost more powerful than use of the instrument on most other spaghetti western scores of the time! Other numbers are more scene-setting – some brassy trumpet flairs, barroom piano, or harmonica lines on the trail – and overall, the soundtrack features 21 short numbers from the film, with guitar tracks nicely juxtaposed against the others! CD also features two tracks from the film O'Cangaceiro – the excellent percussive "Mulhe Rendra", and the mellower vocal track "Vou Caminhando". 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

The continuing lost legacy of Patrick Cowley – the San Francisco 80s club maestro who made some famous records with Sylvester – but who also did a huge amount of underground sounds for porno films at the time! This set digs deep into that legacy – by featuring music that Cowley did for the 1982 film Afternooners, as well as a few other tracks from the time – material that's a great 80s extrapolation of the sorts of slinky funk you'd know from 70s porn! The sounds here are heavy on beats and keyboards – a much more slowed-down take on territory that Cowley explored on his club singles of the period – and the basslines are plenty heavy, and very seductive – as you might imagine, given the images they were used with on the screen. We should tell you that the package does include a few nude images inside – so be warned if you're offended by that sort of thing. Titles include "Love Come Set Me Free", "Big Shot", "Surfside Sex", "Hot Beach", "The Runner", "One Hot Afternoon", "Leather Bound", and "Bore & Stroke". LP, Vinyl record album

A biker soundtrack to end all biker soundtracks – one that shares plenty of elements with better-known entries in the genre, but which also has some really wild and offbeat moments! As with most of the short-lived motorcycle soundtrack era, the vibe here is much more rock than other film scores of the time – written and performed by Don Gere, with a variety of styles that echo some of the fake groups that were often thrown together for bigger biker films – but sometimes with looser, weirder elements that really deliver the kind of sounds that we always expected on other biker soundtracks, but which were instead buried under piles of b and c-grade psych. Instead, Don really serves up the goods here – especially on some of the more fuzzy Satanic ritual tracks, which also have some great sound effects – and which then have you embracing some of the straighter rock tracks, almost as a relief. Titles include "Werewolves On Wheels (Main Theme)", "Mount Shasta Home", "Ritual", "Ritual 2", "The Devil's Advocates", "One Foot In Heaven", "Burning Grass", "Tarot", "Tarot Trail", "Dust Bowl", "Ritual 3", and "Werewolves On Wheels (End Theme)". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Very cool work from British TV maestro Barry Gray – one of the few cats who could ever make music for a show with puppets, and have it end up sounding this cool! Joe 90 is an offshoot of the famous Thunderbirds series of programs – and as with those, Gray comes up with some wonderful sounds that are in the best Brit sound library modes of the late 60s – touches of jazz, mixed with mod elements on upbeat tunes, and taken to some mellower moments in a few other spots – all handled with a wonderfully wide palette of sound! The set's an even bigger collection than the previous CD release of Joe 90 material – with 24 tracks in all – including two takes on the main theme, and material from episodes that include "Double Agent", "Talkdown", "Arctic Adventure", "Big Fish", "Hijacked", "Splashdown", and "The Race". CD

A swinging sex comedy score from the legendary Neal Hefti – not as well-known as some of his big 60s hits, but a wonderfully groovy record throughout! The film itself is a pretty silly farce – and Hefti definitely matches that action in his music – by mixing up jazzy, upbeat numbers with some sweeter tunes that have that lush, laidback style we always love in his orchestrations! Things are never too heavy, and the whole thing's got a lightness that really stands out from other work of this nature by Hefti's contemporaries – especially on a few of the tracks that make some great use of groovy wordless vocals. Titles include "Prologue (Main Theme)", "Suspicion", "Virna", "Here's To My Lover", "Stag Party Blast", "Bash Brannigan", "How To Murder Your Wife", "Scene Of The Crime", "Cartoon Capers", and "Requiem For A Bachelor". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual soundtrack from Ennio Morricone – one that's from the start of the 80s, and which has some sweet electric touches used alongside some of his more familiar modes! There's a bit of funk at the start, which heralds some of the less conventional instrumentation for the maestro – yet tunes still then follow that sense of slowly unfolding, flowering melody that can make his work so great – all the classic Morricone modes we love so much, but given a nice twist as well! The change is a great one – especially as at this moment, Morricone was moving into much larger orchestrations for bigger global films – and the set also features a bit of vocals from Nora Orlandi, and work from Alessandro Alessandroni on one track too. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual soundtrack from Ennio Morricone – one that's from the start of the 80s, and which has some sweet electric touches used alongside some of his more familiar modes! There's a bit of funk at the start, which heralds some of the less conventional instrumentation for the maestro – yet tunes still then follow that sense of slowly unfolding, flowering melody that can make his work so great – all the classic Morricone modes we love so much, but given a nice twist as well! The change is a great one – especially as at this moment, Morricone was moving into much larger orchestrations for bigger global films – and the set also features a bit of vocals from Nora Orlandi, and work from Alessandro Alessandroni on one track too. CD

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

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

One of the grooviest 60s soundtracks from Riz Ortolani – done for an Italian spy film, and very different than some of his bigger-name scores for global cinematic hits! The music here is very much in the best jazzy style you'd expect from a spy thriller, but also has some groovy mod numbers too – romping tunes that are an Italian take on UK beat modes, with really cool rhythms that are upbeat and very soulful – cuts that are then interspersed with slinkier numbers that fit the mode of the spy in the company of a lovely lady! This expanded CD is the first time this much music has ever been released from the film – a whopping 22 titles in all, in comparison to the previous release of only 9 tracks! CD

Wonderfully groovy stuff – and one of the best soundtracks ever by the great Italian composer Armando Trovajoli! The record has a very similar feel to his legendary Seven Golden Men soundtrack – with a groovy swinging jazz vocal group (I Cantori Moderni) over jazzy riffing and groovin – on upbeat tunes that are very cool, with a mod 60s style throughout! The whole thing swings mightily – and kind of feels like what might have happened if the Swingle Singers ever recorded with Lalo Schifrin – his best jazz-infused instrumentation, and their wonderfully dynamic vocal approach. Titles include "The Getaway", "Seven Times Blues", "The Big Brain", "Jail", and "Seven Times Seven". LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than you'd expect from any sort of typical gangster movie – a set of godlike sounds that could only have come from the hands of the great Piero Umiliani! The music is filled with jazzy touches and these stunning deeper currents – served up in a mix of vibes, flute, Hammond, and tenor – often with floating, open qualities that are completely hypnotic, which are then balanced out by tighter jazz passages that really send the whole thing home! The soundtrack is one of Umiliani's best – the sort that first got us appreciating his genius years ago – and in addition to the instrumental tunes, there's also a few vocal numbers sung by Ira and Franco Morselli. 2CD version is bigger than the previous release – with lots of photos from the film, and titles that include "Crepuscolo Sul Mare", "Cosa Mai Sara", "Gangster's Song", "Veni A Dirni Ciao", "Apertura In Jazz", "Tema Dell'Addio", "Very Fast", and "Swing Come Sempre". CD

Groovy groovy work from Johnny Williams – one of his best 60s soundtracks, with lots of nice touches! The film's a goofy sex romp, as you might expect from the title, and Williams' tunes really keep the spirit of the movie up nicely – running through a variety of upbeat styles, from jazzy Hammond, to groovy vocals, and even a few surprisingly nice chorus vocal type tunes! Includes the great song "Big Beautiful Ball", presented in instrumental and vocal versions, the latter of which is sung by Johnny Mercer. Other titles include "Not With My Wife You Don't", "Two Of Everything", "Trumpet Discotheque", "Hungarian Jungle Music", and "My Inamorata". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy groovy work from Johnny Williams – a second volume of material for one of his best 60s soundtracks – excellent early work from on the great modern film score composers! The film's a goofy sex romp, as you might expect from the title, and Williams' tunes really keep the spirit of the movie up nicely – running through a variety of upbeat styles, from jazzy Hammond, to groovy vocals, and even a few surprisingly nice chorus vocal type tunes! Includes the great song "Big Beautiful Ball", presented in vocal versions as well as a bonus instrumental, the former with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. This great Film Score Monthly Vol 2 features the nearly complete original film tracks, derived from the original scoring masters. Other titles include "My Inamorata", "It'll Take Hours", "Tom's Jealousy", "Two Of Everything", "High Tank", "Cold Feet", "Bowed Heads And Flowers" and many more. Also includes several bonus track instrumental versions. 38 tracks in all. CD