A rare Brazilian soundtrack on Som Livre – one that features work recorded for this story set in the 50s, which gives most of the tracks a rock n roll-ish kind of sound, a bit like the jovem guarda work coming out of Brazil in the 60s. A few titles are covers of American pop or rock tunes – and there's a few bossa ditties thrown on the end to even things out a bit. Titles include "Ela E Carioca" by Os Cariocas, "Bata Baby" by Wilson Miranda, "Tete" by Silvinha Telles, "Sereno" by Paulo Molin, "Banho De Lua" by Celly Campello, "Broto Legal" by Sergio Murilo, "Meu Mundo Caiu" by Maysa, and "Quem E?" by Osmar Navarro. (Brazil, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Riz Ortolani did the soundtrack for this groovy film about 3 Americans (Peter Lawford, Telly Savalas, and Phil Silvers) returning to Italy after the war in a reunion with the woman who is the mother of a child that belongs to one of them. Sounds odd – and it is (believe us, we've seen the film!) Most of the score kind of has a romantic "vet returning to Italy after the war" feel – but there are some nice groovy moments – including the title theme "Buona Sera Mrs Campbell", a great vocal number by Jimmy Roselli! Other tracks include "Carla Is In Love", "Gia's Theme", "A Blessed Event", "Contessa Theme", "Fiesta In The Pizza", and "Braddock's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool record from Luis Bacalov – and one with a sound that's quite different than some of his more familiar, more sentimental soundtrack material! This one's got a wild mix of modes – from moody, atmospheric tracks, to funky bits, to more tripped-out passages – all with instrumentation that feels much more like it's from the Piccioni or Umiliani camp than the usual Bacalov styles! The whole thing's one of the more obscure numbers in Luis' soundtrack catalog – but it may well also be one of the best, thanks to titles that include "Hello Quincey", "Tucumania", "Nago", "Pinha Tamburim", "Lisa G", "Members Only", and "Anagramma". LP, Vinyl record album

The gentle, spare soundtrack to the film "The Piano" by noted UK minimalist Michael Nyman, very much in the vein of his non-soundtrack (and other soundtrack) work. 19 titles in all, including "To The Edge Of The Earth", "A Wild & Distant Shore", "The Heart Asks Pleasure First", "The Promise", "A Bed Of Ferns", "The Scent Of Love", "The Mood That Passes Through You", "The Embrace", "Little Impulse", "I Clipped Your Wing", "The Wounded", "All Imperfect Things" and "Dreams Of A Journey". (Out Sound, Soundtracks) CD

Campy 20s-sounding tunes – penned by Ralston for this all-star World War 1 extravaganza. Most of the material is comedic, and vocals are by Richard Howard, Joanne Brown, Pia Colombo, Corin Redgrave, and others. Titles include "Belgium Put The Kaibosh On The Kaiser", "When This Lousy War Is Over", "I Want To Go Home", "Hush! Here Comes A Whizzbang", "Oh! It's A Lovely War", "Over There", and "Goodbyeee". 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

Two Italian horror scores on one CD! Piero Piccioni did the soundtrack for Seven Murders For Scotland Yard – in a style that mixes more dramatic orchestrations with a few great mod touches on organ, flute, and percussion – which step out nicely on the groovier tracks, and bring in a nice note of action and surprise to a score that's mostly tense and poised for danger! Titles include "Seven Murders", "Unknown Maniac", "Reminding The Ripper", "Suspecting", "Inspector Campbell", and "Professor Christie". Francesco De Masi follows with the score for 7 Hyden Park La Casa Maledetta – done in a cool 70s electronic mode, one that often features the keyboards playing simple, but eerie melodies that set a great tone for the film's creepy plot! Titles include "Handicapped Girl", "Falling", "In The Past", "Cursed House", "House In The Park", "Fear & Blood", "So Many Corpses", and "Dreadful Cellar". CD

The fourth Prince soundtrack in less than a decade – and a record that follows nicely after Purple Rain, Batman, and Parade, but with a slightly different spirit too – thanks to an ever-expanding Paisley Park family that included George Clinton, Morris Day, and Mavis Staples! The older funk acts are fine, and add to the spice – but it's clear that the main attraction here is Prince, although The Time are pretty darn welcome too! The set features vocal performances from Tevin Campbell, George Clinton, Mavis Staples, TC Ellis, and Robin Power – and titles include "New Power Generation", "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got", "Love Machine", "Tick Tick Bang", "Shake", "Thieves In The Temple", "Still Would Stand All Time", "Graffiti Bridge", and "The Latest Fashion". (Soul, Soundtracks) CD

The fourth Prince soundtrack in less than a decade – and a record that follows nicely after Purple Rain, Batman, and Parade, but with a slightly different spirit too – thanks to an ever-expanding Paisley Park family that included George Clinton, Morris Day, and Mavis Staples! The older funk acts are fine, and add to the spice – but it's clear that the main attraction here is Prince, although The Time are pretty darn welcome too! The set features vocal performances from Tevin Campbell, George Clinton, Mavis Staples, TC Ellis, and Robin Power – and titles include "New Power Generation", "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got", "Love Machine", "Tick Tick Bang", "Shake", "Thieves In The Temple", "Still Would Stand All Time", "Graffiti Bridge", and "The Latest Fashion". (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool collection – one put together in celebration of the centennial of the Hollywood sign that rises above Sunset Strip in LA – and which brings together a whole host of unusual performances by actors who sing, singers who act, and other artists who made some key contributions to the American film scene in the postwar years! Most of the music here is from the late 40s through 60s period that you'll usually find on Bear Family collections – but there's also some surprises from later years too – a few tracks near the end from later films, thrown in for good measure. As always with Bear Family, the package is as cool as the set list – a set of 61 titles that feature work from Jane Russell, Anthony Perkins, Julie London, Robert Mitchum, Sophia Loren, Henry Manciny, Jayne Mansfield, Telly Savalas, Hugo Montenegro, Twiggy, Richard Chamberlain, Ray Campi, Carl Parkins, Gene Ray, Laurel & Hardy, Gina Lollobridigda, Jerry Lewis, Fred Astaire, Val Kilmer, and dozens of others. CD

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

A brilliantly overstuffed package of work from Italian composer Riz Ortolani! Una Sull'Atra is groovy little gem from Riz Ortolani! The soundtrack's got an excellent late 60s feel – with tracks that mix electric bass with sitar, flute, organ, and some fuller jazzy arrangements. There's a strong jazz component running through the mix – taking the score past some of the easier campier moments, and giving it a solid overall sound that will keep you coming back to it again and again. Titles include "Sitar In Blues", "Lombard Street", "St Francisco Railways", "St Quentin", "Un Sull Altra", and "Susan & Jane". Teresa La Ladra is an unusual Monica Vitti vehicle – and Ortolani's score features the funky theme "Teresa L'Illusa", alongside some mellower numbers that include "Teresa For Sax", "Teresa", and "Teresa & Blues". The best of the bunch, though, are the CD's 8 tracks from the Tiffany Memorandum – a groovy action score that's as wonderful as the name might imply! The work has a mod, swinging feel that's really nice – one that mixes together Italian "shake" modes of the 60s with some jazzier American touches on the best cuts. Titles include "Beat Fuga Shake", "Tiffany Sequence M8", "Tiffany Sequence M22", "Tiffany 23", and "Notte Al Grand Hotel". CD

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

A soundtrack by Charles Strouse that mixes both vocal and instrumental modes of the 20s – but always with an undercurrent of 60s camp! The film's a bit more unusual than you might guess, and the burlesque setting really comes through in some of the tunes – which have a swinging 60s "The Stripper" use of trad jazz. There's a few more sensitive soundtrack moments too – and titles include the vocal numbers "Overture & Introduction" and "The Night They Raided Minsky's" by Rudy Vallee, "Perfect Gentleman" by Jason Robards, "Take 10 Terrific Girls" by Dexter Maitland, and "You Rat You" by Lillian Heyman – plus instrumental numbers "How I Loved Her", "Love Theme From The Night They Raided Minsky's", "Penny Arcade", and "Perfect Gentleman/Take 10 Terrific Girls". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little soundtrack – as campy as the film it was written for – and a record that's gone on to be one of the touchstone soundtracks of the 60s! Some of the tunes are more straight numbers by Johnny Williams – a bit dreamy, but with some nice easy touches – but the best tunes are the swinging vocal numbers, like "Give A Little More", "Come Live with Me" and "I'll Plant My Own Tree" – which have the fierceness of the film's characters set loose on record (an important thing in the years before you could watch a DVD copy of the movie at home!) Plus, the album starts out with the great monologue which begins the film – kind of a dreamy narrative about the beginning of the downfall that destroyed the life of Neely Bruce – and leads into tracks that include "It's Impossible", "Theme From Valley Of The Dolls", "Jennifer's Recollection", and "Jennifer's French Movie". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful, simply beautiful! The set features 23 tracks from a range of western-themed movies and TV shows – not really spaghetti westerns, but the sort of popular American work of the 50s and 60s, which often starred bigger names in show business, and which features popular vocal themes interpreted by chart stars of the time. The approach is quite different than most of our other soundtrack selections – a wealth of groovy pop vocal tunes united through western themes, and compiled together in a fantastic package with images from the films. Titles include "Fury" by The Prarie Chiefs, "The Man From Laramie" by Al Martino, "The Ballad Of Cat Ballou" by Nat King Cole & Stubby Kaye, "The Lonely Man" by Tennesse Ernie Ford, "Man With True Grit" by Glen Campbell, "Buttons & Bows" by Bob Hope, "The Wind The Wind" by Dean Martin, "Old Turkey Buzzard" by Jose Feliciano, "Marmalade Molasses & Honey" by Andy Williams, "The Legend Of Wyatt Earp" by Shorty Long, "Stagecoach To Cheyenne" by Wayne Newton, and "Bronco" by Johnny Gregory. CD

A really unusual soundtrack from the great Manuel De Sica – scored for an early 70s gangster film, and done in a mix of modes that links together some of the more familiar De Sica styles and some of the groovier elements of the time! At the core, the composer is able to reach back with that more sensitive Italian scoring style needed to evoke the sense of family and community needed for the deeper tensions in the story – but De Sica also brings in both some of the darker elements from the Morricone camp, and occasional bits that resonate more strongly with Italian cop/crime of the time. The main theme is a really lovely spare melody, played on acoustic guitar – one that reappears in a few spots, almost like chapter headings – amidst titles that include "Racket", "Rough", "Casa De Giocio", "Fuoco Contro Fuoco", "Mercato Di Resina", "Bossa Nova Boss", and "Tensione E Agguato". CD features lots of bonus tracks too – 10 more added to the original promo-only soundtrack record! CD

The fourth Prince soundtrack in less than a decade – and a record that follows nicely after Purple Rain, Batman, and Parade, but with a slightly different spirit too – thanks to an ever-expanding Paisley Park family that included George Clinton, Morris Day, and Mavis Staples! The older funk acts are fine, and add to the spice – but it's clear that the main attraction here is Prince, although The Time are pretty darn welcome too! The set features vocal performances from Tevin Campbell, George Clinton, Mavis Staples, TC Ellis, and Robin Power – and titles include "New Power Generation", "Can't Stop This Feeling I Got", "Love Machine", "Tick Tick Bang", "Shake", "Thieves In The Temple", "Still Would Stand All Time", "Graffiti Bridge", and "The Latest Fashion". (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Dramatic, orchestral, dramatic-orchestral, and dramatic-exotic tunes – all scorred for this Indian-themed adventure film that starred Yul Brynner and Trevor Howard. There's a bit of sitar on a few tracks, mixed in with the orchestrations, and titles include "The Leopard", "Jail Break", "The Wrecked Bhanta Camp", "Strutting At Gynkhana", "Fire At The Fort", "Freddy & Jane", "The Train", and "Hanging Bridge Incident". Also includes a slight vocal performance on "The World Is Ready", by Vince Hill. LP, Vinyl record album

A dramatic score by Jerry Goldsmith – written for the film Papillon, a dark prison film that starred Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffmann. The manner of the work is similar to other Goldsmith scores of this nature – with many tense horn and string passages that underlie the mood of the film. Titles include "Gift From The Sea", "Cruel Sea", "Survival", "Hospital", "Reunion", and "The Camp". CD