Wonderful sounds from the films of Jacques Tati – a set that overflows with the kind of warmly wistful tunes that really help define the images on the screen! Music is by Francis Lemarque, Francois Rauber, Charles Dumont, and others – and overall, the music is mostly in a small combo mode – with instrumentation that includes piano, vibes, guitar, and accordion – used in very whimsical ways throughout, with a quality that's almost as visual as the images on the screen – almost little cartoons in music, but with that warmer, more sentimental quality that made Tati's films so much more than slapstick. The collection runs much further in time than previous Tati collections – material from films that include Traffic, Play Time, Jour De Fete, Mon Oncle, Parade, and Les Vacances De Monseuir Hulot. Titles include "Paris Circus", "Super Market", "Play It In Time", "Musette", "Tournez Les Maneges", "Bereceuse", "Theme Oriental", "Take My Hand", "La Cours D'Auto", "Tournee Rapide", "Chanson Des Forains", "Voitures Ballet", "Mon Oncle", and "Pianissimo". 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

Two never-used scores from the great Georges Delerue – a rare slice of work from one of the greatest French masters of cinema scoring! First up is Delerue's music for Regarding Henry – 10 tracks that really draw strongly on Georges' great talent for deeply expressive melody – that way of putting a lot into a little, coming up with sounds that have a really rich sense of feeling, but without any sort of overdone emotion – a really careful balance that Delerue hit best in these later years of his life, and which sound superb here – leaving us to wonder why the music was never used! Titles include "Back To Life", "Amnesia", "Finding Love", "Erased Memory", "Henry's New Personality", "Speech Therapy", and "Sentimental Calliope". Next are 8 tracks written for Something Wicked This Way Comes – many of which have a circus or carnival sort of quality – but one that's nicely spooky too – a mix of creepy edges that we don't always find in Delerue's music, but still handled with a top-shelf approach to orchestrations as well. Titles include "Mirror Maze", "Mr Dark's Carnival", "Time Carousel", "Black Lullaby", and "The Edge Of Death". CD

Way more than just the usual collection of famous British TV themes from the 60s – as this set offers up some great rare nuggets, unusual versions, and some obscure tracks that are all pretty darn fresh to our American years! As you well know if you're a fan of anything pop culture from this generation, British TV was way hipper than most of the American small screen in the 60s – from the stories, to the settings, to the wonderfully cool themes and backing music that supported the show – often a cool hybrid of postwar Soho jazz modes and lots of the best soundtrack/sound library styles that were evolving in the hands of an elite few on the London scene. Some of the best and grooviest of that generation are presented here – in an overstuffed collection that includes "Gurney Slade" by Max Harris, "Danger Man" by Red Price Combo, "The Avenger" by Johnny Dankworth, "Tuesday Rendezvous" by Bert Weedon, "Face To Face" by Frank Chacksfield, "Comedy Playhouse" by Ron Grainer, "What The Papers Say" by London Philharmonic, "Monty Python's Flying Circus" by Eastman Wind Ensemble, "The Saint" by Les Reed, "Fireball" by Don Spencer, "Z Cars" by Johnny Keating, and a number of tracks from The Prisoner too! CD

One of Francis Lai's more successful soundtracks, written shortly after his legendary work on Un Homme et Une Femme and Vivre Pour Vivre. The theme of the film is one of Lai's most instantly recognized ones, and it's served up here in a number of different versions with spare haunting keyboards. The rest of the score's a mix of spare moody electric tracks and sweeping orchestral ones with a great rush of emotion. Titles include "Un Homme Qui Me Plait", "Concerto Pour La Fin D'Un Amour", "Las Vegas Circus Ballet", and "Les Filles En Cage". LP, Vinyl record album

A very strange soundtrack from Andre Previn! The film is an obscure Natalie Wood vehicle – about an actress in Hollywood of the 30s – and it appears that Wood is the vocalist on the album's few numbers with lyrics, written by Andre with the help of Dory Previn, making the set one of their earliest collaborations! The vocal numbers are more 60s period sounding than 30s – and the instrumental ones are darker orchestral themes, with quite an edge to them. Titles include "Breakdown", "Swan's Way", "The Career Begins", "Sailboat", "The Convalarium", "The Circus Is A Wacky World", and two versions of "You're Gonna Hear From Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Not Lalo's greatest soundtrack of the 70s, but with a few nice moments! The music was written for a strange action film that starred George Segal, Henry Fonda, and Richard Widmark, set in an amusement park – and, not surprisingly, about half the tunes have a carnival or circus type theme to them, with lots of instrumentation that's played in the mode of a calliope. The best cuts, though, have a tight Schifrin action groove to them – done in the manner of some of his slicker late 70s work, with plenty of uptempo rhythms and driving themes. Tracks include "Rollercoaster", "Apple Turnover", "One Track Mind", "Portrait Of Harry", "Magic Carousel", "Children's Ride", and "Another Side Of Harry". CD

Written for a strange action film that starred George Segal, Henry Fonda, and Richard Widmark, set in an amusement park – and, not surprisingly, about half the tunes have a carnival or circus type theme to them, with lots of instrumentation that's played in the mode of a calliope. The best cuts, though, have a tight Schifrin action groove to them – done in the manner of some of his slicker late 70s work, with plenty of uptempo rhythms and driving themes. Tracks include "Rollercoaster", "Apple Turnover", "One Track Mind", "Portrait Of Harry", "Magic Carousel", "Children's Ride", and "Another Side Of Harry". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredibly captivating work from the legendary Alexandro Jodorowsky – a soundtrack that's beyond compare, penned for a movie to match – and issued famously as one of the key releases on Apple Records! Given the lack of distribution for the film, the record's become one of the few lasting relics of the bizarre El Topo project – filled with tunes penned by Jodorowsky that are as offbeat as the images on the screen! The movie's kind of a surreal western, with lots of trippy touches – and the soundtrack runs from straight numbers that echo an Italian spaghetti era, to others that have a playful almost circus-esque aspect, to others that come across with a weird mix of organic instrumentation and psychedelic inspiration. Titles aren't listed individually, which is great – because the whole thing works together as some brilliant sound collage – better absorbed as a whole, and with plenty of space for contemplation! LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful sounds from the films of Jacques Tati – a set that overflows with the kind of warmly wistful tunes that really help define the images on the screen! Music is by Francis Lemarque, Francois Rauber, Charles Dumont, and others – and overall, the music is mostly in a small combo mode – with instrumentation that includes piano, vibes, guitar, and accordion – used in very whimsical ways throughout, with a quality that's almost as visual as the images on the screen – almost little cartoons in music, but with that warmer, more sentimental quality that made Tati's films so much more than slapstick. The collection runs much further in time than previous Tati collections – material from films that include Traffic, Play Time, Jour De Fete, Mon Oncle, Parade, and Les Vacances De Monseuir Hulot. Titles include "Paris Circus", "Super Market", "Play It In Time", "Musette", "Tournez Les Maneges", "Bereceuse", "Theme Oriental", "Take My Hand", "La Cours D'Auto", "Tournee Rapide", "Chanson Des Forains", "Voitures Ballet", "Mon Oncle", and "Pianissimo". LP, Vinyl record album