A rare EP for the film L'Homme Presse – music that has this open, floating sort of vibe – light strings, and isolated piano lines – almost at a level that's like some of our favorite French composers from the early 70s. There's some lightly classical touches, but the sound is quite contemporary overall – with a moody vibe that reminds us of some of the darker moments from Francis Lai. (Funky 45's, Soundtracks) 7-inch, Vinyl record

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Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees recreate the magic of the Beatles – on a set that also features performances by Steve Martin, Dianne Steinberg, George Burns, Donald Pleasence, Stargard, Earth Wind & Fire, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, and Billy Preston. (Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet set of soundtrack funk – from a film named after one of our favorite streets in Chicago! Although the record's got an approach that's perhaps a bit tighter and smoother than anything going down on Stony in the late 70s, it does manage to share a good deal of styles with the Chi-soul scene of the time – thanks to work on the record from Chicagoans Gene Barge, Sonny Seals, and Tennyson Stephens! Many of the tracks on the set have a bad-walking soul approach – one that's kind of a mixture of funky and bluesy – and these are laid out next to some jazzier instrumentals that we like most of all – tunes that have a great funky soundtrack feel, but with a bit more fusion touches than usual, probably because of the work of David Matthews. Titles include "Percy Fired", "Party Lights", "High Speed Posters", "Back To Business", "Chase The Train", "Gangster City", "Dream Ride", and "Peace Of Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer French soundtrack from the start of the 70s – four very groovy cuts that were used in the film Jeu De Dames, a movie that also circulated under the more titillating title of Sex Revolution! The music is full of freak and fuzz – Hammond organ, great guitar lines, and plenty of romping mod rhythms that feel more like late 60s French grooves than work from 1973 – all given the sorts of very cool production touches that you'd expect from bigger giants of the field, like Michel Colombier and Alan Goraguer! Titles include "Les Velos", "Le Viol", "Drole De Jeu De Dames", and "La Recherche". (Funky 45's, Soundtracks) 7-inch, Vinyl record

The sound of industry, circa 1969 Italy – which means that everything sounds a heck of a lot groovier than you might expect! Soundtrack genius Alessandro Alessandroni handled the album – and it's completely fantastic right from the very first note – nothing like an industrial album, nor even some of the peppier "industry themed" sound library sets of the European postwar theme – and instead, the music is full of jazzy elements and cool wordless vocals – especially those scatting styles you'd know from Alessandroni's work with I Cantori Modern! Tremendous throughout – and quite possibly one of the grooviest albums the composer has ever given us. Titles include "Moto Blues", "Dialogando", "Circolazione", "Basso Regime", "Vie Motrici", "Escursione", and "Numero Uno". (Sound Library, Soundtracks) CD

An amazing little soundtrack – written in mid 60s Peru by jazz pianist Jaime Delgado Aparicio, but easily on a par with some of the best American or Italian scores from the time! The music's got a really wonderful feel throughout – jazz at the core, but with touches of spy soundtrack scoring and some of the lighter, more comedic modes of the Italian scene. Delgado uses a core combo with heavy piano, percussion, and some great trumpet and tenor – almost with the tightness of the Basso-Valdambrini group – but he also expands the sound with bits of strings and some fuller orchestrations, used to shade in some amazing colors that roll, dip, and turn with the beautiful grooves penned for the set. The whole thing's tremendous, with equally great production that creates some odd twists and turns that further keep things interesting as the album rolls on. Titles include "Elm Embajador Y Yo", "Sexy Surf", "Llegando A La Capital", "Isometria", "Todo El Mundo Me Persigue", "Lucha En El Mar", and "La Arana". Added to the soundtrack is Jamie's 1964 album – Jaime Delgado Aparicio Y Su Trio – a crackling bit of piano jazz from the Peruvian scene of the 60s – and a record that's somewhere between the best of Horace Silver on Blue Note, and some of the Brazilian bossa trios of the time! There's a strong sense of rhythm throughout – round, rolling basslines punctuated by great work on the drum kit – all topped by beautifully lyrical lines from Delgado Aparicio on piano – filled with color, light, and life throughout – and soloing with a depth that's rare for such a young player! Titles include a great version of Horace Silver's "Sayonara Blues", plus "The Climate", "Autumn Leaves", "Walkin", and "Blue Daniel". CD

Probably the greatest album ever by the Art Ensemble of Chicago – and also one of their rarest! The album was cut for Pathe Marconi in Paris in 1970, and was the soundtrack to a film that was as obscure as the album. The group's never been finer – and plays with a creative tightness that you'll be hard pressed to find on other record. Some tracks are almost straight jazz – but there's all these wonderful little breakdowns and burst of creative energy that keep the AACM spirit alive and true. The centerpiece of the album is the massive "Theme De Yoyo", a righteous powerful groover that features vocals by Fontella Bass (wife of Lester Bowie of the group), and which has become an all-time jazz dance classic! Other tracks have a sparer soundtracky feel, and a few more are in the experimental vein of the Art Ensemble's other Paris work at the time. Wonderful overall though – and an incredibly righteous album filled with power and imagination! Titles include "Theme De Celine", "Proverbes", "Theme Libra", and "Variations Sur Un Theme De Monteverdi". Very hard to find original French pressing – with different cover image! (Jazz, Soundtracks) 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". CD

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

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

A well-done batch of music for the initial season of Japanese TV show Long Vacation – served up with a sense of variety and depth that's a great change from American television music for a program of this nature! Cagnet put the whole thing together, but they've got a good sense of variety throughout – shifting singers and styles of music, and moving between vocal numbers and instrumentals that have a nice mix of beats and soundtrack elements. Titles include "Long Vacation" by Anna McMurphy, "Silent Emotion" by Calin, "Little By Little" by Section S, "To Live & Die" by David, "What Will I Do" by Natalie Burks, and the tunes "Tiny Tale", "Back Ground", and "Short Wave Radio". (Japanese, Soundtracks) CD

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

Two different Jimmy Stewart comedy soundtracks from the 60s – both of them nice! First up is Dear Brigitte – an overlooked 1965 score by George Duning – done with a mix of the playful modes you'd expect from the story, and some of those great deeper dramatic touches that Duning used in more serious soundtracks – a really rich mixing of modes with a sound that's much stronger than we expected! Titles include "On To BBs", "The Captain", "Magical Moment", "Puzzled Cap'n", "Hey Dad", "Is It A Trick", and "She Sank". Next is an even groovier record – a rare non RCA Henry Mancini soundtrack from the early 60s – the score to Mr Hobbs Takes A Vacation, done with all the best mix of jazz and groovy elements we love in classic Mancini! Instrumentation mixes a key electric guitar melody with some lighter touches on woodwinds – really getting the most out of the melody with some shifts in timing and tone, juxtaposed with a few numbers that are even more playful! Titles include "Barn Swallow", "Something For Lauri", "Cream Puff", "Up His Nose", "A Month Off", and "Rudders & Sails". CD features 39 tracks in all – including 7 bonus tracks from the Mancini score! CD

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

A very cool electronic soundtrack for this obscure early 80s slasher film – music that's a lot more complex and sensitive than the usual sounds used for slashers – with a style that reminds us of some of the hippest late 70s music on the Sky Records label! Eric Feremens comes from a relatively similar place – working here on self-built synthesizers, tailored specially to produced these wonderful sounds and tones – not tinny commercial keyboards, but much more thoughtful electronic elements that make the music way more appealing than just its use in a film. In fact, this is one of the few soundtracks of its type that could stand alone as a batch of spacey electronics – far from the schlocky images on the screen. Titles include "Harbour Fight", "Persecution", "Lady", "Hippy Song", and "Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

An action score from Jerry Fielding, but one that's done in a great mix of modes – definitely with some of the driving numbers you might expect, but also with these mellower, moodier tracks that are perfect for a film starring Alain Delon – and which really do a great job of linking it to some of his famous French cinematic efforts! Fielding's got his roots in American jazz, and always does a great job with action – but we're even more impressed here as he gets into some more deeply introspective passages, mixed with moments of subtle tension – served up with orchestrations that are completely sublime – and which rival those of 70s soundtrack contemporary Jerry Goldsmith. Jazz artists Lennie Niehaus and Greg McRitchie conducted the orchestrations, which might explain some of their strength – and titles include "The Imperial Vaults", "On The Plane From Paris", "The Russian Wags His Tail", "All Fall Down", "Hide & Seek Underground", and "The Parisian Connection". CD version features 24 tracks in all! CD

A drama that features John Wayne in Japan – and Friedhofer's soundtrack has that "epic" feel that he did so well at the time – serious orchestral sounds with a great depth of feeling – often through compressed horn passages over strings, with occasional touches of the exotic to signify the locale of the story! Titles include "The Palace", "The Road To Edo", "Awareness", "The Strange House", "Flag Raising", "Orders From Edo", and "Declaration". CD

A cool re-creation of the best soundtrack modes of Fabio Frizzi – particularly his scores for the films of Lucio Fulci! The performance is a live one, but done with a very classic vibe – played by a small combo that mixes keyboards, guitar, and rhythms with some light strings to really capture the creepy vibe of Frizzi's best soundtrack material – served up here in a mix of instrumental tracks that occasionally feature vocals – with music from the films Manhattan Baby, Zombi 2, Paura Nella Citta Dei Morti Viventi, Beware Of Darkness, and more! Titles include "Bunny Love Song", "Silver Saddle", "Baby Sequence" (numbers 1-4), "Zombi 2", "Wast It All In Vain", "Rusth Games", "Luca Il Contrabbandiere", "Voci Dal Nulla" and more. CD

A really wonderful later score from John Barry – and key proof of the maturity he really hit in his music during the 80s! There's a style here that goes way beyond most of his soundtracks of the 60s – and even of the 70s – a depth of feeling and jazzy approach that's almost like some of the best vintage work by Johnny Mandel! 31 tracks in all. CD

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