A wonderful mid 70s set from Gladys Knight & The Pips – a soundtrack date written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, who really helps bring a lot of depth to their music! Curtis really helps Knight and the group get out of some of their hit cliches of the 70s, and find some hipper space for the setting of the film – a mixture of some of the mellower tracks that Gladys' always sparkles on, mixed with some badder-stepping numbers that further deepen the groove – and which has kept the album alive over the years, thanks to some key hip hop samples. Tracks include the sublime "The Makings Of You", plus "Mr Welfare Man", "To Be Invisible", "Claudine Theme", "On and On", and "Hold On". (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

After hitting big as a singer on the soundtrack for Claudine, Gladys Knight finally got her chance in front of the camera for Pipe Dreams – a record that featured her both as the star on film and on the soundtrack! The styles here are a bit more wider-ranging than the usual 70s soundtrack of this type – a bit of ballad soul, mellow numbers, and more – arranged by Dominic Frontiere and Michael Masser in styles that are a bit like some of Knight's own albums of the time. We like especially the jazzy vocalesey number "Pot Of Jazz", a nice number that deserves further discovery on a compilation – and other cuts include "Find A Way", "Follow My Dreams", "So Sad The Song", and "Alaskan Pipeline". (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, The John Barry Orchestra, Louis Armstrong, Shirley Bassey, Paul McCartney & Wings, Lulu, Carly Simon, Shirley Bassey, Sheena Easton, Rita Coolidge, Duran Duran, a-ha, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Garbage, Madonna, Chris Cornell, and much more. CD

Themes from Monty Norman Orchestra, Matt Monro, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, The John Barry Orchestra, Shirley Bassey, Paul McCartney & Wings, Lulu, Carly Simon, Shirley Bassey, Sheena Easton, Rita Coolidge, Duran Duran, a-ha, Gladys Knight, and more/ CD

Includes tracks by Roxy Music, Damned, Jan Hammer, Jackson Browne, Phil Collins, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Steve Jones, Patti La Belle & Bill Champlin, and Andy Taylor. LP, Vinyl record album