A strange little record from the days when the music industry had so much money to throw around, they could make sessions like these! The record is sort of a space rock opera – featuring a huge cast of stars like Cooper, Moon, Hopkins, John Entwistle, Jim Dandy, Eddie Jobson, Elkie Brooks, Justin Hayward, Bill Bruford, and others. The overall feel of the work is a bit like the Rocky Horror Show – a high camp, heavy rock parody of a vintage artform (in this case, the radio space opera.) The musicianship is actually pretty darn strong, even if the overall concept is a bit silly. Tracks include "I'm Flash", "Country Cooking", "What's Happening", "Space Pirates", and "Blast Off". Also includes the great funky break track "Trapped" by Elkie Brooks, which we think was sampled by DJ Shadow! (Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

An Italian comedy take on the story of Robinson Crusoe – one that's served up with lots of light musical touches, thanks to the team of Guido and Maurizio DeAngelis! The music here is a blend of tropical themes and some of the comedic 70s modes you'd guess from the cover art – rootsier percussion and a bit of light ukulele to create the "island" elements – and some warmer, fuller passages that evoke the Italian placement of the film – although overall, the music is probably more attuned to the acoustic elements than most of its type from the time. Heavy vinyl pressing features 12 tracks from the film – plus the 7" single versions of "Signor Robinson" and "L'Isola Di Robinson". LP, Vinyl record album

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

The great folks at Motor Music in Germany have compiled a bunch of groovy tracks from swingin' films from the late 60's, and patched them together into a really cool package with excellent liner notes for the fan of soundtrack stuff and mod 60's music. Excellent selection, with a real emphasis towards hard to find tracks, like Harpers Bizarre's "Malibu U" (the theme to a short lived TV show about a beach school), Mark Lindsay's "Somethin' Big" (a great lost Bacharach track), the theme to The Party, and loads more groovy vocal and instrumental tracks! (Funky Compilations, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

The soundtrack for the film version of Chico Buarque's famous opera Malandro – and quite possibly the best recording of the music we've heard! The style here really benefits from the tighter studio production of the film – and the tunes are put together with strong arrangements that have a bit more force than some of the live recordings of the music we've heard, but in a way that still also allows for plenty of up-close intimacy in the vocals. All performances here are great, and really bring a lot out of the tunes – and Gal Costa sings "O Ultimo Blues", Paulinho Da Viola sings "Aquela Mulher", Zizi Possi sings "Sentimental", Bebel Gilberto sings "Rio 42", Elba Ramhalo sings "Palavra De Mulher", Os Muchachos sing "Tango Do Covil", Ney Matogrosso sings "Las Muchachos De Copacabana", and Chico Buarque sings "A Volta Do Malandro". (Brazil, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite records ever from the great Sven Libaek – an artist who's possibly best known for his underwater soundtrack work of the 70s, but who shines equally well here on a 60s album that has him hitting the top of the waves! The music was written for a surf film in 1966, but has a vibe that's much richer than that – some vibes-heavy tracks that showcase Sven's background in jazz, and which tie nicely to some of the Bruce Brown jazz/surf soundtracks of the early 60s LA scene – mixed with other numbers that have more of an Aussie vibe, in that light wrapping of rhythmic currents and lyrical instrumentation! The vibes alone are worth the price of admission – and titles include "Bikini Girls", "The Lost City", "In The Wave", "To Ride A White Horse", "Turistas Turistas", "Bush Fire", "Break Of Dawn", and "Fun & Games". LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of bluesy rock material – and a set that almost works as well as a straight album project from Nick Gravenites and Mike Bloomfield – as it does as the soundtrack for this offbeat film that starred Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland! The vibe here is a bit like other rock/blues indie soundtracks of the time – such as Heavy Traffic or Fritz The Cat but Gravenites and Bloomfield are also nicely focused, too – and most numbers stand very strongly on their own, not just as scene-setters for the movie. The set also features a bit of vocals from Maria Muldaur, keyboards from Merl Saunders, and some harmonica from Paul Butterfield – and titles include "If You Cared", "My Bag", "Common Ground", "Lonesome Star Blues", "Woman's Love", and "Brand New Family". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy Bay Area sounds here – with cuts that include "Superbyrd" and "Your Old Lady" by Steve Miller Band, "Stranger In My Own Home Town" and "Revolution" by Mother Earth, and "Codine" and "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" by Quicksilver Messenger Service. LP, Vinyl record album

Biker time again – as Stu Phillips lays down a tight little soundtrack for this obscure motorcycle flick from the late 60s! Stu started out as a jazz man, but is best known to us for his very groovy work on the Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls soundtrack. The best cuts on here are Stu's instrumentals – a mixture of funky jazz with a twist, and a bit of funky flute, plus some other numbers that have a well-composed, more serious approach. Highlights include "Friendly Fuzz", which mixes heavy guitars, drums, and flute – and "Rescue", which has a very similar approach – plus the chase-y groover "Get It On". Tammy Wynette sings the title cut "Run Angel Run", and The Windows sing "True Believers", "You're Gonna Get A Piece Of My Mind", and "Love & Admiration Of The Brotherhood Society Of South Napa County". Also includes "Oversexed" – a nice mellow tune with a misleading title. LP, Vinyl record album

A cool anime soundtrack from the 80s! (Japanese, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A lesser-known soundtrack from Ennio Morricone – but one of his grooviest moments of the late 60s! The score is a great blend of heavy and light – and blends together that wonderful floating Morricone style with some heavier, fuzzier tunes that show the late 60s period of the film – all making for a really fleshed-out sound, of the sort that you're usually likely to hear in some of Morricone's classics! The album includes one great number that's got an extended sitar solo, and a few more with hard-edged male vocals by Patrick Samson that almost feel like late 60s French pop! Titles include "Gloria", "Sytar", "Una Voce Allo Specchio", "Tell Me Tell Me", "Sospendi Il Tempo", "In Tre Quarti", "Laila Laila", and "Dinamica Per 5 + 1". LP, Vinyl record album

British jazzman Johnny Scott leads a larger orchestra in a set of serious and dramatic pieces for this 60s film that paired Sherlock Holmes and Jack The Ripper (how many of these were made over the years?) The mood of the music is stark and dramatic – mostly going for the sort of string-heavy horror approach that you'd expect, but occasionally hitting some lighter modes. LP, Vinyl record album

A huge disco cash-in moment of the 70s – but a great one too, and a strong illustration of the power that Casablanca Records had in both the clubs and charts at the time! The movie and record were both a bit over-pressed upon release, but they nonetheless stand as a great snapshot of the way that funky soul had taken over the clubs during the disco generation – giving showcase to a whole host of new young artists, and exposing lots of mainstream listeners to soul music at a level they wouldn't have touched a few years before! Donna Summer was one of Casablanca's big acts at the time – and she really dominates the record with her classic rendition of "Last Dance", plus tracks "With Your Love" and a disco remake of "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus". Both other cuts are strong too – and include "Lovin, Livin, & Givin" by Diana Ross, "Too Hot Ta Trot" by The Commodores, "Disco Queen" by Paul Jabara, "Leatherman's Theme" by Wright Bros Flying Machine, "Floyd's Theme" by Natural Juices, and "Find My Way" by Cameo. (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Great 60s work from Italian soundtrack maestro Piero Piccioni – featuring 2 different soundtracks for doctor comedies that starred the great Alberto Soldi! The music is a wonderful blend of the lighter side of styles that Piccioni worked in – with a bit of jazz, a bit of bossa, and often some nice wordless vocals that drift across the mix with a really lovely feel! Titles include the tremendous groovers "Fortuna", "Samba Fortuna", and "Fortune Blues" – and other tracks include "Lady Love", "Slow Lady", "Final", "Sirenette", and "Esculapio", a nice horn-heavy theme tune! LP, Vinyl record album