A trio of western soundtracks from the great Riz Ortolani – music that's not in the usual spirit of his bigger film scores of the 60s! I Tre Spietati begins with the sort of theme that should have been huge – a driving, powerful melody that has the best anthemic modes of the generation, and which appears in instrumental variations through the dozen tracks within – mixed with some more dramatic moments as well – but all with a vibe that's very different than more standard spaghetti western styles. Next up is Requiescant – a beautiful western score with a big, brooding use of guitar – and a sound that's even more robust than usual! About half the tracks feature the guitar strongly – used in a twangy way, unfolding slowly, with lots of echo – very cool, very striking, and almost more powerful than use of the instrument on most other spaghetti western scores of the time! Other numbers are more scene-setting – some brassy trumpet flairs, barroom piano, or harmonica lines on the trail – and overall, the soundtrack features 21 short numbers from the film, with guitar tracks nicely juxtaposed against the others! CD also features two tracks from the film O'Cangaceiro – the excellent percussive "Mulhe Rendra", and the mellower vocal track "Vou Caminhando". CD

One of our favorite 60s surf soundtracks ever – an amazing blend of Stu Phillips orchestrations with some key vocal moments from the trio of Dino Desi & Billy! The album's got a wonderful theme – "Thru Spray Colored Glasses" – sung initially by the trio, then served up by Stu in a number of variations that change with the different exotic locales of the film – India, Hong Kong, Hawaii, and Morocco – all referenced slightly in the instrumentation, but in ways that always retain Phillips' grooviest inspirations! Strings blend with bits of harpsichord, vibes, voices, Spanish guitar, and these "watery" woodwinds that almost remind us of Australian jazz in the same period – and titles include "Thru Spray Colored Glasses", "Big Wave Bay", "Incinerator", "Ranee Express", "Nazare", and "Cascis". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most enigmatic soundtracks we've ever heard from Luis Bacalov – a set that's still as groovy as his work from the 60s, but with a lot more 70s rock touches overall! These elements come through in some of the English language vocals at the start, but then slide into lighter variations on some of the more instrumental tracks – which move between sweet keyboards, flute lines, spare percussion, and a few more guitar-based moments! But there's also quite a sense of variety in the music – as the expanded reissue allows for a number of additional material that further expand past the few core themes, to some moodier, darker moments. Titles include "Like A Play", "Run & Run", "The Summertime Killer", "Lisboa's Tram", and "The House On The Lake". 21 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most enigmatic soundtracks we've ever heard from Luis Bacalov – a set that's still as groovy as his work from the 60s, but with a lot more 70s rock touches overall! These elements come through in some of the English language vocals at the start, but then slide into lighter variations on some of the more instrumental tracks – which move between sweet keyboards, flute lines, spare percussion, and a few more guitar-based moments! But there's also quite a sense of variety in the music – as the expanded reissue allows for a number of additional material that further expand past the few core themes, to some moodier, darker moments. Titles include "Like A Play", "Run & Run", "The Summertime Killer", "Lisboa's Tram", and "The House On The Lake". Great LP sleeve edition – with 21 tracks in all! CD

Fantastic stuff – and one of the grooviest soundtracks you'll ever hope to own! Sid Ramin did a heck of a lot of work for TV soundtracks by the time this one came out – and he took all that experience, and came up with some fantastically swinging jazz tracks that have a sock-mod 60s groove! Hammond organ dances around the best numbers – blasting out with horns on variations of the very catchy "Stiletto" theme – and other great cuts mix flute, strings, and a bit of harpsichord or piano – creating that cool 60s easy sound that never gets old in our book! Titles include "Confrontation", "Goat Island", "Follow That Man", "Stiletto", "Tram", and the classic "Sugar In The Rain", a great light bossa number with some dreamy vocals from Sally Stevens! CD

That's the great Bud Spencer on the cover here, starring in one of his wonderfully playful comedies from the early 80s – maybe not the highest level of cinematic brilliance, but always a very good time on the screen! Music is always a key part of these films – and as in others, this one's got a theme that's repeated often as Bud hits the screen in scene to scene – a playful, romping groove that has a keyboard part that sounds like a pan flute, leaping along with the rhythms in a really nice way! Some numbers also echo a "Banana Joe" vocal theme too – and the music has electric bass and keyboards next to the larger orchestrations. Most tracks are variations on the theme, but some get a bit groovier too – and titles also include the "Wanna Believe" soul track, with vocals from Yvonne Wilkins. LP, Vinyl record album

A heck of a great little record from Italian soundtrack composer Carlo Rustichelli – an obscure mid 70s score, and one that's got some groovier moments than a lot of his other work from the time! The album's got a playful, jaunty sort of feel – one that's right in keeping with the cartoony image on the cover – and most numbers feature keyboards of some sort (organ, piano, accordion) springing along in variations of the main theme – a haunting little tune that's sweetly swinging and a bit jazzy, yet also touched with a nice undercurrent of sadness. The arrangements are great too – and often feature weird passages bursting in – at a level that reminds us of some of our favorites from the late 60s. Titles include "Una Partita A Carte", "Al Trani", "Amici Miei", "Una Bravata", "Un Goccio Di Tristezza", and "Amici Sempre". Plus, this version features 7 more bonus tracks – all very cool alternate takes! CD