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

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With Patti Austin, Jon Secada, Monica Mancini, Gary Burton, Arturo Sandoval, Nestor Torres, Sammy Figueroa and the 75-piece Mancini Orchestra. (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD

A long-overdue issue of this jazzy Peanuts classic – music that's delighted ears for decades, yet never got the same sort of commercial release as Charlie Brown Christmas music! As with that work, the music here all comes from the genius of Vince Guaraldi – and given the early 70s recording of the tunes, Vince definitely has updated his style since the 60s – using Fender Rhodes at times, and even having an electric sensibility to his acoustic piano work too – a sense of spacing and timing that's totally great! The core combo features a young Tom Harrell on trumpet, plus Chuck Bennett on trombone, Seward McCain on bass, and Mike Clark on drums – a very cool jazzy group. Vince sings on the wonderful tune "Little Birdie", which has some larger arrangements – and other titles include "Is It James Or Charlie", "Thanksgiving Theme", "Charlie Brown Blues", "Peppermint Patty", "Linus & Lucy", and "Thanksgiving Interlude". This expanded release features lots of great alternates on the themes – and the tune "Clark & Guaraldi", and "Is It James Or Charlie (bonus mix with whistling)". (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD

A long-overdue issue of this jazzy Peanuts classic – music that's delighted ears for decades, yet never got the same sort of commercial release as Charlie Brown Christmas music! As with that work, the music here all comes from the genius of Vince Guaraldi – and given the early 70s recording of the tunes, Vince definitely has updated his style since the 60s – using Fender Rhodes at times, and even having an electric sensibility to his acoustic piano work too – a sense of spacing and timing that's totally great! The core combo features a young Tom Harrell on trumpet, plus Chuck Bennett on trombone, Seward McCain on bass, and Mike Clark on drums – a very cool jazzy group. Vince sings on the wonderful tune "Little Birdie", which has some larger arrangements – and other titles include "Is It James Or Charlie", "Thanksgiving Theme", "Charlie Brown Blues", "Peppermint Patty", "Linus & Lucy", and "Thanksgiving Interlude". This expanded release features lots of great alternates on the themes – and the tune "Clark & Guaraldi", and "Is It James Or Charlie (bonus mix with whistling)". (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, grooviest albums that pianist Vince Guaraldi ever recorded – a set that's got the same Peanuts theme as his earlier dates for Fantasy Records, but which also features some sweet electric touches that only make things even better than before! In addition to his warmly vamping piano, with all those lyrical touches we love so much, Vince is playing an electric harpsichord too – which makes for some very groovy moments – in a cool quartet that features guitar from Eddie Duran, bass from Stanley Gilbert, and drums from the great Carl Burnett! All tunes are Peanut-themed – the music that Guaraldi wrote for the TV specials – but they're sometimes taken at a looser style that's even jazzier overall – as you'll hear on the classic "Linus & Lucy", plus "Red Baron", "Peppermint Patty", "Great Pumpkin Waltz", and "Rain Rain Go Away". (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Original score for the film by Paul Scrader. Features composer Scott Johnson on guitar, Fred Zlotkin on cello, Michael Riesman and Peter Phillips on keyboards, Karl Bargen on viola, and Sergiu Shwartz and Timothy Baker on violin. (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD

Great music from jazz guitarist Mundell Lowe – a set that was originally written as the soundtrack for an early 60s sexploitation film, Satin In High Heels – but which works equally well as a jazz album on its own! Lowe's in a slightly different setting than on some of his earlier records – working with larger arrangements that include a rich array of sounds and tunes from Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, Clark Terry and Joe Newman on trumpets, Al Cohn and Oliver Nelson on tenor, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, and Phil Woods on alto sax – an all-star lineup who make the music sound way better than you might expect! Lowe's guitar gets a lot of center space in the sound – providing the right sort of slinky, crime jazz-styled elements – and titles include "Coffee Coffee", "Lake In the Woods", "Pattern Of Evil", "Blues For A Stripper", and "East Side Drive In". Nice jazzy sound, and a very sexy theme! CD

A nice lost soundtrack that accompanied this film about a Patty Hearst-type character from the mid 70s! The Stang/All Platinum label was in charge of the music, and the soundtrack features a bunch of exclusive cuts by Rhetta Hughes, The Moments, The Rimshots, and Chuck Jackson. Best of these are the Rimshots instrumentals, especially "Takin It" and "Do What You Feel". Also includes a version of "Sexy Mama", the Moments' big hit! Other tracks include "Look At Me" by Rhetta Young, "Patty" by The Moments, and "Gotta Get A Gun" by Chuck Jackson. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare soundtracks by Terry Riley – unsung examples of his musical genius during one of the the most fruitful periods in his career! Les Yeux Fermes features two very long tracks – each over 18 minutes long, and spun out with a spare, minimal groove that's very much in Riley's Rainbow In Curved Air mode. "Journey From The Death Of A Friend" is especially nice – with extended electric piano parts that flow, dip, and turn wonderfully. And "Happy Ending" builds a bit more slowly – with droning reed parts that almost have an Eastern feel, and remind us at times of something we might hear on Impulse Records! The score for Lifespan features shorter songs throughout – still often quite minimal, with instrumentation that includes organ, tabla, and a bit of electronics – played in a wonderfully spare mode, but always with an inherently rhythmic groove that stretches out in these beautiful patterns in sound. Titles include "G Song", "The Oldtimer", "Delay", "In The Summer", "Slow Melody In Bhairavi", and "Music Inside Curved Entrances". (Out Sound, Soundtracks) CD

A groundbreaking album, put together by Zorn and a group of downtown New York hipsters, as a fitting hommage to the genius of Ennio Morricone! The track list sticks to mostly the bigger known numbers, and the album's got a darkness that we'd actually say was a bit out of place, considering the choice of tracks – but the groups formed by Zorn do a pretty good job of breathing new life into some of the tracks, and the album was a key moment in the recognition of Morricone as one of the century's greatest composers. Players include Robert Quine, Tim Berne, Arto Lindsay, Jim Staley, Bill Frisell, Christian Marclay, Anton Fier, and even Big John Patton. Titles include "Erotico", "Once Upon A Time In The West", "Giu La Testa", "Battle Of Algiers", and "The Big Gundown". (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD

Includes selections by Glenn Frey, Patti La Belle, Pointer Sisters, Rick James, Shalamar, Danny Elfman, Junior, and The System. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Battle Of Britain, The Guns Of Navarone, Patton, The Bridge On The River Kwai, Das Boot, The Great Escape, Battle Of Midway, and more – 20 tracks total. 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

With selections by Stray Cats, Annie Golden, Ira Newborn & The Geeks, Patti Smith, and Thompson Twins. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Whitney Houston, SWV, Aretha Franklin, Chante Moore, Chaka Khan, Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, Patti LaBelle, and TLC. (Soul, Soundtracks) CD

Soundtrack to the PBS documentary by Charles Burnett – includes music by Robert Johnson, Ma Rainey, Elmore James, Charley Patton, Stephen James Taylor, Bessie Smith, Memphis Jug Band, and John Lee Hooker. (Blues, Soundtracks) CD