John Williams come back! All is forgiven! We'll hardly complain anymore about all those overblown top-selling scores after hearing this gem from the early 70s! The record is a treasure – completely unlike any work that Williams did in later years – quite possibly because the film itself is a quirky little love story, starring James Caan and Marsha Mason in the sort of offbeat "when losers meet" sort of film that could have only been made in the early 70s. Some of the tunes on the set are nicely funky – almost in a Lalo Schifrin way – and others are mellow, but nicely moody, in a really understated scene-setting style that's great. Toots Thielemans plays some great harmonica on a few of the mellower cuts, and Paul Williams sings vocals to 3 of the tracks on the set, all contributed by him. Titles include "Wednesday Special", "New Shooter", "Boxing Montage", "The Ferry Ride", "Neptune's Bar", "Nice To Be Around", and "Maggie Shoots Pool". LP, Vinyl record album

A soundtrack for a very silly movie – and one of the oddest albums ever recorded by the great Paul Williams – who both sings and stars in the movie as the phantom in the title! The tunes have a surprisingly heartfelt quality that really comes out when you hear them away from the movie – not nearly as future-shocky, and instead quite personal, with this sense of loneliness and pathos that we love in Paul's other work of the time. The backings are great – mixing Williams' usual smooth LA A&M sound with some slight glam touches – and titles include "Phantom's Theme", "Upholstery", "Goodbye Eddie Goodbye", "Somebody Super Like You", "Old Souls", and "Faust". (Vocalists, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Paul Evans, Leroy Pullins, The Nutty Squirrels, Vicky Randle & Stewart Copeland, Billy Williams, Henhouse Five Plus Two, Stewart Copeland, Dave Hardin, Vicky Randle & Stewart Copeland, Stan Ridgeway & Stewart Copeland, Stewart Copeland & Judd Miller, Damecus Metoyer & Stewart Copeland, The Grid, and The Rock-A-Teens. CD