One of the most haunting Morricone soundtracks ever – and one of the grooviest too! The album's a perfect blend of our two favorite styles of Morricone work – that of the floating female vocal over a gentle groove, and the darker, tenser side of his music. The main "Verushka" theme is one of his most beautiful – a variation of female vocals with a gentle edge, in the tradition of classic soundtracks like La Donna Invisible or Le Photo Proibite. This theme shifts from mood to mood over the course of the LP, occasionally giving way to some more atonal passages and other more jazz-based tunes – more of which are included here than on the original release, thanks to an expanded reissue job by Right Tempo! In fact, the whole thing's bubbling over with great music – one of the best Morricone reissues we've ever stocked – done with great sound and a huge array of extra tracks! Titles include a number of takes on the "Verushka" theme, plus "Astratto", "La Bambola", "Le Fotografie", "Magia", "La Spiaggia", and "Dopo L'Intervista". CD

A really unique collection of sounds from the legendary Piero Umiliani – one that was created to be given away at a wedding party, and was never sold to the public at the time! The work here is the coolest, grooviest side of the Umiliani spectrum – and mixes together rare soundtrack material with sound library gems – all with a focus on the kind of jazzy, funky, and moogy numbers that Piero can do so well! The set features 22 tracks in all – and titles include "Princess", "Cinque Bambole Rosa", "Swing Com Sempre", "Gassman Blues", "Bob E Elen", "Alba Sul Mare", "Bus Stop", "Flirt A Rio", "Mah Na Mah Na", "I Micione E La Gattin", "La Pupa Del Gangster", "Topless Party", and "Essere Donna". (Sound Library, Soundtracks) CD

Piero Umiliani gave the world some fantastic soundtracks in the 60s, and incredible electronic and sound library work in the 70s – but in the immediate postwar years, he was a jazz musician at heart – as you'll hear in this great set of small combo jazz from 1959! The vibe is right up there with some of the hippest Italian moderns of the period – like the Basso/Valdambrini group, or work by Gil Cuppini – and if you've heard some of the early 60s jazz soundtracks from Piero, you'll know that he can definitely serve up straight jazz work when he wants to! Umiliani plays piano, and other musicians include Marcello Boschi on alto and flute, Ivan Vandor on tenor, Bill Gilmore on trombone, Peppe Carta on bass, and Roberto Zappulla on drums. All tracks are originals – and include "Tempo Jazz", "Tema In Blues", "Mezza Cottura", "Tipi Misteriosi", and "Battesimo Dell'Aria". LP, Vinyl record album

A fab little soundtrack from one of our favorite Italian composers – a lost gem originally issued in 1971, with a very groovy sound! The score has Piero Umiliani picking up a bit more funk than usual – working with electric bass and keyboards to come up with some totally great tracks that kind of pick up a sexy Euro funk groove from the Serge Gainsbourg generation, and give it some excellent soundtracky touches in terms of tone, color, and melody. The tracks are all pretty darn great – bouncy, sunny, and with funk at just the right moments – and a few nice numbers even have a bit of scatting vocals, an element that makes them all the more pleasing to our ears! Titles include "Mah Na Cowboy", "Holiday Inn", "Love In", "Il Mondo Dell Infanzia", "Luna Di Miele", "Pepito", and "La Nuova Frontiera". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever volume of the now-legendary Easy Tempo series – a collection of soundtrack grooves that hipped us back to the wonders of the Italian scene of the 60s and 70s – and did so at a time when few folks had ever thought to reissue this music! Right from the start, this series set a whole new level for soundtrack appreciation – and the collection features an incredible range of tunes that run from jazzy, to groovy, to funky, with lots of mod spaces in between – all served up with great sound, and even more of a sense of focus than the original soundtracks! Titles include "La Gabbia" by Gianni Ferrio, "Blue Rhythm Festival" by Piero Piccioni, "Notte Al Grand Hotel" by Riz Ortolani, "One Fine Morning" by Augusto Martelli, "Mark Il Poliziotto" by Stelvio Ciprani, "Grigioperla" by Gianfranco Plenizio, "Serena E Lamuno" by Riz Ortolani, and "Ira Rhythm & Blues" by Gianni Ferrio. (Funky Compilations, Soundtracks) CD

Amazing work from John Carpenter – still a dedicated soundtrack composer long into his film career – and always a master of spare, spooky electronics! The instrumentation here is a bit evolved from some of his earliest classics – different keyboards and electronics developed during the 80s – but the overall approach is still very similar, and co-performed with Allan Howarth, who always gives Carpenter's music the right sort of careful balance! Carpenter does a lot with just a little – never making things overblown, especially in the way that some of his contemporaries might do – and titles include "Transient Hotel", "Wake Up", "Underground", "A Message", "Return To Church", and "The Siege Of Justiceville". CD

A fresh take on one of the most unusual soundtracks ever created by legendary Italian group Goblin – music for a film that's a bit more light-hearted than some of the others they scored, and which gets a great blend of funky and breezy tunes throughout! The film's a cop comedy, and Goblin set things up with lots of great keyboards, but used in ways that are less prog-oriented than their other soundtracks – and more towards funk or sound library modes – styles that are carried out here perfectly by the contemporary group Girodivite, who recreate the music as the tapes have been lost to time – carrying things off so well, the recording really does feel like a late 70s vintage one, even right down to the production. The whole thing is great – and the CD features 14 tracks in all – a great discovery of this rare chapter in the long career of Goblin! CD

A fresh take on one of the most unusual soundtracks ever created by legendary Italian group Goblin – music for a film that's a bit more light-hearted than some of the others they scored, and which gets a great blend of funky and breezy tunes throughout! The film's a cop comedy, and Goblin set things up with lots of great keyboards, but used in ways that are less prog-oriented than their other soundtracks – and more towards funk or sound library modes – styles that are carried out here perfectly by the contemporary group Girodivite, who recreate the music as the tapes have been lost to time – carrying things off so well, the recording really does feel like a late 70s vintage one, even right down to the production. The whole thing is great – and the CD features 14 tracks in all – a great discovery of this rare chapter in the long career of Goblin! LP, Vinyl record album

A Morricone score penned for a comedic western – but music that's really on a par with any of his more familiar classics of the genre! The styles here run from dark to bright – with some numbers that feature trademark Morricone styles like isolated harmonica or chanting vocals, to others that cascade with slightly more contemporary instrumental modes – including just a bit of subdued electricity amidst the larger orchestrations. But in any setting, the Morricone genius shines through beautifully – and there's a sense of depth to even the simplest tunes here that's really great – and the balance here is what really makes the album strong. CD features a whopping 29 tracks in all – way more than any other issue of music from the film – with titles that include "Non Fare L'Indiano", "Sfida All'Ultima Forchetta", "L'Ultima Tromba", "Tanti Pugni", "Occhio Alla Pena", "Passagio Dal Male Al Bene", and "Dal Sarto". CD

Disco 9000 is Johnnie Taylor's 3rd release for Columbia – a great batch of smooth soul tracks with a lot less of the "disco" that you'd expect from the title! Johnnie produced the session himself – and the album was recorded as a soundtrack (to a film that was later retitled Fass Black), but works well on its own as a straight soul release. Most tracks are relatively long, in that smooth midtempo groove that Johnnie was using at the time – and the combination of his bluesy vocals and modern soul production really makes the set sparkle! Titles include "I Love You Woman", "Right Now", and "I Don't Know What I'd Do Without You". (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album