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

One of the greatest soundtracks ever – an archetypal album from French composer Francis Lai, and a record that set the tone for countless other imitations to come – yet which is still the best! The groove here is really unique – a spare blend of bossa influences, jazzy organ lines, and wordless vocals that are sung beautifully by French singers Nicole Croisille and Pierre Barouh – and although a mainstream success, the record was the initial force behind the legendary Saravah imprint that Barouh would form later, to record a wide range of groundbreaking work in a variety of genres. But history aside, the music here is plenty – and from the very first note the whole soundtrack grabs you with a sense of warmth and sentiment that defy description – modes never heard before in the soundtrack world, and which really broke the mold from Hollywood conventions! Titles include the seminal bossa number "Samba Saravah", plus "A Man & A Woman", "Today It's You", "In Our Shadow", "At 200 MPH", and "Stronger Than Us". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest soundtracks ever – an archetypal album from French composer Francis Lai, and a record that set the tone for countless other imitations to come – yet which is still the best! The groove here is really unique – a spare blend of bossa influences, jazzy organ lines, and wordless vocals that are sung beautifully by French singers Nicole Croisille and Pierre Barouh – and although a mainstream success, the record was the initial force behind the legendary Saravah imprint that Barouh would form later, to record a wide range of groundbreaking work in a variety of genres. But history aside, the music here is plenty – and from the very first note the whole soundtrack grabs you with a sense of warmth and sentiment that defy description – modes never heard before in the soundtrack world, and which really broke the mold from Hollywood conventions! Titles include the seminal bossa number "Samba Saravah", plus "A Man & A Woman", "Today It's You", "In Our Shadow", "At 200 MPH", and "Stronger Than Us". LP, Vinyl record album

Thelonious Monk on piano – with Charlie Rouse, Wilbur Ware, Shadow Wilson, John Coltrane, Phil Woods, Johnny Griffin, and others. (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD

One of Lalo Schifrin's greatest soundtracks ever – a gem of a TV score that's been lost for years – and not nearly as famous or well-reissued as Mission Impossible, Bullitt, or Enter The Dragon! The tunes are pure Schifrin all the way through – a mix of jazz, bossa, and funk – served up with a style that's always tight, and which makes for plenty of great groovers all the way through. Instrumentation includes vibes, flutes, guitar, and plenty of great horns – but the rhythms at the bottom are what really hold the whole thing together – romping along with lots of great 70s touches, in a groove that's much hipper than even most of the other cop show soundtracks of the time! Titles include "The Shadow", "Hunt Down", "The Edge Of Night", "Mannix", "Turn Every Stone", and "Fear". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the first famous Twin Peaks soundtrack – but instead a big collection of all the cool tunes that David Lynch pulled together for the reboot of the series in 2017! Titles include "The World Spins" by Julee Cruise, "Snake Eyes" by Trouble, "My Prayer" by The Platters, "Shadow" by Chromatics, "Green Onions" by Booker T & The MGs, "Wild West (roadhouse mix)" by Leslie, "Out Of Sand" by Eddie Vedder, "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top, "I've Been Loving You Too Long (live)" by Otis Redding, "Lark" by Au Revoir Simone, "Twin Peaks Main Theme (edit)" by Angelo Badalmenti, "Tarifa (roadhouse mix)" by Sharon Van Etten, and "She's Gone Away" by Nine Inch Nails. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic meeting of the minds – as director Jim Jarmusch makes a film that's a nod to the old martial arts films of the 70s that inspired the Wu-Tang Clan in their music – and RZA gets a chance to contribute to the soundtrack, with help from the Clan as well! The music is maybe the strongest realization of the Wu aesthetic at work – and RZA also shows that he's got a great flair for the right sort of sound for an action scene too – on titles that include vocal and instrumental versions of "Raise Your Sword" – plus "Fast Shadow", "Ghost Dog Theme", "Funky Theme", "RZA's Theme", "Gangsters Theme", and "Dead Birds". (Hip Hop, Soundtracks) CD

A great early moment for the legendary Charles Mingus – music that was used in the equally-legendary film Shadows – the first directorial effort from a young John Cassavetes! The album's worth it alone for the unusual piece "Untitled Percussion Composition" – one of the loosest, sparest Mingus moments ever – and a work that features Charles on both piano and percussion, alongside more percussion from Dannie Richmond, Horace Parlan, Jimmy Knepper, and Clarence Shaw – with a sublime flute solo from Shafi Hadi over the top! The rest of the tracks are more familiar moments from the key Mingus year of 1959 – played by groups with John Handy on alto, Booker Ervin and Shafi Hadi on tenor, and either Richard Wyands or Horace Parlan on piano – on the titles "Self Portrait In Three Colors", "Nostalgia In Times Square", and "Alice's Wonderland" – plus an "Untitled Percussion Composition". (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A great presentation of the set that finally gave Motown's legendary studio combo their due – the soundtrack to the documentary Standing In The Shadows Of Motown – expanded tremendously for this set! The 15 tracks on the set includes some killer Motown instrumentals, plus "tribute" tracks sung by contemporary artists. (Soul, Soundtracks) CD

A great lost crime jazz soundtrack – penned by Elmer Bernstein in the style of some of his best work from the 50s! There's a real Man With The Golden Arm feel here – as the orchestra rises and falls in a mode matching the Staccato title – and solos break out with a fluid and brazen sort of feel – plenty of jazz to show the west coast origin of the recording! Players include Don Fagerquist and Pete Candoli on trumpets, Dick Nash on trombone, Ted Nash and Dave Pell on saxes, John Williams on piano, and Barney Kessell on guitar. The show itself is pretty darn cool – and starred a young John Cassavetes as detective Johnny Staccato – a role that supposedly gave Cassavetes enough money to shoot the film Shadows in his free time! Great all the way through – with tracks that include "Staccato's Theme", "Thinking Of Baby", "Poi & Juice", "Deadly Game", "Night Mood", "Jazz At Waldo's", "Like Having Fun", and "MacDougal Street Special". LP, Vinyl record album

Philippe Sarde's sophisticated score for the film La Guerre Du Feu – also known as Quest For Fire – music that's a fair bit more modern than the prehistoric setting of the movie! Most of the instrumentation is orchestral, but Sarde also allows plenty of space for spare, brooding moments too – passages that have an almost tribal quality at points, and an organically resonant approach at others. The recording has quite a high dynamic range – bursting from silence to fullness in a very short space – then slinking back into the shadows at the next moment! LP, Vinyl record album

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