A non-soundtrack album from Goblin – but one that's right up there with the spirit of their classic scores for director Dario Argento! The tunes here are a bit longer, and spin out with a great mix of funky rhythms and electric keyboards – Fender Rhodes and clavinet, mixed nicely with tight basslines and fuzzy guitar – really showing the group's earlier rockish roots, but handled with the lean, jazzy style that would make them kings of the Italian soundtrack scene of the 70s. Titles include the long versions of "Aquaman" and "Dr Frankenstein" – which were both used later in Suspiria – and other cuts include "Roller", "Goblin", "Snip Snap", and "Il Risveglio Del Serpente". LP, Vinyl record album

A relatively late score from the great Piero Piccioni – and one that avoids some of the too-cheesy modes that had crept into Italian film scoring at the start of the 80s – as, if anything, Piero is even more sensitive and thoughtful than before – and does a great job of using older acoustic instrumentation in these really beautiful ways! There's strings on the set, used in spacious ways – often with the minimal effort of Morricone, but mixed with some of the warmer ideas of Luis Bacalov at the time – on themes that all spin off the main title, but shift out solo instrumentation – from piano, to guitar, organ, harp, and other instruments along the way. CD

With John Scofield on guitar, Geri Allen on keys, Michael Formanek on bass, Daniel Humair on drums, and Jerry Gonzalez on percussion. (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Although the initial release of this music was a cheap attempt to cash in on the tragic fame of the late James Dean, this 1956 session was also one of the nicest big band dates to come out of the Pacific Jazz catalog of the 1950s! Chet Baker and Bud Shank are the featured soloists of the set – and the group's conducted by Johnny Mandel and Bill Holman, both excellent arrangers with a strong feel for soundtrack-oriented material of this sort. Tommy Sands sings vocals on a version of "Let Me Be Loved", which is the only standard on the set – as the rest of the tracks are originals by the great Leith Stevens. The band's filled with other west coasters that you'll recognize – and titles include "The Movie Star", "Jimmy's Theme", "The Search", "Lost Love", and "Rebel At Work". (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD

The soundtrack that put John Barry over the top – and to many, THE James Bond soundtrack! The album chills from the first notes of the haunting title theme – the majestic "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey with a tone that's as dangerous as a razor-sharp hat spinning through the air! Barry then takes over with some wonderful instrumentals – a blend of crime jazz, mood pieces, chase themes, and more – all peppered with that dark dark Bond theme that we love so much! Titles include "Into Miami", "Teasing The Korean", "Alpine Drive", "Bond Back In Action", "Gassing The Gangsters", and "Death Of Goldfinger". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in the Piedone series of films from Italian comedic legend Bud Spencer – scored by the DeAngelis brothers with a col sort of 80s take on their earlier cinematic modes! As with most of the Italian scores of the time, spare instrumentation and keyboards are used in place of fuller orchestrations – and the result is a batch of playful themes that really fit the goofy action that Spencer spins out on the screen – cheesier sounds that work very nicely with the offbeat performance that always made Bud's films such guilty pleasures! Features a total of 22 tracks – including two versions of the vocal theme "Sphinx" – fitting as the film is set in Egypt! LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Curtis Mayfield's lasting classic – and an album that the world will remember forever! Apart from being his hugely successful entry into the blacksploitation soundtrack field, this album's also a monster set of grooves that includes some of Curtis' funkiest work ever – a record that works as well as a 70s soul album as it does a hip action film score! The track list alone reads as a who's who of 70s funk – filled with gems that include "Pusherman", "Freddie's Dead", "Little Child Runnin' Wild", "Give Me Your Love", and "Superfly" – and the rest of the set is equally great, essential listening throughout! (Soul, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark record – not only in the history of the western, but in that of Ennio Morricone! The soundtrack, written for this hit Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, is everything you'd want in a 60s western – driving orchestral passages, twanging guitar parts, and spooky little bits that isolate the mood of a scene nicely. The work's an instant classic, and is still one of Morricone's strongest western soundtracks – even if it is one of the most familiar. Titles include "Without Pity", "Almost Dead", "Square Dance", "The Chase", and the extended "Fistful Of Dollars" suite, which takes up all of side two. LP, Vinyl record album

(Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the weirdest records Sun Ra ever made – music to accompany the strange film Space Is The Place – which itself was an odd mixture of science fiction and blacksploitation-type action! The sounds here are sometimes in the usual Arkestra mode – wonderfully exotic rhythms mixed with freewheeling jazz solos – but other parts seem to follow more of a soundtrack-styled need – and include some bolder action riffs, spare scene-setting moments, and even some strong vocal themes. Titles include "Watusa", "Calling Planet Earth", "Mysterious Crystal", "Outerspaceways Incorporated", "Cosmic Forces", "Satellites Are Spinning", and a version of "Space Is The Place". This special set also includes the bonus Mathematics Of The Altered Destiny, a full LP of unreleased music from Sun Ra featuring June Tyson – and the first ever US Blu-ray release of the film, and a standard DVD as well! CD also features the bonus track "The Idea Of A Greater Age". (Jazz, Soundtracks) CD