A stunning jazz soundtrack from Piero Piccioni – much more like some of the classic French new wave jazz scores of the late 50s than some of his groovy, mod sounds to come later in the 60s! The instrumentation here is a beautiful mix of piano, bass, vibes, and some occasional stronger horns – used mostly on tracks that are short, but extremely haunting – very evocative, with lots of echoes of American crime jazz, but served up with the more subtle, more tonally rich qualities we love in the early years of Piccioni – stepping here directly from his roots in the Italian jazz scene, and delivering superb sounds throughout! This CD marks the first time the music has ever been issued – as there was an original 45rpm EP scheduled in the 60s, but never issued – and that is presented here with a huge amount of bonus tracks – 31 numbers in all that make for a fantastic soundscape in jazz. CD

A really unusual soundtrack from the mighty Lalo Schifrin – and one that seems to show off all of his best modes in its shifting range of styles! The film is a somewhat understated story set on the streets of New York – and the music often takes on the same sort of vibe – with some beautiful melodic passages that are quite different than Lalo's big hits of the 60s. But then there's also some beautiful orchestra moments too – with these arrangements that are complicated, yet sparkling – that sophisticated charm that always put Schifrin ahead of the pack! And then Lalo even opens up with a few funkier tracks that recall his electric jazz albums of the late 70s for the CTI label – fuller groovers that are showcased on the two longest tracks – "Hey Nunzio" and "Candy Store Frenzy". Other titles include "Sad Nunzio", "Superspeed", "To The Rescue", "Only A Memory", "Nunzio In Love", "Goodnights My Little One", and "Flying Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover to this one advertises the more famous names that do tracks for the album – like Mountain, Delaney & Bonnie, and others – but the best tracks here are those by the great arranger Jimmy Bowen, who turns out some excellent complicated funky numbers that have a bit of a hippy soundtrack groove! Jimmy's work here is informed by a bit of rock scoring, but the overall feel is fast and funky – and his tunes include the great "Super Soul Theme" and "Freedom Of Expression". Another nice one is Jerry Reed's "Welcome To Nevada", which has a guitar solo by Jerry, but which is also nice and funky too! Other tunes include "You Got To Believe" by Delaney & Bonnie, "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain, "So Tired" by Eve, and "Runaway Country" by Doug Dillard. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album that hardly needs any introduction – as it's one of the most famous soundtracks, if not soul records, of the 70s! Isaac Hayes had already surprised music fans with the sophistication of his first few solo albums, which had been issued before this one – but with Shaft, he did the inconceivable, as the album was one of the first times a pop musician had scored, not just sung on, an entire soundtrack. Plus, the soundtrack's super-huge – running as a double-length batch of tracks that was a rarity for the often-slim soundtrack market. Includes many great funky numbers – both vocal and instrumental – including "Theme from Shaft", "Cafe Regio's", "Walk from Regio's", "Bumpy's Lament", and "Do Your Thing", in the nice 19 minute long version! (Soul, Soundtracks) CD

A pretty lush John Williams score to this period piece based on William Faulkner's The Reivers – in a version that starred Steve McQueen. The overall feel is actually in keeping with Williams' more successful later work – and the tunes here have all the drive, emotion, and catchy themes of Star Wars or Superman. Titles include "The Winton Flyer", "Carrie's Entrance", "The Picture", "Finale", "The People Protest", and "Memphis". CD

A wonderful record from a time when John Barry was really perfecting his craft – taking all that amazing sense of sound he learned over the course of many James Bond soundtracks, and turning it towards territory he never could have touched years before! The vibe here is completely different than Bond, but equally mesmerizing – as Barry uses strings and woodwinds with the care of an Italian maestro, then flavors things with just a slight touch of historical elements – yet never in a way that dims the 70s sophistication of the recording. There's a sonic balance here that's mindblowing, and very different than just songs thrown out for a historical film. Titles include "Journey To England", "Black Night", "Escape With Bothwell", "Vivre Et Mourir", "But Not Through My Realm", "Mary At Chartley", and "March To The Castle". CD brings in a stunning 39 bonus tracks – material from the film, cues, and more – all with superb sound! CD