Chuck Norris looks nice and mean on the cover – holding some guns instead of his mighty fists – and taking shots accompanied by a sweet 80s soundtrack from Jay Chattaway! LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure jazzy soundtrack by Oscar Peterson, and one of his nicest albums from the late 70s! The record moves past the usual Peterson trio format – and includes extra horn players like Benny Carter, Zoot Sims, and Clark Terry, as well as the vibes of Milt Jackson. All this makes for a nicer than usual set of original jazzy tracks, many with a strident groove that's very different than Peterson's other work from the time. Titles include "Theme For Celine", "Party Time USA", "Theme For Susannah", "Elliot", and "Blues For Chris". (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A cool anime soundtrack from the 80s! (Japanese, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

Extremely compelling work by the team of Toquinho & Vinicius! The album's a soundtrack to the Globo TV show O Bem Amado – and it's one of a number of albums that were recorded for Brazilian soap operas during the early 70s, most of which (including this one!) feature rare work that didn't appear on other LPs. The arrangements are great – handled on one track by Rogerio Duprat – and the record's got a baroque feel that reminds us of the best work on EMI/Odeon from the same time. A few tracks feature vocals by Maria Creusa, some by Toquinho, either solo or with Vinicius, and one by the Coral Som Livre. Includes the great groovy "Paiol De Polvora", plus "Meu Pai Oxala", "Cotidiano No 2", "Veja Voce", "Patota De Ipanema", and "No Colo Da Serra". (Brazil, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest soundtracks ever for a Burt Reynolds film – an a hip mix of soul and jazz tracks that's gone onto become a classic over the years! The album's a compilation of sorts, but most of the material was recorded fresh for the film – and the different artists really work together here to forge some great backdrops for the action on the screen! Al Capps handled the larger charts, but most numbers really spotlight an individual artist – and highlights include Randy Crawford singing a new version of "Street Life" – different than the one with The Crusaders – Sarah Vaughan singing "Love Theme From Sharky's Machine", Peggy Lee vocals on "Let's Keep Dancing", and Julie London singing "My Funny Valentine" – as one of the first recordings after many years of retirement. Other great numbers include "Dope Bust" by Flora Purim & Buddy DeFranco, "Sharky's Theme" by Eddie Harris, "Before You" by Sarah Vaughan & Joe Williams, "8 To 5 I Lose" by Joe Williams, and the instrumental cuts "Sexercise" and "High Energy" by Doc Severinsen. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic take on the "Batman" hit of the 60s – one that moves the tune from camp TV theme to sweet rock instrumental territory – in a manner that prefaces later takes on the tune by The Who and The Jam! The track may well be the biggest ever by The Marketts – and showcases their ability to step way past the usual surf instrumental modes of the time – and work within the larger studio genius of Warner Brothers to create some very groovy sounds! Dick Glasser heads up production – and moves the music into territory that's still instrumental, yet much more varied than usual for a rock album of the type – almost soundtrack-oriented in points, but mostly handled in a small combo mode. In addition to the "Batman" hit, other titles are all caped crusader-related – and include "Dr Death", "The Joker", "Bat Cape", "Cat Women", "Bat Cave", and "Bat Signal". (Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

An all-star soundtrack to this comedy film from the 70s – starring Raquel Welch, Bill Cosby, and a very young Harvey Keitel! Most of the tracks on the set are from other A&M albums, but there's a few tunes that are original to the set – including the vocal track "No Love Today" by Michelle Phillips, served up in an instrumental reading by Pete Jolly. Paul Jabara also contributed the tune "Dance", in 2 versions – and other cuts, from other albums, include "Mellow Out" by The Crusaders, "Thunder Thumbs & Lightnin Licks" and "Get The Funk Out Ma Face" by The Brothers Johnson, "My Soul Is A Witness" by Billy Preston, and "Show Me The Way" by Peter Frampton. LP, Vinyl record album

Prince got tagged to do the music for the big breakout Batman film from Tim Burton – and the performances here are definitely not the stuff of The Dark Night – and in fact, maybe nothing like you'd expect from Batman at all – even though the music does make a nod or two towards the cowled crusader with some samples! It's clear that Prince just had a fun time putting the whole thing together – and like many other star soundtracks from the 90s, the feel of the music is very much its own thing – which is probably why the record was such a hit, and maybe has had a lot more endurance than the film! Titles include "The Future", "Electric Chair", "Vicki Waiting", "Partyman", "Scandalous", and "Batdance". (Soul, 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! (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly nice soundtrack, written by Williams before his over-the-top fame in the 70s – designed to accompany this big-budget disaster movie, one of Irwin Allen's last great films. The score is mostly orchestral, but has some very nice moments – especially in the warmer and calmer moments, two of which yield some very nice slinky groovers – gentle tunes in a 70s bossa style that almost feels like it could be lifted from a hip Italian soundtrack. The score also features a vocal number – "We May Never Love Like This Again", sung by Maureen McGovern – plus the 10 minute suite "Planting The Charges/Finale". Titles include "Susan & Doug", "Trapped Lovers", and "Something For Susan". LP, Vinyl record album