A tremendous score from Ennio Morricone – one that has a number of links to earlier Italian soundtrack modes, but which still has some undeniable touches of the maestro! There's passages here that evoke the warmer, sometimes more romantic styles used in Italian films in the earlier part of the 60s – but these are offset by mellower passages with a really subdued sense of darkness – which are then again mixed with a few tunes that get bolder and more mod-sounding – a really complicated array of themes that may lack the subtlety of other Morricone work, but which more than makes up for that lack with a really dynamic energy! 3 tracks feature performances by The Sorrows, and others feature vocals by I Cantori Moderni – used here in a way that's a bit more traditional than their other soundtrack appearances. Titles include "La Diva", "La Donna Gattina", "Pioggia Sul Tuo Viso", "La Donna Romantica", "Pizzicato", "Alta Moda", and "Pioggia Sul Tuo Viso". CD

A fantastic album from Italian soundtrack genius Ennio Morricone – done for a film titled G-Force, and which deals with jet pilots – but one that moves at a much slinkier pace overall! The tunes here bubble and brew in that early 70s Morricone warmth that we love so much – not the tension of his horror soundtracks, but instead the spacious sounds that he opened on some of his more majestic mondo scores of the time – delivered here with very light strings, floating woodwinds, isolated instrumentation, and slow-stepping piano lines that are really beautiful! The complete charm here is the way in which Morricone can make the music still sound so striking – very different than more common sleepy or romantic modes that are usually at this pace – and instead completely rapturous throughout. There's lots of warm and subtle passages on the album – gently swelling as the tracks move on, occasionally giving way to jazzier numbers, but always retaining the charm of mellow Morricone. Titles include a number of tunes called "Forza G" and "Sospesi Fra Le Nuvole" – and this reissue features new remastering, and a total of 16 tracks in all – including the added "Sospesi Fra Le Nuvole". CD

Groovy Morricone! This excellent lost score from the mid 70s features some essential tracks for fans of Il Maestro's groovier sounds – as it's filled with nice slightly funky tracks, lots of groovy keyboards and organ, and some other excellent little tracks that have a nice bossa nova groove. This is a great place to start if you're less interested in some of Morricone's darker moments – and if you dig your Italian soundtracks on the easy/groovy side. Titles include "L'Attico Illuminato", "Gli Scatenati", "Terrazza", "Mariangela E La Seduzione", and "Samba In Tribunale". Also includes some great variations on the "Il Gatto" theme, which are more orchestral, but still nice and lovely! 15 cuts in all – with notes, pictures, and unreleased material! CD

More than 40 tracks! CD

One of the greatest Ennio Morricone dramatic scores of the 70s – composed for Bernardo Bertolucci's epic film Novocento, and featuring some of Morricone's best serious scoring at the time! The work's got a sense of majesty and authority that befits the historical setting of the film – not nearly as groovy as some of Morricone's other work from the decade, but equally great in its own way. CD features 16 tracks in all – and titles include "Romanzo", "Estate 1908", "Regalo Di Nozze", "La Polenta", "Tema Di Ada", "Verdi E Morto", "Il Quarto Stato", and "Olmo E Alfredo". CD

A relatively somber soundtrack from Ennio Morricone – penned for a film set in the Spanish Civil War of the 30s, and served up in a mix of moody moments! There's some really beautiful melodies on the record – gentle themes that creep out of the darkness like tiny flowers, blossoming through short instrumental solos – before the broader washes of strings come back in, and fold them into the overall tapestry of sound. Some passages get slightly dramatic as the tension in the narrative increases – and titles include "Quasi Un Flamenco", "Repressione Seconda", "Melodia Dalla Zolfara", "Una Piazza Di Siviglia", and "Al Fronte". CD features 6 bonus tracks – all previously unreleased! CD

A second volume of reworkings of vintage Morricone – this time with an even more profound club bounce than the first! The unofficial theme of the set can pretty much be found in the phrase "Cinematic For The People!" – and that mantra hits home with mixes by a wide, wide variety of producers, DJs, programmers and innovators from Hird, to Eddy & Dus, to Domu, Doctor Rockit, Moonstar and many others – who all take a spin on tracks from The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, My Name Is Nobody, Once Upon A Time In The West and beyond! The tight electro beats and pulsing synth and keys add a sinister uptempo groove on the best cuts, but they still keep Morricone's epic mood swings well in place! It's a delicate balance, keeping Morricone's cinematic, swirling and soaring groove in check with late model club grooves – leave it to the great minds at Compost Records to pull it off! 27 tracks on two CDs: "Mucchio Selvaggio" by 2Raumwohnung, "L'Estasi Dell-Oro" by Bandini, "A Lidia" by Swell Session, "Tema di Mose" by Crazy Baldheads, "Nadine"(dub mix) by Yen Sung, "Alla Serenita" (Lazer Sight mix)" by Domu, "Sotto Controllo" by Ayro, "Ritratto d'Autore" by Moonstarr, "La Cugina" by Yukihiro Fukutomi and lots more! CD

Think that Ennio Morricone only made music for soundtracks? Guess again – because this groovy little set features a whole host of tracks that the maestro recorded with singers in the early 60s – great postwar pop numbers that already show his creative touch on the charts! Most of the music here is a bit more straightforward than Morricone's later soundtrack material, but still pretty darn sublime – Italian vocals, cool instrumentation, and lots of sweet production techniques that bring in moody, echoey, and mellow touches that definitely let you know you're in the hands of Ennio. Titles include "Corri Corri" by Gianni Morandi, "La Tua Stagione" by Tony Del Mnaco, "Queelo Che Conta" by La Cuccagna, "Faccio Finta Di Dormire" by Edoardo Vianello, "Se Fatto Tardi" by Helen Merrill, "La Donna Che Vale" by Alberto Lionello, "Arianna" by Nora Orlandi, and "Perdono" by Catherine Spaak. CD

A film divided up into four different parts – three of which receive some great scoring from Ennio Morricone! The music is a bit overlooked in the Morricone canon – but stands out with some of the stronger elements he brought to his music of the period – especially that understated way of using larger arrangements in more compressed qualities, often hovering below a sonic range in some spots – but augmented by stronger flourishes in others! One big highlight is the 34 minute "I Cane Blue" suite – alongside shorter tracks that include "La Neve Sul Fuocco", "Specialmente La Fisarmonica", and "La Domenica Specialmente". Andrea Guerra scored the remaining tracks, which are from the fourth section of the film – and these have a moody vibe that's not unlike Morricone – with titles that include "Le Chiese Di Legno" and "I Tamburi Della Luna". CD

This Morricone soundtrack features some of the strangest instrumentation we've ever heard him use – and some of the most beautiful, too! The orchestrations are pretty heavy with some wild use of a mouth harp – not making slow quiet noises, as in some of the bigger westerns, but just going crazy, and making bigger, springy noises! These are juxtaposed with haunting, dark moody instrumental passages, some with floating piano or harp – in true Morricone tradition – and others with lovely wordless vocals. Unique in the Morricone catalog to say the least, and an essential slice of his work at its most adventurous! Tracks include the original "La Moglie Piu Bella" single versions and many more variations, plus "Tema di Francesa". CD

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. This expanded Italian version features 17 tracks in all – including some rare mono and stereo mixes – and titles include "Quasi Morto", "Musica Sospesa", "Senza Pieta", "Tortura", "Alla Ricerca Dell'Evaso", "Consuelo Baxter", and "Ramon". CD

A killer Morricone soundtrack from the late 60s – filled with sweet tunes and moodier numbers – all served up with cool orchestrations, and some sweet work on electric harpsichord too! The score's lesser-known than some of the maestro's best from the time – but is equally great, and one we're very happy to discover – caught at a mode that still has Morricone using some of his best mod elements from the 60s, yet also beginning to explore the darker sounds that would unfurl even more strongly in the 70s! Bruno Nicolai conducts the group, and the set features a few great vocal moments from I Cantori Moderni – on titles that include "Scherzo Da Guerra", "Scherzo Da Baffone", "Filastrocca Per Cretini", and "Lo Sai Che Cosa Facevano Le Donne A Stalin". CD

A surprisingly obscure soundtrack from Ennio Morricone – especially given that it was recorded at a time that's been quite well documented on record over the years! Yet the music here is also a bit different than the usual Morricone modes – just a handful of tracks, but longer too – penned by the maestro, conducted by Bruno Nicolai, and featuring some superb tenor solos by Gato Barbieri – very young at this point, and blowing with a soulfully modern edge that's wonderful, and completely evocative! Two tracks are especially long – both versions of "L'Harem Primo", with excellent work by Barbieri – and other titles include two takes on "Sei Corde", plus "L'Harem Secondo", with another great solo! CD also features an unusual bonus track – "Fermateli (boutique scene source music)" – from the film Menage All'Italiana – appearing here, we think, for the first time. A very groovy number! CD

One of Ennio Morricone's most famous film scores – and certainly the one that got him recognized as a genius on a global level! The whole thing's pretty damn eerie – about as eerie as the movie, which is a real stunner – and it shifts from dark orchestral themes to sparer numbers that use guitar, banjo, and some really creepy whistling to set the mood – that landmark Morricone sense of space that really transformed film music in the 60s. Some tracks feature vocal work by I Cantorni Moderni, directed by Alessandro Alessandroni – and titles include "C'Era Una Volta Il West", "Cheyenne", "Armonica", "L'Uomo Dell'Armonica" and "L'America Di Jill". Plus, this bonus version features loads more extra tracks – making for a total of 27 in all, the fullest version of the score we've ever seen! CD

Fantastic sounds from Ennio Morricone – a rare album of more serious music done for RCA – very much in the darker spirit of his recordings with the Gruppo D'Improvvisazione Nuova! The music here is more avant compositional than some of Morricone's lighter soundtrack material – with especially strong work on strings, showing the way that the maestro learned his sense of offbeat tones and phrasings from the 20th Century classical scene, which he then applied famously to some of his horror scores of the time! The music here definitely has qualities that match the spookier soundtrack 70s material from Morricone – especially his move to horror at the time – and as with just about all of his recordings, there's a fair bit of unusual sounds and elements that are extremely hard to peg in terms of their sources. Titles include "Radiazioni", "Rifrazione", "Fasi", "Proporzionale", "Anagramma", "Antitesi", and "Conduizone". CD

A great Morricone soundtrack for a Jean-Paul Belmondo thriller – a score that starts out spare and brooding, then builds nicely as things move on – with lots of cool bottom-end sounds that make the whole thing really move up from the depths! Some tunes echo the sweeter side of Morricone, while others are a bit more brooding – and instrumentation includes some of the same offbeat piano you'd hear in The Burglars, plus light guitar, weird-tuned horns, and other nice bits that are sometimes abstracted beyond recognition! Titles include "Consideration Sur Un Homicide", "Paris Secret", "Defense De Stationner" and "Mannequins". CD features lots of bonus tracks – with a total of 75 minutes of music – more than we've ever seen for this one! CD

Amazing sounds from Alvarius B – aka Alan Bishop, who you'll know from his long legacy of music as part of the Sun City Girls – but who's definitely blowing us away here as a solo artist on his own! The album's a triple-length set – and it's got this really unusual blend of elements that spin out over the extended space of the set – sounds that often just come from the interplay of acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and keyboards – but which often have all these exotic elements in the mix, and these compelling currents of magick that feel like they're echoing Kenneth Anger, Current 93, and a universe of other musical influences too. Most songs are these really compelling originals – but along the way, the project also references Ennio Morricone, Lee Hazlewood, Gene Clark, and other musical heroes of ours. Titles include "Zion The Rocket Ship", "Yellow Dog Prairie", "Their Words Disappear", "Smokin To Live", "Central California Nightmare", "Mark Twain August", "Dark In My Heart", "Obelisk", "Locust Rain", "Fine Line", "The Devil's Spine", "I'll Carry Your Dwarf", "Green Thumb", "Crackled Witch", "Icicle Pillar", "Cantaloupe Brain", and "Take The Veil Down". CD

Peggy March is a singer with a surprisingly varied career – an artist that most folks know for only her early little girl pop fame – but one who went onto record a very unusual range of sounds as the 60s moved on! RCA was her label, and while she never hit the heights of the charts after her early hit, the company was more than committed to allowing Peggy's sound to grow and flourish – especially on the international scene, where she not only recorded tracks in other languages, but also picked up new non-American songs, and served up very cool English-language versions! This set really does a great job of moving past the early stuff, and looking at this lost later legacy of March's music – sounds that we'd easily compare to the hipper 60s material by Jackie DeShannon, even though Peggy didn't write her own material. The range of studio talents really keeps things interesting – there's even one track arranged by Ennio Morricone – and titles include "He's Back Again", "If You Loved Me", "He Couldn't Care Less", "Watch What You Do With My Baby", "Johnny Cool", "Kilindini Docks", "Eh Bravo", "Passo Su Passo", "Too Long Away", "Wasurenaiwa", "Ne Joue Pas Les Enfants", "He Couldn't Care Less", "This Heart Wasn't Made To Kick Around", "Can't Stop Thinkin About Him", and "Fool Fool Fool". CD

Great jazzy moments from the best years of European cinema – a collection that starts out with the French New Wave, then moves into a range of great sounds from the Italian and French scene of the 60s and early 70s! Most of the music here isn't straight jazz – and instead, the cuts mix some strong instrumental solos with groovy, swinging, and upbeat arrangements – that fantastic use of jazz in film scores that the European scene of the 60s really took up and ran with – into places that were often much cooler, much more interesting than American soundtracks of the time! The collection's filled with great little gems that really work well in each others' company – and titles include "Those Lazy Days" by Armando Trovajoli, "Number One Superman" by Piero Piccioni, "Jazz Interludio" by Giorgio Gaslini, "La Preda" by Vince Tempera & Franco Bixio, "Astaroth" by Stelvio Cipriani, "Eva" by Michel Legrand, "Una Gita Mancata" by Ennio Morricone, and "Fiacre" by Georges Delerue. CD

Well, the title's a bit ambitious – and sets a goal that it can hardly live up to – but this is still a great little set! This nicely-priced 4CD package isn't really an overview of the "history" of soundtracks – but it is a wonderful collection of Italian cinematic goodies, pulled from the rich catalog of Cinevox Records! The set's divided up into 4 genres – one for each CD – Western, Comedy, Horror, and Police Thrillers. Overall, the work ranges from groovy upbeat tunes, including some excellent bossa-inspired numbers, to spaghetti western classics, to dark and turgid horror themes, and back to a few nice funky tracks. There's a total of 55 tracks in all, and the set features work by soundtrack composers that include Stelvio Cipriani, Giorgio Gaslini, Piero Piccioni, Riz Ortolani, Goblin, Ennio Morricone, Gianni Ferrio, Augusto Martelli, Carlo Rustichelli, Piero Umiliani, and Francesco De Masi. Most of the work on the set has already been issued in full soundtrack form by Cinevox, but at this price, it's a great way to check out the music! CD

Soundtrack funk doesn't get any better than this – thanks to a head-expanding of tracks from the Italian scene of the 60s and 70s – served up with the usual ear for a great cut by the folks at Easy Tempo! The groove here is far from the "easy" you might expect – and most numbers have tight drums, funky basslines, and other heavy elements – all put together with an approach to the music that's far different than anything happening in the US at the time, especially in the way the instruments sound in the end – and in the way that the production techniques make them do really crazy things! Titles include "Parangua" by Luiz Bacalov, "Flirt a Rio" by Piero Umiliani, "Side Sleep" by Berto Pisano, "Little Shakie Girl" by Armando Trovajoli, "Tremendous Stars" by Piero Piccioni, "Under Drama" by Giancarlo Gazzani, "Realta No 5" by Stelvio Cipriani, "So" by Lara Saint Paul, "Israelites" by Capuano, and "Citta Viva" by Ennio Morricone. CD

Movie themes from Ennio Morricone, Chen Min, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kiyoshi Shomura, John Williams, Nina Rota, James Horner, Francis Lai, and more – 19 tracks total. CD

Some of the most striking work we've ever heard from this legendary Italian group – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given the power of their work in the 60s and 70s! The assemblage features important avant garde sounds from Ennio Morricone – and offers up a real look at the roots of the atonal and offbeat musical elements that he'd explore on his famous horror soundtracks – but in a setting that's right out there with the farthest reaches of the experimental scene at the time! As the group's name implies, there's a lot of improvisation going on here – played by musicians who include Morricone on trumpet, Frederic Rzewski on piano, Mario Bertoncini on percussion, John Heineman on trombone, Roland Kayn on Hammond and vibes, Franco Evangelisti on piano and percussion, and Ivan Vandor on tenor sax. Yet the sound is hardly free jazz, either – as there's more of a avant compositional vibe going on – a bit like the sense of chance in the music of John Cage, especially as the instruments and players shift from track to track. Titles include "Quartetto", "Trio Di Fiati", "Improvvisazione Per Cinque", "Improvvisazione Per Otto", "RKBA 1675/1", and the haunting "Cantata", which just features voices processed through filters and reverb! CD

A wonderfully mellow soundtrack from Riz Ortolani – a bit different than most of his other work, and handled with this spacious style that often has a lead instrumental solo sliding out in front of soft orchestrations! The mood is sometimes somber – maybe not as sexy as you'd guess from the image on the cover – and the style's a bit like some of those soundtracks that Ennio Morricone was doing around the same time, especially as his work took him into more of a global cinematic scale! Some of our favorite tracks have a lead trumpet or woodwind – and titles include "Amnesia", "Uno Scandalo Perbene", "Interrogatorio", "Momenti Felici", "Meditazione", and "Ritrovarsi Ancora". CD also features 11 previously unissued bonus tracks! CD

Includes work from Stefano Mainetti, Stelvio Cipriani, Pino Donaggio, Ennio Morricone, Carl Davis, Paolo Silvestri, Maurizio Abeni, Andrea Guerra, Fabio Frizzi, Marco Frisina, Tiziano Lamberti, and more – 50 tracks in all!! CD

Amazing sounds from Alvarius B – aka Alan Bishop, who you'll know from his long legacy of music as part of the Sun City Girls – but who's definitely blowing us away here as a solo artist on his own! The album's a triple-length set – and it's got this really unusual blend of elements that spin out over the extended space of the set – sounds that often just come from the interplay of acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and keyboards – but which often have all these exotic elements in the mix, and these compelling currents of magick that feel like they're echoing Kenneth Anger, Current 93, and a universe of other musical influences too. Most songs are these really compelling originals – but along the way, the project also references Ennio Morricone, Lee Hazlewood, Gene Clark, and other musical heroes of ours. Titles include "Zion The Rocket Ship", "Yellow Dog Prairie", "Their Words Disappear", "Smokin To Live", "Central California Nightmare", "Mark Twain August", "Dark In My Heart", "Obelisk", "Locust Rain", "Fine Line", "The Devil's Spine", "I'll Carry Your Dwarf", "Green Thumb", "Crackled Witch", "Icicle Pillar", "Cantaloupe Brain", and "Take The Veil Down". CD

The music of Ennio Morricone – completely recast into a jazz setting by drummer Arthur Vint and his associates! The project's maybe a bit like the famous John Zorn reworking of Ennio Morricone music from decades ago – but the approach here is more unified, and has as much ear for the tunefulness of the original compositions as it does for making something fresh and new! As you'd guess from the cover, the focus here is mostly on the western side of Morricone's scoring – and instrumentation includes tenor, harmonica, violin, guitars, piano, organ, bass clarinet, and flute – which makes for some great tonal combinations. Titles include "Death Rides A Horse", "The Sundown", "For A Few Dollars More", "Man With A Harmonica", "The Ecstasy Of Gold", "Vamos A Matar Companeros", and "Once Upon A Time In The West". CD

Sweet bossa nova from the European scene – almost all of it from the kinds of late 60s Italian soundtracks that took the best elements of the style from Brazil, then expanded it into a whole new groovy style of its own! The music here certainly has lots of the snapping rhythms and breezy melodies you'll know from classic bossa nova – but the arrangements are often a lot more ambitious, and add in all these cool, groovy, and mod touches – including bits of organ, electric guitar, scat vocals, and other musical elements that resonate strongly with the best modernist vibe of the Italian 60s world of film. Titles include "Anice Nuraghi" by Luis Bacalov, "La Matriarca" by Armando Trovajoli, "Mr Dante Fontana" by Piero Piccioni, "Samba In Tribunale" by Ennio Morricone, "Bob & Hellen" by Piero Umiliani, "Bikini Bossa" by Gianni Dell'Orso, "Il Colpo" by Stelvio Cipriani, "Bossa In California" by Marcello Gigante, "Pedone L'Africano" by Guido & Maurizio DeAngelis, and "Aspetto Ancora Un Giorno" by Piero Piccione. CD