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It's hard to believe that anyone ever took the electronics of Giorgio Moroder seriously enough to think they'd be the right setting for an intensely dramatic thriller like this – but in the decade when Italian thrillers were doing the same thing, it's kind of easy to see. And if you think of this one as a dated American soundtrack, you'll be lost – but if you see it as some groovy bit of Italian sexy electronics from the 70s, you'll find that it's got some pretty nice moments, and would fit perfectly with some of the Cinevox material from the end of the 70s. Titles include "The Chase", "The Wheel", "Cacophony", and "Midnight Express". LP, Vinyl record album

A dark little score from Ennnio Morricone – penned for a mid 70s film that starred Rod Steiger as Mussolini! The style here is even more spacious, and almost more tense, than some of Morricone's horror work of the time – and in a way, the music often has a cold, grey quality – with far less color or striking sound than some of Morricone's lighter, whimsical soundtracks. There's also a pronounced sense of space, too – a feel that almost has you waiting for each new note to come – instead of that more flowing Morricone style of familiar work. Titles include "SOS La Fine", "Ultimo Atto", "Giustiziato", "Verso La Frontiera", and "Mussolini Ultimo Atto". CD

A Morricone score penned for a comedic western – but music that's really on a par with any of his more familiar classics of the genre! The styles here run from dark to bright – with some numbers that feature trademark Morricone styles like isolated harmonica or chanting vocals, to others that cascade with slightly more contemporary instrumental modes – including just a bit of subdued electricity amidst the larger orchestrations. But in any setting, the Morricone genius shines through beautifully – and there's a sense of depth to even the simplest tunes here that's really great – and the balance here is what really makes the album strong. CD features a whopping 29 tracks in all – way more than any other issue of music from the film – with titles that include "Non Fare L'Indiano", "Sfida All'Ultima Forchetta", "L'Ultima Tromba", "Tanti Pugni", "Occhio Alla Pena", "Passagio Dal Male Al Bene", and "Dal Sarto". CD

A fantastically dark Morricone score! Morricone originally wrote this material for the film Quattro Mosche Di Velluto Grigio, the third part of Dario Argento's cult terror trilogy – and until the release of this reissue, only 2 of the tracks ever made it to the public, on a rare single issued by Cinevox in 1971. The leadoff track – "4 Mosche Di Vellutto Grigio (titoli)" – is actually a bit funky, with some very heavy drums and cascading fuzzy guitar riffs that sound very nice. Then, the record moves into spookier material – like the cut "Come Un Madrigale", and a number of self-titled themes – all of which feature strange harpsichord work, dark orchestral passages, and some very spooky production work! Fortunately, the score ends on an upbeat note – a hard driving, beat group sounding version of the main theme that's a nice cap to the whole package! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strangest acts to come from Motown in the early 80s – and almost more of a new wave record than a soul one! The standout hit here is the title track "Somebody's Watching Me" – an odd electro tune that has Rockwell speaking/singing these paranoid lyrics with a vague British accent – but which has Michael Jackson coming in on the chorus to warm up the tune! Sadly, Michael's gone for the rest of the record – so Rockwell takes center stage with tunes that have a soul-based take on styles heard more familiarly by Human League or Ultravox at the time – and which display the real Anglophile bent in American pop at the time. Still, there's a few nice electro moments – and titles include "Obscene Phone Caller", "Change Your Ways", "Runaway", "Wasting Time", and "Knife". LP, Vinyl record album

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A really great look at a key year in British punk – a time when the music really broke open, and artists from a wide range of scenes began to make music in a punk rock vein! The set has way more variety than you might expect – not just the big names and new acts that were helping define the music, but also surprising entries from hard rock, pub rock, and other styles – all really embracing the short, sharp shocks of punk – and showing just how influential the new sound was to the larger British music scene. Punk never grabbed the mainstream the same way over here – and the 3CD set is a fantastic representation of the big bang the music made in the UK in 1977 – presented with the kind of detailed notes and other information that always makes these collections from Cherry Red so great. The package features a massive 87 tracks in all – with work by The Heartbreakers, Eater, Chartreuse, The Rings, Models, Buzzocks, Vibrators, Deaf School, The Damned, Gorillas, The Jam, Britzkrieg Bop, Cock Sparrer, Motorhead, Only Ones, Johnny Moped, Rezillos, Slaughter & The Dogs, Wreckless Eric, Boomtown Rats, Sham 69, Radiators From Space, Doctors Of Madness, Generation X, Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias, Zeros, Tom Robinson Band, X-Ray Spex, Tyla Gang, Jerks, Spider, Alternative TV, John Cooler Clarke, Graham Parker, The Doll, Ultravox, Chelsea, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Raped, Norman & The Hoolians, Drug Squad, and many others. CD

Tremendous work from the Spanish scene of the 60s and early 70s – way more than just a batch of obscure jazz cuts, and instead a true testament to this very vibrant musical community! The package brings together some really special tracks from Spanish labels like Edigsa, Ensayo, Hispavox, and others – and really shows that in Spain at the time, there was musical growth that was every bit as strong as in better-known scenes in Germany, France, and Italy – a really rich step forward from American inspiration of the postwar years – into a world of freshly inventive rhythms, really imaginative solos, and some key local touches that really made the music sparkle! Not all players here are of Spanish origin, as the set also shows the key crossroads the scene was offering at the time – a wealth of wonderful hardbop, soul jazz, and modal numbers that include "El Cant Dels Ocells" by Catalonia Jazz Quartet, "Movimiento" by Lou Bennett, "Psique" by Juan Carlos Calderon, "Tema Per Alicia" by Jazz Group, "Asteriscs" by Nits De Jazz Al Jamboree, "Bosnia Calling" by Dusko Goykovich, "Israel" by Modern Jazz Sextet, "Rememberance To Madrid" by Elia Fleta, "Marcha De Los Dioses" by Tino Contreras, and "Laberinto (2nd part)" by Vlady Bas. CD

A set that definitely lives up to the intrigue promised in the title – an alternative look at British music in the 80s, served up with some more experimental, unusual tracks that go way past the pop hits of the time! There's still some names here you might know, but there's also work from plenty of the hipper indie labels who kept things interesting – especially in the territory of companies like Factory, Rough Trade, and 4AD – who each get some space within! As with other sets done by Steven Wilson, there's some detailed notes that make the overall package a delight throughout – with 19 tracks on this vinyl version, work by Dif Juz, Cardiacs, A Certain Ratio, Perennial Divide, Cocteau Twins, Twelfth Night, This Heat, Ultravox, Durutti Column, Punishment Of Luxury, The Stranglers, Magazine, Bill Nelson's Red Noise, No Man, Slab, Robert Fripp & The League Of Gentlemen, and Dead Can Dance. LP, Vinyl record album

Features music by the Crests, the Duprees, the Five Discs, the Dimensions, the Charades, the Parktowns, the Barries, the Classics, the Voxpoppers, the Belmonts, the Emotions, the Dreamers and more. CD

An insanely deep look at the rise of the "new romantics" on the British music scene at the end of the 70s – a book that's bigger than most we've seen on more "classic" rock figures and moments – and which really takes its project seriously! The book starts way before the early 80s pop hits that pushed the music on a global scene – and starts instead in the years before punk, when embers of glam and art rock were cooling down, and allowing some new ideas to rise up on the scene – artists and musicians who were carefully threading their way through the bigger waves of the late 70s, before finally getting their due in a huge moment at the start of the 80s. All the big names are covered here – Depeche Mode, Ultravox, Wham, Soft Cell, and many others – but Dylan Jones also really stretches the net wide, and does a great job of situating the music, and showing its influence at a level that's way different than any might have predicted at the time! The book is almost 700 pages, hardcover, with a big section of photos in the middle. Book

A beautifully building score from Ennio Morricone – one that's filled with tracks that start out slow, then layer on elements in a really wonderful way! The main theme is a bit dreamy, but some others are a bit dark – and are done in an arry of jagged sounds and offbeat instrumental tunings that reminds us a bit of Morricone's brilliance on the score for The Burglars (Gli Scassinatori). As with that one, piano figures strongly on some of the tunes here – recorded with spare, echoey qualities – but in ways that are hardly the sweeter tones of Morricone's more famous scores of later years. CD features a total of 19 tracks in all – a nicely expanded version of the soundtrack! CD

Sublime sounds from Piero Piccioni – one of the Italian soundtrack genius' best moments of the mid 70s! The album's got a nicely laidback, slinky sort of feel – one that's almost a 70s update of the vibe Piero first laid down in Tenth Victim – with snakey keyboard bits and sax lines – some sweet bossa moments, and other sexy touches. There's a few funky moments too, but these are in the minority – leaving most of the record to have this wonderfully mellow glow, but still with all the odd little twists we've come to love in Piccioni's music! Titles include "Number One Superman", "Let's Face Love", "Going My Round", "Guitars Improvviso", "El Agitato", and "Combinazione Special". Plus, this set features a bonus CD with 32 more bonus tracks – loads of variations, alternates, and outtakes – a real treasure trove of great music! CD

One of the greatest soundtracks we've ever heard from Piero Umiliani – an incredibly groovy record from the very first note! The score's got a fantastic mix of groovy scoring, jazzy bits, and cool little vocals – spare organ lines that set the tune on most numbers, stepping basslines to set the rhythms, and scatting lyrics from I Cantori Moderni – a group who make the act of counting to 5 sound incredibly cool! The feel is quite similar to Umiliani's sublime Sweden Heaven & Hell soundtrack (and at one point, you even can hear the guy with the funny voice from "Mah Na Mah Na") – and the music is exactly the kind of wonderful stuff that first got us digging Italian film scores so many years ago. This great reissue adds a bunch of previously unreleased tracks to the original – a whopping 34 tracks in all – 14 from the original album, plus 3 stereo bonus cuts, and another 17 mono tunes. Titles include a few versions of the main theme, plus "Titoli Coda", "Luna Di Piero Agosto", "Bambola Omicida", "Interludio Azzurro", "Cinque Bambole", and "Danza Jazz Moon". CD

A rare spaghetti western score from Piero Umiliani – an Italian composer we usually know best for bossa or more jazz-oriented scores, but who sounds right at home in this genre too! The album's got a sound that really shows the full range of Umiliani's talents – a few western-styled numbers with guitar in the lead, but also a number of different styles too – quieter moments that are cool variations on the main theme – played with either organ, saxophone, or harpsichord – recorded with some cool changes and a great sense of play throughout. The CD features 12 tracks from the film's score – plus the vocal number "Roy Colt", which is sung by the group Free Love, and originally only issued on a 45! CD

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Darkly new wave work from Kissing The Pink – a group who are never as well-remembered as Human League or Ultravox, but who often have a very similar feel! As with much British electronica of the time, the vocals are often flat and compressed into the rhythms very strongly – cold, but with a charm that's undeniable – especially on the few more hook-heavy tunes that won the group a bit of crossover fame. CD brings together the full Naked album and the Kissing The Pink EP – a total of 17 tracks that includes "Big Man Restless", "The Last Film", "Frightened In France", "In Awe Of Industry", "Mr Blunt", "Maybe This Day", "Watching Their Eyes", and "Love Lasts Forever". CD

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A fantastic CD collection – one that brings together all five volumes of Stereolab's Switched On albums in one set – a huge collection of unusual material and rare singles! On the original Switched On record, moog, fuzz, and farfisa have never sounded so great together – and although these guys drank deep of the well of 60s pop magic before making this modern-day classic – they also come off sounding pretty darn original on their own! When this gem of a record first hit the world, it was as if all of us were hearing music from the cosmos for years, but could never find a way to make it part of our everyday lives. Then along come Tim Gane, Laetitia Sadier, and crew – and completely change the world for the better! An album that no home should be without – with titles that include "Contact", "Super-Electric", "Doubt", "Brittle", "Au Grand Jour", "The Way Will Be Opening", and "Changer". Refried Ectoplasm is the second in the holy trinity of "switched on" albums from Stereolab – a set that collects together all the unusual recordings and other side bits the group were doing in the early years of their career – standing strong as a testament to their non-stop efforts to forever push the boundaries of electric fuzzy pop! The vocals Laetitia Sadier are completely sublime – almost a bridge between the darker modes of the previous pop generation and all the new ideas of the world to come – when the rest of rock music would finally catch up to these guys, and realize that the best path to the future is through the past! Titles include "Farfisa", "John Cage Bubblegum", "Tempter", "Exploding Head Movie", "French Disko", "Harmonium", "Revox", "Mountain", and "Sadistic". By the time of Aluminum Tunes (Switched On Vol 3) – it had only been a few years since the previous Switched On set, but Stereolab had already created so much musical magic, they needed a double-length record to keep the whole thing intact! The sound here is somehow getting even more dreamy and wonderful – definitely showing their work with the mighty Sean O'Hagan, and also really opening up into all the many musical ideas that Tim Gane was picking up from his never-ending search for unusual records! The 60s swirl through time and space, and make the future sound even better than we could have imagined it – while the Channel is drained, and England and France become one in a genius marriage of pure pop modes. Titles include "The Extension Trip", "How To Play Your Internal Organs Overnight", "Space Moment", "Iron Man", "The Long Hair Of Death", "One Note Samba/Surfboard", "Percolations", "1000 Miles An Hour", "Klang Tone", and a great take on the theme to "Get Carter". Switched On 4 is full of fantastic sounds from Stereolab – an assortment of rare singles and other unusual recordings that were mostly issued on their own Duophonic label, and which are far more obscure than their bigger label albums during the same period! Even though Stereolab gave the world some undeniable classics in the late 90s and early 00s, they were also working endlessly, and seemed to record more than they could ever fit on a full length set – which resulted in all the cool singles, limited releases, and other material included here – not dusty tapes pulled from the archives, but beautiful work that often returns the group to all the space age charms of their first few records! The package is huge – 25 tracks in all, of varying length – and titles include "Barok Plastik", "Calimero", "Fried Monkey Eggs (voc)", "Solar Throw Away", "Variation One", "Monkey Jelly", "Explosante Fixe", "Jump Drive Shut Out", "The Super-It", "L'Exotisme Interieur", "Pandora's Box Of Worms", "Retrograde Mirror Form", "Nomus E Phusis", "I Feel The Air Of Another Planet", "Outer Bongolia", and "Intervals". Includes tracks from Duophonic 45s, Underground Is Coming EP, Moog, First Of The Microbe Hunters, and work from compilations, unreleased tracks, and even a collaboration with Brigitte Fontaine! Switched On 5 is maybe the coolest entry so far in this really wonderful series – a set that's overflowing with rare and unusual work from Stereolab – most of it done at a time when the group were riding high on a major label, but still managed to issued a huge amount of music on their own, and work in a variety of collaborative settings too! One of our favorite is their work with Nurse With Wound, and tracks from that partnership begin this set – which then moves into rare singles, work with artists, compilation contributions, and plenty more – all with the usual Stereolab charm, but often with a nicely different vibe too! Titles include "Simple Headphone Mind", "Symbolic Logic Of Now", "Magne Music", "Forensic Itch", "Spool Of Collusion", "Robot Riot", "Trippin With The Birds", "Cybele's Reverie (live)", "Nth Degrees, "Refractions In The Plastic Pulse (Autechre Feebate mix)", and "Plastic Mile (original version)". CD

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Lux and Ivy serve up a whole host of records from death row – not the famous hip hop label, but the end of the line for those that pay the ultimate price for their crimes – served up here in a weird and wild blend of rare 45s from the postwar years! The music here is almost in Bear Family territory, but a bit wider – rock, blues, rockabilly, country, and other styles all mixed together – with a really wonderful blend of offbeat singles that we might never have heard otherwise! The set's one of the best Lux & Ivy collections in awhile – and features 28 tracks that include "Death Row" by Jimmy Minor, "Big Mouth Bill" by Phil McLean, "The Legend Of The Birds & Bees" by Hank Hornsby, "So Tuff" by The Furys, "Down In The Basement" by King Coleman, "Devil Is A Busy Man" by Sunnyland Slim, "Stack A Records" by Tom Tall, "The Last Drag" by The Voxpoppers, "Rompin" by Jerry Warren, "Ragged & Hungry" by Lightning Junior & The Empires, "The Plea" by The Chantels, and "Crash Out" by Jaycee Hill. CD

One of the heaviest soundtracks scored by Goblin during the 70s – with lots of funky club influences, and a funky disco sound on a number of tracks that feature vocals by the great European club diva Asha Puthli. Puthli sings on the tracks "The Whip" and "The Sound Of Money", and there's one more track, "Welcome To The Boogie", that's got unidentified vocals – but which follows in a similar disco sort of mode! The rest of the material is mostly uptempo cop show type stuff from the era – with plenty of keyboards, wah wah guitars, and heavy rhythms – that funky mix of rock and soundtrack styles that Goblin did so well back in the day. Titles include "Trumpet's Flight", "Sicilian Samba", "Stunt Cars", and "Disco China". CD features bonus material – "Squadra Antigangsters (movie take 1)", "Squadra Antigangsters (movie take 2)", and "Trumpet's Flight (alt version)". CD

A nice collection of 70s work on the Cinevox label – with work by Goblin for the film Profondo Rosso, Ennio Morricone from La Donna Della Domenica, Bixio Frizzi Tempera from Vai Gorilla, Stelvio Cipriani from Due Cuori Una Cappella, and Gianfranco Plenizio from Amici Mie. LP, Vinyl record album

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Reflex never had much of a long recorded legacy – but they certainly made their mark with this classic album of 80s electro pop! The tunes follow somewhere in the territory of contemporaries like Human League or Ultravox, but also maybe have a quirkier vibe that's more in the spirit of the indie scene – especially in the ways the keyboard lines and vocals take on all these odd inflections – maybe a nod towards soulful styles, but also a mode that quickly fell out of favor overseas – but which is also what makes the whole thing so completely charming! Titles include the big title hit "The Politics Of Dancing" – and "Hitline", "Hurt", "Couldn't Stand A Day", "Jungle", "Sensitive", "Keep In Touch", "Praying To The Beat", and "Pointless". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that definitely lives up to the intrigue promised in the title – an alternative look at British music in the 80s, served up with some more experimental, unusual tracks that go way past the pop hits of the time! There's still some names here you might know, but there's also work from plenty of the hipper indie labels who kept things interesting – especially in the territory of companies like Factory, Rough Trade, and 4AD – who each get some space within! As with other sets done by Steven Wilson, there's some detailed notes that make the overall package a delight throughout – a cool book-styled cover with 80 pages of notes within – and a total of 58 tracks in all, work by Dif Juz, Cardiacs, A Certain Ratio, Perennial Divide, Cocteau Twins, Twelfth Night, This Heat, Ultravox, Durutti Column, Punishment Of Luxury, The Stranglers, Magazine, Bill Nelson's Red Noise, No Man, Slab, In Camera, Swell Maps, Gary Numan, The Sound, Crispy Ambulance, Dali's Car, Scott Walker, David Sylvian, The Shamen, This Mortal Coil, Associates, Section 25, Gang Of Four, PIL, Robert Fripp & The League Of Gentlemen, and Dead Can Dance. CD

The great Luis Bacalov is one of the longtime masters of Italian cinema scoring – an artist who's done everything from 60s westerns to more contemporary sentimental films – and who turns out some really nice sounds for this obscure thriller from the 70s! The main theme of the film has this really cool mix of electronic waves and clubby grooves – almost like Andromeda Strain meeting Studio 54 – and those moments are balanced by others that have a more laidback, spacious, piano-led quality – almost at the level of Stelvio Cipriani, but maybe a bit more sinister at times! There's a few nice woodwind moments too – and Bacalov does a great job of moving between dense moments and more open-ended sounds – in a selection of 22 tracks from the film, including two versions of the single "Shock Me" – which is a funky disco surprise! CD

Dario Agento hired aging prog rock star Keith Emerson for this 1980 horror soundtrack, and the overall approach used by Emerson is similar to some of his solo instrumental work from the late 70s – with lots of keyboard-heavy tracks (acoustic piano, organ, electric piano) that show off Emerson's virtuosity and classical training. The score has some elements that are similar to some of Argento's other soundtracks – like the contemporary work by Goblin – but it's also much more of an Emerson-driven album. The whole thing's remastered here and presented with a total of 15 tracks that include "Mark's Discovery", "Rose Gets It", "Elisa's Story", "Inferno", and "Taxi Ride". LP, Vinyl record album

Spooky keyboards galore – and a classic horror soundtrack from Goblin – done with just the right blend of rock influences and film score modes to live up to their well-deserved legacy! As on other records, the approach here is more that of a rock group – with guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums as the main instrumentation – but the sound is less jamming and very spare at times – so that these familiar elements get a weird sort of twist, and head into styles that are as tense as some of the images on the screen! A few numbers get slightly funky, but overall things are more in a slasher-type mode – and titles include "The Carver", "Rush", "Time Is On", "Ogre", "Quiet Drops", "Bikini Island", and "Flood". LP, Vinyl record album

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 seminal Italian horror soundtrack, played by the great Goblin, and created for this totally creepy film by Dario Argento! The band are using a lot of airy keyboards and electronics here – in broad washes of sound filled with evil and darkness, instead of some of the group's usual funkier rhythms. Not that the whole score's slow and moody, though, because some of the tracks have a nice early 80s electronic feel – like late Tangerine Dream, or instrumental Ultravox. Plus, a few themes have very haunting vocals, set to very creepy orchestrations! Titles include "The Wind", "Sleepwalking", "Jennifer", and "Jennifer's Friends". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the more obscure soundtracks from the great run of early 70s material on Cinevox – and a set that's right up there with the best of the time, like Ennio Morricone or Stelvio Cipriani! The score's an unusual one by Augusto Martelli – for a film about a woman who is converted to the "erotic religion of the Snake God", and sacrifices herself at the end of the film! Who cares about the plot, though, because there's some great little groovy bits on here – played by nicely compressed guitar and Hammond organ, plus lots of exotic percussion, in keeping with the theme of the film. For starters, the score contains the great track "Beryl's Tune", which has a great jangly guitar sample that's been used at least once over the past few years. Other nice ones include "Djamballa", "Beryl No 2", "Ciche Ton Ton", "Beguine Venezuela", "Mood", and "Zombie's Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great little soundtrack – an unusual comedic moment for Ennio Morricone, and scored with this very groovy blend of light orchestrations, gentle rhythms, and even a bit of bossa! Keyboard lines ring out with this spare, resonant feel on some of our favorite numbers – recalling the best Morricone modes at the start of the 70s, but with a slightly different twist – and the overall approach is way more classy and careful than the usual Italian comedy of this vintage – no throwaway disco or too-cheesy cuts – just the kind of careful sense of sound we'd expect from the maestro. Vinyl version features 20 tracks in all – titles that include "Marcetta Poplare", "Un Povero Emigrante", "Dance On", "Autostrada", and a number of variations on the title. LP, Vinyl record album

The kind of sexy Morricone soundtrack we really really love! This overlooked gem is a sweet 70s side – written for a love story starring Marcello Mastroianni and Nastassja Kinski, and done with the lightly erotic touches that make even Morricone's prettiest melodies extremely haunting and edgey. Most of the music is by a larger orchestra, with some isolated instrumentation – and although a few tracks get a bit uptempo, overall the mood is very languid, slowly drifting from note to note, like a breeze through a window on a summer afternoon. Sultry grooves from the master! Titles include "Verso Madrid", "Amore Per Amore", "Cosi Come Sei", "Spazio 1999", "Postludio Di Amore", and "Cosi Come Sei". LP, Vinyl record album

A heck of a great little record from Italian soundtrack composer Carlo Rustichelli – an obscure mid 70s score, and one that's got some groovier moments than a lot of his other work from the time! The album's got a playful, jaunty sort of feel – one that's right in keeping with the cartoony image on the cover – and most numbers feature keyboards of some sort (organ, piano, accordion) springing along in variations of the main theme – a haunting little tune that's sweetly swinging and a bit jazzy, yet also touched with a nice undercurrent of sadness. The arrangements are great too – and often feature weird passages bursting in – at a level that reminds us of some of our favorites from the late 60s. Titles include "Una Partita A Carte", "Al Trani", "Amici Miei", "Una Bravata", "Un Goccio Di Tristezza", and "Amici Sempre". Plus, this version features 7 more bonus tracks – all very cool alternate takes! CD

A love letter to the city of New York from saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart – a player with roots in Guadeloupe, but who's also had plenty of experience in New York as well – the latter of which really shines through in a wonderfully soulful set of work – some original, some very well-chosen jazz remakes! Jacques blows tenor here, in a group with players who include Victor Gould and Sullivan Fortner on piano, Matt Penman on bass, and Marcus Gilmore and Terri Lyne Carrington on drums – and the set features vocals from Malika Trolien on a version of "Butterfly", and Stephanie McKay on the tracks "Look No Further" and "Dreaming Of Freedom". Other tracks include "Equivox", "Twisted", "Ambrosia", "From Gore To Harlem", and "Sun Salutation". CD

Steve Shehan's often a mini musical force unto himself – a percussionist by trade, and one who's worked with many other artists – but who can also open himself up well on a project like this, by layering acoustic and electric elements in an evocative style that might even be thought of as exotica work for a new generation! There's plenty of percussion here that would be right at home on a classic record by Martin Denny or Les Baxter – mixed with some of the 90s advances in keyboard and sampling technology, so that the acoustic and electric elements have a really good balance in the mix, while Shehan goes off searching in all sorts of global directions. Titles include "Southern Attitudes", "Caravan In Kachgar", "Spiritus Cantus", "Indigo Dreams", "Amok", "Tonkinoise", and "Tjuringa". LP, Vinyl record album

A really striking soundtrack from the great Armando Trovajoli – working here in a style that's a bit less bossa or mod than some of his other late 60s film scores, but with some wonderful musical moments throughout! The film's a period piece, and the instrumentation is somewhat more traditional than some of Trovajoli's modder or bossa moments – but the change is a nice one, and shows a richer, more complicated side of his music – especially on the few tracks that feature vocals from the lovely Edda Dell'Orso. Titles include "Nell Anno Del Signore", "Addio", "I Carbonari", "Paolina", "Tema De Giuditta", "Sapessi Quanto Amore", and "Coro Della Morte". Also features the bonus suite of tracks "Nell Anno Del Signore". LP, Vinyl record album

Dig 80s electro pop? You'll find plenty to love here – as the set's a killer collection of tracks from a time when the UK scene was really exploding with new ideas and fresh music! The "radio" in the title is a reference to the fact that once-underground electronic acts were starting to get wider fame – tightening up their sound a bit, yet still sounding pretty darn great – never too poppy or overproduced, and with a quality that's pretty wonderful all these many years later! Most groups here are from the UK, but there's a few other European acts too – and the set moves between warmer coldwave to catchy electro tunes – in a selection of 56 titles, by artists who include Fad Gadget, Colourbox, Japan, Heaven 17, Thomas Leer, Communication, The Passage, Talk Talk, Thomas Dolby, Fiat Lux, New Order, Yello, Soft Cell', 'Blancmange, Poeme Electronique, OMD, Ultravox, Section 25, Endgames, Moebius, Zoo Boutique, Human League, Thick Pigeon, and many others! CD