... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... CD

... CD

Elmer Bernstein's score for the sexy late 50s film based on Erskine Caldwell's book – done with a mix of southern styles, jazzy bits, and fuller orchestrations! Bernstein's music of the 50s is all just about as perfect as you can get for soundtrack scoring – and like some of his other classics, the music here works wonderfully well away from the images on screen – quite vivid overall, with an illustrative quality that's really amazing – lots of moody moments, tense action, and haunting themes – a perfect companion to Man With The Golden Arm or Some Came Running. Titles include "Gold Hunt", "The Fight", "God's Little Acre", "Diggin In The Morning", "Will's Blues", "The Love Scene", and "The Funeral" – and the CD also features the bonus "Suite". CD

Nice tune! The groovy main theme to this one far outlived the film, and showed up all over the place in the 60s – on instrumental theme records, TV spoofs, and other oddball sources. The rest of the score's pretty great, too – and features some compelling orchestrations by Bernstein, who's working at his hardest here to top him work on the Bridge On The River Kwai. Some tracks reprise the theme, and others have more of a dramatic sound. Titles include "On The Road", "Cooler & Mole", "Blythe", "Discovery", "Premature Plans", and "The Chase". CD

... CD

Mostly western-themed numbers played by an orchestra and occasionally sung by a chorus that matches the comedic feel of the film. The whole thing's got a whimsical feel, maybe a little silly, but still fun, especially if you're a fan of Bernstein's work. Titles include "Stand Up We'll March To Dinner", "Stolen Booze", "The Chase", "The Bottle Of Whiskey Hills", "Down Down Down", and "Whiskey Love & Temperance". CD

Elmer Bernstein serves up some of his most famous soundtrack themes – but in a style that's even more jazz-based than the original! The group here is a large one, filled with great west coast players – and Bernstein's tunes sparkle even more in this rich setting than they did in their initial use on film – partly because the presentation allows some musicians the chance to really open up and solo! The lineup features Bud Shank and Bob Cooper on saxes, Pete Candoli and Don Fagerquist on trumpets, Milt Bernhart and Dick Nash on trombones, Bob Bain on guitar, Russ Freeman on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, and Francisco Aquabella on percussion – and titles include "Rat Race", "Three Time Blueser", "Hop Skip But Jump", "Jubilation", "Man With The Golden Arm", "Saints & Sinners", and "Sweet Smell Of Success". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the original score, alternate and unused cues, the 1957 Dot soundtrack album (in mono), 1960 Dot re-recording (in stereo), and 1966 United Artists re-recording. CD

An expanded version of the 1957 Dot LP Backgrounds For Brando – a session recorded by Elmer Bernstein in tribute of Marlon Brando's key 50s appearances in film! The album is not so much a soundtrack, as it is a collection of tracks from Brando films – written by Franz Waxman, Leith Stevens, Miklos Rozsa, Dimitri Tiomkin, and others – all redone by Bernstein in a style that links together disparate themes nicely. The album features variations on themes from the films The Men, Guys & Dolls, On The Waterfront, Viva Zapata, Sayonara, and Streetcar Named Desire – and the CD features bonus recordings that include "Mutiny On The Bounty" by Dick Hyman, "The Chase Is On" by John Barry, and "Ski Run" by Lionel Newman. CD

... CD

Nicer work than usual for Elmer – at least for this period – a sweet 70s score that mixes some groovy vocal numbers, upbeat action themes, and more standard orchestral tunes. There's a sense of space to the work that's quite nice – almost as if Bernstein had been taking tips from some of the Italians of the time – and overall, the album's got more than a few really nice and interesting tracks! Vocal tunes include "Where Have You been All My Life" by Trevor Chance, "Gold" by Jimmy Helms, and "Wherever Love Takes Me" by Maureen McGovern – and instrumental tunes include "Diggin", "Flight", "Flood", "Sunday At The Mine", and "The Lovers". CD

... CD

Two lesser-known scores from Elmer Bernstein – both of them as great as his more familiar work of the time! Love With The Proper Stranger is a beautifully sensitive soundtrack for a film that starred Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood – done by Bernstein with some lightly jazzy woodwinds at times – the kind of adult, mature charts you might have found on a show like The Naked City or East Side West Side – subtle human drama, and a great example of the way that soundtrack composition had grown since the 50s. Titles include "Another Fifty", "Angie's Place", "The Fugitives", "Love With The Proper Stranger", and "Departure". A Girl Named Tamiko is set in Japan, and scored with a mix of dramatic modes and some slightly more scene-setting tones – that nice sense of place that Bernstein could often get in his famous soundtracks, yet one that's still always rooted in a Hollywood sense of drama. The score is represented quite strongly here – with a total of 20 tracks, including one with a lyric by Mack David! CD

A strange melange of tracks that we barely remember from the film! Elmer Bernstein handled the overall production and orchestrations – and the tunes are a mix of mellow vocal numbers and some disco ones, with snippets of dialogue thrown into the mix to help you locate yourself in the progression of the film. Freddie Perren handled the long disco tune "Makin It", which features vocals by David Naughton – and other tracks include "Good Friend" by Mary Macgregor, "Moondust" by Terry Black, and "Meatballs" by Rick Dees. There's a few instrumentals that are mellow and actually quite nice – and titles include "Rudy & Tripper", "Olympiad", and "Rudy Wins The Race". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Two bold soundtracks from Elmer Bernstein – back to back on a single CD! First up is The Shootist – a late John Wayne western, but scored with a very classic feel – that driving, dramatic, very Americanist mode that Bernstein brought to his best action scores for the west in the 60s – where each new tune feels like a rich, fresh theme – even though there's a great sense of variety in the record! As with the best Bernstein, the orchestrations are always lean and focused – never too overblown, and able to pack just the right punch for the specific mood of the moment. Titles include "Shootout", "Farewells", "Ride", "Attack", "Pain/Promise", and "Sweeney". Next is The Sons Of Katie Elder – a great 60s western with Dean Martin in the lead next to Wayne – given a soundtrack by Bernstein that showcases some of the lighter elements that Martin brings to his performance – not comedic, but a nice balance to the usual John Wayne modes. The title track is served up in a vocal version by Johnny Cash, and John Wayne narrates "Texas Is A Woman" – alongside other tracks that include "The Elders Fight", "Trouble In Town", "Return To Town", "Memories Of Clearwater", and "Hastings Ranch". CD

A great lost crime jazz soundtrack – penned by Elmer Bernstein in the style of some of his best work from the 50s! There's a real Man With The Golden Arm feel here – as the orchestra rises and falls in a mode matching the Staccato title – and solos break out with a fluid and brazen sort of feel – plenty of jazz to show the west coast origin of the recording! Players include Don Fagerquist and Pete Candoli on trumpets, Dick Nash on trombone, Ted Nash and Dave Pell on saxes, John Williams on piano, and Barney Kessell on guitar. The show itself is pretty darn cool – and starred a young John Cassavetes as detective Johnny Staccato – a role that supposedly gave Cassavetes enough money to shoot the film Shadows in his free time! Great all the way through – with tracks that include "Staccato's Theme", "Thinking Of Baby", "Poi & Juice", "Deadly Game", "Night Mood", "Jazz At Waldo's", "Like Having Fun", and "MacDougal Street Special". LP, Vinyl record album

Alex North's wonderful score for the Elia Kazan production of Streetcar Named Desire – a soundtrack that's filled with a fair bit of jazz touches, and which almost comes off with an Elmer Bernstein sort of feel! The music's quite dark and evocative – wonderfully played throughout, with a snakey sort of brilliance that matches the images in the film. Jerry Goldsmith conducted, and titles include "Streetcar", "Four Deuces", "Blanche", "Della Robia Blue", "Flores", "Mania", and "Lust". CD

An incredibly untapped world of cinematic jazz – pulled from an array of Spanish films of the late 50s and early 60s – most of which have soundtracks as dynamic as work coming from France or Italy at the time! A good portion of the tracks here are scored by Jose Sola – who seems to draw inspiration from some of the west coast jazz soundtracks of the 50s – work by Elmer Bernstein, Shorty Rogers, Leith Stevens, and others – blending standout soloists with fuller backings, but in a way that matches the stark energy of the images on the screen! The CD's an unusual one in that many of the tunes are quite long – upwards of 10 minutes, and very different than the shorter snippets of jazz you might get on other soundtrack efforts from the same generation – and some numbers keep in bits of the dialogue, presenting the music with sound that's more "cinematic" than straight studio recording. Solo instruments include a fair bit of trumpet and alto sax – and the package comes with a great booklet with notes in English and Spanish, plus images from the films. Titles include "Un Vaso De Whisky", "A Sangre Fria", "Altas Variedades", "Los Cuervos", "Regresa Un Desconocido", and "El Salario Del Crimen" by Jose Sola; plus "091 Policia Al Habla" by Augusto Alguero, "Juventud A La Intemperie" by Enrique Escobar, and "A Tiro Limpo" by Federico Martinez Tudo. CD

A 60 soundtrack double-header – two great scores back to back! First up is Sex & The Single Girl, a pretty darn groovy soundtrack – one of Neal Hefti's best of the 60s, and the score to a silly sex comedy that starred Natalie Wood and Tony Curtis! Fran Jeffries sings vocals on a few cuts – like "Sex & The Single Girl" and "Anniversary Song" – but the best tunes are the instrumentals, which mix together a lot of electric harpsichord (ala Odd Couple), a bit of flute, and which have a style that's in the mode of the best Quincy Jones or Henry Mancini scoring from the time! Titles include "Legs", "The Game", "Midnight Swim", "City Style", "I Must Know", and "I've Got Love". The Chapman Report is a great mixture of jazzy themes and tense moments – similar to some of Elmer Bernstein's best work in the same style – with driving upbeat numbers sliding into mellower, sadder ones – all fitting perfectly together as a rich tapestry of sound and mood! The players on the set aren't listed, but we're willing to be that there's more than a few ace west coast jazzmen in the group. Titles include "Teresa & Paul", "The Water Man", "Sarah's Theme", "Naomi & Musician", "Naomi & The Mirror", and "Main Title Theme". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Theme From East Of Eden" and "Theme From Rebel Without A Cause". CD

Features "Twisting The Night Away" by Sam Cooke, "Tossin And Turnin" by Bobby Lewis, "Shout" by Lloyd Williams, and the "Faber College Theme" by Elmer Bernstein. CD

Music from Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Danny Elfman, Bernard Hermann, Elmer Bernstein, James Horner, Dave Grusin, Thomas Newman, Hans Zimmer, Alex North, and more. CD

Blockbuster soundtrack including the theme song by Ray Parker Jr, plus other hits of the day including "In The Name Of Love " by Thompson Twins, "Cleanin' Up The Town" by Bus Boys, and themes composed by Elmer Bernstein. LP, Vinyl record album

An ultra-cool set that focuses on one of our favorite easy genres ever – crime jazz! Crime jazz first came to light at the end of the 50s, as Mancini, Morrow, and others penned some incredible music for TV detective shows – tight, jazz-based tunes that really moved past the flowery style of orchestrations that had often been used in the movies and on other crime programs. The crime jazz mode was an instant hit with listeners, and many tunes climbed up the charts – and spawned countless albums of music in the mode. This set brings together 18 tracks from the 50s and 60s – including titles from a wide variety of sources inspired by the crime jazz sound, including a few more famous artists doing their take on the style! Titles include "The Untouchables" by Nelson Riddle, "Dragnet/Room 43" by Ray Anthony, "Thinking Of Baby" by Elmer Bernstein, "I Spy" by Earl Hagen, "Walk On The Wild Side" by Si Zentner, "The Silencers" by Vikki Carr, "Music To Be Murdered By" by Jeff Alexander with Alfred Hitchcock, "Harlem Nocturne" by Spike Jones, and "Mission Impossible" by Billy May. CD

A dark soundtrack to this mid 50s film that starred Sal Mineo as a scrawny JD (what else!) The tracks are mostly orchestral, but have a bit of Elmer Bernstein or Leith Stevens type jazz in them – blaring out from time to time amidst the strings to set the dangerous mood of the film. Titles include "Waiting & Conclusion", "Little Jazz", "Saturday Night", "Nightmare", "Reform School", and "Death In A Warehouse". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from a time when the soundtrack scene turned heavily to jazz music – when both American and European directors moved away from using larger orchestrations, and focused instead on smaller combos and strong soloists who really gave the music a heck of a lot of feeling! The work here is mostly from a generation that's a bit beyond the years of film noir – mostly crime and thrillers that took strong advantage of jazz for more dramatic and action-based scenes – in ways that also gave a lot of showcase to some of the players and composers working in and around LA in the 50s. The tracks here are maybe a bit less obscure than some of the other Lux & Ivy collections – more from albums than singles, including a few that offer up covers of original recordings – 24 titles that include "After Sunset" by Frankie Ortega, "A Quiet Gass" and "Touch Of Evil" by Henry Mancini, "Harlem Nocturne" by Warren Barker, "MacDougal Street Special" by Elmer Bernstein, "Floozie" by Alex North, "Experiment In Terror" by Kai Winding, "Dragnet" by Ray Anthony, "Two Hour Honeymoon" by Paul Hampton, and "End Title" by Gerry Mulligan. CD