... CD

A really amazing soundtrack from Ennio Morricone – presented here with the full range of tracks for the first time ever! The music uses some wonderful vocals – sung in a style that's pop, but very creepy too – that way that Morricone vocals can have of being almost chant-like, and sort of satanic! Biance Di Renata Cortiglioni is the singer, and she's much more word-based than Edda Dell'Orso – and it appears that her vocals are overdubbed to create this cool sort of chorus effect – one that only makes the whole thing sound even creepier! In addition to the snapping rhythms of the vocal tunes, there's also some nice sprightly elements on the instrumental cuts too – not upbeat or funky, but an offbeat way that's got a jaunty snare for propulsion. Titles include "Fratello Biondo", "Guerra E Pace Polle E Brace", "Amore Col Cuore", and "Grazie Zia". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally great Ennio Morricone collection – with material from some of his best soundtracks, including 4 Mosche Di Velluto Grigio, Citta Violenta, Grazie Zia, Revolver, Spasmo, Il Clan Dei Siciliani, and Escalation! LP, Vinyl record album

Dark brilliance from Ennio Morricone – a great 70s thriller that mixes in some great extra elements with the music! Il Prefetto Di Ferro has a core sound that's very much in keeping with Morricone's approach to crime and cop films – a bit warmer and funkier at times than his horror scores, but also touched here with some slight Mediterranean moments on guitar or flute – little "Sicilian" touches to set the mood of the film, in a way that also creates some nicely exotic touches. The record features some vocals and guitar from Rosa Balestrieri – a new collaborator for Morricone – and titles include "La Mafia", "Omerta", "Canto Di Sicilia", "Siccita", "Morte Di Ferrarello", and "Una Rete Di Protezioni". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

One of Morricone's most fantastic scores ever! The sound is very subdued and very subtle, but it's got that beautiful Morricone sound. The notes just inch by, one after one, in short, spare passages – and they build up into a tapestry of sweet, yet off-kilter sounds. It's beautiful stuff, and the kind of brilliant compositional work that makes Morricone one of the greatest composers ever! A wonderful mix of bossa and light grooves – and a great one if you dig the groovier side of Morricone. Titles include "La Donna Invisible", "La Moda", "Un Bacio", "Alla Serenita", "Silenziosamente", and "Incontro Travsversale". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of mostly earlier work – with material from Citta Violenta, Metti Una Sera A Cena, C'Era Una Volta Il West, Tepepa, Il Clan Dei Siciliani, and other films of the time. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite soundtracks ever from the legendary Ennio Morricone – a sublime set that's a perfect summation of all his best jazz, bossa, and mod elements – served up in one sparkling set that's gotten countless play on our turntable over the years! The main theme is a classic – a haunting, drifting track that really illustrates Morricone's capacity for warmer elements – something that some folks forget, if they only know his horror music and more ambitious work. Other tunes follow with a similar vibe – each a fresh change, but still awash in sweet and dreamy sounds, but with this great undercurrent of groove as well. Titles include "Metti, Una Sera A Cena", "Sauna", "Nina", "Ric Happening", "Croce D'Amore", and "Terrazza Vuota". Also features the bonus track "Hurry To Me"! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A dreamy soundtrack for an obscure Rock Hudson film – one that sports some really wonderful music from Ennio Morricone! The music here is occasionally topped with groovy vocals – often sung wordlessly in a "la la la" sort of mode by I Cantori Moderni, and set to instrumentation that's sometimes soft, sometimes swinging – always in the best late 60s Italian mode. At times, there's a slightly more American 60s feel to the soundtrack than some of Morricone's other work – but in a really great way that makes for less dark corners, and brighter instrumental flourishes that really stand out. The main theme repeats often through the album – sometimes with a bit of guitar, sometimes keyboards – all very groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy early soundtrack by Morricone! This one's earlier than many of the reissues we've been stocking – and it's got a groovy sound that's made even groovier by some fab vocal work by I Cantori Moderni, a hip vocalese group that's kind of the Italian version of The Swingle Singers. The group has sung more famously on soundtracks by Armando Trovajoli – but they sound pretty darn great on this one, grooving along wonderfully over some spy-like themes by Morricone – with lots of jazzy changes. The tracklist is structured differently than previous editions, and extends the previous vinyl versions by more than 10 minutes! Titles include "Slalom (Titoli)", "Sestriere", "Una Sera In Albergo", "Un Omicidio Misterioso", "Sperduto A El Cairo I", "Incontro Magico" (Parts I, II & III), "Passeggiata Nella Neve" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A relatively dramatic score from Ennio Morricone– as you might guess from the military title! Some of the tunes here have a very strong military feel, but others move into surprisingly sweeter territory – that more mainstream side of Morricone's sound, but still pretty great – with full strings swelling up in lush sounds that are very compelling. There's also some subtly spooky sounds on a few of the numbers – the odd instrumental moments that Morricone could sneak in nicely on a score like this – conducted perfectly by orchestra director Bruno Nicolai. Titles include "Theme Of Ali", "Tortures", "Clandestine Marriage", "Battle Of Algiers March", "Sorrow In The Casbah", and "Algiers November 1 1954". LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 70s Italian cartoon, but one that features some great soundtrack work from Ennio Morricone and Alessandro Alessandroni – each of whom bring a slightly different feel to the set! Morricone composed the film's main love theme – "Forse Basta" – a beautiful number that has all the compressed, slow-stepping brilliance of some of the maestro's more familiar 70s numbers – somewhat sweet, but with a subtle undercurrent of sadness that's really great too. Alessandroni takes off from this mode with his other work on the set – staying sweet at points, but also really opening up into a range of more playful modes – sometimes funky or fuzzy, sometimes more romping, all in ways that nicely match the action in the cartoon. I Cantori Moderni sing on a few numbers that have a straighter, lyrical sound. 21 tracks in all – including "I Baronetti", "Latino Americana", "Made In USA", "Forse Basta", "Deserto Di Elam", and "Sirtaki Dei Colnnelli". LP, Vinyl record album

Wild work from Ennio Morricone – and not usually the kind of track you'd expect to find on a 7" single! "Il Buio" has all these fast-moving, really sinister violins at the start – almost raging like a swarm of angry hornets – before mellowing out about halfway through, and going for a more familiar Morricone mode! "La Luce" is just the opposite of its title – lots of dark organ lines on an echoey church instrument – very much the kind of theme you'd expect to hear for the Antichrist! 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of Morricone's first groundbreaking scores for the western – a brilliant batch of tunes composed for The Big Gundown, handled in a way that mixed the typical western guitar-based themes, with some of il maestro's other compulsions, like wordless vocals and isolated instrumentation amidst lush orchestral backdrops. There's barely any "spaghetti" on the plate of this one – just 13 brilliant tracks, including the main title theme, "Run, Man, Run", "The Bullfight", "After The Verdict", 'First Desert", "Cucillo Arrives" and "Normoni Choir". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first big moments of global fame for the legendary Ennio Morricone – and a record that still stands as one of his landmark albums all these many years later! The set's famous for its haunting theme – that "wah-wah-wah" melody that led to countless covers and samples over the years – but the whole thing's a lot more complex than just that tune – with lots of the same sense of space and brooding that Morricone brought to his music for Once Upon A Time In The West – with careful use of key instruments on a track by track basis, and these floating lines that almost signaled a whole new way of recording music for a film soundtrack. And yes, there's certainly key western elements like guitar or harmonica – but maybe more striking are all the points at which these obvious tropes disappear – to leave us with those really unique Morricone sounds that go way beyond music! Titles include "The Sundown", "The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly", "Marcia", "The Desert", "The Strong", and "The Trio". LP, Vinyl record album

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

A collection of the title themes from many of Morricone's most well known film soundtracks, spanning his entire career. Thirteen tracks in all, showcasing the depth and breadth of his work: "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly", "The Sicilian Clan", "Chi Mai", "Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion", "Moscow Farewell", "Marcia In LA", "The Battle Of Algiers", "The Infernal Trio", "Dedicace", "Sacco & Vanzetti", "La Tragedia Di Un Uomo Ridicolo", "Once Upon A Time In The West" and "On Earth As It Is In Heaven (remix)". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice to know that we've lived past the year 2000 – and have managed to miss the holocaust that Kirk Douglas fought in this late 70s film! The movie's just the kind of overdone thriller that Kirk handled late in his career – but thankfully, the music from Ennio Morricone is much deeper overall – done in that brilliant blend of creepy styles that could make anything come together on the screen, even without any good special effects or dialogue! Some numbers have spooky, spare passages with earthy percussion and woodwinds, others have offbeat strings, some have some light electric elements – and overall, the music is nicely understated, always classy, and years ahead of some of the cheaper horror scoring of the time. Titles include "Holocaust", "Computer", "Slogan", "Jesus", "Il Bene Cattivo", "Serie Di Tre", "Strofa Monodica", and "Telefonata Interrotta". LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful collection of work from Ennio Morricone – one of the greatest soundtrack composers of all time, especially during the period covered in this set! The songs here are from a time when the maestro was effortlessly combining jazz, mod rhythms, rock instrumentation, and other stranger elements – all with a flawless sense of presentation and production that could make even familiar sounds come across in really different ways! The package definitely focuses on the groove promised in the title – but if you know Morricone at all, you'll know that that doesn't mean familiar funk, and instead hits some really mindblowing territory beyond description. Includes work from the films Com Impari Ad Amare Le Donna, Ruba Al Prossimo Tuo, Il Diavolo Nel Cervello, Spasmo, Ad Ogni Costo, Maddaelna, La Dona Invisible, Le Foto Proibite, and other Morricone classics! LP, Vinyl record album

This Godfather's got a mighty long arm – and a mighty groovy sound, too – one that includes some great leaping rhythms bubbling up with basslines, and plenty of fantastic vocals from both Edda Ell'Orso and I Cantori Modern! Edda sings in that wordless breezy style she brought to some of her best Ennio Morricone soundtracks – and I Cantori Modern often scat along in a cool harmony-drenched style that's pretty wonderful too – and instrumentation includes a bit of light flute, sweet Hammond, and fuzzy guitar – in a very nice blend that only gets stronger on the mostly instrumental tracks that dominate the second half of the record! Titles include "Raffica", "Fuga In La Minore", "Sabina", "Streap", and "Porto Cammelli". LP, Vinyl record album

Flying Lotus is not only very much alive on You're Dead! – he's as lively as ever – delivering his best, most diverse record to date! The Flying Lotus sound is in peak form here – glitchy beats and spacey keyboards, deftly layered samples, and carrying boundless influences from cosmic soul jazz to leftfield hip hop! An impressive guest roster from both realms participate – with appearances by Herbie Hancock (!!!), Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, frequent collaborator and stylistic sibling Thundercat, strings arranger Miguel Atwood Ferguson and others. Standout moments include the tracks "Tesla" and "Moment Of Hesitation", both with some incredible keyboards by Herbie Hancock, plus the uber-moody, Ennio Morricone-sampled "Turtles" – but the whole thing is great, and shows that the Flying Lotus phenomenon is still in ascension, circa 2014. Other cuts include "Cold Dead", "Never Catch Me" with Kendrick Lamar, "Dead Man's Tetris" with Snoop Dogg, "Turkey Dog Coma", "Stirring", "Obligatory Cadence", "The Protest" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The world premiere of this sweet 70s soundtrack from Franco Micalizzi – a great batch of erotic-tinged tunes originally penned for an Italian film about teenage lust! The music has a warmly gentle quality that's similar to some of Ennio Morricone's work in this mode – tunes that alternate between soft strings, stepping instrumentation, and even bits of vocals from the lovely Edda Dell'Orso, sounding a bit sweeter here than on some of her spookier soundtracks! The tunes float very nicely in the breeze – sometimes hanging bit a single piano note or two – sometimes getting a bit more drive from rhythms that verge on funky, but hang back just a bit. And as with any of the great Morricone scores from the time, there's a few key variations on the themes that spin out beautifully as the set rolls on – creating a great sense of sonic interplay! LP, Vinyl record album

A cool little soundtrack from Bruno Nicolai – penned for a French film instead of an Italian movie – and with a sound that's a bit different than usual! Nicolai makes nice use of some sweeter themes here – a hint of the modes you might find in Michel Legrand or Francis Lai in the 70s – which lightens things up a bit at the start, before some darker, moodier moments creep into the mix – underscoring the film with some more traditional Giallo elements – those tense, spine-tingling styles that Bruno developed with his frequent partner, Ennio Morricone. There's some isolated piano and guitar lines that have a stark, scraping sort of feel – used to great effect on some of the more upbeat numbers – and a few standout bits have electric bass kind of rumbling up from the bottom, which creates a nice sense of urgency. Titles include "La Verite", "Le Pouvoir", "Theme De Juliette", "Sans Espoir", "Concert A La Cour", "Tango Express", and "Tourbillon Final". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest soundtracks ever from Bruno Nicolai – a set that has him using all the genius he gleaned from his musical partner Ennio Morricone – then stepping off into some great territory of his own! Some numbers have a Morricone-like blend of wordless female vocals and bossa-styled grooves – others have a more punched-up mix of jazz and mod elements, almost with the power that Nicolai brought to some of his action or western scores, but set to groovier territory! Production is sublime – and there's lots of numbers that are every bit as on-point as his music for Eugenie Sade 70 – on titles that include "Autostop", "I Want It All", "Notte Inquieta", "Autostrada Per Los Angeles", "Nostalgia Di Un Incontro", "Dondolo", "Drive In", and "Senza Titolo". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest soundtracks of the 60s – presented here in a massive package that brings forth a wealth of never-reissued music! Piero Piccioni really hit his stride for the music to this film that was directed by its star – the effervescent Alberto Sordi – a fantastic send-up on the London scene of the time, set to a range of modly romping tunes! Piccioni handled the main music – often with loads of great piano and organ lines – but there's also some great vocal moments too, sung by Lydia MacDonald, Julie Rogers, and even Sordi – and the record also features a few touches from I Cantori Moderni, and a bit of music from Ennio Morricone too. Titles include the wonderful "Mr Dante Fontana", a nutty groover about the mod fashion scene in London – and it also features the famous tracks "Richmond Bridge" and "You Never Told Me". Titles include a few versions of "Fontana" and "Richmond", plus "Ascot Dream", "Magic Castle", "Tango Walk", "Drag Beat", "This Is Life", "Palace Parade March", "Babylon, I'm Coming", and "His Dream Has Come True". 3CD set features the full original album in both mono and stereo – plus 71 bonus tracks from the film score! CD

The vaults of horror here are open pretty darn wide – so much so that they run a span from the initial years of Italian giallo films, all the way through some of the more electric slasher and shock films of the 80s! As with the first film, the package goes way past the obvious – and instead does a great job of pulling together tracks that really show the full scope of Italian horror – from atonal orchestrations through more small group electronics – with plenty of bits of rock-influenced modes along the way! The set features 20 tracks in all, wrapped up in a wonderfully vivid cover – and titles include "You Are Not The Same" by Fabio Frizzi, "Il Paese Del Sesso Selvaggio" by Sergio Patucchi, "Ecologia Del Delitto" by Stelvio Cipriani, "Make Love On The Wing" by Nico Fidenco, "Savana" by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis, "Conquest" by Claudio Simonetti, "Valley" by Bill Wyman, "Sudden Death" by Carlo Maria Cordio, "Satanik Seq 7" by Roberto Pregadio, "La Lucertola" by Ennio Morricone, "John Dalton Street" by Guliano Sorgini, "Opera Theme" by Bill Wyman & Terry Taylor, "Lady Frankenstein Seq 1" by Alessandro Alessandroni, and "Arizona Mountain" by Francesco De Masi. LP, Vinyl record album

The great title track to one of the best scores from Italian maestro Stelvio Cipriani – a tune that bursts out with funky drums that kick into soaring orchestrations, topped by this wicked female vocal from Olympia – whose singing style is as vibrant as the instrumentation! Edda Dell'Orso sings on "Sophisticated Shake" on the flipside – but in that weird breathy style that she used with Ennio Morricone – more voice as sound than as lyrics, next to a hip-stepping bass and cool echoey piano! 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the best records ever from the Gruppo D'Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – an obscure side project of Ennio Morricone and other Italian composers – working here in a freaky, psychedelic setting! The album mixes sonic experiments with fuzzy guitars, freaky keyboards, and some surprisingly funky rhythms at times – at a level that's even more compelling than some of the group's other projects – especially given that the album's three tracks are all quite long, with lots of room for instrumental experimentation! Yet as in some of the best prog work of the period – such as by Can or Faust – there's a sense of focus and groove that really holds the whole thing together. And given that these guys had already had years of experience in the studio – on both sides of the production booth – they really have a wonderful ear for extremely inventive sounds. Titles include "Kumalo", "The Feed-Back", and "Quasars". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a great sense of warmth to this album from The Super Trio – one that really seems to come from the bass work of Ron Carter, which is so upfront and present in the recording, it's got us remembering all over again why we love his music so much! Massimo Farao is on piano, and balances out Ron's sound with a lighter, more lyrical touch – but one that swings nicely, too – thanks to the always-great drum contributions of Jimmy Cobb – still a master of the understated swing, even after decades of recording! Titles include the original "Marta", plus "Salina", "Autumn Leaves", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", "On A Clear day", and Ennio Morricone's "Once Upon A Time In America" – which sounds surprisingly nice as a jazz tune. CD

Nice compilation of covers & original pieces from Ennio Morricone, Jazztronik featuring Yadoranka, John Williams, Davy Spillane with Sinead O Connor, Stephane Grappelli & Hisashi Furusawa, Keiko Lee, Joshua Bell, Charlotte Church & more. CD