An amazing record – one that stands as one of Chico Buarque's greatest from the 70s! The set was recorded in Italy in 1970 – and features Chico singing lead vocals over backings handled by Ennio Morricone – all in a style that's a perfect blend of MPB with the best elements of the Italian scene of the time! The songs are all originals written by Chico – and have a light and dreamy samba/bossa feel, one that's inflected by the off-beat orchestral style of Morricone, and supported by vocals from I Cantori Moderni. The feel is halfway between Chico's work on RGE and some of the dreamier Morricone soundtracks of the time – and it's a wonderful thing to have a strong male lead vocal over backings from Morricone – a really rare thing for the time, with results that are tremendous. Titles include "Rotativa", "Samba E Amore", "Nicanor", "Tu Sei Una Di Noi", "In Te", "Ed Ora Dico Sul Serio", and "Quete E Quelle". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary score by Il Maestro from 1969, and the kind of work that shows the influence he had on other composers (and filmmakers) for years to come! The score is an amazing blend of voices, keyboards, and off-kilter orchestral sounds that feel almost electronic at times. The whole thing's a work of incredibly subtle beauty, with a style and feeling that will seep into your brain and haunt you for days. If you've cut your teeth getting into Italian soundtracks through the "Easy" series – check this one out, and move up to a more sophisticated (yet still pretty darn groovy) level. Titles include "Theme", "Theme For Julia", "The Breath Of Death", "Mad Montage", "Black Glove Underground", "Agony Or Ecstasy", and "Objets D'Art". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool change from the usual from Ennio Morricone – a later soundtrack, and one that features some surprisingly jazzy tracks! Part of the set features the more standard Morricone orchestrations you might expect – some really great tracks that have offbeat larger arrangements that are nicely unsettling, but in a completely charming way. But other tracks are even more striking – and feature performances by the trio of pianist Enrico Pierannunzi – working here at his most fluid and vibrant, with a style that's even more evocative than most of his standard albums! A few numbers have a groove we've never heard from Enrico, and some of the orchestral tracks are mighty groovy too – very different than what you might expect from the 1980 date of the film. Titles include "Cinque Quarti", "Double Face", "Citta Viva", "Madre Assente", "Stranamente Un Giorno", and "Per Enrico Riccardo E Roberto". CD

A cool change from the usual from Ennio Morricone – a later soundtrack, and one that features some surprisingly jazzy tracks! Part of the set features the more standard Morricone orchestrations you might expect – some really great tracks that have offbeat larger arrangements that are nicely unsettling, but in a completely charming way. But other tracks are even more striking – and feature performances by the trio of pianist Enrico Pierannunzi – working here at his most fluid and vibrant, with a style that's even more evocative than most of his standard albums! A few numbers have a groove we've never heard from Enrico, and some of the orchestral tracks are mighty groovy too – very different than what you might expect from the 1980 date of the film. Titles include "Cinque Quarti", "Double Face", "Citta Viva", "Madre Assente", "Stranamente Un Giorno", and "Per Enrico Riccardo E Roberto". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Ennio Morricone's wildest soundtracks – a unique mix of guitars, electronics, and some very mod orchestrations! The feel here is a darkly futuristic one, but it's not without a touch of camp – and Morricone more than rises to the occasion with help from conductor Bruno Nicolai, who really makes the mad twists and turns of the score come alive. The set is great, one of the standout scores of the Italian scene – and this 33 track CD features some very groovy numbers, plus bits of dialogue from the film! Titles include "Bubbles", "Jenko's Plan Derails", "Headlines", "Money Orgy", "Driving Decoys", "Deep Down", "Now Go", "The Pyrite Wink", and "Last Laff". LP, Vinyl record album

45 tracks on 2 CDs. CD

The actual film was weaker than the first Exorcist movie, but the soundtrack's a great one – a wonderful Ennio Morricone score, right up there with his better-known classics of the 70s! Some tracks have a full, sweeping style that's sublime – that compressed Morricone approach to orchestrations that nobody else could touch – a redemptive sound which is then mixed with some much darker elements underneath – including some rough percussion, spooky voices, and other earthy touches that really stir things up. In fact, the overall effect of the record might scare you a lot more than the film – especially if you played it alone at home, late at night, with the lights off, and your head spinning round! Titles include "Great Bird Of The Sky", "Little Afro-Flemish Mass", "Regan's Theme", "Pazuzu", "Night Flight", and "Exorcism". 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 "Insequimento", "Il Deserto", "Il Bandito Monco", "Fine Di Una Spia", "Marcetta", "Padre Ramirez", and "La Carrozza Dei Fantasmi". LP, Vinyl record album

An early soundtrack from Ennio Morricone – and a more unusual setting than some of his famous later work of the 60s and 70s! The movie is a prison comedy, and is handled by Morricone with style that's heavily in the crime jazz side of the spectrum – maybe more in the mode of Piero Piccioni in the early 60s, and occasionally mixed with some more dramatic tracks, and a few playful comedic moments. The whole thing is a very different slice of the maestro than expected, and still pretty darn great – a key look at his roots before stardom. Titles include the vocal number "Oh Little Birdy" – plus "Gangsters", "Al Night Club", "Bossa Per Gloria", "Incontro Dei Boss", "Le Sedie Elettriche", "Ballando Ballando", and "Il Tempo Che Passa". CD

An overlooked 80s score from Ennio Morricone – not done for an Italian or American film, but for one of Sam Fuller's later directorial efforts in France! The music is fantastic – very much in the best spirit of some of Morricone's genius from the start of the 70s – almost echoing some of those classics at times, in the way that a solo woodwind might snake out, or some bracing string lines might pulse to create tension – all with this slow-building sense of wonder and majesty that reminds yet again why Morricone at his best is so blindingly brilliant! Titles include "A Fake", "Counterpoints", "Unconscious Happiness", "Thieves After Dark", "Lancinant For Two", and "Expressive Suspense". CD features 9 more bonus tracks too! CD

A wonderfully weird Ennio Morricone score – done for an equally weird western that starred the great Terence Hill in the lead! The movie mixes in a bit of comedy with straight action – and Morricone's music really fits that vibe – with a blend of more familiar classic Morricone western modes with more unusual sounds that really spice things up – with touches that include "squishy" electric keyboards, rolling vocal choruses, whistles, clock ticking, and other odd elements! There's an incredible amount of humor here, and the soundtrack stands as one of Morricone's more mad moments from a time when he was otherwise fairly subtle in his writing – served up with orchestrations conducted by Bruno Nicolai, and some voices from I Cantori Moderni. Titles include "Il Mio Nome E Nessuno", "Uno Strano Barbiere", "Piu Delle Valchirie", and "Con I Migliori Auguri". Expanded edition – with 23 tracks! CD

A wonderfully weird Ennio Morricone score – done for an equally weird western that starred the great Terence Hill in the lead! The movie mixes in a bit of comedy with straight action – and Morricone's music really fits that vibe – with a blend of more familiar classic Morricone western modes with more unusual sounds that really spice things up – with touches that include "squishy" electric keyboards, rolling vocal choruses, whistles, clock ticking, and other odd elements! There's an incredible amount of humor here, and the soundtrack stands as one of Morricone's more mad moments from a time when he was otherwise fairly subtle in his writing – served up with orchestrations conducted by Bruno Nicolai, and some voices from I Cantori Moderni. Titles include "Il Mio Nome E Nessuno", "Uno Strano Barbiere", "Piu Delle Valchirie", and "Con I Migliori Auguri". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A string-laden, sweeping score by the great Ennio Morricone – for the 18th Century pirate romance L'Avventuriero! The film provided an opportunity for a wide departure from the spaghetti western work Morricone was so famously working on at the time – with some really sensitive, mellow moments! The string arrangements and light pianos manage to balance between epic romance and tempered melodicism very delicately. The work of a master! Titles include "L'Avventuriero Pts 1, 2 & 3", "Il Rogo Della Strega", "Un Attimo Di Tenerezza", "Paura Dei Ricordi", "Tema Di Peirol", "Il Varo" and "Momenti Serini". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the darkest, moodiest soundtracks we've ever heard from Ennio Morricone – even in comparison to some of his atonal horror work of the 70s! The vibe here is almost 20th Century avant chamber – a bit like work from Gruppo D'Improvvisazione Nuova, but even more experimental – as odd bits of sound samples are filtered through these dark sonic textures, string parts, and electronics – all with a style that's very musique concrete overall! Tracks are much longer than usual for a soundtrack too – and the record has an experimental greatness that really stands apart from the film. Titles include "Disordini", "Ordini", "Ergastolo", and "Memento". LP, Vinyl record album

A groovy soundtrack to a film we'd love to see – an obscure thriller that starred Henry Fonda and Yul Brynner – and which, like most of the Morricone-scored films of the period, has dropped from cinematic history, even though the wonderful soundtrack lives on! The style of the music runs between the two poles of work from Morricone at the time – with some cuts that are spare, quiet, and very pretty, and others that are fuller, more turgid, and filled with the kind of jagged touches that can make his soundtracks incredibly dark. The main theme – "Il Serpente" – is offered in two great versions, one spare and pretty, the other a bit more driving, but still pretty darn groovy. Other tracks include "Canzone Lontana", "Nadine", "Orazione", "Tema Per Una Donna Sola", and "Parata Militare". This great CD edition features 13 more bonus tracks – which makes for a whopping 72 minutes of music! CD

An impeccable collection of work from one of the greatest soundtrack talents ever – a package that brings together a range of rare work from the 70s, including a number of previously-unreleased tracks! The music does have some of the dark tinges promised by the title, but this is less the atonal, avant Morricone than the more sonically mindblowing side of the composer – all sorts of unusual ways to use and record familiar instruments, offbeat combinations of notes and sounds, and an overall ear for the scope of the music that always leaves us breathless when we hear material this strong! The package features 27 tracks in all – 7 of which are unreleased – and the combination of cuts is wonderful. Features music from Stark System, L'Automobile, Lui Per Lei, Spotlati Protesta Uccidi, Quando L'Amore E Sensualita, Eat It, Peur Sur La Ville, Storie Di Vita E Malavita, La Smagliatura, Copkiller, San Babila Ore 20, Rene La Canne, and other films too. CD

An impeccable collection of work from one of the greatest soundtrack talents ever – a package that brings together a range of rare work from the 70s, including a number of previously-unreleased tracks! The music does have some of the dark tinges promised by the title, but this is less the atonal, avant Morricone than the more sonically mindblowing side of the composer – all sorts of unusual ways to use and record familiar instruments, offbeat combinations of notes and sounds, and an overall ear for the scope of the music that always leaves us breathless when we hear material this strong! The package features 27 tracks in all – 7 of which are unreleased – and the combination of cuts is wonderful. Features music from Stark System, L'Automobile, Lui Per Lei, Spotlati Protesta Uccidi, Quando L'Amore E Sensualita, Eat It, Peur Sur La Ville, Storie Di Vita E Malavita, La Smagliatura, Copkiller, San Babila Ore 20, Rene La Canne, and other films too. LP, Vinyl record album

Rare soundtrack work from Ennio Morricone, recorded for an Italian TV series that didn't get any play on this side of the Atlantic! The music has a surprisingly haunting quality, especially for television – almost the darker side of Morricone that you'd hear in the earlier part of the 70s, and less like some of his warmer scores of the time when this one was recorded. Edda Dell'Orso sings quite darkly on a few tracks – really bringing an edge to the music – and there's also a mix of atonal strings and lighter, lilting moments – of the sort we're much more likely to hear in some of Morricone's best cinematic endeavors. Titles include "Tema Borghese", "Tema Popolaresco", "Passione E Misticismo", "Musica Di Strada No 1", "Solo Violini", and "Notturno Senza Lunda". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Morricone's most famous scores – and certainly the one that got him recognized worldwide as a genius! 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. 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". 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

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

An amazing lost album from the legendary Gruppo D'Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – a sextet of Italian modernists that included Ennio Morricone! The album may well be the group's grooviest ever – recorded right after their legendary Feed-back set, and done with a similar blend of compelling rhythms and odd instrumentation – in ways that are undeniably funky at points, and downright trippy at others! The drumming seems to draw a lot from the changes in German prog – with a very specific Can influence at work – and other elements move in and out of the mix in a really great way – clearly improvisational, but when the groove gets going, it's clear that the players also can't help starting to jam. The record was recorded in 1971, but never issued at the time – and titles include "Niente", "Bambu", "Toms", "Renitenza", "Mattatoio", "Down", "Sieben", and "Bali". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from one of the grooviest singers of the 60s – the amazing Mina, a vocalist who hardly made waves on this side of the Atlantic, but who served up a wealth of wonderful material from the Italian scene at the time! You might know Mina from a few key soundtrack contributions she made over the years – her vocal range is stunning – and arrangements here are often by important forces from the Italian cinema scene – like Ennio Morricone, Piero Piccioni, Augusto Martelli, and Bruno Canforna – all of whom give Mina these full, rich backings that really match the vivid quality of her voice! But there's also groovy elements at the core, too – styles that are similar to French or British female pop of the period – especially with some of the soul currents of the latter – but shaped differently, given both Mina's style, and the Italian language and the way it comes across in song. The package is long overdue – maybe the first-ever done for the international market on Mina's music – and as with all work on Ace, the presentation is great, with very detailed notes that will teach you plenty while you enjoy the songs – a lineup that includes "Se Telefonando", "E L'Umo Per Me", "Io Sono Quel Che Sono", "No", "Citta Vuota", "Tu Farai", "Beve Amore", "Addio", "Insensatez", "Se C'E Una Cosa Che Mi Fa Impazzire", "TA Ra Ta Ta", and "La Banda". CD

Two of the grooviest tracks from the soundtrack to Gli Angeli Del 2000 – one of the best musical moments from Mario Molina! Edda Dell'Orso sings in the lead on "Ash" – but the tune is funky, and Edda's actually singing real lyrics – not the wordless vocalizations she usually does with Ennio Morricone! The tune's got a strutting bassline over the drums, and some mighty nice horns – and it's backed by the main theme of the soundtrack, which has a mix of groovy guitar, funky drums, and chimes that seems very inspired by the Messe Pour Le Temps Present of Pierre Henry! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Some of the darkest work we've ever heard from Bruno Nicolai – an Italian soundtrack composer who's usually in the more groovy side of the spectrum – but who here proves that he can be as moody and offbeat as his frequent musical partner, Ennio Morricone! The tunes have some occasional swinging moments, but often move into more offbeat, atonal modes – such as those explored by Morricone in his tenser horror soundtracks, or in his music with Gruppo D'Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – the latter of whom would be a great comparison to the sound of this set. We've always loved Nicolai's music, and we're even more impressed that he can come up with work of this nature too – especially when he still finds a way to make things feel slightly cinematic. Titles include "Simbolica", "Risolutiva", "Metodica", "Vocale", "Immaginativa", and "Integrante". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most obscure 70s albums from the great Bruno Nicolai – a smaller label sound library set, but one that's served up with all the depth of his famous film scores of the time – including his famous collaborations with Ennio Morricone! The music here is great – lean and funky at times, but always moving towards that depth that makes Nicolai so wonderful – as lighter strings are blended with strong use of electric bass – which even comes in slow on the less-funky tunes, but sometimes steps back when things get a bit offbeat. Bruno's ear for unusual sounds and phrasing is in place throughout – and titles include "Ambiguita", "Sgomento", "Apprensioni", "Incertezza", "Affanno", "Turbamento", "Sospetto", "Presagio", and "Subdolamente". LP, Vinyl record album

A groundbreaking album, put together by Zorn and a group of downtown New York hipsters, as a fitting hommage to the genius of Ennio Morricone! The track list sticks to mostly the bigger known numbers, and the album's got a darkness that we'd actually say was a bit out of place, considering the choice of tracks – but the groups formed by Zorn do a pretty good job of breathing new life into some of the tracks, and the album was a key moment in the recognition of Morricone as one of the century's greatest composers. Players include Robert Quine, Tim Berne, Arto Lindsay, Jim Staley, Bill Frisell, Christian Marclay, Anton Fier, and even Big John Patton. Titles include "Erotico", "Once Upon A Time In The West", "Giu La Testa", "Battle Of Algiers", and "The Big Gundown". Plus, this Anniversary Edition comes with a pile of bonus tracks – including "The Sicilian Clan", "The Ballad Of Hank McCain", and "Soegliatti & Uccidi". CD

Not much of a cover, but that's usually the way it is with the Cometa Sound Library – who provided all the great grooves on this set! Cometa was one of the more obscure sound library labels on the 70s scene – but they also maybe lasted the longest, perhaps because they were small – and they managed to forge relations with some of the best composers from the Italian film scene at the time – who bring to their recordings a wealth of cool instrumental touches and unusual elements that rival our favorite soundtracks! This set follows the full scope of the Cometa sound – some numbers are funky, some are jazzy, some are dreamy, and one even gets a bit disco – and titles include "Il Caso Bebawi" by Berto Pisano, "Colpi Di Piume E Tempesta" by Ennio Morricone, "American Sound" by Alessandro Alessandroni & Sandro Brugnoli, "Macchina D'Amore" by Armando Trovajoli, "Dolce Notte" by Luigi Zito, and "Policeman" by Tito Schipa & Giovanni Tommaso. 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

One of the hippest Italian soundtracks of the 60s – and a motherlode of tracks by the great Piero Piccioni! The soundtrack is the source of the oft-compiled "Mr Dante Fontana", a nutty groover about the mod fashion scene in Italy – and it also features the famous tracks "Richmond Bridge" and "You Never Told Me". Most of the music is by Piccioni and the wonderful vocal group I Cantori Moderni, with Edda Dell'Orso on vocals – but the CD also features some work by Lydia Mac Donald, Julie Rogers, and Ennio Morricone. Includes a few versions of the "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". Very groovy – with loads of excellent material, and 27 cuts in all! CD

Director Quentin Tarantino always had an amazing way with a soundtrack – but this collection of music for the film Inglorious Basterds takes things one step further! Before, Tarantino would often use pop songs and familiar numbers amidst crucial scenes in a movie – but here, the music is maybe more cinematic overall – as there's a fair bit of instrumental themes from key film composers of the past – but used perfectly by Tarantino in his own film – almost audaciously, given that the tunes were scored for completely different cinematic moments! And if you like the usual Tarantino surprise songs, don't worry – there's plenty of them here too – in a set list that includes "Cat People" by David Bowie, "Man With The Big Sombrero" by Samantha Shelton & Michael Andrew, "Surrender" and "The Verdict" by Ennio Morricone, "Tiger Tank" by Lalo Schifrin, "Main Theme From Dark Of The Sun" by Maurice Jarre, "Slaughter" by Billy Preston, "Green Leaves Of Summer" by Nick Perito, and "White Lightning (main title)" by Charles Bernstein. LP, Vinyl record album

There's few big directors we'd trust with a compilation soundtrack as much as Quentin Tarantino – and once again, the Q's shown us that his knowledge of older music runs as deep as his talent for directing a fresh image on the screen! The package here is made up of older rock, soul, and soundtrack bits from the 60s and 70s – sweet pop next to heavy guitars next to deeper soul numbers – all in a way that makes even the familiar tunes sound somehow darker than before in this new company! There's a few snippets of dialogue from the film on the disc – but not too many to get in the way – and titles include "Sally & Jack" by Pino Donaggio, "Hold Tight" by Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich, "Jeepster" by T Rex, "The Love You Save" by Joe Tex, "Baby It's You" by Smith, "The Last Race" by Jack Nitzsche, "Paranoia Prima" by Ennio Morricone, "Staggolee" by Pacific Gas & Electric, "It's So Easy" by Willy DeVille, "Down In Mexico" by The Coasters, "Good Love Bad Love" by Eddie Floyd, and "Riot In Thunder Alley" by Eddie Beram. LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool box set of work from Italian composer Egisto Macchi – one of the key members of the Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza, but one who often worked in much more obscure territory than his bandmate, Ennio Morricone! Macchi did more sound libary work than full soundtracks – and as a result, was able to keep on experimenting with his sound – such that the range of albums presented here, all done for the tiny Anya label in the mid 70s, offer up a huge variety of sounds – some very offbeat and avant, others surprisingly tuneful with really beautiful elements! The flavor shifts from record to record – a guitarist might be strong on one, an orchestra on another – and the full range of these recordings has never been collected together before – housed in a beautiful box that offers up the albums Africa Minima, Comedie Francaise, Quando Per Solitudine, Prigionia, Adagi E Allegri, Nucleo Centrale Investigativo, Il Deserto, Pittura Contemporanea, Pittura Moderna 1, Pittura Modern 2, L'Angolo Dei Bambini, Violenza, and Messico. CD

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

An extremely unique Henry Mancini soundtrack – scored for this European film that starred Marcello Mastroianni and Ingrid Bergman – with a sound that's almost in a similar mood to the work of Ennio Morricone from the same time! Most of the tracks are fairly dark and moody – with simple themes running through them, handled by spare strings, augmented by bits of instrumentation on guitar or melodica – really nice touches, and that same sense of restraint that Henry Mancini was bringing to some of his own instrumental albums of the early 70s. The overall sound is quite compelling – if less groovy than most of Mancini's more famous work from the 60s. Titles include "Two Girls", "The Retreat", "Invitation", "Love Theme From Sunflower", and "Giovanna". CD features lots of bonus tracks in mono – 19 more numbers that include film versions from the score, and a demo of "Loss Of Love", and a piano demo of "Love Theme From Sunflower". CD

Classic cop soundtrack work from the Italian scene of the 70s – a funky nugget that rivals our own American police scores of the time, but one that also has some darker elements too! The upbeat tunes here often feature lots of keyboards, funky bass, and guitar – quick-tempo grooves that move with lots of fast action – offset by some mellower numbers that mix in spookier strings and some creepier orchestrations, of the sort you might hear in an Ennio Morricone soundtrack. Micalizzi's always been one of the best Italian composers for crime/cop work like this – and the score is right up there with his best work – beautifully presented in this package that features 17 cuts from the film! CD