A key look at two different slices in the mighty soundtrack career of Ennio Morricone – his legendary work for Italian director Sergio Leone, and his later re-use by Quentin Tarantino – the American director who was strongly influenced by Leone's work in the 60s! If you've never heard Morricone's music for the films of Leone, it's amazing – sounds that completely transform the work on screen, and which also helped push the genre of western forward a few notches too – a sonic landscape that's completely different from American western soundtracks, and filled with amazing sounds, unusual musical flourishes, and a level of scoring that's still light years ahead of its time! It's that quality that made the music so influential for Tarantino – who first re-used some of his favorite Morricone moments from the past, then had the maestro score some new music for films as well. That amazing link is presented strongly here – in a package that features 3 CDs of work for Leone – extensive material from the scores to For A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad & The Ugly, and Once Upon A Time In The West – plus a fourth CD that features Morricone music used in the Tarantino films Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, and Hateful Eight – with bonus material too! CD

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An unusual American soundtrack from Ennio Morricone – unusual in that he wasn't always doing that much horror work in the US at the time, and also in that the overall style is maybe a bit like some of his Hollywood contemporaries! That's not to say that the music is commercial or clunky at all – but just that Morricone seems to revel in the kind of darker orchestrations that you might find, say, in the music of Jerry Goldsmith – especially in key passages that have a way of rumbling off in the distance, almost behind the point of hearing! There's a few other passages that make strong use of sparer cello lines, but again in a way that's different than the spacious repetitive Morricone soundtrack style of the 70s – maybe almost more with ties to his experimental work of the late 60s. Titles include "Humanity", "Wait", "Eternity", "Solitude", "Shape", "Contamination", and "Despair". CD

A great little collection that brings together one of the best collaborative teams in the Italian soundtrack world of the 60s and 70s – composer Ennio Morricone, and harmonica player Franco De Gemini – whose spare, moody sound was such a key part of some of the best spaghetti western soundtracks, and also some of maestro Morricone's other music as well! The package pulls together key tracks from film scores composed by Morricone – with a focus on selections that have Franco as the soloist, with a really large role on the track – in a great range of 25 titles from films that include Una Vita Venduta, Sette Donne Per I MacGregor, Faccia A Faccia, Navajo Joe, Il Buono Il Brutto Il Cattivo, Vamos A Matar Companeros, La Banda J&S, Peur Sur La Ville, L'Agnese Via A Morire, and Le Ruffian. CD

A key look at two different slices in the mighty soundtrack career of Ennio Morricone – his legendary work for Italian director Sergio Leone, and his later re-use by Quentin Tarantino – the American director who was strongly influenced by Leone's work in the 60s! If you've never heard Morricone's music for the films of Leone, it's amazing – sounds that completely transform the work on screen, and which also helped push the genre of western forward a few notches too – a sonic landscape that's completely different from American western soundtracks, and filled with amazing sounds, unusual musical flourishes, and a level of scoring that's still light years ahead of its time! It's that quality that made the music so influential for Tarantino – who first re-used some of his favorite Morricone moments from the past, then had the maestro score some new music for films as well. That amazing link is presented strongly here – in a package that features selections from the Leone films For A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad & The Ugly, and Once Upon A Time In The West – and Morricone music used in the Tarantino films Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, and Hateful Eight. LP, Vinyl record album

An archetypal record all the way through – with some of the best Morricone western styles from the period – and still one of the greatest in its genre! To match the darkness of the film, Morricone's working here in a spare, stark mode – using bits of guitar and whistling to state the themes of the tunes in a simple, yet dramatic way. The legendary Alessandro Alessandroni handles both of these aspects of the record – as well as the I Cantori Moderni choir which sings on a few numbers too. Edda Dell'Orso lends her haunting, wordless vocal, too – and the titles include "Per Qualche Dollaro In Piu","La Resa Dei Conti", "Psserviatori Osservati", "Il Corpo", "Poker D'Assi", "Carillon", "Addio Colonnello" and Il Visio Di Uccidere". LP, Vinyl record album

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 reissue market years later, 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. This reissue includes new mastering from the Cinevox archives – and 19 never heard rarities. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the greatest Italian film work of the 70s – a fantastic package of tracks from maestro Ennio Morricone, pulled from a host of lesser-known crime and horror films of the time! If you know Morricone, you'll know that he always brings something special to the table – which makes this music way different than more conventional American action film work of the time – and has this great balance between darkness and light, sweetness and sting! Some cuts are funky, others dreamy – and the set features vocals from both Edda Dell'Orso and I Cantori Moderni – and features work from the films Citta Violenta, Maddalena, Veruscha, L'Emarginato, Svegliati E Uccidi, La Corta Notte, Il Gatto A Nove Code, Gli Occhi Freddi Della Paura, and "Dimenticare Palermo. LP, Vinyl record album

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

One of the more obscure 70s cinematic efforts handled by maestro Ennio Morricone – but a set of tracks that really show the composer at the top of his game! There's a nice undercurrent of melancholy in the music – hard not to do for a film set during the Nazi regime – and Morricone makes great use of some isolated elements in the music, including the harmonica of Franco De Gemini and flugelhorn of Italian jazz great Oscar Valdambrini – both soloists whose work is a nice match for those incredible Ennio orchestrations, handled in ways that are still as breathtaking today as they were back in the 70s! Titles include "Disperazione Dentro", "L'Agnese Va A Morire", "Alla Stazione", "Repressione", "Ricordo Dei Compagni", and "Canzone Della Nostalgia". CD

An amazing collection of music from one of the greatest soundtrack composers of all time – presented in a hefty book-styled package, and done with a very unique presentation of his work! The package is huge – a hardcover volume with 18 CDs and a 48 page book, all presenting a total of 400 tracks that really span the scope of the music of Ennio Morricone over the decade – presented on CDs that each have a different theme, to showcase a different side of the maestro's many creations! The first five CDs focus on Morricone's music for director Sergio Leone, and other CDs present work for directors Henri Verneuil, Roland Joffe, Quentin Tarantino, and Giuseppe Tornatore – plus a full set of music used in films that starred Jean-Paul Belmondo. There's also thematic CDs, too – "Genre Cinema", "Committed Cinema", "Mafia Thrillers", "History Of Italy", and "Faces Of Italian Cinema" – and the final CD features songs penned by Morricone, interpreted by a host of others – including Charles Aznavour, Chico Buarque, Traffic Quintet, Gerard Depardieu, Sting, and many more. A beautiful tribute to Morricone's 50 years of film music – with some unreleased music, rarities, photos, and more! CD

A dark and extremely avant garde soundtrack from the great Ennio Morricone – one that's done in collaboration with his own Gruppo Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – an ensemble with roots in film scoring, but expressions that are more in the mode of 20th century avant! The music is a blend of free improvisation and more straight ahead jazz – with electric guitar, trumpet, violin, and percussion mixed with lots of weird effects and electronics – much more experimental than some of Morricone's more famous soundtracks of the time, and given a nice sense of direction from conductor Bruno Nicolai. The whole thing's incredibly spooky – one of the most turgid scores we've ever heard from the pen of Morricone – and the titles include "Sequita", "Evaporazione", "Dal Sogno E Ritorno", "Folle Folle", and "Notte E Misteri". 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

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

One of Ennio 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. A tremendous achievement – and music that helped advance the sound of film scores to a whole new level. 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

A gem of a record from maestro Morricone – even if it wasn't one of his most famous sets at the time – a soundtrack that really brings together that effortless balance of darkness and light that makes some of the best recordings by Ennio Morricone so wonderful! The set's got a few numbers with beautifully pronounced rhythms – not entirely groovers, but kind of these chunks of sound that work together to move things nicely – balanced by more mellow, spacious tunes that make tremendous use of a spare flute line, or tinkling piano! Edda Dell'Orso provides just a bit of wordless vocals – and titles include "Lungo La Stradina", "Al Confini Della Follia", "Uccidete Il Vitello Grasso", "La Fredda Lama Del Coltello", and "Scivolando Nel Buio". Also includes two unreleased bonus tracks! LP, Vinyl record album

Genius soundtrack work from Ennio Morricone – a later score done for director Pedro Almodovar, and maybe one of Morricone's best from these later years! It's almost as if the maestro was setting something special aside for Almodovar – as there's many tunes here that echo some of the most creative Morricone modes of the 70s, at a level that didn't always show up on his more famous film scores of the decade – and the music is awash in spacious, open lines that shimmer with some fantastic flugelhorn work from jazz musicians Franco Piana, Giovanni Santucci, and Oscar Valdambrini. Titles include "Inquieta", "Noche Urbana", "La Cuidad Se Meuve", "Atame", "Resistire", "Introduccion Al Pisquiatrico", and "Cuento Infantil". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more unusual Morricone scores of the 70s – penned as part of a collaboration with director Maximilian Schell, and done in ways that are a bit different than some of the maestro's Italian work! There's plenty of voices at play here – the lead of Edda Dell'Orso, and harmonies from Il Cantori Moderni – used in ways that are sometimes a bit sweeter than usual, with a level of warmth that might not be what you'd expect from the movie! Morricone also throws in a few waltz-like melodies, too – almost the sort of numbers you'd find in a Nino Rota score – but as the soundtrack moves on, things get noticeably darker, too – and move into a rich array of odd sounds and weird tones. LP, Vinyl record album

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 – and the CD features a total of 17 tracks in all! 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

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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

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

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". LP, Vinyl record album

Features tracks by Ennio Morricone, Nick Perito, Lalo Schifrin, Billy Preston, David Bowie, and others! LP, Vinyl record album