A really wonderful record from sound library wizard Piero Umiliani, and one that really takes its title seriously – as most of the tracks here have a very news-worthy sort of vibe! There's a fair bit of keyboards and electronics in the set – and Umiliani moves between numbers that seem to replicate the flow of data feeding into the newsroom or the sound of the presses printing up a paper – to other more melodic numbers that would be perfect as the theme for a late-breaking special alert! Instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, Hammond, moog, and more – on titles that include "Telescriventi", "Prima Pagina", "Scoop", "Ultimissime", "Elzeviro", "Fatto Di Cronaca", "Rotativa", "Top Secret", and "Dossier". LP, Vinyl record album

Weird and wonderful sounds from a very electric man – the mighty Piero Umiliani, an Italian composer who first rose to fame for a set of groundbreaking film scores in the 60s – then moved into even more experimental sound library work in the following decade! This set has Piero working in all sorts of cool electronic styles – never too outside or avant, but definitely in the darker side of his spectrum – although almost always with that playful sense of a tune that made his 60s music such a delight! The range of instruments varies – Umiliani clearly had a studio that was full of brand-new, top-shelf technologies – and titles are mostly from the mid 70s, with a few later cuts from 1983. Tunes include "Danza Magica", "Soundmaker Blues", "Fruitori", "Batticuore", "Sinistro Carillon", "Dolomiti", "Apocolaisse Atomica", "Description", "Lavorazione A Mare", and "Elettrone". CD

Weird and wonderful sounds from a very electric man – the mighty Piero Umiliani, an Italian composer who first rose to fame for a set of groundbreaking film scores in the 60s – then moved into even more experimental sound library work in the following decade! This set has Piero working in all sorts of cool electronic styles – never too outside or avant, but definitely in the darker side of his spectrum – although almost always with that playful sense of a tune that made his 60s music such a delight! The range of instruments varies – Umiliani clearly had a studio that was full of brand-new, top-shelf technologies – and titles are mostly from the mid 70s, with a few later cuts from 1983. Tunes include "Danza Magica", "Soundmaker Blues", "Fruitori", "Batticuore", "Sinistro Carillon", "Dolomiti", "Apocolaisse Atomica", "Description", "Lavorazione A Mare", and "Elettrone". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from the legendary Piero Umiliani – a perfect soundtrack to show the warmer sound of his talents, which are sometimes eclipsed by his weirder electronic modes! The soundtrack's from an erotic film starring sex-goddess Zeudi Araya, but despite the kinky origins of the material, the music's actually got a lot more sophistication than you'd expect – and the score feels more like a Morricone cerebral one than a cheesy sexy one – with dreamy wordless vocals floating around in the mix, and these sweet-stepping basslines that are especially wonderful – setting a slow funk current at great moments, in that Euro easy way of blending some hip bass with warmer strings and other instrumental touches. There's some haunting piano at points, too – and Umiliani has a great way of making the music sound emotive, but never sappy at all. Titles include "Pelle Di Luna", "Addio All'Isola Felice", "L'Ultima Spiaggia", "Seyga Seyga", "Nostalgia Dell'Isola", and "Tanto Tempo Fa". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally groovy gem from the great Piero Umiliani – and one of his rarest soundtracks of the 70s – and a set that brings together so many different wonderful strands of his sound! Some tunes have sweeping strings, others have offbeat vocals, some have quirky instrumentation, and a few even have those weird "Mah-Nah" vocals from his huge international hit! The music is playful one minute, dreamy the next – and plenty groovy all the way through – with titles that include "A Caccia Di Donne", "Io E La Mia Schiava", "In Rissho", "Battesimo", "Flirt A Rio", "L'Indigena Piu Bella", and "La Schiava". CD

Percussion and special effects – a really wonderful blend, especially in the hands of Italian maestro Piero Umiliani! The album's one of Piero's more experimental and electronic outings – done for the Liuto sound library label, with lots of cool production techniques that make the drums and percussion nice and echoey, and just ripe for layers of keyboards and electronics, too! And although the record is experimental, it's often quite groovy – in the best Umiliani manner, with a few funky passages stepping out of space as well – in a blend of acoustic, electric, and cosmic that reminds us of some of the sci-fi soundtrack work of Peter Thomas. Titles include "Ritmi In swing", "Timbales", "Protesta Giovanile", "Bongos In Suspense", "Dinimica In Beat", "Dinemica In Tensione", "Organo In Suspense", "Fascia Metallica", "Battimenti", and "Esplosioni". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Not the sort of psychedelic music you'd expect from an American rock band of the late 60s – and instead, a stunning set of funky genius from Italian soundtrack maestro Piero Umiliani! The record's actually a precursor to Umiliani's famous global score for Sweden Heaven & Hell (Svezia Inferno E Paradiso) – and shares many of the themes that went onto that record, complete with romping funky rhythms, sweet jazzy Hammond lines, and mod fuzzy guitar! Many numbers are upbeat groovers, without any of the longform indulgence you'd expect from psychedelia – and Umiliani draws on his jazz background to allow just the right space for solo instruments to take the lead in the instrumental setting. Titles include "Birra Vermouth E Gin", "Contestazione", "Hippies", "Nel Cosmo", "Stoccolma My Dear", "Notte Di Mezza Estate", and "Viva La Sauna Svedese" – a version of the classic "Mah Na Mah Na". LP, Vinyl record album

An early 80s soundtrack from the great Piero Umiliani – but one that seems to echo some styles from deeper in his past, including some of of the jazz elements he used in his early days – and some of the more unusual sonic textures he created for his sound library projects in the 70s! The film's a comedy, but as usual with Umiliani, the music is way more than you might expect – sometimes light and melodic, other times served up with unusual sonic elements – maybe more in the warmer side of the spectrum than the cold, but always with a knowledge of darkness at all the right points. The main theme gets some strong renditions in a few different ways – and there's also a great instrumental titled "Ultimissime", which has great Fender Rhodes – and the killer "Samba Mah Na", which uses Brazilian percussion and brassy horns to rework Umiliani's classic "Mah Na Mah Na" theme! A few tracks even get a bit funky – and the CD features 20 tracks from the film, plus notes in Italian and English. CD

Don't think "romance" – at least not in the sleepy sort of American romance music from the 60s – and think "groovy" instead, and maybe a bit of "sexy" too – as these tunes are pure cinematic gems from Italian composer Piero Umiliani! Like the other volume in this series, this set features some unreleased material, and new remastering for all the cuts – but the best thing is the way that all these tracks from different films work together so wonderfully – with sweet bossa rhythms, nice jazzy moments, and some of those moments of sonic genius that always made Umiliani way more than just a musician. 20 tracks in all – with work done for films that include Il Comandante, Tutto Il Bello Dell'Uomo, Io Tigro Tu Tigri Egli Tigra, La Soldatessa, Colpo Gobbo All'Italiano, Extraconiugale, and La Celestina. CD

One of the greatest soundtracks ever from the mighty Piero Umiliani – sounds initially written for a film that was an international "sexpose" of daily life in Sweden – but which have grown to even greater fame on their own over the years – thanks to the talent of the maestro! The music here is awash in groovy elements – lots of sweet Hammond organ lines, mod basslines, and some especially cool wordless vocals from the choir of Alessandro Alessandroni – scatting away in a great way alongside the instruments, and bringing an added level of breathy eroticism to the whole thing! This special LP version recreates the original Omicron release of the record – with titles that include the two lyrical tracks "You Tried To Warn Me" and "Sleep Now Little One", sung by Lydia McDonald – plus the tracks "Topless Party", "Eva Svedense", "Essere Donna", "La Signora Cameriera", "FotoModelle", and "Le Ragazze Dell'Archipellago". (Note, does not contain the track "Mah Na Mah Na", which is on other versions of the soundtrack – but it appears on the "partner" reissue of Umiliani's Psichedelica from Schema, under the title "Viva La Sauna Svedese".) LP, Vinyl record album

The cover here looks a bit 80s, but the sound of half the record is much more rich and organic – and maybe more in the kind of mode you'd know from the film score work of Piero Umiliani – who's working here under his Moggi pseudonym! Side one is orchestral – and most tracks have a standout instrument in the lead – sometimes acoustic piano, sometimes a trumpet – mixed with larger orchestrations that often have this great languid feel – almost like the aftermath of a sex-drenched steamy summer afternoon – but Italian-style, of course! Side two features the same tunes, but done completely electronically – with all these cool analogue elements that really live up to Umiliani's work in that realm – but again, with slinky sexy modes that are totally great. Titles include "Fata Morgana", 'Planetario", "Ricorrenza", "La Ballata Del Mare Salato", and "Nel Giardino Fantastico" – each done in an orchestral and electronic version! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from the legendary Piero Umiliani – a perfect soundtrack to show the warmer sound of his talents, which are sometimes eclipsed by his weirder electronic modes! The soundtrack's from an erotic film starring sex-goddess Zeudi Araya, but despite the kinky origins of the material, the music's actually got a lot more sophistication than you'd expect – and the score feels more like a Morricone cerebral one than a cheesy sexy one – with dreamy wordless vocals floating around in the mix, and these sweet-stepping basslines that are especially wonderful – setting a slow funk current at great moments, in that Euro easy way of blending some hip bass with warmer strings and other instrumental touches. There's some haunting piano at points, too – and Umiliani has a great way of making the music sound emotive, but never sappy at all. Titles include "Pelle Di Luna", "Addio All'Isola Felice", "L'Ultima Spiaggia", "Seyga Seyga", "Nostalgia Dell'Isola", and "Tanto Tempo Fa". CD features 14 more bonus alternate takes! CD

One of the coolest Italian soundtracks we've heard in a long time – a wonderful set of tunes that moves from slinky, to easy, to groovy, and beyond! The tunes start out bubbling very spare and slow – with floating piano, moog, and other nice bits – and as the record progresses, the sound gets heavier, with some nice funky elements thrown into the mix! The whole thing's a brilliant exercise in understatement – not only one of the best soundtracks by Umiliani from the 70s, but also a perfect example of why we dig Italian soundtracks so much! Titles include "Volto Di Donna", "La Rinuncia", "Il Tuo Volto", "Nostalgia", "Le Ore Che Contano", "Cantata Per Maryam" and more. Schema vinyl version includes the CD version – with 12 bonus alternate takes – and 24 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest Italian soundtracks we've heard in a long time – a wonderful set of tunes that moves from slinky, to easy, to groovy, and beyond! The tunes start out bubbling very spare and slow – with floating piano, moog, and other nice bits – and as the record progresses, the sound gets heavier, with some nice funky elements thrown into the mix! The whole thing's a brilliant exercise in understatement – not only one of the best soundtracks by Umiliani from the 70s, but also a perfect example of why we dig Italian soundtracks so much! Titles include "Volto Di Donna", "La Rinuncia", "Il Tuo Volto", "Nostalgia", "Le Ore Che Contano", "Cantata Per Maryam" and more. Schema CD also includes 12 alternate takes – with 24 tracks in all! CD

Fantastic music from the great Piero Umiliani – one of Italy's greatest soundtrack composers, and definitely at the top of his game here! The music was recorded right around the same time as Umiliani's legendary work for Sweden Heaven & Hell – and there's a similar mix of styles going on here – a strong leadoff track with female vocals, groovy swingers with a nice degree of jazz, some excellent use of organ, and some really cool mellower numbers that have this subtle sonic power that's really wonderful – often again dosed with some nice use of organ! The score features 16 tracks in all – with subtitles that really give you an idea of the groove – including "pop jazz", "bossa", "psychedelic suspense", "samba jazz", and "jazz pour l'action". LP, Vinyl record album

Not the sort of psychedelic music you'd expect from an American rock band of the late 60s – and instead, a stunning set of funky genius from Italian soundtrack maestro Piero Umiliani! The record's actually a precursor to Umiliani's famous global score for Sweden Heaven & Hell (Svezia Inferno E Paradiso) – and shares many of the themes that went onto that record, complete with romping funky rhythms, sweet jazzy Hammond lines, and mod fuzzy guitar! Many numbers are upbeat groovers, without any of the longform indulgence you'd expect from psychedelia – and Umiliani draws on his jazz background to allow just the right space for solo instruments to take the lead in the instrumental setting. Titles include "Birra Vermouth E Gin", "Contestazione", "Hippies", "Nel Cosmo", "Stoccolma My Dear", "Notte Di Mezza Estate", and "Viva La Sauna Svedese" – a version of the classic "Mah Na Mah Na". CD

Sweetly funky and very slinky – this is one of the best early 70s scores by the great Italian composer Piero Umiliani! The record has lots of bubbling electric piano, rumbling electric basslines, warm acoustic percussion, and moody wordless vocals. At some level, the album sounds a lot like the contemporaneous work by the great Italian Fender Rhodes combo Crossfire – but it's also filled with a spacey madness that could only come from the pen of Umiliani! One of the best of the recent Easy Tempo reissues – and very nicely put together, with a consistent sound throughout! Titles include "The Body", "Tidal Stream", "Chaser", "White Sand", "In The End", "Free Life", "Stream", and "Dusken". Schema CD version includes 7 bonus alternate takes – with 21 tracks in all! CD

Not the sort of psychedelic music you'd expect from an American rock band of the late 60s – and instead, a stunning set of funky genius from Italian soundtrack maestro Piero Umiliani! The record's actually a precursor to Umiliani's famous global score for Sweden Heaven & Hell (Svezia Inferno E Paradiso) – and shares many of the themes that went onto that record, complete with romping funky rhythms, sweet jazzy Hammond lines, and mod fuzzy guitar! Many numbers are upbeat groovers, without any of the longform indulgence you'd expect from psychedelia – and Umiliani draws on his jazz background to allow just the right space for solo instruments to take the lead in the instrumental setting. Titles include "Birra Vermouth E Gin", "Contestazione", "Hippies", "Nel Cosmo", "Stoccolma My Dear", "Notte Di Mezza Estate", and "Viva La Sauna Svedese" – a version of the classic "Mah Na Mah Na". CD

An early jazzy soundtrack from the great Piero Umiliani – made even better by some key work from Chet Baker on trumpet and Helen Merrill on vocals! The set was done at a time when both artists were spending some time in Italy – shaping the scene with their presence, and really standing out on a handful of rare recordings like this one – quite different than their American material of a few years before! Baker is especially striking – with lead solos that have a great sense of compression, and a depth of soul that really move beyond the Pacific Jazz recordings. And Merrill is wonderful, too – with that special flavor she only ever seemed to open up when she went overseas – and got to move into more unusual settings. But the real star is Umiliani throughout – balancing modern impulses with late night jazz in a way that really points the way towards his later scores in the 60s – but which is already nearly perfect here! Titles include "Smog" (done in instrumental and vocal versions by Baker and Merrill), plus "Dawn", "Tensione", "Tops", "California In The Summer", "Hollywood Tonight", "Bowling", and "Twilight At Los Angeles". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning sound library material from Braen's Machine – one of the coolest, grooviest, and most obscure acts that were part of this underground Italian scene in the 70s! Quarta Pagina follows into even more trippier territory than the group's famous Underground album – a wild blend of psychedelic elements with hip soundtrack styles – the kinds of aspects that Piero Umiliani and Alessandro Alessandroni brought to the group, but with an even weirder feel. Track are all nice and compact – no overindulgent jams, but there's still a wonderful range of sounds in the short tunes – and most numbers are vocals, filled with guitars, keyboards, and loads of odd elements – but there also seems to be an Edda Dell'Orso-like singer in a few spots too. Titles include "Frode", "Addescamento", "Rimorso", "Il Covo", "La Vittima", and "Nel Penitenziario". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest and grooviest music we've heard from the obscure Braen's Machine sound library project from early 70s Italy – a record that's less tripped out than its predecessors, and instead has this great style that's heavy on bossa elements and funky jazz! The vibe's a bit like the best Italian soundtracks of the period – especially work by Morricone or Trovajoli – and the group still apparently features contributions from Alessandro Alessandroni, working with Piero Umiliani – which gives the whole thing a very strong soundtrack pedigree! Instrumentation includes some mighty nice keyboards – both Hammond and electric piano – and lots of great production on familiar instruments, which can give things like a snare drum a very odd crackle, or a flute this weirdly spacious sound. Titles include "Movimento", "Dinimica", "Gara", "Passeggiata", "Aspetti Grotteschi", "Esercizi Ginnici", "Ritmica Sportiva", and "Rinuncia". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic little collection – one that gets at a special side of the 70s European scene that wasn't quite prog, wasn't quite art rock, and wasn't quite experimental – but which definitely lay to the left of the mainstream during the decade and really helped set the tone for years to come! The music here is heavy on influences from the German scene, but also features some British tracks too – often in a way that makes a leaner approach to some of the bigger ideas of prog – with a more stripped-down approach, and often a less top-heavy sound – so that these cuts slide right in and sneak up on you with a really subtle sense of power. You'll recognize some of the names here, but the choice of tracks is key – put together by Bob Stanley, who gave us some other excellent "imaginary soundtrack" compilations from Ace. Titles include "Way Star" by Rubba, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Toni Esposito, "Tommy" by Focus, "Octave Doctors" by Steve Hillage, "Troupeau Bleau" by Cortex, "Canoe" by Piero Umiliani, "Penny Hitch" by Soft Machine, "Eileen" by Streetmark, "Jennifer" by Faust, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Pony" by Annette Peacock, and "Don't You Know" by Jan Hammer. CD

A fantastic little collection – one that gets at a special side of the 70s European scene that wasn't quite prog, wasn't quite art rock, and wasn't quite experimental – but which definitely lay to the left of the mainstream during the decade and really helped set the tone for years to come! The music here is heavy on influences from the German scene, but also features some British tracks too – often in a way that makes a leaner approach to some of the bigger ideas of prog – with a more stripped-down approach, and often a less top-heavy sound – so that these cuts slide right in and sneak up on you with a really subtle sense of power. You'll recognize some of the names here, but the choice of tracks is key – put together by Bob Stanley, who gave us some other excellent "imaginary soundtrack" compilations from Ace. Titles include "Way Star" by Rubba, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Toni Esposito, "Tommy" by Focus, "Octave Doctors" by Steve Hillage, "Troupeau Bleau" by Cortex, "Canoe" by Piero Umiliani, "Penny Hitch" by Soft Machine, "Eileen" by Streetmark, "Jennifer" by Faust, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Pony" by Annette Peacock, and "Don't You Know" by Jan Hammer. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing treasure for fans of Italian soundtrack music – the fresh discovery of rare material from the vaults of Cinevox Records – one of the most important Italian soundtrack labels of the 60s and 70s! All of the music here is previously unreleased – and runs from full songs to snippets, all laid out in this really beautiful way – so that the package is not only presenting some great grooves from Cinevox, but also tracing a history of Italian cinematic styles – moving back and forth from the 60s through the 70s, with a superb presentation that really has the music sounding tremendous in this setting! These aren't clunky discards, but really wonderful tunes – unused extra material from soundtrack giants who include Piero Umiliani, Armando Trovajoli, Riz Ortolani, Giorgio Gaslini, Piero Piccioni, Gianni Ferrio, Franco Bixio, Enrico Simonetti, and many others – laid out here in a limited package, with 161 titles in all. CD

A great Italian soundtrack from that early 60s stretch when jazz was still a very strong part of film scoring – a mode that's borrowed from the French new wave, but used by Italian composers in cooler, groovier styles – as you'll hear in this excellent overlooked gem! The style is more like early 60s Piero Umiliani or Piero Piccioni than some of the standard work from Carlo Rustichelli – and the composer has a fantastic ear for unusual sounds, the kind of Piccioni inflections of horns with more unusual tones and colors – which continues even on some of the mellower, moodier numbers in the package. This is the first-ever vinyl release of the material – with a whopping 31 tracks in all! LP, Vinyl record album