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REVIEW ARCHIVES: 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Sei Iellato Amico Hai Incontrato Sacramento / I Due Volti Della Paura
Franco Micalizzi
Digitmovies

Best known for police or poliziotteschi soundtracks such as Napoli Violenta, Hold Up and La Banda del Gobbo, Franco Micalizzi also scored his fair share of Italian westerns and suspense thrillers or gialli. And here's a double bill that certainly demonstrates his versatility.

Up first is Micalizzi's score for Giorgio Cristallini's Sei Iellato Amico Hai Incontrato Sacramento (aka You're Jinxed, Friend, You've Met Sacramento) — one of the many long-winded titles in spaghetti western genre. Male chorus and harmonica introduce the rockin' main title, which has a driving beat and a strong pop hook that makes one wonder why it hasn't appeared on any compilations. Edda Dell'Orso lends her sweet voice to the melodious "Il Cielo Negli Occhi." Western soundtrack standbys like echoing harmonica, Jew's harp, military snare, solo trumpet, tinny saloon piano and banjo as well as Spanish, acoustic and fuzz-toned electric guitar all make their requisite appearances in tidy arrangements. Sacramento may not be a genre classic, but Micalizzi's score sure thinks it is! Well done.

Next up is Micalizzi's score for Tullio Demicheli's I Due Volti Della Paura (aka The Two Faces of Fear), which also released in '72. This time the somber main theme features wordless vocals by Dell'Orso, chiming keyboards, strings, muted horns and a strong back beat. Like any giallo soundtrack, this one contains sweet, romantic moods as well as turgid suspense cues and beat-driven night club numbers. "Gimkana" is an outstanding uptempo beat-jazz number with electric guitar and organ solos that has somehow gone missing from loungecore soundtrack compilations over the years. "Beat for Two" is a punchy nightclub groover that can hold its own with the best from this genre. And "Una Corsa Verso La Verita" is another strong highlight that combines a sinister bass line with jabbing, slashing keyboard and guitar lines and percolating percussion. These are some of the better giallo tracks to surface in quite awhile.

Together Sacramento and Paura should please Italian soundtrack fans a great deal. It's a killer double feature for the ears.

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I Giganti Della Tessaglia
Carlo Rustichelli
Digitmovies

Carlo Rustichelli's dramatic score for Ricardo Freda's sword-and-sandal epic The Giants of Thessaly ('60) is the eighth release in Digitmovies' admirable series of Italian Peplum soundtracks. If that term is unfamiliar to you, think Hercules meets Spartacus in the land of the Argonauts, and you'll get the picture.

Back in the late '50s and early '60s, Italy churned out these epics, and most of them feature bombastic scores of bold themes played on blaring brass, swirling strings and pounding percussion, not to mention manly choral arrangements that practically scream "Victory is Ours!"

Typically, there are three different moods in these scores: romantic, militaristic and exotic, and Thessaly is no exception.

Honestly, if you played all of the Peplum scores back to back you'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. However, it is that consistency that makes them appealing.

Peplum epics and their soundtracks are unapologetically of their time — a relatively innocent age when ancient history and fantasy blended in Technicolor, when bodacious busty heroines melted in melodramatic embraces with muscle-bound heroes on sets so lavish the gods glowered in envy.

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I Lunghi Capelli Della Morte
Carlo Rustichelli
Digitmovies

For Antonio Margheriti's gothic chiller I Lunghi Capelli Della Morte (aka The Long Hair of Death, '64), starring Italian queen of the macabre Barbara Steele, composer Carlo Rustichelli provided brooding funereal moods not unlike his work on Mario Bava films of the era.

Haunted organ, worried brass, tolling bells, frightened strings and ghostly Theremin conspire to cast a permanent gloom over the production, which concerns witches and retribution from beyond the grave.

Highlights include a ponderous and mystical requiem for orchestra and male choir ("Anima Mea") and a diabolical tarantella dance ("La Fine Di Kurt") that evokes pagan rites.

This autumnal score is a perfect complement for dark chilly nights of impenetrable gloom.

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L'Iguana Dalla Lingua Di Fuoco
Stelvio Cipriani
DigitMovies

In '71 — the same year that he scored Mario Bava's Bay of Blood, Ferdinando Baldi's Blindman and Luciano Ercoli's Death Walks on High Heels — Stelvio Cipriani also scored Riccardo Freda's giallo L'Iguana Dalla Lingua Di Fuoco (aka The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire), another filmic exercise in bloody cruelty by the father of Italian Gothic horror.

While the film's title certainly ranks among the genre's most bizarre, the original poster image used on the cover of this world premiere soundtrack evokes the iconic act of violence found in nearly every giallo: a straight razor held by a black-gloved hand cuts the throat of a beautiful woman. By all appearances Iguana is an archetypal Italian thriller, and Cipriani's sensuous and sinister score only confirms it.

Iguana opens with a theme that — typical to the genre — evokes the carefree existence (and ultimate vulnerability) of the story's leading lady. Gentle guitar and keyboard figures sprinkle over swaying strings, swooning female vocalisms (care of Nora Orlandi) and a sexy Latin rhythm, suggesting sunny days of shopping on the plaza and nights of passionate love by a crackling fire. What she doesn't know is that her life soon will become a nightmare of sinister strangers, drug-induced hallucinations, raging paranoia and knife-wielding maniacs.

Like clockwork, the second track introduces the idea of imminent danger through intricate minor key lines, plodding bass notes and mysterious oboe that suddenly succumbs to Herrmann-esque strings that jab with knife-like precision. Then, on track 3, devious piano lines give way to shrieking echo-effected strings and distorted guitar stings.

Naturally, it progresses from there into even darker territory with fragmented passages of frantic action, psychedelic fear and lush moments of surprising tenderness (love scene!) Through it all Cipriani commands the listener's attention like the masters of this blood-soaked genre, namely Ennio Morricone and Bruno Nicolai.

So, what the hell are you doing reading this review to the end. You should be ordering your copy of the Iguana soundtrack and hunting down the movie on DVD (ah hell, it's only available in PAL format).

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The Illustrated Man / Logan's Run
Jerry Goldsmith
Film Score Monthly

When one thinks of Jerry Goldsmith's sci-fi soundtracks the ones that spring to mind are undoubtedly Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Alien — two high profile projects. But let's not forget Logan's Run ('76) and The Illustrated Man ('69).

The Illustrated Man, which is based on a Ray Bradbury novel and stars Rod Steiger, was considered an interesting failure upon release. Undoubtedly, the score is the interesting part. Even Bradbury thought it outshined the film. Because the film is episodic, the score shows some stylistic range. At times it is melancholy and lyrical, and at other times it is sterile and electronic. It goes from tunefully impressionistic ("Main Title") to chillingly atonal ("Angry Child"). Goldsmith excels at atonality being a self-described serial composer. But his themes aren't so much austere as they are formal, and frequently haunting. The electronic bits are often subtle (like the use of an echoplex on woodwinds), but on tracks like "21st Century House" the electronics branch out to constitute most of the sound. In fact, his use of electronics anticipates his score for...

Logan's Run, which is a classic dystopian sci-fi film that was quickly forgotten when Star Wars arrived in theaters a year later. Set in a far-off future of domed cities, holographic entertainments and sex without love, it's a chilling morality tale with disco-era fashions and feathered hair. Goldsmith's score is among the most electronic scores to accompany a major movie of that era. For scenes inside The City, Goldsmith employs synths that gurgle, squeak and whoosh with atonal abandon. Elsewhere, particularly for scenes outside of the city, Goldsmith uses acoustic orchestration (strings, piano, woodwinds) to represent the natural world. The love theme and "The Monument" are a warm examples of sweet tonality in a score dominated by dissonant, brilliantly executed sounds. It's worth noting that FSM's expanded, chronologically sequenced remaster of Logan's Run outshines the previous reissues by Bay Cities and Chapter III Classics.

Again, FSM continues to deliver the complete package with extensive liner notes, excellent sound quality and full color illustrations.

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Indagine Su Un Cittadino Al
Di Sopra Di Ogni Sospetto
Ennio Morricone
Cinevox

Otherwise known as Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, this is one of several collaborations between Ennio Morricone and filmmaker Elio Petri (who also directed The 10th Victim, a personal fave). The fact that it is a thriller is announced by Morricone's intriguing main theme, which has appeared on numerous collections. It plays out like a spider spinning its thread. Like other Morricone scores from this period (late 60s, early 70s), the orchestration is handled with a very light hand, though the themes are fairly dark. Orchestrated by Morricone's right hand man Bruno Nicolai, the melodies are played in a pulse-like manner, which strips them of melodrama, and undoubtedly lends the film a detached quality. That's a common quality in Morricone's music, and one which lends his work a timelessness. This score is no exception. Brilliant, albeit understated work from the maestro.

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Inferno
Keith Emerson
Cinevox

In Like Flint / Our Man Flint
Jerry Goldsmith
Varese Sarabande

It's worth noting, however, that this CD takes the scores directly from the movies, and does not duplicate the original LPs. Although the sound quality is fine and the composer is the same for both the CD and the original LPs, fans of the originals may be disappointed that they aren't identical.

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Inner Space
Sven Libaek
Trunk

Don't let the fierce, frightening photo on the cover of this CD scare you off. The long lost Australian film music of Norwegian jazzman Sven Libaek is much more inviting than the gaping toothy maw of "Jaws."

Libaek's warm jazzy vibes and spacey grooves for such rare flicks as The Set, Inner Space, Nature Walkabout and To Ride a White Horse are highly seductive. If you've ever dreamed of "getting away from it all" then this is your soundtrack.

Cueing up such bleakly titled tracks as "Dark World" and "Fate of Life" the last thing you'd expect to hear are the beautiful, life affirming sounds that greet your ears. Libaek shows a knack for writing impressionistic music, arranging it for crack session players and producing it like a psychedelic soundtrack. It all goes down so easily, too.

Although the original masters weren't available for this release, the vinyl transfers are clean and crisp.

Big ups to Jonny Trunk for inviting us to dive in to a very inviting inner space. Once you're in you'll want to stay.

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Ron & Val Taylor's Inner Space
Sven Libaek
Votary

Not to be confused with Trunk Records' 2006 compilation Inner Space: The Lost Film Music of Sven Libaek, the Votary Records release presents the legendary original television score for Ron & Val Taylor's Australian undersea documentary Inner Space in its entirety. While the Trunk Records CD captured four of this album's best tracks, the Votary release catches all 16 tracks of Libaek's brilliantly mellow, psychedelic jazz.

While certainly attention-grabbing, the photo of the fierce great white shark on the cover isn't particularly appropriate imagery for this soundtrack. The character of the music would be better represented by a school of colorful tropical fish in a dreamy technicolor coral reef. Lilting Brazilian rhythms and echo-drenched production beckon one to dive deep within Libaek's entrancing modal jazz grooves.

Basically, the strength of this soundtrack of '73 lies in its pedigree. First, Libaek provided haunting melodies, then the Norwegian hired the cream of the Australian jazz scene, including Johnny Sangster (vibes and percussion), Derek Fairbrass (drums), Eric Boff Thompson (trumpet), Ron Spillet (bass trombone), Don Burrows and Errol Buddle (flutes), George Golla (guitar), Col Nolan (organ) and others.

Highlights are numerous. "Main Title Theme" and "Inner Space" get the groove flowing effortlessly with an insistent bass line, rippling action on the piano and flowing flute lines. "Music for Eels" beautically blends wah guitar and vibes. The sweet, breezy "Sounds of the Deep" is practically a love letter to ocean life. Other tracks, like "Danger Reef" and "Seasnakes" and "Dark World" tend to be more sinister, but still sound gorgeous and never unpleasant. There isn't a bad track in the batch, which makes Inner Space a contender for best soundtrack reissue of 2007.

As Sven himself points out in the liner notes, ever since American film director Wes Anderson used a couple of tracks from Inner Space in The Life Aquatic, there has been considerable demand for this reissue. Thanks to Votary, Inner Space can now be enjoyed in its entirety without having to pay top dollar for the now rare LP.

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Inside Deep Note
Various Artists
O.S.T. Grammofonpladen

Inside Deep Note 2
Various Artists
O.S.T. Grammofonpladen

Boasting better sound quality than its predecessors (Deep Note and Inside Deep Note, which should have made this volume three, but whatever) Inside Deep Note 2 promises a more enjoyable listening experience. But does it deliver?

Among the charms of the previous volumes are the unintentionally funny dialogue snippets. These suggestive quips bring a healthy amount of irony-rich humor into the dirty funk mix found on all three volumes. This time around, however, there aren't many laughs to be had as the dialogue bits are fewer and not as juicy.

There is an acceptable trade off, however, as there is a DVD in this package with ten awfully funny over-the-top vintage '70s video clips. These provide some hilarious dialogue/voice-overs like this one: "We used to fuck in the laundry room. It was good, clean fun." Or, how about: "I wonder what she would say if I told her I'm only a travelling salesman... peddling Swiss cuckoo clocks of all things." (Lines like these are much funnier when paired with cheesy video of people fucking, I assure you.)

The music itself ranges from competant porno funk to more creative sounds that one would expect from pre-disco library music or even a mainstream soundtrack. The "Romantic Interlude" from Emanuelle's First Time sounds like an outtake from Alden Shumen's deep, dark orchestral score for The Devil and Miss Jones. In other words, there's plenty of variety and a few memorable melodies too. Other films featured include Jailbait, The Devil Made Me Do It, Door to Door Daddy, and Under the Bleachers.

While this Deep Note comp has its short comings, it's also the most satisfying of the series.

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International Detective
Various Artists
Harkit

Scored by Edwin Astley (of Secret Agent and The Saint fame), with help from Leroy Holmes, Sidney Shaw and Harry Booth, International Detective ('59-'61) provided transitional TV entertainment between the traditional police show and the new-fangled spy show.

The score sticks with the Elmer Bernstein crime jazz sound with occasional lapses into Mancini-esque Latin lounge. Of the 22 tracks, seven are variations on the main theme, including charmingly dated vocal versions with a burly male chorus singing: "International detective/Look out!/Cuz his eye is on you... Inside, outside/You can't get away/No sense to hide/Crime just does not pay."

The CD package also includes an informative biography of Astley, who died in '98. Inexplicably, the CD cover shows a 747 jet, which didn't exist during the show's run. Moreover, the back cover photo of the show's star, Alfred Fleming, is misidentified as Steve Forrest, who starred in the later show, The Baron (also scored by Astley).

Intersections - Jazz Meets the Symphony #5
Lalo Schifrin
Aleph

In the Heat of the Night / They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!
Quincy Jones
Beyond/MGM

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In the Heat of the Night /
They Call Me Mister Tibbs
Quincy Jones
Ryko/MGM

IndiaVision
Various Artists
Buda Musique/Universal

Bollywood is something like the final frontier of cult soundtrack collecting. The original vinyl is difficult to find, at least in the U.S., and highly coveted. At the same time, the genre is little understood. What we do know seems to only skim the surface. Popular music in India is always tied to the film industry, which churns out something like 800 features per year. The vast majority of Hindi films are musicals in the sense that musical numbers punctuate the story regardless of the context — be it romance, action, comedy or tragedy.

Over the past few years there have been a number of excellent Bollywood compilations focusing on the funkier stuff produced between the late '60s and early '80s. IndiaVision covers that period and does a fine job of it. Inevitably, there are a few tracks that have turned up on previous collections like Bollywood Funk. But there are still plenty of rare groovy cuts on this 16-track sampler.

IndiaVision boasts an insanely wonderful assortment of masala movie tunes by such giants as S.D. Burman, R.D. Burman, Kalyanji and Anandji, Bappi Lahiri, as well as Laxmikant and Pyarelal. There are wild instrumentals and wilder vocal tracks, many of which feature the incomparable Asha Bhosle. Throughout, western and eastern musical styles are blended to intoxicating effect, with rock, jazz and sufi instrumentation mingling in the most unexpected ways — that, in a nutshell, is what makes Bollywood music so interesting. Despite the fact that the song lyrics are generally incomprehensible to anyone but an Indian, and the sound quality is somewhat compromised depending on the source material, the music on IndiaVision makes for a zany, mind-boggling listening experience.

IndiaVision is a must have for Bollywood and cult soundtrack fans.

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The Intruder (and other music by...)
Herman Stein
Monstrous Movie Music

Herman Stein is known to cult movie fans primarily for his sci-fi/horror scores including It Came from Outer Space and Creature from the Black Lagoon. However, few know him for The Intruder, a rarely seen Roger Corman production about Southern racism starring a young William Shatner.

It's a hard-hitting film and Stein's mostly orchestral score also packs a punch. Understandably, there is a lot of emotion in this music. Strings stroke aggressively over angular woodwinds and pulsating brass on the tumultuous main title. Other cues, such as "Disturbed" strike a similar mood of discord sans the aggression.

Stein also finds opportunities to swing, as on the source jazz "Little Dope," "Like Noise" and the bluesy "Stranger."

Speaking of bluesy, Stein also captures some of the steamy ennui of the South reminiscent of Alex North's music for A Streetcar Named Desire by using a moaning trumpet solo on "Parked."

On "Guts", strings swell and sweep over a slow pulsing drum beat in a manner evocative of an ancient processional, though that undoubtedly isn't its filmic setting.

Following the dour seriousness of The Intruder is Stein's brief, but delightful score for Career for Two, a short 1951 industrial film about savings banks. It's the composer's first score and it's clear from the get-go that he's got the musical moxy for the movies.

This disc may not be the most obvious entry point for discovering one of the underrated composers of the golden age of cinema, but it's definitely worth seeking out. (Monstrous Movie Music sells direct.)

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers ('78)
Denny Zeitlin
Perseverance

Perseverance Records is a new label on the soundtrack scene. Among its notable initial offerings is Denny Zeitlin's electronic / acoustic score for Philip Kaufman's 1978 remake of the sci-fi horror classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Although the remake (starring Donald Sutherland) isn't quite as effective or memorable as the '56 original, it boasts an outstanding score by the film neophyte Zeitlin. The composer was and remains better known as a jazz musician (and as a psychiatrist!).

The Invasion score mixes Herrmann-esque orchestral themes with more experimental electronic/acoustic cues that effectively reinforce the alien mutations taking place on screen. While Zeitlin wrote the music and performed the electronic and prepared piano pieces, Hollywood pro Greig McRitchie provided the stirring, slightly dated orchestrations.

The best bit about this CD is the 32-minute interview suite with Zeitlin, wherein he describes the general process undertaken in the creation of a movie score. For curious fans, his articulate explanation regarding soundtrack creation is illuminating. More soundtracks should feature interviews with the composers. Well done, Perseverance.

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Io e Mara
Alberto Baldan Bembo
Right Tempo/Easy Tempo

Alberto Baldan Bembo's Io e Mara is a pretty languid outing that originally served a TV production of some kind. It's a relatively short disc for Easy Tempo, only featuring nine tracks, most clocking in at two or three minutes. A disappointment if you favor funky, upbeat numbers, but fine if you like it mellow and moody.

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The Ipcress File
John Barry
Decca/RCA (Japan)

L'Isola Degli Uomini Pesce
Luciano Michelini
Fin de Siecle Media

Frightening fish men swarm a damsel in distress on the cover of Fin de Siecle's latest Italian cult soundtrack release, L'Isola Deglil Uomini Pesce (aka The Island of the Fishmen, or Screamers or Something Waits in the Dark, '79), a film by Sergio Martino featuring a richly evocative score by Luciano Michelini.

While the cover image is satisfyingly direct in its B-picture appeal, the soundtrack proves to be more nuanced. Michelini uses full orchestra alongside modern instrumentation to explore moods of mystery ("Naufragio"), romance ("Cosa Resta Dell'Amore"), adventure ("Fuga Tra Gli Alberi") and action ("L'Agguato").

Michelini may not be a household name — even among soundtrack cognescenti — but he proves capable of creating top-shelf film music that blends classical influences with modern instrumentation such as synthesizers and electric guitars.

On "Atlantide," the composer evokes the ancient grandeur of Atlantis (the plot revolves around a modern day treasure hunt) in the murky aquatic depths with sweeping strings, cascading piano chords, harp glissandi and echoing synthesizer effects.

The score has several satisfyingly symphonic passages such as the title track's minor key ostinato, which sounds remarkably like Rachmaninoff's "Isle of the Dead" as if played by Bernard Herrmann.

While strings dominate most tracks, others are stripped down. "Rito Magico" relies on tribal percussion and sinister synths to evoke black magic rites, and "Palude" pulsates with bubbling bass, angry guitar squals and African percussion.

L'Isola Degli Uomini Pesce is a welcome addition to any cult soundtrack collection, and sits comfortably alongside the Swedish label's previous releases: Franco Micalizzi's Superuomini Superdonne Superbotte, Hold-Up and Adolescenza Perversa.

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I Spy
Earle Hagen
Film Score Monthly

Italia a Mano Armata
Franco Micalizzi
Beat Records

Marino Girolami's police thriller Italia a Mano Armata (aka A Special Cop in Action, '76) — the third in a trilogy about blond bad-ass super cop Commissioner Betti — features a riveting rock solid soundtrack by one of the masters of the genre Franco Micalizzi. (Also see Guido & Maurizio De Angelis' soundtrack for Roma Violenta and Micalizzi's Napoli Violenta to complete the trilogy.)

The main theme, "The Criminal Gang," gets the program going in style with pulsating synths, percussive effects, punchy brass, power chords, throbbing electric bass, wah guitar and hard rock drumming. The theme makes plenty of repeat appearances, but Micalizzi cooks up other themes for tension cues ("Temptation and Siege"), romantic moods ("A Pleasant Visit") and carefree fun ("Shall We Dance?"). Micalizzi also reuses the heart-rending vocal track "A Man Before Your Time" from Napoli Violenta, performed by The Bulldogs.

From funky interludes ("Too Much Nosy") to rocking action tracks ("A No-Peace Pursuit") Micalizzi keeps the energy level high on Italia. It's essential listening for fans of cop funk.

And, bonus, there is a Micalizzi interview in the CD notes that reveals some of his working methods and his poliziotteschi track record.

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The Italian Job / Talkin' Verve
Quincy Jones
MCA/Verve

Italian Police Deluxe 3 CD Box
Stelvio Cipriani / Bruno Nicolai / Guido & Maurizio De Angelis
Digitmovies

For Digitmovies' 100th(!) release, the Italian soundtrack label has chosen to reissue more original scores rather than put out a compilation, which is the typical way to mark such an occasion. The package features three outstanding Italian police soundtracks.

La Mano Spietata Della Legge (aka The Bloody Hands of the Law, '73), the Mario Gariazzo film starring Philppe Leroy and Klaus Kinski, is the opener and earliest of the trio. Stelvio Cipriani's score starts in dramatic fashion with turgid strings, stoic brass and steady percussion that set into motion a melody conveying matters of life and death. "Caccia Urbana" revisits the melody but with greater force and emphasis on action over emotion by using pounding piano, galloping guitar and Latin percussion. Cipriani also finds time for light-hearted comic moods ("Con Sentimento"), romance ("Amore Per Lei"), mounting tension ("Attesa Drammatica"), Hammond-fueled funk ("Relax in the Swimming Pool") and explosive action ("Violenza"). It's top-shelf stuff.

Next up, is Umberto Lenzi's L'uomo Della Strada Fa Giustizia (aka Manhunt in the City, '75), starring Henry Silva. The world premiere release of Bruno Nicolai's jazzy orchestral score is up to the composer's usually high standards. Piano and percussion mingle effortlessly on the surging but soulful main theme. Nicolai also provides passages of pulse-pounding tension ("Attesa E Azione"), a delicate lullaby love theme ("Un Uomo Innamorato"), groovy action ("Pedinamento Ostinato") and fuzz guitar ("Tensione Nel Quartiere"). The main theme, which gets reworked again and again, is catchy and benefits from the lean orchestration and a swinging rhythm section. Does Nicolai ever fail to thrill the ears? Not here, that's a certainty.

Finally, there is Enzo Castellari's Il Grande Racket (aka The Big Racket, '76), starring genre regular Fabio Testi. Of the three scores included, Big Racket is the most typical of the poliziotteschi soundtrack style. Rampaging electric guitars and rock drumming drive the action, and psychotic electronic effects capture the criminal element. Although the sound is typical, this isn't a run-of-the-mill effort from the De Angelis brothers. It's easily one of their best in the genre. Guitars, keyboards, Echoplexed flutes, bass and percussion churn with violence and relentless aggression. There isn't much in the way of variety, but like David Shire's monumental avant-funk score for The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, De Angelis' Big Racket uses a few compelling musical ideas to drive the score forward with single-minded intensity.

All in all, this triple feature is a tribute to both Digitmovies' excellent work and to the enormous appeal of Italian police soundtracks of the '70s. It's an absolute must-have.

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An Italian Story
Daniele Luppi
Rhino

I Told You Not To Cry
Gert Wilden
Crippled Dick Hot Wax

This collection of "swinging themes from thrilling German crime films ('66-'72)" takes the listener into a world of intrigue and danger, but with a sense of camp exotica kitsch appeal intact. For the most part, these are soundtracks for low budget thrillers, usually adapted from Edgar Wallace mysteries and Fu Manchu flicks starring Christopher Lee. The style is always swinging, and sometimes sinister and exotic to boot. If you like crime jazz or spy jazz, you'll love this disc since it puts a spin on those genres.

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