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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

"The City" from Nikkatsu... (MP3 edit)
"M-5" from Saru... (MP3 edit)

Nikkatsu Roman Porn No Sekai /
Saru No Gundan
Various Artists / Tsushima Toshiaki
Ultra Vybe

Japanese trash cinema soundtracks, like many things from the tiny island nation (sushi, wasabi, huge-eyed anime characters), are an admittedly acquired taste, not to mention difficult to acquire. Luckily, J-label Ultra-Vybe has released several compilations for those willing to drop $25 or more per CD. Unluckily, not all of the material is really worth the high sticker price.

Take Nikkatsu Roman Porn No Sekai for example. As a collection of tracks from notorious "pink" porno movies of the '70s, it doesn't exactly inspire lustful thoughts to see that sullen girl on the cover (there is a lurid interior photo that would've been much more effective at capturing this seedy genre). The music proves to be just another schizophrenic selection of lackluster bar rock and lounge pop, and most disappointingly one of the 17 tracks duplicates one heard on another "Hotwax Trax" compilation from Ultra-Vybe. As with all CDs in this series, the notes are in Japanese, so the artists and featured movies are a mystery unless you're intimately familiar with the films of this genre.

More interesting is Saru No Gundan, a collection of music from "Army of the Apes," a blatant TV show rip-off of Hollywood's Planet of the Apes (read more about it). Featuring 56 tracks and clocking in at over 75 minutes, this CD's music captures the presumed weirdness of the show. Stripped down instrumentals featuring reverbed electric guitar tones, droning organ, squelchy Moog, marimba and strange accents like Jew's harp make for an intriguing listening experience that manages to come off as exotic and psychedelic. Again, the notes are in Japanese. The few illustrations hint at the show's camp appeal, but the music is beyond camp — it's cool.

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"Seq. 2"

Satanik
Roberto Pregadio & Romano Mussolini
Beat

From the composers who brought you Kriminal comes Satanik ('68) the soundtrack for Piero Vivarelli's flick about an old hag who drinks a youth potion that turns her into a hot chick (Magda Konopka) known as "Satanik." Honestly, it's a pretty mediocre movie compared to other flicks based on European comix; Danger: Diabolik, Barbarella and Baba Yaga all out-strip it (in more ways than one).

Unlike the movie, Beat's world premiere of the Satanik soundtrack does not disappoint. By turns jazzy, loungy, psychedelic, suspenseful, bluesy and Latinesque, Pregadio and Mussolini keep the listener guessing what's next.

As tempting as the movie sounds on paper (or pixels) the soundtrack is the real attraction.

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Savage!
Don Julian
Money

Playgirl '70 / Scacco alla Regina
Piero Piccioni
Avanz/Soundtrack Listeners Club

Scarlet Diva
John Hughes
Hefty

Schwabing Affairs
Various Artists
Diggler

Schwabing Affairs is an unofficial companion CD to a previous Diggler compilation, St. Pauli Affairs. The subtitle is perhaps ironic, as these "Delicate Tunes from Swinging Munich of the 1960s and 70s" are generally anything but delicate. Many are groove-oriented, boasting a backbeat and a "rude" rock 'n' roll spirit.

These 17 tracks originate from German movies whose titles translate to "Girls Girls" "Up the Establishment!" "24-Hour Lover" and "How Girls Love Men of Today." Featuring work by Peter Thomas, Martin Bottcher, Johnny Harris, David Llywelyn and others, Schwabing Affairs features soul ravers, psychedelic pop, bossa nova, go go shakes, garage rock, acid rock and sleazy listening. What's not to love!?

The liner notes are in German and English, but the music really doesn't require explanation. A new generation of movie makers set out to shake up the establishment, and made certain that their sexually enlightened films featured the right music. There are a few duds in the mix (did we really need to hear yet another cover of the Four Tops' "Reach Out (I'll Be There)"?) Still, there's plenty to satisfy fans of the Diggler and Crippled Dick Hot Wax catalogs.

Schoolgirl Report
Gert Wilden & Orchestra
Crippled Dick Hot Wax

"Nolan's Theme"

The Seduction of Piero Piccioni
Piero Piccioni
El/Cherry Red Records

Billed as "Fantasy & Mod Psychedelia of Sixties Italy and the Wild West," this compilation of the late great Piero Piccioni strives to cover a broad spectrum of the artist's soundtrack work.

In fact, there are between one and three selections from each of the ten films covered by this collection. Among them are the crime film Scacco alla Regina (aka Checkmate to the Queen), mod comedies like Fumo di Londra (aka Smoke over London), social comedies like Il Medico Della Mutua (aka Be Sick, It's Free), sexy comedies like Mimi Metalurgico Ferito Nell'onore (aka The Seduction of Mimi) and spaghetti westerns like Una Colt in Mano al Diavolo (aka A Colt in the Hand of a Devil).

Understandably, the mood is on the sensual side, with lush strings accompanying female vocals (mostly wordless), bright acoustic guitars, gentle flutes and woodwinds, delicate keyboard textures and subtle percussion. Occasionally, the tempo picks up — as on the ultra groovy "Nolan's Theme," the psycho beat "Il Dopolotta" and the cheeky "Mr. Dante Fontana."

The western tracks are different than the distinctive western tracks by Ennio Morricone (check out Morricone Kill). Piccioni's take on the genre is less stylized and a bit more conventional, but still manages to convey the American West as convincingly as any Italian composer.

Is this the only Piccioni compilation one will ever need? Probably not, since it only covers a small percentage of his massive body of work. It's a seductive sampler of his stylistic range.

This release joins a handful of other Italian soundtrack compilations on the Cherry Red label.

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"Main Title"

"Main Title"

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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"In un Ricordo"

Senza Sapere Niente di Lei
Ennio Morricone
DigitMovies

Having wrapped a series of Bruno Nicolai's brilliant and fascinating giallo soundtracks, DigitMovies appears to be moving on to do a series of similar scores by — who else? — Ennio Morricone (also conducted by Nicolai). Since Cinevox and Dagored have already released several classics under il Maestro's esteemed name it leaves one to wonder what's left?

Try Senza Sapere Niente di Lei (approximately "Without Knowing Anything of Her"). It's an obscure film that doesn't appear to be available on DVD in the U.S., but those who obsessively collect Morricone's work will recognize a handful of tracks that have appeared on various compilations. Otherwise, this hypnotic '69 score is appearing in complete form for the first time on CD.

Plus, Morricone himself insisted that DigitMovies include four tracks that he recorded in '70 for the never completed film Lui per Lei. The tracks, which are reminiscent of Morricone's music for Dario Argento's early trilogy, are interspersed with the main score at the request of the composer. The main score favors a lush sound with strings and lilting Latin rhythms, but the additional tracks favor starker arrangments around piano, guitar, percussion and whistling. The overall effect, however, is surprisingly compatible.

With plans to release Che Cosa avete fatto a Solange? (aka What have you done to Solange?) rest assured that more killer Morricone giallo soundtracks are on the way.

Yes, you know you need all of it.

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"Sesso Matto"

Sesso Matto
Armando Trovaioli
Beat Records

Armando Trovaioli scored many sexy Italian comedies over the years, but Sesso Matto is the most famous. During the go-go '90s the Easy Tempo label revived the randy disco theme song on the first volume of its esteemed 10-volume series and on a remix EP as well. Although other labels have reissued the soundtrack, this expanded Beat edition is the ultimate version of an essential sexploitation soundtrack.

Dino Risi's episodic '73 sex comedy Sesso Matto (aka How Funny Can Sex Be? or Crazy Sex), starring the luscious Laura Antonelli and funnyman Giancarlo Giannini, hasn't aged particularly well, but the soundtrack is an acknowledged classic. The catchy title track, featuring Edda Dell'Orso's ultra-sexy vocals, is undoubtedly the most memorable Italian sexploitation theme. It's throbbing bass, uptempo beat and multi-tracked female giggles, groans and moans needs no translation. One can't help but imagine what it might have been like to be a "fly on the wall" at the recording session.

So, what else does Sesso Matto offer? Answer: another 40 tracks of musical variety including lowdown groovy exotica, early rock 'n' roll pastiche, psych rock (played by Il Punto), sentimental balladry, Bacharachian easy listening, languid moods, quirky keyboard abstractions, traditional Italian and Spanish street music, Rota-esque Latin romanticism, comedically sped-up bits, and a Moog version of a theme by Rossini ala Clockwork Orange. Most of it isn't as sexy as the theme music, but it is tremendous proof of Trovaioli's far-ranging musical talent.

The booklet features many images from the movie and the liner notes appear in Italian, English and Japanese.

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"7 Note"

Sette Note In Nero
Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera
DigitMovies

Fans of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Vol. One will recognize the theme from Seven Notes in Black. Q.T. put it to good use in his chop socky homage, but failed to include it on the soundtrack CD.

For a long time, the only way to hear the haunting tune was to either own the original 45 or the first volume of DRG's The Horror Film Collection CD (which also uses the same cover art as this DigitMovies release).

If you've longed to hear Bixio-Frizzi-Tempera's entire score from Lucio Fulci's Sette Note In Nero (aka The Psychic, '77), you're in luck. Until this DigitMovies release, the complete soundtrack has been unavailable in any format.

Indeed, the main theme is well worth having. A hypnotic ostinato played on carillon (tuned bells sounded by hammers controlled by a keyboard) is accompanied by sighing strings, low synth and piano tones. It's so simple and elegant, so grave and beautiful. I'd argue that it's the trio's greatest theme.

Much of the score follows suit with variations on the theme as well as similar cues that rely on slow, spacious moods full of tension and eerie dread ("Suicidio" and "Strane Visioni" for instance). Occasionally, throbbing electric bass and conga rhythms accompany the synth drones. The epilogue theme briefly flirts with rock. The only track that really breaks the mood comes early — the soft pop English-language ballad, "With You," sung by Linda Lee.

Unlike a lot of giallo scores, Seven Notes in Black generally steers clear of rampant atonality and shrieking strings. The score is relatively understated on the horror angle, but its subtly unnerving tone is well suited to the film's supernatural element. At the very least, get it for the essential theme music.

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7 Uomini d'oro/Il Grande Colpo dei 7 Uomini d'oro
Armando Trovaioli
Cam Original Soundtracks

"Superchick" (MP3 edit)

Sex Sleaze and Soul
Various Artists
Nice Treat

Sex Sleaze and Soul collects rare blaxploitation themes (Bucktown, Black Godfather, Detroit 9000, etc.) with ultra rare radio ads for blaxploitation, kung fu and sexploitation cinema. While the movie themes are funky treats, the real attraction are the radio spots that are by turns outrageous, hilarious and stupefying.

Minute-long and 30-second ads for movies like The Big Doll House, Savage Sisters, That Man Bolt, Superchick, The Bummer and Naughty Stewardesses will have listeners in stitches. It's a nutrageous mixbag of trash cinema marketing gone horribly wrong — so wrong, it's right. Check it out.

Fans of the blaxploitation radio spot compilation Super Bad Super Black will want this as well.

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"Helene x Aldine"

Sexy 70
Che
Vampi Soul

Porno movie music is the forbidden pleasure of soundtrack collecting. Generally speaking, it's "action music" at its most primal, occasionally exuding an aura of sensual electricity. When it hits the sweet spot it's difficult to describe exactly how or why it works. For the listener, your ears just got lucky, and that's all that matters. Why ruin the afterglow with needless analysis.

Until Che's Sexy 70 arrived the only available porno soundtracks came from U.S. or European films and never from such an exotic country. After all, Brazil is one of those cultures that oozes sex, so one might assume that Brazilian porno soundtracks would be especially erotic — sort of an aural aphrodisiac. Perhaps they are, but this platter is "inspired by" those films and not the original music.

In the afterglow following a listen of Sexy 70, this reviewer must admit to feeling somewhat dissatisfied. As an imaginary soundtrack for Brazilian porno of the '70s, Che's Sexy 70 promises a unique listening experience that ends up being a bit too contemporary sounding to fit the bill.

Che (aka Alexandre Caparroz) set out to compose and record music in the style favored by the original films, namely bossa-funk-lounge-soul-samba in the Italian style. With its 21st century production style, Sexy 70 sounds less like a '70s porno soundtrack than like the nu-bossa records that dominate chill-out club playlists today. Of course, not having heard any original Brazilian porn soundtracks, it is possible that Che's take on the genre is spot on, but to these ears it sounds too contemporary to ooze sex '70s style. Occasionally male and female voices slur presumably naughty bits to one another in Brazilian Portugeuse, but the music is no more or no less sensuous than any other nu-bossa groove album, which may be sufficient for those looking for a bit of aural foreplay. But for hardcore soundtrack collectors, it's just a tease.

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Shaft
Isaac Hayes
Stax

When it comes to classic funky movie themes, Isaac Hayes' award-winning "Shaft" is a 'bad mutha'. How 'bad'? Well, when Hayes was called upon to re-record it for the movie's remake starring Samuel L. Jackson, he hardly changed a thing. After all, why fix what isn't broken. While the stirring theme is enough to justify the purchase of the the original's soundtrack, the rest of the score is solid, too. From mellow grooves like "Bumpy's Lament" to atmospheric interludes like "Walk from Regio's" to the booty-shaking "Be Yourself" and the 19-minute jam of "Do Your Thing", Shaft delivers the goods. As a footnote, for the Shaft remake, composer David Arnold (of recent James Bond scores) did a fine job adapting Hayes' original theme -- updating it without watering it down.

"Are You Man Enough?"

Shaft in Africa
Johnny Pate (with The Four Tops)
Hip-o Select/Geffen

Finally issued on CD in 2005, Johnny Pate's outstanding score for Shaft in Africa is finally available without paying the collector price for original vinyl.

Johnny Pate contributed an outstanding score for the second Shaft sequel, Shaft in Africa, and an excellent soundtrack for Brother on the Run.  Shaft in Africa is a favorite among blaxploitation fans and hip-hop deejays alike. It's a truly cinematic soundtrack with memorable vocal tracks, particularly "Are You Man Enough?" sung by The Four Tops. The score also is sample-worthy thanks to its effective use of spare instrumentation and African percussion.

Closely associated with Curtis Mayfield group, The Impressions, and the Chicago soul scene, Pate brings his fine tuned arranger’s sensibility to funky big band tracks like the main theme and "You Can’t Even Walk in the Park" and an adventuresome spirit to the exotic-tinged "Headman" and "Truck Stop." Laid back tracks like "Aleme’s Theme," "Jazar’s Theme" and "Aleme Finds Shaft" display Pate’s melodic gift, while the pensively dramatic "El Jardia" evokes the film’s exotic location.

Shaft in Africa is absolutely essential.

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Shake Sauvage
Various Artists
Crippled Dick Hot Wax

Shango - La Pistola Infallibile
Gianfranco Di Stefano
Cinivox

Shapes of Rhythm/Woman is Sweeter
Galt McDermot
Kilmarnock

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jpegs/sonor1.jpg

She Knew No Other Way
Mike Rozakis
Potfleur

"Get Down Sheba"

Sheba, Baby
Monk Higgins & Alex Brown
Buddah

Monk Higgins and Alex Brown's soundtrack for Sheba, Baby, which is one of the less popular Pam Grier flicks, is an underrated gem. Full of funky instrumental grooves and Philly soul numbers sung by Barbara Mason, it's a wonder why it hasn't been given a proper CD reissue. Of its 16 tracks there's hardly one worth skipping in the pack.

The title track, sung by Mason, has an infectious hook ("she's a dangerous lady"), but it's not the only cut that invites repeated listens. Mason also shines on "A Good Man is Gone," a mid-tempo blues that will have you singing along.

The instrumentals hold up their end of the bargain, too. The brassy "Get Down Sheba," the sleazy "Three Hoods," and the struttin' "Who the Hell is That?" wouldn't sound out of place on an Isaac Hayes soundtrack. And that's just side one.

Side two kicks up more jazz-funky big band numbers with titles like "The Shark," "Breast Stroke" and "Speedboat."

If you consider yourself a blaxploitation fan your collection is sorely lacking if you skip this platter. It's not likely to replace Superfly as your fave, but don't be surprised if it creeps into your top ten.

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Shock
Libra
Cinevox

For one of his final films, Mario Bava sought to inject Schock (aka Shock, Beyond the Door II, ’77) with a Goblin-like rock soundtrack. He hired a group called Libra, featuring latter day members of Goblin keyboardist Maurizio Guiarini and drummer Agostino Marangolo.

The main theme is uptempo prog rock of late '70s/early '80s vintage. Other tracks are gentle, favoring acoustic guitars. Others are minimalistic, favoring drums that build up tension through erratic rhythms. Still other tracks are serene with tinkling piano and surf sounds. Then, just when the listener is lulled into quietude, along comes an psychotic electronic lullaby that segues back into prog rock.

Since Shock is the score for a movie about people having psychotic episodes resulting in murder maybe these various contrasts make sense. It's certainly to Libra's credit for covering a lot of stylistic ground in one score, but as a listening experience it's a bit confusing. Proceed with caution.

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Shorty the Pimp
Don Julian & the Larks
Southbound

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Shut It! The Music of the Sweeney
Various Artists
Cinephile

Signor Rossi
Franco Godi
Crippled Dick Hot Wax

This disc collects Franco Godi's whimsical and inventive soundtracks for the European cartoon about a man and his dog, Garson. Given its origins, the multi-lingual vocal tracks and instrumentals, Signor Rossi differs significantly from other Crippled Dick reissues. Instead of sleaze, we get silly, instead of psycho beat funk we get Saturday morning sing-a-longs and quirky comic mood swings. Not unlike Carl Stalling's Looney Tunes scores, Godi provides a plethora of iconic musical settings (western themes, sinister laboratory themes, etc.), but also manages to pen terrific pop tunes like "Viva Happiness".

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"Main Theme"

Sitting Target
Stanley Myers
Finders Keepers

When a soundtrack bears a sticker with a ringing endorsement from funky film composer David Holmes (Ocean's Eleven, O-Twelve, etc.) you know you're in for a treat. Stanley Myers' Sitting Target lives up to the hype.

Sitting Target is a '72 crime thriller starring Oliver Reed, Jill St. John and Ian McShane. It was rated X upon release due to graphic violence and sexual situations (lots of edgy flicks earned the X rating in those days).

The soundtrack is hyped as psychedelic and that's a fair assessment, though not in the late '60s feelin' groovy way, but rather in the brooding funky early '70s manner. Think Serge Gainsbourg's History of Melody Nelson, Alain Gourager's Fantastic Planet or Roy Budd when he gets lean and mean on the intrigue tip (i.e. The Stone Killer, etc).

That means dope slow mo beats, thick bass lines, string parts twisting and turning alongside spacious keyboard chords, solo horn and moody synths. There's a good deal of repetition, but the main theme certainly invites it, lending itself to subtle variations. The players, who remain nameless, are reputedly the cream of U.K.'s library scene, but this isn't the flashy generic power rock that seemed to dominate the library output during the '70s. In fact, it's almost minimalist at times and certainly jazzy in that meditative electric Miles vein, though occasionally Myers offers upbeat passages to break the tension.

Bottom line is if you're feeling a little sinister but want to keep a low profile as you cruise down a dodgy street this is your soundtrack.

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"Skateboard Racer"

This is Skateboard Music
Various Artists
Diggler

The idea of reviewing a CD completely devoted to skateboard songs of the '70s is a stretch for a site devoted primarily to soundtracks and library music. But this Diggler disc functions as a sort of soundtrack for the phenomenon that was born in the mid '60s, so we'll give it the benefit of the doubt.

Featuring tracks by The Carvells, Sneakers & Lace, T.Rex with Gloria Jones and several others, This is Skateboard Music is a cheesy, funny trip down to novelty tune town. All but one of the 14 tracks features "skateboard" in the title and lyrics; the exception is Streetkid's "Blue Tile Fever."

Listening to a rockin' track like "Skateboard Racer" by The Carvells is almost too much to take when one doesn't have a board to ride (and I haven't been on one in many years). While the disc is a welcome homage to such a wonderful waste of time, my guess is that today's skateboarders aren't likely to listen to it more than a handful of times. Better to stick it in a time capsule for some future generation to discover in, say, 500 years or so. It ought to raise a few eyebrows among the riders of hoverboards.

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Slalom
Ennio Morricone
Dagored

Slaughter's Big Rip-Off
James Brown
Polydor/Polygram

Released six months after Black Caesar, the second James Brown soundtrack in the year 1973 is just as funky and a bit more orchestrated. "Slaughter's Theme", with its strong polyphony, is a fine example of Brown's compositional collaborations with band director Fred Wesley. Clearly, Wesley's knowledge of the musical talent available to he and Brown enabled the pair to do some of their best work. Throw in the spotlight vocal of Lyn Collins on "How Long Can I Keep Up" and you've got a "mutha" of a score. Like Black Caesar, Slaughter generated at least one minor hit single for Brown, in this case "Sexy, Sexy, Sexy". And when the "Sex Machine" says "sexy, sexy, sexy", you know he means it.

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The Smart Set
Alberto Baldan Bembo
Right Tempo/Easy Tempo

Alberto Baldan Bembo's The Smart Set combines tracks from two of Bembo's soundtracks, both for sexy Italian melodramas My Mother's Friend and The Silver Tongue. The music is suitably sensual and sophisticated, but sometimes comes off as overly melodramatic. Still, there are some outstanding upbeat tracks like "Pedro Come", "Night Samba" and "Savana". This is the essential Bembo disc.

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So Sweet, So Sensual: Erotica Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Cinevox

"Sfida All'Ultima Forchetta" from Occhio alla Penna (MP3 edit)
"Fanfara per Ettore" from Il Soldato di Ventura (MP3 edit)

Occhio alla Penna / Il Soldato di Ventura
Ennio Morricone / G & M De Angelis
DigitMovies

DigitMovies is quickly becoming the "House of Spencer & Hill" as the label continues to reissue soundtracks for films starring Terence Hill (aka Mario Girotti) and/or Bud Spencer (aka Carlo Pedersoli) — two Italian screen actors who reaped popular acclaim with a string of hits in the 1970s.

Occhio alla Penna (aka Buddy Goes West, '81) came out long after the gold rush years of the Italian western — arguably '66 to '73. When Morricone scored this picture it must have been several years after his previous spaghetti score, which was probably Trinity is Back Again ('75), starring Hill.

For Buddy Goes West Morricone provides a wide range of western moods from stoic and somber to tender and tribal with comic passages thrown in for good measure. Just one listen and you'll immediately recognize this as a latter day Morricone western score even if you can't identify the source.

Let's face it: Buddy Goes West is no Once Upon a Time in the West, but the score hits the right stylistic beats as only Morricone can considering he practically invented the style. None the less, some tracks bear the tell-tale sounds of the squonky comic keyboard treatments that were common in the early '80s — you know, the kind that wouldn't sound out of place in some Saturday afternoon nature documentary about a big lumbering bear and his shenanigans on a campground (which, in a way, evokes the big hairy Bud Spencer). Also, the primitive "tribal" numbers are a bit comic as well, relying on "savage" vocal grunts against a background of rough percussion. Let's not forget, Bud Spencer movies are usually played for laughs.

Bottom line: Buddy Goes West is an entertaining and expertly executed western platter from the master, but isn't likely to replace My Name is Nobody on your list of late era favorites.

Il Soldato Di Ventura (aka Soldier of Fortune, '76), a comic adventure set during the Middle Ages, features a lively, light-hearted soundtrack by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis, who scored several Spencer and Hill flicks.

The composers evoke a "Renaissance minstrel in the gallery" flair by using fanfare brass as well as a small ensemble of primarily 6- and 12-string guitars, woodwinds, harpsichord, male chorus and light percussion.

The air of refinement suggested by such music is frequently subverted by the De Angelis brothers for farcical purposes. As the music takes a comic turn, one imagines the hero having fun at the expense of those who foolishly took him for granted. And to top it off he gets hilariously drunk with a servant girl on her master's wine. Of course, this is all conjecture. Having never seen the Soldier of Fortune I can only guess as to the scenerios that accompany such jolly music. But it's not all medieval pastiche. There are some splendid "scary" and "ghostly" cues that use theremin (or woodwinds imitating theremin), organ, Echoplex and creepy percussion.

Both of these "Bud Spencer" soundtracks capture the actor's warm humor while evoking two very different genres.

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Soylent Green/Demon Seed
Fred Myrow/Jerry Fielding
Film Score Monthly

Space is the Place
Sun Ra
Evidence

Sun Ra, free jazz sorceror of the cosmos, made a movie in 1972 that is "part documentary, part science fiction, part blaxploitation, part revisionist Bible epic" -- as the liner notes explain.

Sun Ra and His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra perform entrancing free jazz, complete with chanted vocal refrains, African percussion and wailing horns. Much of the music on the soundtrack would receive further exploration on a live tour in 1973-74 and on a recording of the same title for Impulse Records. Unlike the five-track Impulse recording, the Evidence set features 16 tracks clocking in between one and seven minutes (except for one cut that's nearly 17 minutes).

Like any Sun Ra album, this one is sure to divide a room. Perhaps that's the down side to being utterly original. Musically adventurous listeners, however, are sure to find it fascinating.

Note: This recording upset a friend's dog.

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Raumpatrolle (Space Patrol)
Peter Thomas Orchestra
Bungalow

Raumpatrolle or Space Patrol is the soundtrack for a Bavarian-produced TV sci-fi series of the 60s. Thomas' sound, as heard here as well as other recent reissues (100% Cotton, Kriminal Filmmuzik, Future Muzik), combines elements of Esquivel, Barry and Mancini. He's more than willing to experiment with instrumentation, particularily on this "futuristic" outing. Spacey organ riffs, expressive brass backing, soulful scat vocals, complex rhythmic changes, the occasional violin, bizarre percussion, eccentric jazz guitar fills and an astonishing range of thematic invention are all part of the Thomas' sound. Bungalow followed the release of Raumpatrolle with the double disc Warp Back to Earth 66/99 which features a full disc of highly experimental Space Patrol outtakes and a disc of remixes by an impressive selection of contemporary electronica artists, including Stereolab, Saint Etienne, Tipsy, High Llamas, Stock, Hausen & Walkman, Coldcut, etc. All in all, these discs are a great place to start in Thomas' soundtrack universe.

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"Stress Infinito"

Spasmo
Ennio Morricone
DigitMovies

Previously available on RCA paired with another of his giallo soundtracks is Ennio Morricone’s score for Umberto Lenzi’s Spasmo (aka The Death Dealer, '74), a surreal thriller with delightfully daft dialogue ("I have a razor in my room — big, sharp and sexy.").

The music for Spasmo, which Bruno Nicolai conducted, is anything but daft. It favors heavy moods dominated by screeching strings, turgid pipe organ and occasionally — for sanity's sake — Alessandro Alessandroni’s delicate acoustic guitar and chorus.

Spasmo's centerpiece is "Stress Infinito," which RCA presented as a 20-minute track, but DigitMovies divides into four parts separated by alternate takes of the title track and "Bambole" that didn't make the RCA CD. Taken together or in sections, "Stress Infinito" is a masterful slab of experimental suspense music. Dissonance and discord lead to disorientation in this diabolically designed labyrinth of despair. If that sentence seems overwrought you can blame it on the music, which is impressively single-minded in its mission to undermine sanity wherever it may be sequestered.

At the onset of "Stress Infinito" il maestro presents jarring electronic sound effects that pierce the writhing orchestral discord before setting down a simple beat offset by angular bass and keyboard lines. Eventually, the volume and tempo verge on hard rock, but in the least conventional sense possible. Easy listening it is not, but it also makes most giallo music sound easy-going by comparison. For a film that is notoriously bizarre and disturbing, Morricone’s score definitely lives up to its reputation.

DigitMovies' decision to spread the madness out over the course of the disc, divided by the gentle acoustic reveries of "Bambole" and the somber organ tones of "Spasmo" works both to the listener's advantage and disadvantage. On one hand, it'll save your sanity to hear "Stress Infinito" in four sections rather than one, but hearing it in piecemeal fashion also waters it down. At least the CD allows you to program the tracks any way you want to hear them.

If this score proves anything it's that Morricone learned plenty from Bernard Herrmann, but never resorts to apeing Hitchcock's favorite composer. No, he's too original to pull a stunt like that. Like the film's tagline puts it: "Beyond 'Psycho.' SPASMO!"

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Spectrum
Various Artists
Plastic

Spogliati, Protesta, Uccidi!/Quando L'Amore e Sensualita
Ennio Morricone
CAM Original Soundtracks

The early 70s were a great time for erotically-charged cinema on both sides of the Atlantic. Director Vittorio De Sisti's social drama Spogliati, Protesta, Uccidi! and comedy Quando L'Amore e Sensualita both pushed the erotic envelope, and both feature Ennio Morricone scores. For the drama, the composer relies heavily on the melody of "No One Can", a vocal number sung by Swan Robinson. Offsetting the folk ballad are a few psychadelically-tinged instrumental rockers. In contrast, the "comedy" receives a distinctively unfunny musical accompaniment, more in keeping with Morricone's thriller work. Here, the music has a minimalist sensibility, with pulsating piano rhythms, electronic atmospherics and vocal chants. Judging from the score, one wonders if the movie (it's title translates to "When Love is Lust") is really a comedy.

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The Spook Who Sat by the Door
Herbie Hancock
United Artists

"Main Title/Solo Strikes Again"

"Snow Goons/Touchdown"

The Spy with My Face: Music from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Movies
Various Artists
Film Score Monthly

Back in the spy crazy '60s when American TV shows like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. were in high demand overseas, the studio repackaged two-part episodes as theatrical releases. Naturally, American moviegoers were cynical about paying to see something they'd already seen for free and generally avoided these "movies," but international audiences ate them up — all eight of them.

That's right, over the course of four years M-G-M repackaged episodes of the NBC hit as To Trap a Spy and The Spy with My Face ('65), One Spy Too Many and One of Our Spies is Missing ('66), The Spy in the Green Hat and The Karate Killers ('67), The Helicopter Spies and How to Steal the World ('68). (Got that? There'll be a quiz later. Just kidding.)

Collected here for the first time are 36 tracks from the U.N.C.L.E. movies by show regulars Jerry Goldsmith (who wrote the riveting theme), Morton Stevens, Gerald Fried, Nelson Riddle and Richard Shores. Fried, who also contributed many memorable scores for the first Star Trek series around the same time, accounts for more than half of these tracks. Regardless of the composer, however, the sound is classic '60s Hollywood spy jazz through and through.

Like its series predecessors, this compilation is accompanied by engrossing liner notes and a plethora of related poster and promotional images. The Spy with My Face is essential stuff for fans of the genre and beyond.

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Squadra Antigangsters
Goblin
Cinevox

Now
Stark Reality
Stones Throw

Star Maidens
Berry Lipman
All Score Media

The Stone Killer / Black Windmill
Roy Budd
Cinephile

St. Pauli Affairs
Various Artists
Diggler

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Music for Strange Situations
Alessandro Alessandroni & Nora Orlandi
Hexacord

Music for Strange Situations is an apt title for this mysterious Italian psycho beat soundtrack. It's difficult to tell, from the scant liner notes, from what movie the music originates. "Strange Situations," perhaps? The teaser states: "She was not so candid as she would pretended to...(sic)." Whatever that means.

The track titles are generally in Italian and about half of them allude to bondage. Turning to the music itself offers at least some enjoyment, if no explanation. Catchy, beat driven psychadelic rock by Alessandroni is countered by off kilter experimental "bondage suites" by Orlandi. The contrast created by the two composers makes for a unique listening experience, which comparable to the Hubler & Schwab soundtracks for Jess Franco found on Vampyros Lesbos.

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The Stripper
Jerry Goldsmith
FSM Silver Age Classics