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Beat at Cinecitta Vol. 1-3
Various Artists
Crippled Dick Hot Wax

CripDick's three volumes of "raunchy, erotic filmmusic from the vaults of Italian 60s & 70s cinema" are indispensable to fans of groovy soundtracks. Each volume offers up such musicmakers as Riz Ortolani, Bruno Nicolai, Piero Piccioni and Armando Trovaioli, just to name a few. And, like every CripDick release, these are copiously illustrated and feature incisive liner notes. It would be difficult to rate each volume seperately, since each disc has its share of outstanding jazz funk sleaze and a track or two of lounge filler.

Volume 1's highlights include Teo Usuelli's "Piacere Sequence" and Picconi's "Traffic Boom", both of which were used in the Coen Brother's movie The Big Lebowski in a suitably sleazy context.

Volume 2's highlights include Piccioni's swanky vocal number "Mr. Dante Fontana" and Nico Fidenco's psychadelic go-go theme "Supercolpo Shake".

Volume 3's highlights include the sultry Isabel Bond singing "Let's Find Out" and Trovaioli's blistering fuzz-toned bump and grind number "Vittorio Gassman Shake" — which sounds like an outtake from the Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat. Volume 3 also includes Berto Pisano's hard swinging number "Kill Them All!", featuring the intense vocal performance of Doris Troy (who later contributed the haunting wordless wail to Pink Floyd's "The Great Gig in the Sky"); this track has also been reissued by Easy Tempo along with a few remixes. All in all, the Beat at Cinecitta discs are guaranteed to arouse a passion for Italian soundtracks.

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Beat Lounge at Cinevox, Vol. 1 & 2
Various Artists
Cinevox

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be more cinematic jazz funk lurking in some Italian vault, it's time to think again. Beat Lounge at Cinevox serves up two platters of randy, rocking grooves from a host of familiar names: Ennio Morricone, Goblin, Piero Piccioni, Piero Umiliani, the De Angelis brothers... they're all here.

The first volume gets kicking with Gigante & Bixio's super funky theme from Cain's Seed to Sandro Brugnolini's sleazy go-go music for Gungala the Naked Panther to Fred Bongusto's swanky Riviera cruising music for The Orders Are Orders the beat just goes on and on. It's all wrapped up nicely with the catchy theme to the Don Lurio Show, the disc's only TV soundtrack offering.

Volume 2 offers up more from the same collection of players. There's the break beat classic "Blue Rhythm Festival" by Piero Piccioni and Ennio Morricone's rockin' funk from Four Flies on Grey Velvet. Also on tap are other killer Hammond B-3 vamps and swank beat jazz jams from obscure movies like Bora Bora, The Spank and Maidens School. The second collection is just as strong, if not stronger than the first.

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Betty Page - Danger Girl/Jungle Girl/Private Girl
Various Artists
QDK Media

Athough she never made a Hollywood feature, Betty Page (or Bettie, as some prefer) was a rarity among pin up girls. She offered more than tawdry looks and voluptous curves. She offered dark obsession. Betty in lace. Betty in sequins. Betty in nothing at all. With her raven mane and Brooksian bangs, Betty alternated between innocence and knowing, between Lolita and Lulu.

QDK's three compilations -- each with a different mood and collection of photos -- are worth having, but they are not all they could be. Each disc offers a collection of rare music. The featured artists include a few long-running favorites like John Barry, Johnny Hawksworth and Nino Nardini, as well as a number of less familiar composers such as Mel Young and Johnny Burt.

Danger Girl is the crime jazz set, natch. "Mood One" by John Barry and Johnny Hawksworth's "Sweet and Sour" are lean, muscular outings. John Cacavas' "Agent Who" is positively proto trip hop, and is used along with a few other tracks, on QDK's titillating Betty Page CD-Rom The World of a Pin-Up Queen. Danger Girl is 22 tracks of rain-soaked, fog-choked streets, with a mysterious figure standing on the corner.

Jungle Girl is, of course, the exotica set. But if you're looking for Les Baxter and Martin Denny, look to the Ultra Lounge series. Here, the mood ranges from high spirited Latin numbers (Roses Roses' "Rubanita") to moog exotica (Nino Nardini's "Jungle Jazz") to psycho pop swing ("X cest" by Hawksworth. Like Danger Girl, this compilation features few marquee names, but still offers cool tracks. It's 24 tracks of leopard skin bathing suits, beach and boudoir. It's not as evocative as Baxter and Denny, but it will fill out your exotica collection nicely.

Private Girl offers the sub-title/description "Spicy Music". If you cue up the first track expecting something really randy, you'll be disappointed. You get passable mid-50s jazz dance called "Gramercy Swing". In fact, "spicy" is a more apt description for the accompanying photo collection, but not for the music itself, which is rarely "spicy". Perhaps Van Doren's "Low Down and Mean" fits the bill, but easy going rock 'n' roll like "Sandwich Bar" by Frank Barcley or "Uncle Fred" by Malcom Lockyer does not cut it. There's some great acid rock guitar on Jack Arel's "De Paris A Liverpool", but that's as hard as it gets. And Nino Nardini's swank "Trouser Suit" is a killer.

Nutshell: Get the set for its collectability, just don't expect to play them much. Oh, the things you'll do for Betty.

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"Yeh Mera Dil..." from Vol. 1 (MP3 edit)
"Cabaret Dance" from Vol. 1 (MP3 edit)
"Duniya Pagal Hai" from Vol. 2 (MP3 edit)
"Auva Auva Ko..." from Vol. 2 (MP3 edit)

Beginner's Guide to Bollywood Vol. 1 & 2
Various Artists
Nascente

Welcome to Bollywoodland. That's what it feels like listening to Nascente's two 3CD box sets devoted to Hindi film songs of the past 60 years. Since each is available for a price equivalent to a single CD, these beginner's boxes are terrific introductions to a sometimes intimidating genre (due to the language barrier more than anything else). Both volumes feature songs in a range of styles by such legendary and prolific composers as SD Burman, RD Burman, Kalyanji-Anandji, Shankar-Jaikeshan, Laximikant-Pyarelal, Bappi Lahiri and others.

Volume One, which has been available for a few years, divides the material by "Vintage," "Funky," and "Modern." Naturally, most ScoreBaby readers will want it just for the funky disc, which contains tracks found on other "funky Bollywood" compilations as well as relatively rare tracks — all from the '70s. The "Vintage" disc ranges from '51 to '73 and proves to be entertaining in its own right, though stylistically it's a bit more traditional. The "Modern" disc ranges from '80 to '02, and covers such styles as disco, techno and ambient music. Regardless of labels, most of this music blends Eastern and Western influences, just as it blends instruments from both hemispheres.l

Volume Two, which was recently released, explores three other styles: "Disco," "Rock & Roll," and "Kitsch." Naturally, the disco CD is a direct extension of the previous set's funky set, but covers mostly the early '80s and is much less likely to remind one of Hollywood's blaxploitation genre. Some tunes rip off "I Will Survive" and most interestingly "Video Killed the Radio Star." The rock and roll set covers the '60s and '70s, starting with everyone's favorite "Jaan Pehchaan Ho," which is originally from Gumnaam but best known for its use during the credit sequence of the Hollywood indie flick Ghost World. The intriguing "kitsch" platter explores such disparate styles as exotica, novelty, comedy and children's tunes.

Both sets have only minimal track notes (by compiler John Lewis of Time Out magazine), but for the price who's complaining. If you like Bollywood music at all you'll find something to like in these inexpensive box sets.

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"Giraffe Trapping Music" (MP3 edit)
"Bombshell Baby of Bombay" (MP3 edit)

The Bombay Connection Vol. 1 & 2
The Bombay Connection /
Bombshell Baby of Bombay
Various Artists
Normal

Normal Records, whose QDK Media subsidiary released two volumes of groovy Bollywood music several years ago, is back in the masala mix with a new five-CD series entitled The Bombay Connection. While Doob Doob O Rama, the previous series, has its fair share of Bollywood gold, the releases failed to provide much information about the origins of the featured tracks, failing to identify composers and sometimes the movies, too.

The Bombay Connection CDs, on the other hand, are richly packaged and thoroughly documented — better than any other Bollywood compilation this reviewer has ever laid eyes and ears on. Full color 30-page booklets offer a plethora of information about the tunes, the movies, and the composers — vividly illustrated with the sort of Bollywood movie scenes and characters that make the genre wildly entertaining.

But what about the music, you ask. Are we getting the same dozen tracks that so many other Bollywood compilations dish out? Thankfully, most of the material on volumes one and two is fresh. Actually, some of the tracks are so dope it makes one wonder how they were overlooked by compilers of previous Bollywood comps.

The Bombay Connection, Vol. 1 favors vocal and instrumental funk from action thrillers ('77-'84) like Bond 303, Bombay 405 Miles, Habari and Kashish. The most familiar track here is the theme music from The Burning Train. Sometimes peppered with snippets of Hindi-inflected English dialogue, funky tracks like "Giraffe Trapping Music" and "Dance Music" boast thick bass lines, wah-wah guitar, chugging drum beats and psychedelic production. Vol. 1 raises the bar very high for this series. The only disappointment may be the total lack of material from the classic Don movie.

Bombshell Baby of Bombay (The Bombay Connection, Vol. 2) spotlights nightclub jazz, surf and rock 'n' roll from '59-'72. When most people think Bollywood nightclub song the famous scene from Gumnaam comes to mind. Yes, "Jan Pahechan Ho" is on this compilation, too. How could it not be, right? Otherwise, the disc steers clear of over-compiled material. Other films featured here are Loafer, Bluff Master, Kismat and Priya among others. Infectious swingin' tunes delivered with sporadic manic energy is the name of the game here. Some of Bollywood's greatest singers are front and center, including Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi.

If volumes one and two of Normal's The Bombay Connection are any indication, this series should set the bar very high for Bollywood compilations in general. Next up (presumably in 2007): Vol. 3 — New Intoxications, Vol. 4 — Monster Masala, and Vol. 5 — Spy in Bombay.

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Cheops and Nefertiti" (MP3 edit)

Cinecocktail
Various Artists
Beat Records

Beat Records is home to many great Italian soundtracks, but only recently released a compilation comparable to those found in Right Tempo's Easy Tempo series or Crippled Dick Hot Wax's Beat at Cinecitta series.

Cinecocktail is an unabashed slab of cinematic easy listening, featuring tunes by label founder Franco De Gemini (the fast scat jazz of Cheops and Nefertiti"), Francesco De Masi and Alessandro Alessandroni (the sexy, groovy "Tema Di Londra"), Roberto Pregadio (the cheerful Latin dance of "Bi Di Bi Da") and many others.

While the mood is very consistent — romantic, sexy and carefree — the sounds range from groovy ("Grigioperla" by Gianfranco Plenizio) to tender ("La Figlia Di Belli" by the De Angelis brothers) to ethereal ("L'ultimo Whiskey" by Piero Umiliani) to breezily exotic ("Diamond Bossanova" by De Masi).

Accompanying this comp is a bonus disc containing three remixes, all of Pregadio tunes. "Bi-Di-Bi-Da-Scat" is bouyant and bouncy. "Claudiamix" is expansive and energetic. "Funky Chopper" is propulsive and percussive. The only problem with the remix disc is that there isn't more — it clocks in at under 22 minutes.

Sure, some of the original tracks appear on other compilations, but a fair amount do not. Overall, Cinecocktail is a well-mixed introduction to the Beat Catalogue.

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"La Ragazza Dalle Mani Di Corallo Seq. 2" (MP3 edit)
"Diamond Trumpet (remix)" (MP3 edit)

Cinecocktail: The 2nd Chance
Various Artists
Beat Records

Beat Records is at it again, serving up a platter of potent Cinecocktail grooves from the mid '60s through late '70s — arguably Italy's richest cinematic period. Unlike the first volume (see review), which favors sexy easy listening tunes, "The 2nd Chance" aims for more diverse material — about half of it previously unreleased.

Let's start with the rare material — all by Roberto Pregadio — that comes from four flicks: La Ragazza Dalle Mani Di Corallo ('71), Amore All'Arrabbiata ('76), L'Isola Delle Svedesi ('69) and Le Settima Donna ('78). The composer's jazz trio is a fine showcase for piano and Hammond organ on four tracks from La Ragazza. His mid-tempo beat theme for Amore favors flanged electric guitar. His perky beat theme for L'Isola blends organ and guitar. And the featured track from Le Settima Donna highlights dexterous guitar playing by an unknown musician.

Alongside the rare material are tracks from Sesso Matto (by Armando Trovaioli), Dove Vae Se Il Vizietto Non Ce L'Hai? (by Berto Pisano), Satanik and Kriminal (by Pregadio and Romano Mussolini), Yeti (by Sante Maria Romitelli), Master Stroke (by Francesco De Masi) and Roma Violenta (by Guido and Maurizio De Angelis) — all of which are available from Beat Records. The styles range from cool acoustic jazz (Satanik) to propulsive action jazz (Master Stroke) to funky disco (Sesso Matto and Yeti) to funky rock (Dove Vae Se Il Vizietto and Roma Violenta).

Also, like the first volume, The 2nd Chance features a second disc of club-ready remixes by Francesco Santucci.

Cinecocktail — The 2nd Chance is an eclectic overview of Beat Records at its best, digging deeply into the peak era of groovy Italian soundtracks.

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"Il Consigliori" by Riz Ortolani (MP3 edit)

Cinecocktail Calibro 3
Various Artists
Beat Records

The third installment in Beat Records' Cinecocktail compilation series focuses on scores from Italian cop thrillers. The poliziotteschi genre is a goldmine of great movie music, and Beat Records has a ton of it in its catalogue.

Calibro 3 features 22 jazzy, funky, groovy tracks from such films as Napoli Violenta, Milano Rovente and Blazing Magnum. The featured composers include the usual suspects: the De Angelis brothers, Armando Trovaioli, Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani, Franco Micalizzi, Stelvio Cipriani and Francesco De Masi among others. It's a arresting set that mixes familiar classics ("The Life of a Policeman") with less familiar but worthy rarities ("Il Consigliori").

What makes this Italian cop funk collection different from the rest is the inclusion of a DVD documenting "Cinevento De Masi," a recent tribute event to the late composer responsible for numerous cop funk scores. Naturally, the documentary features interviews with fellow composers, musicians and filmmakers who talk about De Masi and the police thriller genre.

Thankfully, the interviews are sub-titled in English, but the DVD is in PAL format, which will not play on standard American DVD players. You'll need a multi-region player or it may play on your computer — it did on mine.

The doc also features "live" performances by Franco Micalizzi's Big Bubbling Band, but the music heard during these passages are the original soundtrack recordings and not the actual live versions (this is accounted for in the CD insert). As a result, Micalizzi and the musicians rarely appear in sync with the audio, which makes for a somewhat frustrating viewing experience. Luckily, the interviews on the DVD provide sufficient interest to check it out.

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Crime Jazz: Music in the First Degree & Music in the Second Degree
Various Artists
Rhino

Ok, so about half of the music on these discs pre-dates the era to which Score, Baby! is dedicated. Just because a fair chunk of it comes from the 50s, doesn't mean it doesn't contribute to the groovy soundtrack genre. Fact is, early crime jazz helped pave the way for spy soundtracks of the 60s and the funkier OSTs of the 70s. Like Ultra Lounge's crime jazz volume The Crime Scene,these Rhino discs compile the hard boiled themes from TV and the silver screen; unlike the Scene, however, the Rhino discs rely on the originals rather than cover versions. It's all here: music from Johnny Staccato, Touch of Evil, Peter Gunn, M Squad and Naked City — and that's just the first volume. The second volume features great stuff from Mirage, The Liquidator, Mission: Impossible, 77 Sunset Strip and Experiment in Terror. It's all very arresting (sorry! I couldn't resist). Essential listening.

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Doob Doob O'Rama 1 & 2
Various Artists
QDK Media

Like Bollywood Funk and Dance Raja Dance, other Bollywood soundtrack compilations reviewed on Score, Baby!, Doob Doob O'Rama and Doob Doob O'Rama 2 contain authentic Indian filmsongs. I point this out in case the reader is seeking another remix project like Bombay the Hard Way. Don't get me wrong -- Bombay the Hard Way is wonderfully entertaining revisionist Bollywood funk, but it's the only one of its kind (except for Bollywood Breaks -- to be reviewed in July). Both Doob Doob discs collect mostly vocal tracks that touch on funk, jazz, pop and swing. Judging from the sound quality, I'd say these tracks were dubbed from the movies themselves or maybe old LPs, but probably not master tapes. There's a raspy, tinny quality to the sound, which -- depending on your fondness for Bollywood music -- may influence your overall aural enjoyment. I happen to like the Bollywood sound, so I listen past the surface noise. Really, what's not to like? The bizarre, rambunctious energy and strange musical juxtapositions contained in these recordings is priceless. Imagine if Carl Stalling (the brilliant Looney Tunes composer) had been nursed with spicy chai tea instead of mother's milk, and you'll get a vague idea of what a Bollywood filmsong sounds like. The label responsible for the Doob Doob discs is none other than QDK, the label that brought us the Russ Meyer soundtracks and the Betty Page-inspired discs (reviewed below). The packaging features colorful film stills, but little in the way of documentation. There's an essay with the first set, but no recording dates. I suppose it all contributes to the mystery that is the Bollywood soundtrack.

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Easy Tempo, Volumes 1-9
Various Artists
Right Tempo/Easy Tempo

The Easy Tempo series constitutes the most exhaustive collection of Italian cinematic jazz funk available. To try and rate each volume seperately becomes a highly subjective exercise, since each volume tends to feature the same music makers — like Piero Umiliani, Armando Trovajoli, Piero Piccioni, Berto Pisano, et al. Although a couple of volumes attempt to offer a sub-category approach — like Volume 2's focus on psychadelic sounds ("psycho beat") and Volume 3's focus on Latin rhythms — most of the discs are very consistant in sound style. Therefore, it's best to take the series as a whole, because each disc has its standout tracks, but never a genuine stinker. A lot of credit goes to the people at Easy Tempo — part of the jazz label Right Tempo — for having great ears. I can't emphasize enough how essential these discs are to groovy soundtrack fans. Take the plunge.

Easy Tempo Vol. 10 reviewed below.

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Easy Tempo Vol. 10
Various Artists
Easy Tempo/Right Tempo

For fans of groovy Italian soundtracks, the Easy Tempo series is an invaluable collection. Therefore, the arrival of the tenth and final volume is a bittersweet affair. Featuring 20 tracks by such favorites as Piero Umiliani, Ennio Morricone, Armando Trovajoli, Piero Piccioni, Bruno Nicolai and many others, Easy Tempo ...end titles delivers delectable jazzy grooves guaranteed to surprise and delight.

The disc opens with a seven-minute "film edit" of a theme from Five Dolls for an August Moon. Although most of the tracks are much shorter at two to three minutes, there are a few in the 5 to 8 minute range, including an extended version of Morricone's ubiquitous "Metti Una Sera Cena," which was recorded live on Italian national television in 1974. Original vocalist Edda dell'Orso delivers a fine performance.

In fact, this collection boasts more vocals performances than previous Easy Tempo volumes -- eight of the 20 tracks. Other vocal contributions come from Vania, Olympia, Giulia Alessandroni, Marie France Garcia, Miranda Martino and, of course, i Cantori Moderni di A. Alessandroni.

It should be noted that Easy Tempo Vol. 10 takes most of its tracks from hard-to-find, out-of-print soundtracks and microgrooves, rather than collecting highlights from reissued albums. That fact alone should make this release a must have for fans of cinematic grooves.

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Easy Tempo Experience, Vol. 1 & 2
Various Artists
Temposphere/Easy Tempo

This series strives to update the cinematic jazz funk found on the Easy Tempo 10 volume series. Each volume features dancefloor and down tempo remixes by electronica artists such as Gak Sato, Beanfield, The Karminsky Experience, Kid Loco and the High Llamas. The original music-makers include Berto Pisano, Lesiman, Armando Trovajoli, but most often Piero Umiliani. Generally speaking, the remixes maintain the mood of the originals, while enhancing the rhythm tracks. Although this restraint may disappoint those who enjoy the more experimental side of electronica, it isnÕt likely to disappoint fans of the original recordings. Like other remix compilations there is some overlap in terms of the source material — i.e. there is more than one version of "Lady Magnolia", "Sessomatto" and "Mah NaÕ Mah NaÕ", but never in the context of one volume.

The third installment is as good, and perhaps better than its predecessors. The combination of DJ talent (DJ Vadim, Kid Loco, Gak Sato, Captain Funk, et al) and great sound sources (Piero Piccioni's "Colpo Rovente", Lesiman's "Messaggio", Stefano Torossi's "Walking in the Dark", and a whole lotta Piero Umiliani) makes for a varied, but satisfying collection. It begins with an uncharacteristically solemn ambient version of Umiliani's "Panoramica" by Cinematic Orchestra, but then dives into intensive beat therapy from Benja & Fatalis. Raphael Sebbag is up next with the masterful jet setter theme music "L'uomo e la Citta" (which has become my summer theme music even though my travels are limited to the day job and back). Drum 'n' bass mayhem from Izuru Utsumi is then followed by exotica trip hop from Open Transport. This is followed by another masterwork, DJ Vadim's deconstruction of Torossi's "Walking in the Dark", then Marco Polo Cecere's manic house track "Discomania". Speaking of house, Captain Funk blows it down with "Malizie di Venere". Kid Loco then lowers the boom with another, seemingly inevitable downtempo version of "Lady Magnolia" (there's a version on each installment of this series). Astronaughty keeps the downtempo vibe going with "Hard Times". And Gak Sato wraps things up nicely with an entrancing version of Lesiman's "Messaggio" (then again, how hard is it to be mesmerizing when your covering Lesiman?). Get this disc before the summer is over!

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The Spiders — Movie Tracks
Solid Records Ultra Vybe / Hotwax Trax
"Track 1" (MP3 edit)

Nikkatsu New Action — 1968 to 1971
Solid Records Ultra Vybe / Hotwax Trax
"Track 1" (MP3 edit)

Nikkatsu New Action — Stray Cat Rock
Solid Records Ultra Vybe / Hotwax Trax
"Track 2" (MP3 edit)

Sukeban Guerrila
Solid Records Ultra Vybe / Hotwax Trax
"Track 2" (MP3 edit)

Teppoudama No Bigaku — The World Of Sadao Nakajima
Solid Records Ultra Vybe / Hotwax Trax
"Track 1" (MP3 edit)

Nikkatsu New Action — Gangland War — Bloody Territories 1966 to 1971 — The World Of Akira Kobayashi
Various Artists
Solid Records Ultra Vybe / Hotwax Trax
"Track" (MP3 edit)

Japanese record labels have been issuing Italian soundtracks and compilations for several years. But, until recently, the availability of Japanese cult soundtracks has been scant at best. Thankfully, the Hotwax Trax compilations from Ultra Vybe subsidiary Solid Records are making a serious dent in the demand for Japsloitation movie music.

With home video companies like Criterion and Panikhouse releasing DVDs of Japanese cult flicks of the '60s and '70s it only makes sense that a record label would come forward with a series of soundtrack comps. Hotwax Trax accounts for some of the most notorious yakusa crime and "pinky" sexploitation films of the era. With music ranging from early rock to jazz to lounge to folk to psychedelia and funk, these discs offer a full gamut of listening pleasure.

That's the good news.

About half of the tracks have Japanese vocals, and while that isn't necessarily a bad thing the complete lack of song title and lyric translations are likely to leave some listeners humming along but also scratching their heads. Sure the melodies are usually catchy, but wouldn't it be great to know what they're singing about? One can assume that the lyrics reflect the seedy subject matter of the films, but without the proof it's difficult to appreciate their celebration or lamentation of life in the underworld. That said, if you can listen to Bollywood songs without getting held up by the language these Japsloitation tunes shouldn't pose a problem.

For some listeners the instrumentals will be more enjoyable. Hearing the Japanese take on rock 'n' roll and crime jazz can be a giddy pleasure. Still, it would be a stretch to say that they do anything innovative with the forms. We're not talking about hybrid cars or lean manufacturing processes — areas where the Japanese are famously innovative. Clearly, when it comes to popular music forms, they're copying what they've heard in American and European films, and merely doing a competent job of it. There's novelty in it to be sure, but repeated listens may leave more descerning listeners wanting something more inventive — like Bollywood's often kaleidoscopic take on the same western genres.

Just as the listening experience is a mixed pleasure, so is the packaging. Most of the CDs come with surprisingly large, luridly colorful movie poster reproductions. And the CD inserts contain numerous provocative movie images. The problem is all of the text on these inserts is in Japanese with no translation. So, artist names, tracklists and movie info generally are a mystery. Unless one reads Japanese or knows someone who can, the only way one can learn anything about these releases is to use Google's automatic translator when visiting the Web pages associated with them. But even then, the translations are approximate at best — often laughably so. With so many European soundtrack releases having English-translated liner notes it's frustrating that Solid Records didn't consider it a priority — especially considering the vast number of Japsloitation movie fans in America and Europe.

While the Hotwax Trax CDs are exciting additions to any cult soundtrack collection, ScoreBaby can only give a cautious recommendation to non-Japanese listeners, especially in light of their import prices.

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The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — Vol. 1
Various Artists
Film Score Monthly

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is well known among fans of crime jazz and spy soundtracks, but most record collectors are only familiar with Hugo Montenegro's two U.N.C.L.E. cover collections released on RCA Victor vinyl in the '60s, then re-issued together on CD in '94. Those collections did big business, but featured arrangements that had little to do with the original music by Jerry Goldsmith (who's credited with the Main Theme), Morton Stevens, Lalo Schifrin, Gerald Fried, Walter Scharf, Richard Shores and Robert Drasnin.

This new limited edition 2CD set is a welcome addition as it offers music that's never been heard outside of the original episodes selected from all four seasons. As usual, Film Score Monthly provides the best possible sound quality (which is no small feat considering the original music wasn't intended for stereo listening) and truly in-depth liner notes, complete with episode stills, promo art and composer biographies.

The music for U.N.C.L.E. is among the finest written for TV in the '60s. The mood of Goldsmith and company's action jazz is by turns invigorating and cooly intriguing, leaving ample room for the swanky and dramatic. The music comes from the episodes or "affairs": The Vulcan, The Deadly Games, The Double , The Project Strigas, The King of Knaves, The Fiddlesticks, Alexander the Greater, The Foxes and Hounds, The Discotheque, The Re-Collectors, The Arabian, The Tigers are Coming, The Dippy Blonde, The Her Master's Voie, The Monks of St. Thomas, The Pop Art, The Summit-Five and The "J" for Judas.

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The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — Vol. 2
Jerry Goldsmith, et al
Film Score Monthly

Another 2CD compilation of original U.N.C.L.E. tracks?! What might seem like overkill to the uninitiated is a boon to spy jazz fans. Like FSM's first volume, number two offers killer grooves from Jerry Goldsmith, Morton Stevens, Walter Scharf, Gerald Fried, Lalo Schifrin, Robert Drasnin, Richard Shores and Nelson Riddle.

The rationale for the second volume is simple: one 2CD compilation could never due justice to a show with so much cool music, and this compilation features some of the U.N.C.L.E. movie music from the same era. In fact, this comp contains the remaining nine original tracks from the series and movies. All told there are 32 tracks, clocking in at more than two-and-a-half hours.

If you're unfamiliar with the sound, imagine thrilling action, swinging Latinesque lounge, exotic passages and dramatic suspense cues -- most often scored for small orchestra featuring woodwinds, percussion, guitar, bass and brass. There's even a little funky drumming on tracks like "The Pop Art Affair" and "One of Our Spies is Missing."

Again, FSM delivers in-depth liner notes, original promo artwork and stills.

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"The Girl from U.N.C.L.E." (MP3 edit)

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. — Volume 3
Jerry Goldsmith et al.
Film Score Monthly

While fans of all things U.N.C.L.E. wait for the inevitable DVD box sets of the original TV episodes they can listen to Film Score Monthly's generous CD soundtrack compilations. FSM released the first 2CD volume in 2002, followed by another 2CD volume in 2003. This year, FSM released the final 2CD volume of original music by Jerry Goldsmith, Lalo Schifrin, Gerald Fried and others.

Vol. 3 of this meticulously annotated series includes more exciting cues from the hit spy show, but also boasts about 40 minutes of music from the spin-off show, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.

Like the first two volumes, this beautifully illustrated "best of" draws material from all five seasons of the Man series. Unfortunately, the Girl series, starring Stephanie Powers and Noel Harrison, only lasted for one season. In fact, only eight of its 29 episodes featured complete original scores. Dave Grusin and Richard Shores were major contributors. For its theme, Grusin, a consummate jazz composer, adapted Goldsmith's Man from U.N.C.L.E. theme music. Incidentally, versions of some of the featured Girl tracks were used on Tony Randazzo's Girl from U.N.C.L.E. album, which was released to promote the show following the success of Hugo Montenegro's first Man from U.N.C.L.E. album on RCA.

Musically speaking, Volume 3 is every bit as strong as its predecessors. The atmospheres of exotic intrigue and pulse-quickening action are potent and enveloping, despite having been created to serve as little more than background. There is more than 77 minutes of music on each of the volumes two CDs.

FSM's pressing of this essential CD, like previously volumes, is limited to 3,000.

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Pop Boutique Vol. 1, 2 & 3
Various Artists
Spinning Wheel

Billed as "a sophisticated selection of unreleased soundtrack tunes", Pop Boutique is guaranteed to satisfy fans of library jazz funk. The source for most of the tracks are the defunct Munich labels Sonoton, Selected Sound and Edition Show Business, presented here by Spinning Wheel.

The sound quality is excellent — though the levels seem to jump around — and the range of sounds is pleasingly diverse. From the slow soul of Nancy Holloway on "Sand and Rain" to Racines Synthetiques's electro funk "Asteroide" to the psycho beat crime jazz of Alan Lewis, the ears behind Spinning Wheel show remarkably good taste.

Sub-titled "Selected Sounds for Hipsters," my expectations for the third installment in this growing Spinning Wheel series were high, and I wasn't disappointed. The packaging breaks with the mannequin design on the series' first two installments, sporting instead a minimalistic gold, black and white design.

The disc kicks off with an instrumental version of "Sex World" by Barry Lipman, though the track listing identifies it as "Highway Patrol". (This track has had a strange life, turning up as the theme to an American-made porn movie, on the soundtrack for the German-made sci-fi TV show Star Maidens, and now from a German sound library collection.) Oddly enough, another Lipman track heard on the Star Maidens soundtrack as "Akam on the Move" turns up here as "Hot Track" by Rex Brown Company. Very odd, indeed.

That's not to say that Pop Boutique 3 is of dubious worth. In fact, it's chuck full of very cool grooves culled from the Selected Sounds library in Hamburg. Not all of it will be new to listeners familiar with other compilations of this type. Still, it's at least as funky as Pop Boutique 1 & 2. And I highly recommend it, despite the aforementioned informational inconsistencies.

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Pulp Fusion Volumes 1-6
Various Artists
Harmless

Sure the title was inspired by Pulp Fiction -- so maybe that dates this series more than it deserves -- but there's so much good music on these discs that it would be wrong to write them off as trendy.

Individually titled Pulp Fusion, Return to the Tough Side, Revenge of the Ghetto Grooves, Fully Loaded, Evolution and Magnum, it would be incorrect to call them blaxploitation compilations since they aren't strictly soundtrack based. In fact, most of the work comes from jazz funk records of the same era. We're talking about soul brothers like Lonnie Liston Smith, The Blackbyrds, Willie Bobo, Herbie Hancock and so on.

What you get would sound right at home on a funky soundtrack: powerful grooves, rife with danger and pulsating with purpose. Put these jams on in your late model Toyota, Honda, VW, etc. and suddenly your cruisin' in one bad ass Caddy. You're looking for trouble, and don't care who knows it.

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Pulp Fusion - The Harder They Come
Various Artists
Harmless

Just a month or so back, Score, Baby! reviewed Harmless' series of Pulp Fusion compilations. Their mix of blaxploitation tracks and funky ghetto jazz is top shelf. Little did we know the seventh volume was on the way: Pulp Fusion - The Harder We Come. Call it a happy oversight.

Like the previous volumes (including Return to the Tough Side, Revenge of the Ghetto Grooves and others) this volume is hard hitting and funky to a fault. The tracks originate from '69 to '76, and often come from hard-to-find albums.

If you like your funk with a classical twist, try Daniel Salinas' "Straussmania" or Gordon Staples' "Strung Out" from the Fred Williamson movie soundtrack Mean Johnny Barrow. That one has a soaring yet groovy arrangement featuring the Motown Strings.

Care to hear something from the early days of Kool & the Gang or Funkadelic? Try "Electric Frog Part 1" and "A Joyful Process."

How about a couple of jazz guitar greats with a fatback beat? Grant Green's Blue Note number, "In the Middle," and George Benson's pre-hitmaker CTI groover, "Dance."

Need something seedier, try "Smokin' Cheeba Cheeba" by Harlem Underground Band or Fuzzy Haskin's "The Fuzz and Da Boog." There's more, of course, and much of it has been sampled by hip hop producers. Not surprisingly, it's chuck full 'o' breaks.

You need this one -- now.

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Sonorissima 1 & 2
Various Artists
Black Cat

If Sirocco's Stereo Ultra series represents the best that French library music has to offer, Black Cat's Sonorissima series does the same for Italian library music.

Again the sources for these recordings are little known labels that serviced TV, movies, radio. The artists are also little known, including such names as Basilvian, E. Volonte and A. Dammicco on Volume 1 and Lindok and G. Mazza exclusively on Volume 2. It almost sounds as if it's the same group playing a mix of soul beat, psycho beat and jerk with spirit and professionalism. Throbbing rhythms underscore punchy brass, groovy Hammond B-3, funky Fender Rhodes.

Stand out tracks include "Breeding Ground," "Soul Gravy," "Telegraph is Calling," "Crossway," "Wave" and "Week End." One track leads effortlessly to the next, making for a seemless listening experience, one that will make you want to dance. So many infectious grooves!

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Stereo Ultra 1, 2 & 3
Various Artists
Sirocco

These collections of French soundtracks and library music of the 60s and 70s are tres' magnifique.

Stereo Ultra 1 collects fab French pop tracks from feature films, and the selection has been significantly duplicated by the recent Crippled Dick collection Shake Sauvage.

The tracks on Stereo Ultra 2 were produced by Tele Music for French TV, film and radio, by musicmakers who are little known outside of France. That's of little concern, however, since the selection itself is a satisfying blend of jazz funk and groove-laden easy listening. While names like Eddie Louiss, Mat Camison and Bernard Lubat don't ring many bells, the break beats, throbbing bass lines, wha-wha guitars, buzzing flutes, brash brass and jazzy vibes should be enough to attract fans of funky instrumental music.

Described as "another collection of fat & funky French Music Libary 1970-1982," it's hard not to like Stereo Ultra 3. The beats are truly fat and funky, with a strong soul tinge. The stylistic range includes psycho beat and jerk.

Compiled by Pascal Armand from the little known labels, this collection of music for TV, radio and movies (and a few remixes) is solid throughout. Tracks like "Soul Car" and "West Coast Drive" sound as if they are straight out of a Hollywood cop show circa '76.

There's loads of Latin percussion on tracks like "Kuzi-Kuza" and "Latin Leitmotiv." Wha-wha guitar and funky clavinet rule on "Electronic Mutation" and equally funky, phased out Fender Rhodes takes over the scene on tracks like "Red Medium."

Mixed into the set are remixes by the Waterdrop, Flower & Doctor L. and Knockheadz. The blend is remarkably seamless. The best of them is the Big Beat mix of "Aubergine Time," a track that shows up on Stereo Ultra 2. The sound is aggressive and the scratching is between original groove and hardcore techno is inspired. Fun disc.

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Stroboscopica Vol. 1 & 2
Various Artists
Plastic


Stroboscopica Vol. 1 & 2 are two well-rounded comps of psycho beat lounge and jazz funk, much of which was used by Cinecitta movie studios in the 60s and 70s. The subtitle for volume two is typically bizarre: "70s psychofunk jazzy beats for erotic thrilling fiction". And the "genre/style" descriptions follow suit: "psychadelic reality", "whisky and baby doll", "action in the city", and "threatening hidden menace". The first volume favors psycho beat and the second favors funky crime themes. The featured artists include Franco Micalizzi, Marc 4, I Gres, Pulsar Music Ltd., Stefano Torrosi, even Ennio Morricone. All in all, very groovy stuff.

Stroboscopica 3 features "20 jazzy orchestral Latin strobo sounds from cinematic 70s filmworks." At least that's what the cover says -- and for the most part, that's true. While a couple of the tracks are familiar from other compilations, most of the set is unfamiliar sound library stuff from little known Roman labels such as Gemelli. The sound is alternately funky, jazzy and Latin-tinged. Sometimes its psychadelic, other times totally lounge. It's as good as the first two Stroboscopica collections, and may be the best.

Most of the featured composers are fairly obscure (V. Nadalin, Rino de Filippi), but anyone who has the other Stroboscopica CDs will recognize a few (G. Sorgini, A. Alessandroni). Stylistically, it remains consistant.

Each track comes with a style description, and like the other Strobo sets, they are colorful: "metropolis, sex, cars" -- "technological stress" -- "lunar sadness" -- "bizarre worlds" and so on.

DJs in search of fresh breaks, should definitely check it out. The track listing also provides tempo and instrument descriptions.

Plastic remains one of the best Italian labels for groovy soundtracks.

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Suono Libero Vol. 1 & 2
Various Artists
Irma La Douche

Over the course of three discs (Vol. 2 is a double) the listener is treated to the sort of funkadelic jams that enliven so many Italian OSTs from the 60s and 70s. Fuzz toned guitar wrestles with a mean Hammond B3. The rhythm section lays down the supple groove. You suddenly find yourself behind the wheel of a growling sports car, whizzing along the palm-lined Riviera drag, and you're looking for action. Then you pinch yourself and it's only Suoni Libero Vol. 1 and 2 (translated as "Free Sound"), subtitled "a trip through obscure 70s jazz funk tracks from Italian music library".

These "library" recordings were originally made for the labels Black Power and SMART, both of which provided background music for TV and "second class films". The musical artists found therein are obscure even to fans of Italian cinematic jazz funk. Romano Rizzati? Blue Sharks? Daniella Casa? Still, the track listing does turn up names like Alessandro Alessandroni, who had his share of film credits. With titles like "Black California" "The Turf" and "Rally", it's easy to imagine this stuff being the soundtrack for the volatile social gatherings of the cultural revolution. But there's no politics here, just stone funky grooves. Would you have it any other way?

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Russ Meyer's Lorna/Vixen/Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!
Russ Meyer's Mudhoney/Finders Keepers Lovers Weepers/Motor Psycho
Russ Meyer's Good Morning... and Goodbye!/Cherry, Harry & Raquel/Mondo Topless
Russ Meyer's Up! MegaVixens/Beneath the Valley of the UltraVixens/SuperVixens
Various Artists
QDK Media

The only thing better than enjoying these soundtracks (both aurally and visually) is to actually view Russ Meyer's outrageously entertaining cinematic sleaze fests. In fact, after listening to one of these discs, one almost feels as if he's actually watched the movies, since the audio content comprises musical cues and copious dialogue. On top of that, QDK's packaging is generous in its use of movie stills to say the least.

It's difficult to rank these discs in relation to one another; all have hilarious dialogue and effective, if somewhat generic scores that use everything from beat jazz to swing to ersatz hillbilly sounds and classical themes. QDK has promised a fifth disc, compiling soundtrack material from Meyer's early nudie-cutie flicks The Immoral Mr. Tease, Eve and the Handyman and Wild Gals of the Naked West. While it should be mentioned that several, mostly unknown composers contributed to these soundtracks, the real star here is Russ Meyer, whose wit and originality shine through in the most sublimely ridiculous passages.

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"Main Title (Deserto Di Fuoco" by Roberto Pregadio from SW1 (MP3 edit)
"100,000 for Ringo" by Bruno Nicolai from SW2 (MP3 edit)
"Due Ringos Del Texas" by Carlo Savina from SW3 (MP3 edit)
"A Colt in the Fist of the Devil" by Gian Reverberi from SW4 (MP3 edit)
"For a Few Dollars More" by Ennio Morricone from LIW (MP3 edit)

Spaghetti Westerns Vol. 1-4 /
The Legendary Italian Westerns
Various Artists / Ennio Morricone
DRG / RCA

Four volumes, seven CDs (three doubles, one single), more than 8.5 hours of music from more than 100 Italian westerns by more than two dozen composers. The Spaghetti Westerns series from DRG is a must have for fans of both the genre and Italian movie music — period.

Volumes one through three lassos music on the General Music (GDM) label, which was founded by several noted composers including Piero Piccioni, Armando Trovaioli, Luis Bacalov and the greatest spag western composer ever Ennio Morricone. Volume four corralls music from Beat Records.

It would be difficult to say which volume is the best, as each offers a wide variety of composers and many outstanding themes.

Too numerous to mention, suffice it to say that the selection of Italian westerns represented in this series ranges from the known (Django, My Name is Nobody, et al) and the fairly unknown (Tequila Joe, The Day of Fire, et al). Moreover, one isn't likely to find full scores for a vast number of these films on CD or original LP — at least not without paying high collector prices. It should be noted that the genre's most influential artist, Morricone of course, is under-represented in this series.

For a sampler of the essential Morricone western soundtracks (like music from the Dollars trilogy) one should pick up The Legendary Italian Westerns, which is volume two of RCA's The Film Composers Series, but frequently misidentified as volume two of The Legendary Italian Westerns.

Legendary is fine CD doesn't try to represent all of Morricone's western scores — there's nothing from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Duck You Sucker (A Fistful of Dynamite), The Big Gundown, My Name is Nobody, or many others — but it's still an impressive selection. Included are themes from two pre-Dollars westerns, Gunfight at Red Sands and Guns Don't Argue. Of the Dollars scores, only Fistful and For a Few are included here. In addition there are tracks from two Ringo films, Seven Guns for the MacGregors, Death Rides a Horse and Once Upon a Time in the West.

Between Legendary and the DRG series, one gets a pretty amazing overview of the spaghetti western genre. Inevitably, they serve as a primer for collecting some of the complete scores, some of which are available on CAM, Beat, Digitmovies and other soundtrack specialty labels.

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