On The Brink: Return Of The Instro-Hipsters

On The Brink: Return Of The Instro-Hipsters

On the Brink is a collection of 20 previously uncomped and absolutely superb UK instrumentals from the '60s and early '70s, assembled by legendary psych musician and Psychic Circle label-head, Nick Saloman (The Bevis Frond). Presenting session men discovering sitars, orchestras getting into the freaky side of things, hip theme tunes, Hammonds, fuzz and brass. Somehow sophisticated and cheesy simultaneously, these acts created their own musical world of Chelsea apartments, mini-mokes, dark velvet bespoke tailoring and the dolliest birds this side of Battersea Bridge. Welcome to the soundtrack of your own unmade Swinging London movie. Artists include: Mike Vickers, the Jim Sullivan Sound, the Shock Absorbers, Wynder K. Frog, Rita, Offside, the Les Reed Orchestra, David Smith, the Keith Mansfield Orchestra, the Dave Davani Four, the Fidd, Ken Woodman's Piccadilly Brass, the John Schroeder Orchestra, Trax Four, the Mike Cotton Sound, Lee Mason and his Orchestra, the Vic Flick Sound, the Chris Barber Soul Band, Brian Bennett and Stanley Myers.

From the mid-'60s to the early '70s, there were quite a few instrumental releases recorded in the U.K. that seemed geared toward the easy listening market. Or, if the intention wasn't quite as gauche, they certainly weren't meant for the average rock fan, who likely wanted something hipper with more vocals and guitars. Still, even if the limited audience for these might have been (at least in part) listeners who wanted to feel a little hip without getting too far out, the musicians nonetheless couldn't help but be influenced by the rock, soul, and jazz trends of the day. On the Brink: Return of the Instro-Hipsters is a 20-track compilation of cuts from obscure 1965-1973 releases in this mold, with Swinging London go-go-like organs and brass being perhaps the most common (though by no means only) ingredients in the arrangements. There are a few names here that will be known to serious British Invasion fans, like Mike Vickers (from Manfred Mann), Jim Sullivan (the numero uno British rock session guitarist before Jimmy Page eclipsed him), Wynder K. Frog, the Mike Cotton Sound, the Dave Davani Four, Vic Flick (famous for playing on "The James Bond Theme"), and British senior jazz statesman Chris Barber; others are known as top cats in the British easy listening arena and have already been honored by reissues of their own (Ken Woodman and John Schroeder).

While any compilation that takes such an unusual angle to such a heavily mined reissue field as British '60s pop is to be applauded, you'd have a hard time pushing all of this as essential listening, even within its narrow subgenre. A good deal of it really is kind of mundane background soul-rock instrumental music – something that could have worked satisfactorily on B-movie soundtracks of the era, but which doesn't stand too well on its own two feet. There are occasional psychedelic echoes on sitar and screeching fuzz guitar, but these sound more like cheesy appropriations to make the cuts seem more "with it" than they sound like outbursts of creativity. It's only occasionally that the tracks let rip with the groovy organ and devious spy guitar licks lots of curious listeners will really want to hear, as the Dave Davani Four's fine cover of the "Top of the Pops" theme and the Vic Flick Sound's "West of Windward" do on both counts. As for other gut-grabbers, Ken Woodman's Piccadilly Brass' "Mexican Flier" would have worked great as a '60s Bond-like thriller theme, and the Chris Barber Soul Band's "Morning Train" (from 1965) has to be the veteran jazzer's most effective stab at the pop/rock market, with some great Brian Auger organ and an edgy jazz-blues fusion that approximates (but doesn't quite match) the sound of the Graham Bond Organisation. Some worthwhile and fun stuff here, then, but there's a significant gap between the best of it and the rest of it.

Review by Richie Unterberger, Allmusic.com

 

 Tracklist:

01. Mike Vickers - On The Brink (02:23)
02. The Jim Sullivan Sound - She Walks Through The Fair (02:44)
03. The Shock Absorbers - It's Your Thing (02:40)
04. Wynder K. Frog - I'm A Man (03:20)
05. Rita - Sexologie (03:17)
06. Offside - Small Deal (02:08)
07. The Les Reed Orchestra - Big Drum (01:58)
08. David Smith - See Me (02:32)
09. The Keith Mansfield Orchestra - Soul Thing (02:59)
10. The Dave Davani Four - Top Of The Pops (02:12)
11. The Fidd - Happy Walk (02:30)
12. Ken Woodman's Piccadilly Brass - Mexican Flier (02:35)
13. The John Schroeder Orchestra - Nightrider (02:55)
14. Trax Four - Moanin' (02:01)
15. The Mike Cotton Sound - Soul Serenade (02:42)
16. Lee Mason And His Orchestra - Deadly Nightshade (03:03)
17. The Vic Flick Sound - West Of Windward (02:59)
18. The Chris Barber Soul Band - Morning Train (02:28)
19. Brian Bennet - Tricycle (02:50)
20. Stanley Myers - Organ Fantasia in D Major (05:49)

 

hipsville dudes

Return Of The Instro-Hipsters, Volume 2

Return Of The Instro-Hipsters, Volume 2
Groovy Instrumentals From The UK 1965-1973

Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond once again invites us to join him in the obscure pleasures of little-known pop, R&B, and jazz instrumental sides of the '60s and '70s with this collection. A number of the selections featured on Return of the Instro-Hipsters are so obscure that even Saloman isn't sure just who is responsible for them (though he offers some educated guesses on the artists behind such names as Sharks, Oliver Bone, and the Masked Phantom), but there are a good share of solid grooves and kicky melodies to be found here from a number of gifted little-knowns. If you went to the movies in the '70s, "Soul Thing" by Tony Newman will sound familiar, while flautist Harold McNair solos over a Dave Brubeck-influenced piano groove on "The Hipster," Jerry Allen demonstrates new uses for game calls on "Fuzzy Duck," Thunder Road's synthesized version of "Peter Gunn" beats Art of Noise's variation on the theme by more than 15 years, "The Brooke Bond Beat" by Cliff Adams may be the most swingin' tea commercial ever, and the Outer Limits serve up some tough, moody rock, appropriately titled "Black Boots." While there's a bit of "Space Age Bachelor Pad" ambience to this set, it's more a matter of evoking a period than obsessing over a particular sound or style; the disc doesn't wallow in camp for its own sake, with solid instrumental chops and strong songwriting the order of the day. Another solid offering from what's becoming one of the most consistently interesting reissue labels operating today.

Review by Mark Deming, Allmusic.com

 Tracklist:

01. D Cordell's Tea Time Ensemble - A Quick One For Sanity (03:08)
02. The 4 Instants - Discotheque (02:42)
03. The Roger Coulam Quartet - Simba (02:05)
04. Harold McNair - The Hipster (04:41)
05. Music Through Six - Floppy Ears (02:38)
06. Sounds Sensational - Night Cry (02:19)
07. The Masked Phantom - Fried Scampi (02:33)
08. The Johnny Harris Orchestra - Lulu's Theme (02:28)
09. Tony Newman - Soul Thing (03:14)
10. The Tony Evans Band - Beach Bird (02:34)
11. Kenny Clare - Hum Drum (01:53)
12. Sharks - Funkology (02:22)
13. The Outer Limits - Black Boots (03:21)
14. Cliff Adams - The Brooke Bond Beat (02:22)
15. Oliver Bone - Jugger Tea (02:56)
16. Thunder Road - Peter Gunn (02:14)
17. Jerry Allen - Fuzz Duck (02:51)
18. Paraffin Jack Flash - Blue & Groovy (04:15)
19. The Helmut Zaccharias Orchestra - Ton Up (02:37)
20. Ning - More Ning (02:44)

hipster2

Roaring Blue: Return Of The Instro-Hipsters Vol. 3

Roaring Blue: Return Of The Instro-Hipsters Vol. 3 

20 Groovy Instrumentals From The '60s & '70s

The seemingly bottomless record collection of Nick Saloman from the Bevis Frond has spawned the third in an ongoing series of albums collecting obscure instrumental tracks from the '60s and '70s, and while many of these songs support the popular notion that the hipper and more interesting rock artists of the day were fond of vocal numbers, there are some fun and exciting tunes to be found on this set. Roaring Blue draws its title from the lead-off track, a swinging dance tune by the Sound of Jimmy Nicol, featuring the drummer who briefly replaced an ailing Ringo Starr during a tour in 1964 (this may explain why Nicol's drums are so far up in the mix), while members of the long-running U.K. pop band Blue Mink appear on the track "Beat Party" under the pseudonym the Underground, and John McLaughlin adds guitar licks to "Trans-Love Airways" by Big Jim Sullivan. That's about it for star power on this volume, but the lesser known acts are in equally solid form here, with the Des Champ Orchestra delivering a slightly rocked-up arrangement of the theme from It Takes a Thief, Casey and the Pressure Group bringing some supper club funk to a cover of the Shocking Blue's "Venus," Okko Bekker's sitar and a whacked-out synth solo adding to the fun on "Santana," jazzman Shake Keane generating a fine Northern soul dance groove with "Make with Shake," and the Jim Doherty Trio making with some potent organ-based groove jazz on "Ladies Wear"." Many of the other cuts on board are uncomfortably generic sounding, and too many of these songs fit into the same faux-R&B template, making the set a bit tiring by the time it comes to a close. But the good numbers manage to outnumber the bad (just barely), and if you have a soft spot for the kitschy side of U.K. pop, Roaring Blue is just what the doctor ordered.

Review by Mark Deming, Allmusic.com

Tracklist:

01. The Sound of Jimmy Nicol - Roaring Blue (02:14)
02. The Des Champ Orchestra - It Takes a Thief (02:22)
03. Clubman - Round Up (02:46)
04. The Duke of Burlington - 30-60-90 (02:12)
05. Casey & The Pressure Group - Venus (03:01)
06. Okko Bekker - Santana (04:05)
07. The Keith Mansfield Orchestra - Boogaloo (03:44)
08. The Underground - Beat Party (02:44)
09. The 4 Instants - All About My Girl (03:40)
10. Rajah - Deadeye Dick (02:54)
11. Ram Inn Junction - Junction Blues (02:36)
12. Shake Keane - Make with Shake (02:41)
13. Monty Babson - My Friend Jack (03:03)
14. Johnny Howard Band - El Pussy Cat (02:57)
15. Electric Bird - Stoned Out (02:17)
16. The Jim Doherty Trio - Ladies Wear (02:57)
17. The Cyril Stapleton Orchestra - Theme from Department S (02:57)
18. Big Jim Sullivan - Trans-Love Airways (02:09)
19. The Stormsville Shakers - J.C. Greaseburger (04:02)
20. The New Dance Orchestra - Theme Number One (02:54)

hipsville3

The Raymond Scott Quintette - Microphone Music

The Raymond Scott Quintette - Microphone Music (2003)

Microphone Music is a 2003 double CD compilation by The Raymond Scott Quintette. It is "a collection of unreleased titles, radio performances, first-rate rehearsals and forgotten gems by the Raymond Scott Quintette recorded between 1936 and 1939." (The sizes of each version are correct, these are mono recordings converted to each format.)

Warner Bros. licensed his music for the Looney Tunes cartoons. Powerhouse and few others will be familiar to fans of these classic cartoons. Enjoy.

Jazz music, always known for its spirit of improvisation, was hardly the medium for composers or producers during its first 50 years. Even the greatest early arrangers – Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman – allowed plenty of room for solos, and would've been deserted by most of their musicians if they hadn't. All of which explains why Raymond Scott was never considered a jazz artist. His pieces, impressionistic yet rigidly composed, did use all the same components of a jazz band and exhibited close superficial similarities to Duke Ellington's early jungle band and the Benny Goodman Orchestra. The difference lay with his insistence on perfection, in his recording techniques and the members of his band. The Raymond Scott Quintette was a clean, technical, utterly precise swing machine – the logical progression, in his mind, of the noisy jazz racket originally delivered on record by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917. Microphone Music, another Scott-related reissue by the Basta label, is a two-disc bonanza of unreleased titles, rarities, and rehearsals from the late '30s that will taste of manna from heaven for listeners who spent a decade in the wilderness after Columbia's greatest-hits volume, 1992's The Music of Raymond Scott: Reckless Nights & Turkish Twilights. These certainly don't sound like afterthoughts, either; Scott took quality control very seriously, and the result is a set of 40 splendid, fascinating songs that often sounds better even than the Columbia release. Most of the songs are new to CD, and even the familiar titles (like the Scott perennial "Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals") are presented in radically different interpretations. Drummer and percussionist Johnny Williams (father of composer John Williams) is revealed as an extraordinary talent, not just keeping time for the quintette, but splitting it into halves and quarters with his brisk, perfectly timed fills. As for Scott, who's usually recognized solely as a compositional or arranging genius, the focus here is on his talent for sound reproduction. The title is a nod to the importance of engineering and microphone placement in his music – a reprint of a Popular Mechanics article appears in the liner notes – and his constant recording experiments produced dynamic music utterly unlike anything heard before, since sound had never been picked up and amplified the way Scott did it. The relative scarcity of Quintette recordings is enough to boost this set into recommended status, but the bounty of fabulous music inside makes it essential for fans and highly recommended for the uninformed. Really fun with headphones.

oooops- for you early adopters - disc1 is now fixed.

DISC 1
1. Egyptian Barn Dance (April 1938)
2. The Penguin (December 1938)
3. Christmas Night In Harlem (March 1939)
4. Pretty Petticoat #1 (April 1939)
5. Square Dance For Eight Egyptian Mummies (1938)
6. Moment Whimsical (December 1938)
7. Devil Drums (June 1939)
8. A Little Bit Of Rigoletto (APril 1939)
9. Hypnotist In Hawaii (April 1939)
10. Dinner Music For A Pack Of Hungry Cannibals (April 1937)
11. The Toy Trumpet (December 1936)
12. Suicide Cliff (December 1939)
13. Siberian Sleighride (1938)
14. Steeplechase (April 1939)
15. Peter Tambourine (March 1939)
16. Celebration Of The Planet Mars (January 1938)
17. Brass Buttons And Epualettes (January 1938)
18. Bumpy Weather Over Newark (June 1939)
19. Pretty Petticoat #2 (May 1939)
20. Turkish Mish-Mush (March 1939)
(UNLISTED TRACK)
21. Powerhouse (rehearsal) (1940)
DISC 2
1. Microphone Music (January 1938)
2. Twilight In Turkey (February 1939)
3. New Year's Eve In A Haunted House (December 1938)
4. Tobacco Auctioneer (April 1939)
5. The Girl With The Light Blue Hair (January 1939)
6. Sleepwalker (March 1937)
7. The Happy Farmer (April 1938)
8. Oil Gusher (January 1939)
9. Boy Scout In Switzerland (March 1939)
10. Reckless Night On Board An Ocean Liner (April 1937)
11. Swing, Swing Mother-In-Law (December 1936)
12. Girl At The Typewriter (1939)
13. Yesterday's Ice Cubes (March 1937)
14. Pretty Petticoat #3 (April 1939)
15. War Dance For Wooden Indians (February 1939)
16. Dead End Blues (January 1937)
17. Harlem Hillbilly (June 1939)
18. The Quintet Goes To A Dance (March 1939)
19. Bugle Call Rag (March 1937)
20. Powerhouse (June 1939)
(UNLISTED TRACK)
21. A Happy Frenzy At Aquackanack

wowser d1

wowser d2

va Coming Home Soundtrack Picks

When compiling music, it is common to stick to a certain `theme' for the compilation. This installment of Coming Home on the Stereo Deluxe label sees an accomplished collection of music that has been included in the French film genre, as compiled by Marc Collin (Nouvelle Vague).

Excellent female contributions are seen on such compositions as Vladimir Cosma's "Maldonne," which features sweet melodies filled with strings both bowed and strung, a blissful brass section fronted with jazzy female scat-like vocals which all take place underneath a certain `Brazilian lounge' air that is represented throughout the tune.

Seven songs into today's compilation we are happily reminded that the late Piero Umiliani has left the world a much better place with a playful bossa nova number titled, "Cinque Bambole." Forming a stunning melody out of the act of `counting to five' along with an extremely rockin' groove, this summertime beach party anthem is a dusty treasure waiting to be taken out of the record bin and played until winter skies bring our warm days to an end.

Nearing the later part of our voyage through French film music via Coming Home, we couldn't have possibly overlooked Ennio Morricone's "Le Due Stagioni Della Vita," for this sweet & symphonic arrangement foretells of bright spring days after the long cold winter as embracive vocals meld into the finely-tuned strings and piano that make up the base of this beautiful piece.

Slightly prior to the end credits rolling on today's feature, we catch a small breeze, much like that off the wings of a butterfly on Philippe Sarde's "La Chanson D' Helene (Vocal Version)," which not only offers a breath of fresh air, but radiates the sensation of black & white `pictures' being played on the screen of an old-time theater.

Track listing
1. Gato Barbieri - Last Tango In Paris
2. Lalo Shifrin - On The Way To San Mateo" (LP Version)
3. David Shire - The Taking Of Pelham 1, 2, 3
4. Michel Legrand - A Man's Castle
5. Vladimir Cosma - Maldonne" (O.S.T.)
6. Armando Trovajoli - Dramma Della Gelosia" (Titoli)
7. Piero Umiliani - Cinque Bambole (Vers.Coro)
8. Nino Rota - O Venezia, Venaga, Venusia
9. Michel Colombier - L'Heritier
10. Alain Goraguer - Deshominisation
11. Eric Demarsan - Theme De Gerbier/Bof L'Armee Des Ombres
12. Serge Gainsbourg - Requiem Pour Un Con/Bof Le Pache
13. François De Roubaix - Loin/Bof Tante Zita
14. Philippe Sarde - La Chanson D'Helene (Vocal Version)
15. John Barry - 007 And Counting (Diamonds Are Forever)
16. Marc Collin - Rendez-Vous A L'Evidence
17. Ryuichi Sakamoto - Gohatto (Opening Theme)
18. Ennio Morricone - Le Due Stagioni Della Vita
19. Philippe Sarde - Generique
20. Vangelis - La Petite Fille De La Mer

nvcomingp1

nvcomingp2

Cinematic: Classic Film Music Remixed

This is an interesting synthesis of movie music and electronica/lounge. This album captures some relatively obscure titles (Taking of Pelham 1,2,3, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs and others) and moves them into the 21st century.

1. They Call Me Mr. Tibbs Main Title (King Britt reinterpretation-instrumental) 2. The Taking of Pelham 1, 2, 3 Main Title (Phillip Charles' Signs in Mallorca Rewerk) 3. Fellini's Roma (Bent Remix) 4. Goodbye Colonel (from For a Few Dollars More) (Shrift Mix) 5. Love Theme from Ben Hur (Bombay Dub Orchestra Remix featuring Sophie Solomon) 6. The Tango I Saved for You (from the film Gaily, Gaily) (Zeb's The Tango I Stole From You Remix) 7. Paris Blues (The Real Tuesday Weld Remix) 8. Birdman of Alcatraz (Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark Mix) 9. Hour of the Gun Main Title (Mark de Clive Lowe Remix featuring Replife) 10. They Call Me Mr. Tibbs Main Title (King Britt vocal reinterpretation featuring Mr. Lif) 11. Some Like it Hot (MNO's Some Like It Hotter Remix) 12. Theme from Carrie (Gaudi Remix) 13. Love Theme from Ben Hur (Bombay Dub Orchestra's Orchestral Remix) 14. Inherit The Wind Main Title (Tom Middleton's Amba Remix)

cineremix

Calibro 35 ST

Digging through dusty vinyl crates led to the discovery of italian '60s and '70s film soundtracks, and as a result, Italian band Calibro 35 who specialise in creating playlists from cult Italian movies - some of which have been used in Quentin Tarantino movies.

It features a playlist that includes well known movie themes as well as rare compositions: from classic Morricone’s “Indagine su Un Cittadino al di sopra di Ogni Sospetto” to Micalizzi’s “Italia a Mano Armata” and Cipriani’s “La polizia Sta a Guardare” (both used by Quentin Tarantino in his movies), from “Milano Kaliber 9” (Luis Bacalov) to the experimental “Giornata Nera per l’Ariete” (Morricone again). Armando Trovajoli’s lost masterpiece “La Mala Ordina” (the original master was created during the ‘70s) has been re-recorded respecting its original structure and sound while the cinematic dancefloor hit “Gangster Story” will help you remember the chic Alfa Giulia car chases of the era. Cool groves throughout.


1. Italia a Mano Armata (3:12)2. Summertime Killer (4:04)3. Notte in Bovisa (2:13)4. Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto (3:44)
5. Milano calibro 9 (Bouchet funk) (2:39)6. Trafelato (4:33)7. Una Stanza Vuota (2:51)8. La mala ordina (3:14)9. La Polizia s'Incazza (2:20)
10. Preludio (2:56)11. Gangster Story (4:24)12. Spiralys (6:13)
13. Shake Balera (2:08)14. L'Appuntamento (5:02)

38caliberg

Ennio Morricone - Danger Diabolik

This is an "unofficial" soundtrack, but it's the closest we're going to get I'm afraid because the original tapes were said to have been destroyed in a fire. Enjoy!

This was the last movie shown on MST3K....when Mike and the bots made it back to Earth.


Ennio Morricone, like him or dislike him, he has made his stamp upon the cinematic world for the last 45 years. A product of the Italian school of film scoring he has composed literally hundreds of scores for both european and american movies. Some scores are classics of their genre, some unique and some, as somebody once said, like listening to 30 minutes of vacuum cleaning! Both brilliant or frustrating , melodic or disturbing one cannot deny he is a force to be reckoned with.
Danger:Diabolik or Diabolik as it was known in its native land was based on the popular "Fumetti" comic strips of the 1960's. These massively popular strips regarding a master criminal and his constant evasion of the law are still as popular today. Director Mario Bava brought this phenomenon to the screen in 1968 with john philip Law in the starring role.
The score is indicative of the times a wildly fantastic mix of jazz, funk and orchestral drive, each track either based on leitmotifs for the central characters or in many cases coming in from left field with a new melody. The Title song sung by Italian songstress "Christy" is sultry and melodic and permeates the score throughout. The stand out tracks are "extracting AU from H2O and Under Wah Wah, crazy titles but left entirely to themselves onscreen they are perfect examples of how important Italian film makers regarded the score within a film.
Written in 1968 at his most inventive period Morricone brings musical identity to this strange but compelling character. His playful musicality is counterpointed by at times sinister orchestration and the Cantori Moderni are in fine form.
This album one should be aware appears to be the score lifted from a laserdisc and some sound effects and dialogue are evident. But as the original masters are deemed to have been lost in a studio fire it is unlikely that the score, which never even made it onto vinyl, will ever see the light of day. Claims like these have been proved wrong many times in the past. This to all intents and purposes is a legitimate release and can be hard to find. If you are a fan of composer or of the eclectic, snap it up at once.

01. Deep Down (03:09)02. Yes Sir, No Sir (Dialogue) (00:23)03. Charading Chaffeurs in Wait (00:59)04. Driving Decoys (02:08)05. Into the Cave (02:53)06. Diabolik's Hide-out (01:52)07. The Shower (Deep Down Two) (01:25)08. Logical Suggestion (Dialogue) (00:25)09. Money Orgy (02:09)
10. Criminal/Justice Solution (Dialogue) (00:44)11. Headlines (Organ Freakout 1) (00:33)12. Valmont's Go-Go Pad (03:38)13. Dumped by Dimockracy (Dialogue) (00:41)14. Eva's Holy Dress (Deep Down Three) (01:33)15. Diabolik Capture - Conference (Dialogue) (00:33)16. Gunfight at Red Sands (01:33)17. Eva's Sketchy I.D. (Dialogue) (00:59)18.Metamorphosis (Organ Freakout 2) (00:33)19. Emerald Bikini (Deep Down Four) (01:28)20. Doctor Vinear's I.D. Prescription (Dialogue) (01:11)21. Downhill Decoy (00:30)22. Vinear's X-Out Session/Death/Life (Dialogue) (02:51)23. Jenko's Plan Derails (00:33)24. Guiness's Gold Bar (Dialogue) (00:40)25. Bubbles (Extracting Au from H20) (01:22)
26. Underwater Wah-Wah (02:51)27. Now Go!!! (00:41)28. Eva Alone (Dialogue) (00:09)29. The Pyrite Wink (Deep Down Five) (01:57)
30. Last Laff (00:28)31. Deep Down (Parade 5052) (03:03)
32. O.K. Connery (Parade 5035) (03:03)33. Valmont (Underworld Don) Philosophises (00:38)34. [Untitled] (03:04)

emdangerdia

Wanted Dead or Alive

Nice comp of soundtrack bits from various Spagetti Westerns. All the usual suspects, not the usual pieces found on other comps.

1. Suite 2. Gambling Man 3. Minnesota Sky
4. Clay 5. Man...A Story 6. Adios 7. Suite
8. Arizona Colt 9. Un Uomo Un Cavallo Una Pi
10. Suite 11. Corri Uomo Corri 12. Americana
13. Find A Man 14. Chalego 15. End Title
16. Monty & Ted 17. Primo Incontro
18. Il Punto Piu Alto 19. Sonny
20. Wanted Dead Or Alive

spawdoa

Vulcan Freedom Fighters - Stardate Unknown

It's difficult to describe this project without making it sound like a novelty. Stardate Unknown is simple in concept, Trekkies rockin' it out á la Man or Astroman style instrumental rock with Trek dialogue samples from the original series with a steady flow and a sound that doesn't seem close to an hour long. It's done well enough for the most cynical bastard to enjoy, even if you are not a total Trekkie. As hopelessly nerdy as that sounds, the music on Stardate Unknown places it light years beyond the throwaway gimmick that even the best description might imply. The quotes interplay with the tempo and intensity of the songs, arranged with such brilliance that even non-Trekkies would have a hard time not enjoying it. The dialogue is selected so that each song is an ode to the episode it was borrowed from, often with narrative continuity. Like the show, the songs are a compelling mix of action, suspense and innuendo, providing a shot of nostalgia for anyone who remembers the original series. Musically, it ranges from heavy Stoner Rock to more ambient and Techno sounds with lots of overlap. Atop a mix of live and sampled drums, reverberating bass and chiming guitar provide a constant organic counterpoint to the electronic percussion and keys. The tunes are also sprinkled liberally with sound effects from the show: tricorder chirps, phaser blasts and that unmistakable whoosh of the Enterprise's automatic doors. Aside from outstanding composition and performance, the other aspect that makes Stardate Unknown so surprisingly tasteful is reverence for the source material. Let's just hope the next album isn't full of quotes from The Next Generation. (Ezra Waller)

Romulan Divide,The Will of Landru,Cranium, Doomsday Machine, Horse Stealin' Scurvy Crew,Jelly in the Belly, Horta, The Death of Bele, Kahn, He's Dead Doctor, Argelius,Corbomite Manuever,Animal Flesh, Karta, Zefram Cochrane, We Are the Mertons, Spock's Deceit, Klingon Advance, Nomad,Is Anyone Aboard?, Where is the Captain?

vffv

More Monsterous Movie Music - OST

1996 release featuring the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Cracow, conducted by Masatoshi Mitsumoto. The highlights are TARANTULA and THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS but all the music is pleasing and worth having. TARANTULA is as good as any horror score of the 1950s and this orchestra and conductor really do it justice. Being early Mancini helps too. The recorded sound is as near perfect as could be hoped for with very close miking, good separation and lots of clear detail. There are not many re-recordings which sound this fabulous; it's as if the OSTs had been done in a modern studio. Very nice.
Tarantula (Herman Stein, Henry Mancini) - 13 tracks (18:42) The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (David Buttolph) - 11 tracks (18:46) The Monolith Monsters (Irving Gertz) - Main Title only (1:03) Gorgo (Angelo Francesco Lavagnino) - 12 tracks (19:43)

mmmv

Impala - Teenage Tupelo OST

Impala was one of the greatest, and easily the most underrated groups of the recent instrumental surf revival, and to me this is one of their best efforts. Slow, sensuous, sleazy sax over the fast pulse of a great rhythm section. Exotic, melodic guitar riffs instead of the usual tube-amp thrash that tries to pass itself off as surf these days. It creates a beautifully sleazy, neon-lit pulsating world. Being a soundtrack there is a combination of atmospheric and melodic tunes - so think of this as mood setting background music more than punchy driving riffage.

imth - possibly incomplete

imthv2new - new link just in case

King Kandy – Acid Beach Party

King Kandy, a North-London trio, goes back to the 60’s with a neat soundtrack recording that combines surf, exotica, go-go, spy and garage rock themes. I’m not sure there is an actual movie tied to this soundtrack, but it doesn’t matter – listening to these songs you can sort of create a movie in your mind. There’s not much in the way of traditional surf music here – instead, it’s more of a lounge/exotica sound with surf themes, melodies and rhythms running through it. In many ways they remind me of Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited or the Lou Hoffner Trio. It wasn’t quite what I expected, being more in the psych pop area rather than pure surf -- and after listening to it a few times it really grew on me and is a repeat fave.

Introduction, Acid Beach Party, Surf My Way Now, Persephone’s Theme, Stokey’s Lament, Night Crawlin’, Jetty Incident, Late red, Persephone, Sunset, Kahina Bay, Radio Nine, Cave Up, The Ghost Ship, Byke Out, Mondo A GoGo, Theme from Acid Beach Party, Original Film Trailer

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The Score –VA

Nice comp of music that has been in movies over the years by Mojo Magazine. Some hits, some obscure – great for background or driving.

1 Brother on the Run (Opening) Johnny Pate, Adam Wade 2 God's Children 3 Something's Cookin' 4 Dark Days DJ Shadow 5 Get Carter Roy Budd 6 Frankie Machine Elmer Bernstein 7 You Cut Up the Clothes Mrs Washington & Co. 8 Time Is Tight Booker T. And The MG's 9 Midnight Cowboy John Barry 10 Bedazzled Peter Cook, Dudley Moore 11 Arabesque Henry Mancini 12 Watermelon Man Mongo Santamaria 13 Linus and Lucy Vince Guaraldi 14 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three David Shire 15 Truck Turner Isaac Hayes 16 Death Line Will Malone 17 A Fistful of Dollars Ennio Morricone 18 Johnny Too Bad Slickers 19God Mowing Over the Face of the Water Moby 20 Let It Be Nick Cave

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GNP 40th Anniversary Sampler - Surf, Sci-Fi, Action

GNP Sampler 40th Anniversary – Action Adventure Surf Sci-Fi

This 28 track, limited edition release from GNP Crescendo features some cool music by the Tornadoes, The Challengers, Billy Strange, Surf Raiders and others. Some really nice sci-fi electronic pieces from Alex Cima – very 80’s Tangerine Dream sounding, a bizarre avant gard piece from Steve Roach (Karavan) and some listenably decent sound track or possibly production music by Neil Norman – the son of GNP’s founder and now head honcho. Perfect Wave is standout. The last part is Neil Norman’s first solo effort, now OOP – Not Of This Earth. So think of this as a twofer. Well worth it for its variety – a little or a lot of something everyone will like. Check out Brandonio's place - RockisDeadRIP - in sidebar - for more on Neil Norman.

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The Flinstones - Movie -OST

How the live-action movie version of the Flintstones massively sucked. The soundtrack, is much better. Showcasing the music of the day; alternative, goofy pop, rap, early nu-metal, glam, some good, some not so good. Most of the songs are thematically tied to the movie, which isn't the case for many songs for other soundtracks, and they feature dialogue from the cartoon series.

Choosing the B-52's, temporarily rechristened the BC-52's for two songs, to sing the theme song is along the lines of inventing the wheel, one of those really inventive ideas. They've gone back to the producers of Cosmic Thing here. Don Was in produces the theme song, perfect as Fred Schneider quirkiness and Katie Pierson's unique chirpiness add to the fun-ness of the song. Cartoon effects from the series are incorporated, such as running and Dino. And it's Nile Rodgers producing "The Bedrock Twitch" which is another danceable hit like "Love Shack." In this case, it's what, "stone roof, rusted"? If this was done in the 60's when dance crazes were all the hype.... I can imagine people jamming to "do the twitch like you got an itch itch itch.

Some songs don't exactly go past second gear. Biethnic UK hip-hop/remix group Stereo MC's tackle "Human Being (Bedrock Steady)" a steady cycle of multilayered drum tracks and wailing vocals, while My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult's "Hit & Run Holiday" features the same industrial sounds they provided on the Cool World soundtrack, but with some more distorted vocals and horns. Not one of their better songs, and not too relevant to the movie.
One of the last bows of Shakespears Sister, that group by ex-Bananarama singer Siobhan Fahey, is seen in the reggae of "Prehistoric Daze"
Big Audio Dynamite do "Rock With The Caveman," opening with excerpts of some tribal chanting, then "Wilma, I'm home!" and then it's a Bill Haley-type 50's rock with guitar and piano and backing vocals. "Stalactite, stalagmite, hold your baby very tight." Clever that, with near the same fun as the BC-52's.
"I Showed A Caveman How To Rock"? More like how to rap, given that it's US3 featuring Def Jef with some "yabadabadoo" and horn samples heard.
The standout cut - "I Wanna Be A Flintstone": yes, that's the name of this hard-guitar/rockabilly song by the Screaming Blue Messiahs. Fred can be heard in the background, and in fact he stops the song with his "Hold it hold it! Hoo boy!"Laid back instruments, such as airy synths and piano, back bass vocals feature in the Crash Test Dummies' "In The Days Of The Caveman." It's an idyllic look back at a simpler time, when cavemen "didn't have to keep a certain bedtime" and were able to hear noises at nighttime. One of the better songs here.
Actually, it's not "Anarchy In The UK", rather it's "anarchy in Bedrock" and "I WANNA BE FRED FLINTSTONE" in Green Jelly's over-the-top cover of the Pistol's classic anthem in which there are other liberties taken to, such as the lead singer yelling out "WILMA" as if Stan Kowalski was screaming for Stella in Streetcar Named Desire. Slightly amusing.
Some songs have been previously released. Weird Al Yankovic's "Bedrock Anthem," a send-up of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under The Bridge" and "Give It Away." Some effects from the cartoon series include Dino's yapping and Barney Rubble "laughing like a hyena." And Was (Not Was) recycle a danceable soul single from their What's Up Dog? album, "Walk The Dinosaur," whose title was just asking to be put on a Flintstones album. Or Jurassic Park if that movie featured songs.A fair mix of songs reflecting mid-90's music, but why include an excerpt of the incidental music, i.e. Mesozoic Music by David Newman, which throws the whole thing off balance. Rating: three yabba-dabbas and a doo doo – still fun after all these years. Just delete the last cut.

1.(Meet) The Flintstones - The BC-52's 2. Human Being (Bedrock Steady) - Stereo MC's 3. Hit & Run Holiday - My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult 4. Prehistoric Daze - Shakespear's Sister/The Holy Ghost 5. Rock With The Caveman - Big Audio Dynamite 6. I Showed A Caveman How To Rock - Us3 7. The Bedrock Twitch - BC-52's 8. I Wanna Be A Flintstone - The Screaming Blue Messiahs 9. In The Days Of The Caveman - Crash Test Dummies 10. Anarchy In The U.K. - Green Jelly 11. Walk The Dinosaur - Was Not Was 12. Bedrock Anthem - 'Weird Al' Yankovic 13. Mesozoic Music - David Newman

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Best of the West - MGM Soundtrack

This compilation boasts several unforgettable highs and a few forgettable lows, but the highs include tracks that, by themselves, still make this worthwhile -- perhaps even mandatory for a serious fan of the western-movie music genre. This is the only CD that includes the decades-out-of-print original recordings of Jerome Moross's benchmark masterpieces, The Big Country and oft-overlooked The Welcoming. Although a number of conductors and orchestras recorded The Big Country over the years, no one duplicated the signature tension Moross created between the brass and strings, a tension unaccountably and completely lost in all other renditions. The differences are as striking as the gulf between Ennio Morricone's offbeat and edgy "spaghetti Western" scores and Hugo Montenegro's comparatively tame makeovers. Best of the West also seems to be the only CD to include Elmer Bernstein's playful and thematically schizophrenic title track for The Hallelujah Trail, a romp that well reflects the film's equally rambunctious and schizophrenic plot. Bernstein's kicky Hallelujah Trail grows on you. Dominic Frontiere's derivative but distinctive theme for Hang 'Em High is a welcome addition in its own right (if one declines a natural temptation to compare it with Ennio Morricone's wellspring scores for other early Clint Eastwood Westerns). So is Bonnie Blue Flag, a nostalgic echo from The Horse Soldiers likely to summon up haunting imagery for anyone who saw the film. Lesser-known scores populate the rest of the CD, which concludes on a high note with Elmer Bernstein's classic The Magnificent Seven Theme, from The Return of the Magnificent Seven. Excellent for beginner and collector’s alike.

1. Main Title - Moross, Jerome 2. The Welcoming - Moross, Jerome
3. Acorss the Texas Panhandle (The Unforgiven) - Tiomkin, Dimitri
4. Main Title from "The Wonderful Country" - North, Alex
5. Acorss the Rio Grande (The Wonderful Country) - North, Alex
6. Square Dancers for Loco Horses - Bernstein, Elmer
7. Forced March - Bernstein, Elmer 8. The Buffalo Hunt - Rosenthal, Laurence
9. Overture - Bernstein, Elmer 10. The Hour of the Gun - Goldsmith, Jerry
11. Whose Cattle (Hour of the Gun) - Goldsmith, Jerry
12. The Train (Pup Tent) (Young Billy Young) - Manne, Shelly
13. Main Title - Frontiere, Dominic 14. Bonnie Blue Flag - Buttolph, David
15. El Toro - Bernstein, Elmer 16. The Magnificent Seven - Bernstein, Elmer

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Easy Tempo

This release is a sampling of the Easy Tempo series available in Italy that has produced ten striking CDs of vintage Italian film music from the 60s and 70s as compiled by Rocco Pandiani and gang. This is a great sampler. Sure, there' some kitsch and camp here - especially to younger ears - but there's also great feeling and panache in some of the extracts from these 60s and 70s film scores by Travioli, and, of course, Piccioni. Acid-jazz fans will also find this a must, as will trip-hop DJs looking for great samples to base their creations around. The Italians had a take on jazz and film music unlike any other country: it's bittersweet, funky, spacey, erotic with just enough of the cocktail hour thrown (but not too much). These collections transcend camp and kitsch. They define the heart of a special time that is, sadly, gone. Sit back and enjoy.

1.Running Fast - Stefano Torossi 2. Trops - Alberto Balden Bembo 3. Blues For Alexandra - Romano Mussolini 4. Moto Centripeto - Lesiman 5. Blue Media - Lee Selmoco Orchestra 6. Diamond Bossa Nova - Francesco De Masi 7. L'Italia Vista Dal Cielo - Piero Piccioni 8. Fearing Much - Stefano Torossi 9. Sessomatto - Armando Trovajoli 10. Decisione - Armando Trovajoli 11. Airport Rock - Giancarlo Barigozzi 12. Honey Rhythm And Butter - The Green Future 13. Un Detective - Fred Bongusto 14. Casa Di Moda - Guido/Maurizio De Angelis 15. Lady Magnolia - Piero Umiliani 16. Messaggio – Lesiman

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Hugo Montenegro – All Time Greatest Movie Themes and Schemes

Classic orchestral western and spy themes from the movies and tv – all in one place.
Nuff said.

1. Come Spy With Me 2. Secret Agent Man (From the CBS-TV show "Secret Agent") 3. Theme From "I Spy" (From the NBC Television show "I Spy") 4. Thunderball (From the United Artists motion picture "Thunderball") 5. Theme From The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (Remastered) 6. The Silencers (From the Columbia Picture "The Silencers")7. The James Bond 8. Get Smart Theme (From the NBC Television series "Get Smart") 9. Theme From "The F.B.I." - (From the Television Series "The F.B.I.") 10. The Man From Thrush11. Theme From "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" 12. Goldfinger 13. Our Man Flint 14. Illya 15. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly ((from the film "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" released through United Artists)) 16. Hang 'Em High (From the United Artists motion picture "Hang 'em High") 17. For A Few Dollars More (From the film "For A Few Dollars More" released through United Artists) 18. Theme From "A Fistful Of Dollars" (From the film "A Fistful of Dollars", released through United Artists) 19. Theme For Three (From the Warner Bros. - Seven Arts Picture "Wait Until Dark")20. The Godfather Waltz (From the Paramount Picture "The Godfather")

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Sci-fi’s Greatest Hits – Defenders of Justice

Summertime means fun, sun and blockbuster superhero popcorn movies. This year we have Iron Man, the Hulk, Indiana Jones, Hancock, Batman lighting up the screens. Here at the Lounge – we are doing our part to keep you in the zone this summer. This one will take you back to the good old days of getting up early on Saturday mornings to sit in front of the t.v. for half the day. Lots of cool tracks, like the 60's version of the Astroboy theme; Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet (which are sort of like cousins to each other); Underdog; Batman: The Animated Series (one of the most amazing shows ever. Period.); The Green Hornet with it's great rendition of "Flight of the Bumblebee" played by trumpeter-extraordinaire Al Hirt; the original Spiderman cartoon theme (which everyone likes better than the new one); The Tick with it's crazy, jazzy, scat theme; Knight Rider, which is awesome and unforgettable; Max Headroom, the late, great, short lived show that deserved a much better fate; and Quantum Leap. There are many more, some good, some so-so, all interesting choices (Mortal Kombat is one of those 'interesting' choices, as they aren't really defenders of justice. Oh well.) A few of the cuts are “recreations”, like The Flash theme and they still stand up well. All in all – the perfect blast for the summer movie season. POWER UP!

1. Astro Boy 2. Gigantor 3. Speed Racer 4. Thunderbirds 5. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons 6. Captain Video and His Video Rangers 7. Tom Corbett, Space Cadet
8. Space Patrol 9. Underdog 10. Atom Ant 11. Batman (tv) 12. Batman: The Animated Series 13. Batman (film) 14. Batman Returns 15. Superman (Film)
16. Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman
17. The Green Hornet 18. The Amazing Spider-Man 19. Spider-Woman
20. Wonder Woman 21. The Flash 22. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
23. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 24. The Tick 25. X-Men
26. The Six Million Dollar Man 27. The Bionic Woman 28. The Incredible Hulk
29. Knight Rider 30. Max Headroom 31. The Terminator 32. RoboCop
33. RoboCop - The Series 34. Quantum Leap 35. Escape From New York
36. The Road Warrior 37. Mortal Kombat

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