The Blackbyrds & Charles Earland - At The Movies (Prestige - 2001)

This economic package gathers in fact two classicblaxploitation soundtracks: Cornbread, Earl And Me, signed by The Blackbyrds and produced by Donald Byrd himself and The Dynamite Brothers, signed by Charles Earland. The latter one will satisfy the listener looking for the traditionnal blaxploitation OST experience: wah-wah guitars, crazy organs, funky breaks and tracks with cool names like Weedhopper, Razor J., Snake or Kungfusion. On Cornbread, Earl And Me, The Blackbyrds take their jazz funk road with a nice break to sample every 10 seconds and for you hip hop head the classic breakbeat of Wilford's Gone, sampled among others by Gangstarr on Say Your Prayers and Compton's Most Wanted on Straight Check N' Em. For you information, The Dynamite Brothers soundtrack has been largely used as well.

 Download - The Blackbyrds & Charles Earland - At The Movies

Philippe Sarde - Flic Ou Voyou (MCA - 1979) / Le Guignolo (MCA - 1980)

Jean-Paul Belmondo... Nobody knows him outside French boundaries but the guy used to be French most popular actor, specialized in action movies and comedies that met a huge success throughout the 70's and 80's and were largely played on French TV, especially the sunday evening. Everybody in France aged beyond their 30's grew up with that guy. The movies were not always good, even if Jean-Paul Belmondo has a few masterpieces in his huge filmography (for the details, go to his Wikipedia page: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Belmondo ). Flic Ou Voyou or Le Guignolo are definitely not among his best movies. I enjoyed them while a kid but watched them again recently and I must admit that those two action comedies didn't aged well. But the soundtracks stay absolutely relevant. Both were made by Philippe Sarde and are completely different. For Flic Ou Voyou, Philippe Sarde enroled not less than Chet Baker, Hubert Laws, Ron Carter and Billy Cobham for a jazz soundtrack. The first track, Flic Ou Voyou, is brilliant: it starts like a baroque music track then morphes into jazz. For Le Guignolo, Philippe Sarde made the choice of orchestrated music inspired by traditionnal French operetta. Both soundtracks were reedited as a double package by Universal in 2000. And it's always a huge pleasure to give away Universal music for free.

Download => Philippe Sarde - Flic Ou Voyou - Le Guignolo

Jack Arel - Les Jeunes Loups (Riviera - 1968)

Marcel Carné is one of French greatest filmmakers. In 1968, he realised Les Jeunes Loups mixing French classic literature (the characters are inspired by the writings of Balzac) and Nouvelle Cinema with the burgeoning flower power and sexual liberation movement. Released just before the revolution of may 1968, it was announcing the events to come. The shooting is known to have been a nightmare and Marcel Carné rejected his film when it was over, even refusing to assist to the preview. Sacked by critics, Les Jeunes Loups were a flop and were even never released as VHS or DVD. In fact, nobody has seen this movie. The soundtrack is much easier to get. It was signed by French library maestro, Jack Arel. He mixed deep soul and British Invasion influences with a cool French pop vibe full of killing hammond organ licks. The vocals are credited to Tuesday Jackson, aka French MOR singer Nicole Croisille.

 Download => Jack Arel - Les Jeunes Loups

La Guêpe - Volume 2 (Pulp Flavor Recordings - 1999)

This excellent compilation gathers 17 French library tracks recorded during the 70'sunder the influence of soul, jazz and funk. Breaks heads will consequently find plenty to sample in that groovy banquet. among Roger Roger, Jacky Giordano, Bernard Estardy, Janko Nilovic or even Philippe Sarde works. The tracklisting is a who's who of French library maestro. There are some curiosities as well, like my personnal favorite, Afro-Disiac, an hypnotic afro track made by Uele Kalabubu & Sa Tribu and that can be found on the LP Afroground, a pretty rare but good piece of wax I'll probably post one day. Pulp Flavor Recordings was created by the same guys that were later behind the excellent labels Dare -Dare and Vadim Music that closed last spring. A pretty damn shame if you ask me. So, one of your only last chance to get your dusty hands on their music if you don't want to dig is on this blog.

 Download => La Guêpe - Volume 2

Jean-Michel Jarre - Les Granges Brûlées (Dreyfus - 1973)

Les Granges Brûlées is a 1973 movie by Jean Chapot with some of the best French actors of the era, Alain Delon and Simone Signoret. It is the story of a judge (Alain Delon) who is investigating the murder of a young girl in the French country. Her body is discovered near a farm run by a strong woman, Simone Signoret and quickly the judge suspects a member of the family being the murderer.  Jean Chapot and Alain Delon didn't get well together and quickly the movie was finished by the star himself without Jean Chapot who had left the set. The music is the first record released by French king of keyboards, Jean-Michel Jarre. Jean-Michel Jarre is the son of French soundtrack composer Maurice Jarre so it must have been a real challenge for him to dare releasing a soundtrack. Jean-Michel Jarre only used keyboards for the soundtrack, making proto electronica. Jean-Michel Jarre then mixed his electronic song with pop FM and became a billionaire. But this another story and Les Granges Brûlées is still a landmark in electronic music history.

 Download => Jean-Michel Jarre - Les Granges Brûlées

Montparnasse 2000 Classics (Pulp Flavor Recordings - 2003)

Guys at Pulp Flavor (aka Dare Dare , aka Vadim Music) gathered 14 nuggets from famous French library label Montparnasse 2000. You probably already know that the term library in the case of Montparnasse 2000 was synonymous of scorching tunes, that give you plenty of occasions to sample a breaks or rock any party. Every single song is a sure winner and make of Montparnasse 2000 Classics a must-have, the time you can find and collect the complete albums. I still have a personnal little preference that goes for the last track, Xenos Cosmos, a psyche jazzy orchestral infectious number by Janko Nilovic.

 Download => Montparnasse 2000 Classics

Dingo! - Sexopolized by DJ BNX (Pulp Flavor - 2001)

Pulp Flavor, Dare Dare and Vadim Music are the different names of the same label. Based in Grenoble, it is (was?) one of the best reedition label I know, the French equivalent to Finders Keepers. They recently destocked all their records and their web site is under  maintenance since one month and I don't know if they didn't go bankrupted, which would be a damn shame. Anyway, Dingo! is a French pop and library music compilation made by DJ BNX from Bordeaux that deserves all due praises. If some big names are present here (Zozoi by France Gall, High Tide by library king Jack Arel, Francis Lai with Number One), all the other titles are rare and were unknown to my ears. They all have in common to be brilliant and original. If you already have exhausted the US, British, Jamaican, Brazilian and African music scenes, try to explore the French one, there are plenty of nice things and scorching breaks (listen to Je Veux Te Dire Une Chanson by Angelillo & Hamel for example) to discover. 

 Download => Dingo!

Ennio Morricone - So Sweet So Sensual (Cinevox/Pick Up Export - 2003)

This nice 15 tracks compilation pays tribute to Ennio Morricone love themes from his best 60's and 70's Italian B-movies soundtracks. It is not necessary to write much more to convince you to make the acquisition of this record, especially if you are not that familiar with Morricone's work except his work made for Sergio Leone. The master was then at the top of his inspiration and was churning out classics after classics whether it be Il Gatto, Forza G, 4 Mosche Di Velluto Grigio or L'Uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo, all well represented here. So Sweet So Sensual, also known as Erotica Morricone: a compilation that wears perfectly its name.

 Download => Ennio Morricone - So Sweet So Sensual

Can You Dig It? The Music And Politics Of Black Action Film 1968 - 75 (Soul Jazz Records - 2009)

Among all the compilation made about Blaxploitation movie, Can You Dig It? is probably the most complete and ambitious. Complete because among the 34 titles of this double CD you will be able to find the main and most interesting titles of the era (nothing important has been forgotten). Ambitious beacuse it is sold with a 96 pages real book with a rich iconography that make it by itself a necessary purchase even if you probably already possess under one form or another the majority of the titles. Coffy, Shaft In Africa, Trouble Man, Willie Dynamite, Across 110th Street, The Mack, Black Caesar, Superfly, Foxy Brown, Three Tough Guys, Shaft, Truck Turner, Hell Up In Harlem, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, They Call Me Mister Tibbs are soundtracks mandatory in any record collection and you will find their most emblematic songs in here. I personnaly anyways dicover less known titles like Gene Page's Blacula, Dennis Coffey's Theme From Black Belt Jones, Joe Simon's Theme From Cleopatra Jones and one of my favorite song of that era, Gordon Staples' Strung Out from the Mean Johnny Barrows soundtrack. I won't post any YouTube video with this short text as you probably already know what it's all about.

Download CD1 => Can You Dig It? 1 
Download CD2 => Can You Dig It? 2

Dou Da Dou - The Unlimited French Lostcatalogue (Vadim Music - 2005)

Vadim Music is a nice label located in the French Alps, near Grenoble, and specialized in the reedition of French pop, pysche, library, soundtracks or jazzy nuggets. Dou Da Dou is an excellent compilation of rare singles by the likes of France Gall, Jack Ary, François de Roubaix or Demis Roussos. Some of those names might afraid people familiar with French music, because they quickly fell into mainstream mediocrity but Vadim guys exhumed pretty intersting sides of their work. France Gall song, Zoïzoï, stays her most sought-after recording while Demis Roussos' A Travers Montmartre, penned with Stelios Valvianos, could be featured on any blaxploitation soundtrack. Very catchy, sexy and amazing. One of my favorite compilation.

Download => Dou Da Dou

Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! - Seminar: Aesthetic Expressions Of Psychedelic Funk Music In India - 1970-1983 (World Psychedelic Funk Classics - 2010)

If I consider that already ten people have downloaded yesterday's post (Bollywood Funk Experience), Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! should interest at least the same people. Behind World Psychedelic Funk Classics you can find Egon and the Nown Again crew. So this time, expect an Indian psyche funk music compilation that lives up to its name, with effectively a lot of funk, hard breakbeats and psyche in it. But don't expect it to be the kind of underground compilation that digged ultimate Bollywood nuggets. As you can read in the nicely illustrated booklet, this compilation serves as an introduction to the genre and in fact plenty of titles have already been compilated elsewhere, especially if you possess already the two volumes of the Sitar Beat serie (I posted them both a while ago at the beginning of this blog thing) or the excellent mixes called Shitala. For those in the shadows of ignorance, Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga! is the best way to grab a handful of Kalyanji Anandji or R.D. Burman titles. You can even find a title from Atomic Forest's Obsession '77, Mary Long, recently reedited by Now Again, and Kalus Doldinger's Sitar Beat. This last title has nothing Indian except its influences but is German.

Download => Psych Funk Sa-Re-Ga!

Jonny Trunk & Joel Martin Present - Bollywood Funk Experience (Nascente - 2010)

You've got two parts in this compilation. The first part is a bit disapointing: the tracks selected are undoubtely Bollywood but there is not much funk in it. It's not that it is bad, it's just that I don't know much about this musical form and it sounds more like Indian restaurant muzak to my profane ears. Things start to get serious with the 9th track, a surf/funk piece fused by a wah-wah guitar called Pyar Chahiye Keh Paisa and due to Charanjit Singh. Then comes 4 tracks by Indian funk master RD Burman, an artist often compiled in the Western World: the instrumental Unknown Incidental Music,  the minimalit Dance Music, all tablas and saxophone, another track called Dance Music as well, clearly influenced by Italian soundtracks of the time, and Music, a song that cannot hide its psyche rock influences. Laxmikant Pyarelal spent some time listening Morricone sountracks as well before composing his own Theme Music. Anuradha Paudwal is the more original, mixing Bollywood voices with a dub rythm and electronica for Mainne Kaun Koi Kya Jane. If you must possess this compilation for only one reason, then it will be for Salma Agha minimalist space disco, Come Closer, a song that is so good and so catchy with its killing bassline and its psyche sitar licks that you listen to it again and again. If only all Bollywood were that good...

Download => Bollywood Funk

Rudy Ray Moore - Dolemite (Generation International - 1975)

Rudy Ray Moore was a succesful comedian when he jumped in the Blaxploitation wagon, shooting allegedly one of the baddest (and consequently seminal) movie ever made, Dolemite. Dolemite was already a successful character he used on his comedy routines he just morphed into a badass muthafucka that fight the Man and clean up the ghetto. For the soundtracks, Rudy Ray Moore hired session musicians whom he collectively titled The Soul Rebellion Orchestra. Ben Taylor and Mary Love provided the signing parts while Rudy Ray Moore can be heard toasting on Flatland. The overall result is a raw funky and soulful ride with one of Blaxploitation most enjoyfull soundtrack. I just regret that the sound on this 2006 Relapse reissue is below average. But it allows to find, with the complete Dolemite soundtrack, the Human Tornado soundtrack as well and radio spots made to advertise both movies. A must-have with plenty to sample. Some fellow blogger have already posted this album.

 Download => Rudy Ray Moore - Dolemite

Francis Lai - Le Voyou (United Artists - 1970)

Francis Lai never made among break diggers favorite French soundtracks composers. He's more a specialist of lush orchestratal music, with a sometimes tendency for cheesy melodies (ie Love Story). Anyway, among his huge discography, some nuggets can be found, like this 7" that serves as soundtrack to Claude Lelouch 1970 thriller, Le Voyou. The first track, Ballet du Voyou starts with a flamenco like guitar and then morphs into an orchestral pop number with a strong bassline and nice breaks. La Peur Du Voyou is a march that easily stands among the best Italian OST of the time. On side two, you've got the weel kown instrumental song, called Le Voyou,  and then Le Voyou En Action, the kind of track you expect to find on a 70's French soundtrack. Essential work.

Download => Francis Lai - Le Voyou

The David Whitaker Songbook (Tricatel - 2002)

David Whitaker (1931 - 2012). R.I.P.

Download => The David Whitaker Songbook

Jean-Claude Vannier - Electro Rapide (Finders Keepers - 2011)

You lucky people: I just have decided to post another Jean-Claude Vannier hidden gem. Finders Keepers connoisseurs gathered 14 nuggets made for library records, French TV (kids programs mainly) or even previously unreleased in the 60's and 70's. Beyond pop, classical music or jazz, Vannier finds here often his inspiration in traditional Northern Africa music as well. Brilliant work from the beginning to the end and I really regret it's only 25 minutes long, with the majority of the tracks lasting less than 2 minutes. This record is not that much avalaible on the internet so nuff' said, just listen to it and if you like it, buy it, Finders Keepers, a label going through hard times since the loss of its stock since last summer PIAS warehouse fire, largely deserves it.

Download => Jean-Claude Vannier - Electro Rapide

Ennio Morricone - A L'Aube Du 5ème Jour b/w Le Carnaval Des Truands (RCA - 1974)

A L'Aube Du 5ème Jour (aka Dio è Con Noi aka Gott Mit Uns) is a spaghetti war film made in 1969 by Giuliano Montaldo. All I can say is that it didn't aged very well. It's not the case of the soundtrack, made by Ennio Morricone. The title theme was largely used by French radio and television at the beginning of the 70's and was consequently edited in France on a 7" with the theme of another movie, the 1967 made Le Carnaval Des Truands (aka Ad Ogni Costo), as a B side. This latest song sounds closer to the work of Burt Baccarcah or Herb Alpert than what you can expect usually from Morricone. Good stuff, cheap and easy to find.

Download => Ennio Morricone - A L'Aube du 5ème Jour b/w Le Carnaval Des Truands

Women In Lounge (Cinedelic - 2002)

You lucky people: as Christmas gift, I have just decided to post the first volume of Women In Lounge, a compilation that just becomes pretty hard to find these days. You'll find here 20 rare vocal gems, composed by Italian brightest soundtracks composers and made for movies now largely forgotten, except if you're into late 60's/early 70's Italian bis cinema: Alessandroni, Pisano, Piccioni, Morricone, Trovaioli, Orlandi, Ortolani, Bongusto, Nascimbene. A brilliant collection.

Download => Women In Lounge

Raymond Lefèvre - Jo (1971)/Les Grandes Vacances (1967) (Play-Time/FGL - 2011)

Raymond Lefèvre is probably not the best known of French soundtracks composers but when you consider the work he did for this two comedies, Jo and Les Grandes Vacances, he clearly deserves his place among the greatest composers, the Lai, Goraguer, Jarre, Magne, or de Roubaix. We can clearly thank Play-Time/FGL for this excellent reedition. Jo and Les Grandes Vacances soundtracks never got a proper release even if both movies have often been played on French television channels. Jo is a dark comedy but the music could have easily been made by Lalo Schiffrin for a thriller. Les Grandes Vacances music is largely influenced by British Invasion pop music of the time and each track is a reorchestration of the same melody in various styles, between Burt Bacharach and Henri Mancini. As bonus track, you can find the themes of two other movies made by Raymond Lefèvre for the same director, Jean Girault, La Maison De Campagne and Un Drôle De Colonel.

Download => Raymond Lefèvre - Jo/Les Grandes Vacances

Quincy Jones - In The Heat Of The Night/They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (MGM - 1997)

This long CD allows you to possess Quincy Jones two best soundtracks both featuring the character of detective Virgil Tibbs played by Sidney Poitier. Composed in respectively 1967 and 1970, In The Heat Of The Night and They Me Mister Tibbs! are heavy on jazz, blues and soul and don't have all the nervous tic of later blaxploitation soundtracks. Purists will certainly disdain this CD, because tracks are melted with dialogue snippets that are not on both original records. But what the hell, purists certainly already have those records on vinyl.

Download =>Quincy Jones - In The Heat Of The Night/They Call Me Mister Tibbs!