Actually lasting for only nine LPs in one year, C.A.M.s much smaller promo-only soundtrack-series is in fact the deservedly better known one! In 1969 C.A.M. did issue eleven soundtracks on nine vinyls by combining two scores on one LP in a few cases.
The non-laminated covers are non-decriptive without any movie-related artwork (but there are different covers of some releases existing, sometimes named "C.A.M. Tank with the same number as the C.A.M. Pre-release, probably for reasons long forgotten), just featuring the movies title(s) (that is why they are in fact not library recordings in the more precise meaning of the word, although their appearence is quite alike), the composer(s), tracks and running times and the possible or suggested re-use for the featured tracks accompanied by a short description of their musical style(s). No mention is made anywhere, to which genre the movie belongs, its director or its actors ... Their print run was either 500 or 1000 copies (I assume C.A.M. manufactured 500 Pre-releases of each pressing and sometimes added another 500 Tank ones, if they needed more copies ...).
Their pressing quality is top and their collectability definitly high! The music preserved in these grooves comes for all kind of composers (Bruno Nicolai, Stelvio Cipriani, Luis Enriquez Bacalov, Manuel DeSica and a handful of lesser known ones ...) and all kind of genres (Italo-western, love, action, crime, thriller, ... in one word: sleaze!) and reflects a short, but noteworthy period at the very beginning of the fruitful 70ies, before Italian soundtrack music would go to a rather steep decline at the end of this decade (but that´s true for soundtrack-music all over the world: although I might earn harsh word for this statement, but the bombast of "Star Wars" brought the end to refined, delicate soundtrack-music of all kind of music genres ... making "bombast" the leading accompagning "noise" for teen as well as adult entertainment; by the way, are there still movies made for movie-loving adult viewers ...?)
So, my recommendation regarding items from the Pre/Tank-series is: Grab them when a possibility arrives!
Please enjoy and if you have any questions, that have been left unanswered (and I am sure there are some ...), please do not hesitate to drop me a line e-mail! I answer all questions as fast as possible, plan to collect them and want to put them into a FAQ-section (which is planned for 2003!). The same goes of course, if you have any info or items for sale or trade available!!
AVAILABLE items (visually graded: cover/record; play-graded upon request): Sorry, no spare copies available right now!
I recuperanti | Cam Pre 1 | 1969 | S | Ferrio |
É stato bello amarti (half LP)/Omicidio per vocazione (half LP) | Cam Pre 2 | 1969(?) | S | Torossi |
Love birds | Cam Pre 3 | 1969 | S | Nicolai |
Commando di spie | Cam Pre 4 | 1969 | S | Fidenco |
Pelle di bandito | Cam Pre 5 | 1969 | S | Tallino |
I sette di Marsa Matruh | Cam Pre 6 | 1969 | S | Cipriani |
Il giglio del mare | Cam Pre 7 | 1969 | S | Plenizio |
Il prezzo del potere | Cam Pre 8 | 1969 | S | Bacalov |
Il dio chiamato Dorian/Mille peccati nessuna virtu | Cam Pre 9 | 1969 | S | DeLuca |