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Italian Soundtracks by Label >> General Music

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The General Music-label - who is said to have been founded by the composer-quartet Ennio Morricone, Luis Enriquez Bacalov, Armando Trovajoli and one of my favourites: Piero Piccioni - is in fact the only label presented here on which there is not that much to say ... Although they did issue quite a couple of soundtrack LPs, they have not been able to develop some distinctive pattern or any kind of special profile. Nevertheless their cheap-looking records are indeed rare and of some collectability, but they did not strike me (or anybody I know better) as having some "special appeal" aside from the (sometimes mediocre) music preserved in their grooves. The feelings evoked by these releases are best described as "nice" (smile).

Their production "values" are: soft cardboard, no lamination and good pressing quality on the usual less-heavy vinyl of the beginning 70ies (in fact all the pressings I know of date from 1970 onwards. I doubt they ever issud an OST-LP in the 60ies ... and if so, they well managed to make it look like 70ies-stuff). The cover-artwork is rather normal, in fact quite uninspired (although I certainly do not want to sound rude!), the music presented seldom really throws a punch (with one notable exception: "KILL!"), the composers are the "usual suspects": Ennio Morricone, Piero Piccioni (whose lesser efforts seem to have received a GM-release), and a couple lesser known scores by e.g. Luis Enriquez Bacalov and others ...

However, there are two items deserving a more detailed mentioning: "MADDALENA" by Ennio Morricone, one of his best-known compositions ("Chi Mai", later re-used for the Belmondo-flick "Le professionel"), which LP had an ultra-rarity status for a very long time (in fact until the completely same-looking bootleg-release was issued, presumably in Great Britain) and one of my (and seemingly everbodys) funk-soundtrack favourites: "KILL!" by recently-died (2002) composer Berto PISANO, best know for his other crime-soundtrack effort "INTERRABANG" (only "available" on a tough RCA SP-LP and a 45 featuring two vocals NOT presented on the LP; this splitting was, by the way, common in Italy!). "Kill!" was in fact co-composed by the even lesser-known (French?) composer xxxx and is one of the funkiest scores ever, with an asbolutel crazy main title (instrumental, too!), vocalized by xxxx. Definily a score that has to be heard to be believed! Obviously this kinda music was equally enjoyed by the Japanese soundtrack-lovers from the CineDisc-label, since this score was the only early GM-release, which also received a non-Italian pressing (see the four photos in the Japanese section!)! In fact the Japanese fold-out release is the rarest item from the also rare CineDisc-series (of which most items are fold-out releases, by the way!) and, due to a better pressing quality and its much improoved artwork, even much more expenive than the Italian release! In 1999 "Kill!" received its up-to-now (2002) first and only Japanese-only CD-release (with additional tracks!), which is nearly equally rare, since the releasing Avantz-label went just out-of-business with its last bunch of CD-releases, of which four "Kill!" was one. For that reason the last four Avantz-CDs received hardly any distribution at all. In other words, although this score has by now received three (!) releases, it is still near-to-impossible to find in any of its three pressings! (PS: Incidentally, also "Maddalena" received its first CD-reelase by being issued on the Avantz-label, but this CD is a little easier to find!).

Aside from the above described commercial releases, General Music also had one library-only soundtrack-"series", which multiple LPs with consecutive numbers are actually not a series in the narrower meaning of the term, but simply four LPs released at the same time! GMS 0001 to 0004 were all issued in 1978 with each LP presenting (mostly atonal, partly experimental and minimalistic) music for a specific genre: "Il sorriso, la risata, la torta in faccia" contains music for comedy scenes, "I suoni del silenzio" is for thrillers, "Magica e mistero" for horror/giallo and "Suspence" for action-scenes. These "cocept"-albums are not very listenable, but do caontain a fair share of otherwise unavailable cuts from various (also western) movies. Actually I´ve been lucky to get ahold of a set with photocopied pages inside the cover (which seem not to be part of every set), containing information from which soundtracks these tracks were lifted (see the individual LP-icons). Nice stuff, if you can get ahold of it, but definitly only for completist-collectors.

Well, once a shorter introductory statement, mainly due to not more being really worth mentioning, but should anybody miss and have vital inside- or firsthand-info, please do get in touch by e-mail! 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!

Italian Version

The General Music-label - who is said to have been founded by the composer-quartet Ennio Morricone, Luis Enriquez Bacalov, Armando Trovajoli and one of my favourites: Piero Piccioni - is in fact the only label presented here on which there is not that much to say ... Although they did issue quite a couple of soundtrack LPs, they have not been able to develop some distinctive pattern or any kind of special profile. Nevertheless their cheap-looking records are indeed rare and of some collectability, but they did not strike me (or anybody I know better) as having some "special appeal" aside from the (sometimes mediocre) music preserved in their grooves. The feelings evoked by these releases are best described as "nice" (smile).

Their production "values" are: soft cardboard, no lamination and good pressing quality on the usual less-heavy vinyl of the beginning 70ies (in fact all the pressings I know of date from 1970 onwards. I doubt they ever issud an OST-LP in the 60ies ... and if so, they well managed to make it look like 70ies-stuff). The cover-artwork is rather normal, in fact quite uninspired (although I certainly do not want to sound rude!), the music presented seldom really throws a punch (with one notable exception: "KILL!"), the composers are the "usual suspects": Ennio Morricone, Piero Piccioni (whose lesser efforts seem to have received a GM-release), and a couple lesser known scores by e.g. Luis Enriquez Bacalov and others ...

However, there are two items deserving a more detailed mentioning: "MADDALENA" by Ennio Morricone, one of his best-known compositions ("Chi Mai", later re-used for the Belmondo-flick "Le professionel"), which LP had an ultra-rarity status for a very long time (in fact until the completely same-looking bootleg-release was issued, presumably in Great Britain) and one of my (and seemingly everbodys) funk-soundtrack favourites: "KILL!" by recently-died (2002) composer Berto PISANO, best know for his other crime-soundtrack effort "INTERRABANG" (only "available" on a tough RCA SP-LP and a 45 featuring two vocals NOT presented on the LP; this splitting was, by the way, common in Italy!). "Kill!" was in fact co-composed by the even lesser-known (French?) composer xxxx and is one of the funkiest scores ever, with an asbolutel crazy main title (instrumental, too!), vocalized by xxxx. Definily a score that has to be heard to be believed! Obviously this kinda music was equally enjoyed by the Japanese soundtrack-lovers from the CineDisc-label, since this score was the only early GM-release, which also received a non-Italian pressing (see the four photos in the Japanese section!)! In fact the Japanese fold-out release is the rarest item from the also rare CineDisc-series (of which most items are fold-out releases, by the way!) and, due to a better pressing quality and its much improoved artwork, even much more expenive than the Italian release! In 1999 "Kill!" received its up-to-now (2002) first and only Japanese-only CD-release (with additional tracks!), which is nearly equally rare, since the releasing Avantz-label went just out-of-business with its last bunch of CD-releases, of which four "Kill!" was one. For that reason the last four Avantz-CDs received hardly any distribution at all. In other words, although this score has by now received three (!) releases, it is still near-to-impossible to find in any of its three pressings! (PS: Incidentally, also "Maddalena" received its first CD-reelase by being issued on the Avantz-label, but this CD is a little easier to find!).

Aside from the above described commercial releases, General Music also had one library-only soundtrack-"series", which multiple LPs with consecutive numbers are actually not a series in the narrower meaning of the term, but simply four LPs released at the same time! GMS 0001 to 0004 were all issued in 1978 with each LP presenting (mostly atonal, partly experimental and minimalistic) music for a specific genre: "Il sorriso, la risata, la torta in faccia" contains music for comedy scenes, "I suoni del silenzio" is for thrillers, "Magica e mistero" for horror/giallo and "Suspence" for action-scenes. These "cocept"-albums are not very listenable, but do caontain a fair share of otherwise unavailable cuts from various (also western) movies. Actually I´ve been lucky to get ahold of a set with photocopied pages inside the cover (which seem not to be part of every set), containing information from which soundtracks these tracks were lifted (see the individual LP-icons). Nice stuff, if you can get ahold of it, but definitly only for completist-collectors.

Well, once a shorter introductory statement, mainly due to not more being really worth mentioning, but should anybody miss and have vital inside- or firsthand-info, please do get in touch by e-mail! 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!

La vacanza  GM ZSLGE 55062  197x  Carpi 
Sole rosso (Red sun)  GM ZSLGE 55065  197x  Jarre 
Pitturamusica  GM ZSLGE 55066  1972  Morricone 
Kill!  GM ZSLGE 55067  1972  Pisano 
Il diavolo nel cervello  GM ZSLGE 55076  1972  Morricone 
Questa specie d'amore  GM ZSLGE 55077  1972  Morricone 
Il faro in capo al mondo  GM ZSLGE 55078  1972  Piccioni 
Le due stagione della vita  GM ZSLGE 55079  1972  Morricone 
Lo scopone scientifico  GM ZSLGE 55124  197x  Piccioni 
Lo chiamavano mezzogiorno  GM ZSLGE 55493  1973  Bacalov 
Io e Caterina  GM xxx  197  Piccioni 
L'eta del malessere  GM 33-02  197  Torossi 
Musiche per sonorizzazioni #1 - Il sorrisola risata la torta in faccia  GMS 0001  1978  Trovajoli 
Musiche per sonorizzazioni #2 - I suoni del silenzio  GMS 0002  1978  Piccioni 
Musiche per sonorizzazioni #3 - Magica e mistero  GMS 0003  1978  Trovajoli 
Musiche per sonorizzazioni #4 - Suspence  GMS 0004  1978  Trovajoli 

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