I have already written a lot regarding many important Italian soundtrack labels (special entries on the labels "BEAT", "Aris", "Sermi", "Omicron", "Sound Work Shop", ... are planned and will follow in 2003), but of course there are also soundtrack-releases from other lables, which are sometimes so small and obscure (pardon!), that they do not warrant an own section, but very well deserve to be mentioned nevertheless. Most of them should - at least as far as I know of them - be presented in this section!
Some minor lables and some items do deserve some special comments! Let us start with one of the really minuscule labels, being said to have only issued 300 copies of each release: the PEGASO-label! In fact there is quite something to say regarding their very special and highly collectible top quality releases! Alltogether this label, which "founding fathers" and founding date are lost to oblivion, issued a little more than 10 recordings (just judging from their numbering system and assuming no numbers have been left void), the two most sought after having been composed by the ever-reliable top-composer Franco MICALIZZI (one of my favourites!), one of these two being one of the rarest Italo-western LPs ever ("Sei iellato amico, hai incontrato Sacramento!" aka "You are jinxed, Sacramento!"), the other presumably a thriller ("Il due volte della paura"). Definitly also one to be on the lookout for is the funky action-score "Un uomo dalla pelle dura" by "xxxx". All the others are - as far as I know them - rather odd (mostly TV-)scores, which however - as far as I own them - do certainly deserve a listening (with one exception: "Arcana" by Romolo GRANO, which sounds "very experimental"). If you do happen to have any info regarding the other releases issued by Pegaso, please drop me a line (e-mail addy to be found at the end of each entry section).
Aside from the Pegaso-label, most other releases are from various, sometimes "one-soundtrack-release"-labels, like the private release "Jack London, la mia grande avventura" (EDIBI 4008) by Mario PAGANO, which features a very dark, but truly haunting middle-70ies western/adventure-score, the movie being based on a Jack London-novella (strangely, this score has also been issued - with same artwork and contents - in Finland (!) as a commercial release!). Decidedely an odd item worth the usually high price!
But the top of them all are two scores by someone completely forgotten today and only known by real conaisseurs of the Italian music-for-cinema: The two scores by Gianni STELLARI on the Philips-label, issued in the second half of the 50ies. It is not yet confirmed if these two scores are indeed the first two Italian soundtracks ever issued on vinyl in Italy, but they are certainly among the very first releases on this format! Yes, I am indeed referring to "LA STRADA DEI GIGANTI" and "APOCALISSE SUL FIUME GIALLO", two scores so rare and unknown that their existence was not being verified at the beginning of the 90ies, when Keith McNally listed them as items of "doubtful existence" in his price-"guide", crossly undervalueing each of them at the bargain-"price" of 500 $! These are real beauties and as rare "as hell". Issued together with a third Stellari-compilation-LP in consecutive numbers, they do feature two very Malcom Arnold style adventure-scores (today the "Apocalisse"-movie would be part of the disaster-genre, "Strada" being an adventure/love/western-mix), presented in one suite on each side on HEAVY prime quality vinyl, featuring top cover-artwork on very thin, but laminated "cardboard"-paper! Also the movies are highly enjoyable if one has some appetite for woody acting, cardboard cHaracters, the usual sultry Italian actress and the to-be-expected heavy grade-B-story of a grade-C trashy movie! Happy digging!
But there are more ITEMS worth to be mentioned: the "Zorro!"-score by Gianfranco Plenizio, the nice Italian issue of "Sunflower" by Henry Mancini, a (presumably TV-)score by the top jazz-composer Sandro BRUGNOLINI (deservedly famous for his masterpieces "Gli arcangeli" and "Giungala") "L´uomo dagli occhiali a specchio", "La feccia", the promo 2LP-set featuring more than 90 minutes of maestro Usuellis compositions, a few LPs from other countries (Spain, India, Finland, ...) , which are so few not to warrant an own country-section, and surely many more, since I always stumble accross new items, which will be added to this section sooner or later!
Anyway, 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):
CBS 70120: La feccia (Pino Calvi), NM/M- CGD FS 5039: I giovani lupi (xxx) M-/M- xxx: Italian movies (w/ Chet Baker) (Piero Umiliani) M/M OTHER COUNTRIES: xxx: Coolangatta Gold (Australian only LP, Bill ContI) M-/MPlease note: of all the listed items I have only one spare copy available; wants-lists welcomed (trade preferred!). WANTED Atmosfera = L´occhio nel labirinto (Roberto Nicolosi, Fontana, Italy, 1973) Every nigger is a star (Boris Gardiner, LP on Leal 008/010, Jamaica 1973) GREEK soundtracks LPs by Plessas, Xarchakos, ...: Bullets don´t come back (Plessas on Lyra, middle 60ies) Blood on the ground (Plessas on Philips, early 60ies) Rendez-vous in the air (Plessas on Philips, early 70ies) Princess little toys (Plessas, Greek LP, early 70ies) Dancinghe Sirtaki (Xarchakos, Lyra International, middle 60ies) Dancing the Sirtaki (Xarchakos, French pressing, Ducretet, early 70ies) Dancing the Sirtaki (Xarchakos, UK/GB pressing, date and label unknown)