Roy Budd - Diamonds OST

Roy Budd - Diamonds OST
Label - Cinephile/Castle UK
Released - 1975
Style - Soundtrack, Funk, Blaxploitation, Soul, Jazz, Heat

(From Dusty Groove):
Heist films always provided some of the best soundtracks of the 70's, and this one (starring Robert Shaw and Richard Roundtree, and issued in the US as Diamond Shaft) is no exception! Roy Budd rises to the groovy occasion and scores some excellent moments that match a light orchestral sound with a throbbing electric bass and percussion underground -- in a style that's like Lalo Schifrin's best work from the time. The LP's overflowing with tracks, including a few bonus mixes, and there's even 2 vocal numbers that feature The Three Degrees. Titles include "The Thief", "Beauty & The Bass", "Diamonds", "Party Piece", "Thief On the Prowl", and more! Nice notes, and some nicely funky crime themes, too! Nice gatefold cover, too!



(From Blaxploitation.com):
Only issued in Italy (as 'Colpa Da Un Miliardo Di Dollari', shown here) and the UK, this is without doubt Budd's finest soundtrack. Elements of his earlier work can be clearly heard in the Middle Eastern segments of the LP and use of distinctive instrumentation. The album features music from a surprisingly good heist movie starring Richard Roundtree, shot in Israel. Many of the best tracks were not included in the movie. The album contains raw funk ('The Thief'), jazz ('Party Piece'), an easy listening-with-wah bossa nova ('Brauty And The Bass') and a sentimental soulful theme by the Three Degrees in addition to some excellent atmospheric Eastern-influenced tracks. Look out for Budd's trademark use of deep bass to underpin his dark, menacing funk themes. Quite superb.

* LTJ Bukem fans, find the samples!

Tracklist:
1. Main Themes
2. The Thief
3. Tel Aviv
4. Diamonds
5. Diamond Fortress
6. Beauty Of The Bass
7. Market Place
8. Hearts And Diamonds
9. Party Piece
10. Thief On The Prowl
11. I Think I'm Being Followed
12. Robbery!
13. Crown Jewels
14. A Handful Of Gems
15. End Titles
16. Diamonds (M19 Film Mix)
17. Diamonds (M33 Film Mix)

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Gene Page - Blacula OST

Gene Page - Blacula OST
Label - RCA/BMG
Released - 1972
Style - Soundtrack, Blaxploitation, Not-so-Scary, Funny, Funk, Soul, Breakbeat

(From Dusty Groove):
Verrrrry scarrrry stuff -- and pretty darn funky too! This is the original soundtrack for the classic blacksploitation horror flick starring the baaadest Dracula ever to grace the screen of all those shabby downtown theaters that were still around in the 70's -- a wicked batch of wah-wah tunes penned by Gene Page, and featuring a great bit fo keyboards as well! The set's got a few vocal numbers, sung by 21st Century Ltd and The Hues Corporation, but it's the instrumentals that really steal the show here -- and there's plenty of great ones here that rank with the best blacksploitation work of the decade! Titles include "Blacula Strikes!", "The Stalkwalk", "Movin", "Run Tina Run", "Firebombs", and "Good To The Last Drop."

Traclist:
1. Gene Page - Blacula (The Stalkwalk) (2:37)
2. Gene Page - Heavy Changes (2:49)
3. Gene Page - Run, Tina, Run! (1:29)
4. Gene Page - There He Is Again (2:45)
5. Gene Page - Movin' (1:30)
6. Gene Page - Main Chance (3:09)
7. Gene Page - Good To The Last Drop (2:19)
8. Gene Page - Blacula Strikes! (1:23)
9. Gene Page - What The World Knows (3:43)
10. Gene Page - I'm Gonna Catch You (3:09)
11. Gene Page - The Call (3:08)
12. Gene Page - Firebombs (1:28)
13. Gene Page - Finding Love, Losing Love (0:41)
14. Gene Page - Wakeeli (Swahili Farewell) (2:27)

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Johnny Pate - Shaft in Africa OST

Johnny Pate - Shaft in Africa OST
Label - ABC Records
Released - 1973
Style - Funk, Soul, Blaxploitation, Soundtrack, r&b, 70s

A1 You Can’t Even Walk In The Park (Opening Theme) (2:30)
A2 Are You Man Enough? (Main Title) (2:10)
*Vocals - Four Tops
A3 Aleme Finds Shaft (1:33)
A4 Shaft In Africa (Addis) (3:04)
A5 Headman (2:14)
A6 El Jardia (3:02)
B1 Are You Man Enough? (3:27)
*Vocals - Four Tops
B2 Jazar’s Theme (1:33)
B3 Truck Stop (2:15)
B4 Aleme’s Theme (2:17)
B5 El Jardia (Reprise) (1:43)
B6 Are You Man Enough? (End Title) (0:43)

(from blaxploitation.com)
One of the undisputed classics of the blaxploitation soundtrack. The weak tracks, of which there are few, are massively outweighed by the sheer exuberance of the great funk material on the album. A guaranteed dancefloor monster, featuring a superb vocal number by The Four Tops at their peak, and simply magnificent keyboard-driven big band funk from Johnny Pate. An essential album.



(from moviegrooves.com)
It was only a matter of time before this beauty got a reissue - it's the classic Shaft in Africa soundtrack by Johnny Pate with a title song by The Four Tops.

Pate does a brilliant job with the Shaft in Africa soundtrack by combining explosive percussion-heavy funk and tender soul songs to give us one of the best blaxploitation soundtracks ever!



(from B1llb0ard)
The "ubiquitous hip-hop sample of the moment" award goes to the horn loop from Johnny Pate's "Shaft in Africa."

The track, from the 1973 soundtrack of the same name, is prominently featured in "Show Me What You Got," the lead single from Jay-Z's new "Kingdom Come" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam), and "We Gon' Make It," the opening song from Diddy's recently released "Press Play" (Bad Boy).

* not to mention the horn and bongo breakdown in the middle of the track. Heavily sampled break in early hip hop records; the main record that comes to mind is Cookie Crew's 'Born This Way (Let's Dance)' from 1988. - xmp



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The Thing With Two Heads OST

V/A - The Thing With Two Heads OST
Label - Pride
Released - 1972
Style - Funk, Breaks, Soul, Blaxploitation, Soundtrackish, 70s

1. Jerry Butler - A Prayer (03:12)
2. Billy Butler & Infinity - Dip, Dip I Got My Hands Full (03:55)
3. Incredible Bongo Band - Bongolia (02:14)
4. Ollie Nightingale - Here I Am Again (03:08)
5. The Sylvers - Fool's Paradise (02:23)
6. Ollie Nightingale - May The Best Man Win (03:21)
7. The Sylvers - I'm Truly Happy (02:45)
8. The Incredible Bongo Band - Bongo Rock (02:36)
9. Sammy Davis, Jr. - Take My Hand (04:23)
10. The Mike Curb Congregation - Oh Happy Day (02:30)




(from blaxploitation.com)
This LP features music allegedly 'inspired by' one of the most offensive movies of all time. The Thing With Two Heads was a man with one white head and one black head. Needless to say, the movie was released through American International. However, the soundtrack contains tracks culled from the MGM/Pride catalog and appears to be effectively a compilation of tracks from other Pride LPs. It does feature two great instrumentals by The Incredible Bongo Band, 'Bongo Rock 72' and 'Bongolia', very hard to find elsewhere. The rest of the album is a mix of seventies soul and vocal numbers.




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Black Mama, White Mama OST

Black Mama, White Mama OST
Label - Beyond
Released - 1972
Style - Funk, Soul, Blaxploitation, Soundtrack, 70s

Tracklist:
1. Harry Betts - Main Title/Bus Ride [2:10]
2. Harry Betts - Follow Me [0:31]
3. Harry Betts - Day in the Oven [1:06]
4. Harry Betts - Ambush [2:48]
5. Harry Betts - Girls Exit Oven [0:22]
6. Harry Betts - Bus Stop [1:04]
7. Harry Betts - Police Check Point [0:46]
8. Harry Betts - Luis' Work Shed [0:43]
9. Harry Betts - Bloodhounds [1:17]
10. Harry Betts - Challenge and Battle [2:29]
11. Harry Betts - Ambust/Escape and Roundup [5:04]
12. Harry Betts - End Credits [0:57]

Plot:
Lee Daniels (portrayed by Pam Grier), a prostitute doing hard time in an island prison camp for women where the guards have a new way to punish inmates who fight: by cuffing them together. Chained to her bitter rival, white revolutionary Karen Brent (portrayed by Margaret Markov), Lee finds herself literally linked to the revolutionary cause, and on the fly, when Karen's guerilla friends stage a coup. But Lee has a cause of her own in the form of a secret stash of cash and a getaway boat. Brawling with her white counterpart over which way to go, she's got to make her escape, before both mamas' enemies bring them down.




Funky ass soundtrack! Harry Betts' score for Black Mama, White Mama is funky but fraught with dramatic tension. On Black Mama, White Mama, Latin percussion underscores episodic passages of mounting danger ("Police Check Point") and flight ("Bloodhounds").

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Willie Hutch - Foxy Brown OST [1975]

Willie Hutch - Foxy Brown OST
Label - Motown
Released - 1974
Style - Funk, Breaks, Blaxploitation, Soundtrack, Soul

This is another one of my favorite Blaxploitation-era (i hate calling it that, but it is what it is) funk soundtracks. I've recognized little bits and pieces from various hip-hop and R&B songs that were made much later, but the one that really sticks out is from 'Out There.' The intro to that track and the distant "Out There" echoed sample I've heard in more than one production. Great funky, sleazy stuff!

(from Dusty Groove):
A monster! Foxy Brown is Willie Hutch's magnificent soundtrack for Foxy Brown -- a Pam Grier blacksploitation film from the early 70s -- and it's pure genius all the way through, a record filled with some of the best funky soundtrack cuts of the era! Willie's got a real Curtis Mayfield sound here -- with a dope mixture of full orchestrations and heavy funk, guitar riffing away as drums snap tightly across the album's best rhythms! Includes the classic funky numbers "Ain't That Mellow Mellow" and "Give Me Some of that Good Old Love" -- plus "Whatever You Do", "Foxy Lady", "You Sure Know How To Love Your Man", "Theme Of Foxy Brown", "Out There", and "Chase".

Tracklisting:
1 Chase (2:30)
2 Theme Of Foxy Brown (2:24)
3 Overture Of Foxy Brown (0:57)
4 Hospital Prelude Of Love Theme (2:50)
5 Give Me Some Of That Good Old Love (3:42)
6 Out There (2:42)
7 Foxy Lady (4:01)
8 You Sure Know How To Love Your Man (3:50)
9 Have You Ever Asked Yourself Why (All About Money Game) (3:24)
10 Ain't That (Mellow, Mellow) (2:57)
11 Whatever You Do (Do It Good) (3:03)
12 I Can Sho' Give You Love (5:10)

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Herbie Hancock - The Spook Who Sat By The Door OST [1973]

Herbie Hancock - The Spook Who Sat By The Door OST
Label - UAR
Released - 1973
Style - Jazz, Funk, Breaks, Blaxploitation, Weird, Abstract, Soundtrack, Herbie!

This one is really strange. When I copped this, some of the tracks sounded like they were recorded straight off a TV speaker or something. So I put the tracks through some audio processing to even out the levels, and now it sounds much better. Just an FYI if a couple of the tracks sound different... This soundtrack is just too cool not to clean up and share! Some of Herbie's best (and most obscure) work to date, in my opinion. I'm a freak for anything Herbie or Miles from the '69 to '78 period, so I couldn't pass this up. Hopefully others agree...

(from Dusty Groove):
A legendary soundtrack by the great Herbie Hancock -- super-rare, and super-dope, and super-funky! The film itself is a really righteous tale about a disenchanted Vietnam vet who infiltrates the CIA, learns its tricks, and uses them to start the coming revolution -- and Herbie's score for the film is every bit as bold and powerful as the movie itself! The music's got loads and loads of heavy keyboards -- sometimes distorted and noisy, as on some of Herbie's own work of the time -- sometimes smooth and sweet, with a tasty Fender Rhodes sound -- but always tight, jazzy, and funky! The soundtrack does a good job of including background noises, sound effects, and snippets of dialogue from the film -- and there's also a few mysterious bonus bits, which seem to come from other sources, but which fit in well with the sound of the overall album! The whole thing makes for an ultra-cool listening experience that's served up in a number of dimensions -- and titles include "The Big Rip Off", "Revenge", "At The Lounge", "Training Day", "The Stick Up", and "It Begins".

*tracklisting is a bit weird, so bear with me...

Track Listing:
1. Revolution
Herbie Hancock
2. The Spook Who Sat By The Door (Reprise)
Herbie Hancock
3. Revenge
Herbie Hancock
4. At The Lounge
Herbie Hancock
5. Training Day
Herbie Hancock
6. The Stick Up
Herbie Hancock
7. Main Theme
Herbie Hancock
8. Underground
Herbie Hancock
9. The Spook Who Sat By The Door
Herbie Hancock
10. The Big Rip Off
Herbie Hancock
11. Recruiting
Herbie Hancock
12. The Pick Up
Herbie Hancock
13. It Begins
Herbie Hancock
13b?. The Plan, CIA Spook, Best of the Best, Step Outside, Junkie, Man & Machine, Bad Move, I'm Black, Network
Dialogue from the Movie

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Dennis Coffey - Black Belt Jones OST [1974]

Dennis Coffey - Black Belt Jones OST [1974]
Label - Warner
Released - 1975
Style - Blaxploitation, Funk, Soundtrack, Breaks

(from Dusty Groove):
Finally -- the long overdue release of one of the funkiest soundtracks ever! The music to Black Belt Jones has always been the stuff of legend -- mostly only issued as a promo single back in the 70s, but funky enough that it's ranked among the best soundtracks of the decade! The score was composed and performed by Dennis Coffey and Luchi De Jesus -- the former a funk star in his own right, the latter the composer of the ultra-hip Friday Foster soundtrack -- and together, the pair have crafted some killer grooves that mix guitars, congas, and blasting orchestrations that could plow Enter The Dragon into the dust! Plus, the soundtrack nicely mixes together bits of dialogue and sound effects from the film -- making things sound a lot like some of those cool Japanese Bruce Lee soundtracks that were floating around from years back. Titles include "Love Theme", "At The Beach", "Main Theme", "Opening Theme", "Drama", "Mafia Theme", and "Sexy".

** This is one of my favorite Blaxploitation soundtracks ever. -xmp

Tracklisting:

A1		Main Theme
A2		Sydney's Theme
A3		Opening Theme
A4		Main Theme (Version 2)
A5		At The Beach
A6		Symphony For Jones
A7		Drama
A8		Mafia Theme (Drama Part 2)
B1		Love Theme
B2		Battle Theme
B3		Dragon Style
B4		Sexy (Love Theme Part 2)
B5		Mr. Jones
B6		Excerpts
B7		Super Slick (Get Pinky)

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Francis Lai - L'Aventure c'est L'Aventure OST [1972]

Francis Lai - L'Aventure c'est L'Aventure OST [1972]


Hopefully nobody at Fuzzy has posted this already/recently... my apologies if they have. This is a vinyl rip, and the original vinyl recording for this soundtrack goes for about EUR 85.00 !

(Review from here):

One of Francis Lai's more sought-after 1970s scores, this album may not be that hard to find but is almost always expensive because it features an otherwise-unavailable track by French pop legend Johnny Hallyday. That's a pity, because this album is a really tight, madly funky soundtrack with some killer beats, breaks, funk tracks, drums and Rhodes. The main theme is reprised throughout the album, which is a good thing because the melody is tight, punchy and insistent, so suits Christian Gaubert's funk arrangements perfectly. Plenty of serious funk instrumental business for sampling or playing out - highly recommended.


Music composed by Francis Lai.

Tracklist:
1. Generique - Cinq Pour L'Aventure
2. L'Aventure c'est L'Aventure
3. Rapt
4. Aventure et Vacances
5. L'Aventure c'est L'Aventure
Performed by Johnny Hallyday
6. Flashing Notes
7. Intrigue Au Soleil
8. Cinq Pour L'Aventure


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