Paul Mauriat ~ Prestige de Paris (1966)

Paul Mauriat (Marseille, 4 March 1925 – 3 November 2006 in Perpignan) was a French orchestra leader, specializing in light music. Mauriat grew up in Marseilles and began leading his own band during the Second World War. In the 1950s he became musical director to at least two well-known French singers, Charles Aznavour and Maurice Chevalier, touring with them respectively. Mauriat composed the music for several French soundtracks (also released on Bel-Air) including Un Taxi Pour Tobrouk (1961), Horace 62 (1962) and Faites Sauter La Banque (1964). Many of Mauriat’s recordings are recompositions of other composers’ songs and music. Mauriat relied heavily on strings and synthesiser to create interesting music. The arrangements are usually very bright and busy with sensible use of the percussive section to deliver a grand style of performance. In his 70s and 80s live concerts, Mauriat often used singers to provide backing for numbers such as Penelope, Love is Blue and the World Melody section he arranged for his 1980 and 1982 concerts.

tracks
01. C'est si Bon (2:49)
02. Sous les ponts de Paris (2:44)
03. La vie en rose (2:25)
04. The Song From Moulin Rouge (2:27)
05. Domino (2:31)
06. La mer (2:45)
07. La Goualante du Pauvre Jean (2:04)
08. Les feuilles morte (2:31)
09. La Seine (2:18)
10. Parlez-moi d'amour (2:28)
11. Fascination (2:20)
12. Mon homme (2:22)
13. Milord (1959) (1:49)

Engelbert Humperdinck ~ King of Hearts (1973)

This was Engelbert's last official release on "DECCA" label.  A beautiful collection with different arrangements and production.  It differs a lot form the Reed-Mason formula, and perhaps this fact alone was the reason this album remained relatively obscure.  The real show stoppers are "I'm leaving you", a heartbreaking ballad and "That's what it's all about" with arrangement that was way ahead of its time.  Paul Anka's "Do I love you" is another highlight, along with "Only your love" a beautiful theme from the movie "Vallachi Papers"   This album is definitely worth owning and listening.

tracks

01. My Summer Song 

02. I'm Stone In Love With You 

03. Do I Love You 

04. Somebody Waiting 

05. The Most Beautiful Girl 

06. I'm Leaving You 

07. Eternally 

08. Only Your Love (from movie "The Valachi Papers") 

09. That's What It's All About 

10. Songs We Sang Together 

I'm Leaving You

That's What It's All About 

Top Fifteen Flower Power

This rather odd LP on "Fontana" label remains very rare even in Holland where it was initially released.  Not a bad concept except that there are no liner notes on actual arrangers/performers or producers of this unique looking and sounding recording.   The title tune "The last waltz" is anything but a "flower power" yet it mixes nicely with the rest of the selections.  All of the music on this LP can be found on Dutch CD release "Top of the pops" except "Zabadak".  The CD is also very hard to come buy and even though it contains a total of  25 tunes including a pretty decent cover of  Bee Gees' "Massachusetts" it does not offer anything spectacular  compared to LP.  In any case, it would be a nice addition to ever growing list of oddities from the 60s and 70s.  

tracks

01. The Last Waltz (3:12)
02. Let's Go To San Francisco (3:46)
03. Creeque Alley (4:02)
04. Flowers In The Rain (2:16)
05. Even The Bad Times Are Good (2:48)
06. Time Seller (Spencer Davis Group) (2:52)
07. Pleasant Valley Sunday (3:10)
08. Death Of A Clown (2:59)
09. Zabadak (3:47)
10. Itchycoo Park (2:36)
11. The House That Jack Built (3:09)
12. The Letter (1:59)
13. Jackson (2:49)
14. Good Times (3:07)
15. There Is A Mountain (2:30)

The Last Waltz 

Let's Go To San Francisco

Paul Englishby ~ Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (Soundtrack)

Directed by Bharat Nalluri, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day follows the frumpy title character through late-1930s high-society London, and composer Paul Englishby's score perfectly evokes both the era and location. Conducted and orchestrated by Englishby, these jazzy tunes are alternately lively ("Cocktail Swing") and delicate ("Miss Petigrew"), with stars Amy Adams and Lee Pace stealing the show on the tender ballad "If I Didn't Care."

tracks
01. Introduction (0:59)
02. Brother Can You Spare a Dime (2:18)
03. Delysia LaFosse (3:40)
04. Miss Pettigrew (1:13)
05. T'aint What You Do (2:45)
06. A Person Can Change (2:45)
07. Delysia's Dilemma (2:36)
08. Elegant Society (2:09)
09. Edyth's Beauty Salon (1:48)
10. London Alone (1:08)
11. Cocktail Swing (3:50)
12. An Engagement (1:36)
13. Miss Pettigrew's Waltz (1:40)
14. Amy Adams & Lee Pace - If I Didn't Care (3:07)
15. Sock Him in the Jaw (1:35)
16. Off to New York (1:57)
17. If You'll Have Me (1:59)
18. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2:14)

If I didn't care

Miss Pettigrew lives for a day

Max Greger ~ Tanzen '96

tracks

01. America (Samba - 50 TPM) (4:28)

02. Je t'aime mon amour (Rumba - 24 TPM) (3:33)

03. All I Wanna Do (Cha Cha Cha - 30 TPM) (3:39)

04. Allright, Okay, You Win (Jive - 35 TPM) (3:07)

05. Turniertango (Tango - 32 TPM) (3:12)

06. Golden Wings (Rumba - 28 TPM) (2:33)

07. Muy Macho (Cha Cha Cha - 32 TPM) (3:11)

08. Jeepers Creepers (Quickstep - 49 TPM) (2:18)

09. Goodnight My Dear (Slowaltz - 30 TPM) (2:16)

10. Classic For Dancers (Slowfox - 29 TPM) (2:27)

11. Honey Suckle Rose (Foxtrott - 46 TPM) (2:52)

12. Schatzwalzer (Wienerwalzer - 60 TPM) (4:46)

13. Blue Blues (Blues - 20 TPM) (2:45)

14. Samba Samba (Samba - 50 TPM) (3:04)

15. Perez Prado - Medley (Cha Cha Cha - 32 TPM) (7:34)

America

Allright, Okay, You Win

Toquinho e Vinicius ~ Um pouco de ilusão (1980)

 

One of the most influential artist of his time in Brazil, Vinicius de Moraes has his sucessful partnership with guitar virtuoso Toquinho explored in this album. The songs are in a sofisticated jazzy style that incorporates most of the Brazilian samba or bossa nova origins. The result is a unique rythym, beautiful, soulful and very rich.

tracks

01. Escravo da alegria (3:49)

02. Oilá (2:47)

03. Valsa do bordel (3:14)

04. Samba pra Endrigo (4:21)

05. Minha luz apagou (3:13)

06. Até rolar pelo chão (3:13)

07. Por que será (2:45)

08. Golpe errado (2:53)

09. Caro Raúl (2:19)

10. Gilda (3:01)

11. Amigos meus (4:00)

 

 Escravo da alegria

 

Até rolar pelo chão

Bee Gees ~ Spirits Having Flown (1979)

Spirits Having Flown was the most complex and ambitious album the Bee Gees ever worked on, taking much of 1978 to complete. Barry said that he felt it had to live up to the sensational success of Saturday Night Fever. This only heightened any tendencies the Bee Gees had toward perfectionism, Barry in particular. No doubt each song has many, many recording dates, as they carefully recorded and re-recorded each nuance, but none of the actual dates are known. There was a break from about the second week of May to the last week of July. Production was much more advanced than the group's previous albums, with heavy use of studio effects and multi-layered vocal harmonies. On the other hand, it meant that most of the songs on Spirits Having Flown were unsuitable for live performance.

Co-producer Albhy Galuten recalls Spirits Having Flown as being created primarily by Barry Gibb, Karl Richardson and himself putting in long days and nights at Criteria Studios. Blue Weaver recalls others being involved. Both agree that Robin Gibb was active behind the scenes in songwriting and offering feedback to the recording process, but Maurice Gibb contributes probably the least he did on any Bee Gees album. Not only was his alcoholism sapping his creativity, but he was having back pains finally diagnosed in 1980 as caused by a bad disk.

In the recording phase Robin and Maurice now mainly played the role of backing and harmony vocalists, and even in that capacity Barry did many of the vocal dubs himself as he went over and over the recorded work. Robin contributed one lead vocal ("Living Together") which was sung in falsetto with Barry providing alternating lead vocals in his normal register. This was Robin's lowest amount of lead vocals on any Bee Gees album with the exception of 1970's Cucumber Castle, for which he was not part of the group at that time. As with the last four Bee Gees albums, Maurice did not have any lead vocals.

The Bee Gees had been effectively typecast as a disco group after Saturday Night Fever, and in a 1978 interview Barry remarked "People think we're just about disco now. Of course that's not true. If you look at the SNF soundtrack, there's some dance music, but we also have ballads like More Than A Woman." In an effort to break away from this stigma, Spirits Having Flown contained no dance tracks.

The horn section from Chicago (James Pankow, Walt Parazaider and Lee Loughnane) made a guest appearance on this album. At the time, they were next door working on the Chicago album Hot Streets. Thus the Bee Gees would return the favour as they appeared on Chicago's song "Little Miss Lovin'" and their keyboardist Blue Weaver appeared on "No Tell Lover"

tracks

01. Tragedy (5:05)
02. Too Much Heaven (4:57)
03. Love You Inside Out (4:13)
04. Reaching Out (4:06)
05. Spirits (Having Flown) (5:21)
06. Search, Find (4:15)
07. Stop (Think Again) (6:41)
08. Living Together (4:23)
09. I'm Satisfied (3:58)
10. Until (2:27)

Spirits (Having Flown) 

Max Greger ~ Tanz Turnier

The "Tanz Turnier" remains a curiosity because there is not much info about it. This compilation was released either in 1974 or 1975. Although all tunes are available on other releases, this remains a curious case of the album whose origin is not exactly known.

tracks
01 - Power To All Our Friends (1:44)
02 - One way wind (2:50)
03 - Hi, Hi, Hi (2:33)
04 - Banks Of The Ohio (2:34)
05 -Taka Takata (1:49)
06 - Clair (2:43)
07 - Good Grief Christina (2:57)
08 - Pariser Tango (2:14)
09 - Theo, wir fahr'n nach Lodz (2:12)
10 - Michaela (2:10)
11 - Korsika (2:23)
12 - Amazing grace (2:17)

One way wind 

Korsika

Francis Lai ~ Joue Francis Lai (1971)

Between 1971 and mid 80s this album was occupying the airwaves of easy listening radio stations through out Europe.  These tunes sound different compared to "mainstream" releases and soundtracks.  The arranger Christian Gaubert  and producer Eddie Adamis made a respectable album by portraying Lai's song the way they ought to be - soft, passionate and seductive with sparse orchestration and occasional high pitched accordion sounds that adds to the emotional anxiety it tries to convey.  The real show stopper is   "13 Jours en France"  where the arranging mastery gives this tune even more romantic and emotional edge.  

tracks

01.Le voyou (2:39)

02.Le passager de la pluie (2:34)

03.Dans la poussiere du soleil (2:23)

04.Concerto Pour La Fin D'un Amour (Du Film-Un homme qui me plait) (3:27)

05.13 jours en France (2:35)

06.Vivre pour vivre (3:20)

07.Un homme et une femme (2:27)

08.Love story (3:11)

09.Madly (2:26)

10.Du soleil plein les yeux (2:16)

11.Hello goodbye (2:47)

12.A la recherche de Gaspard (1:39)

13.Madly - Generique (3:05)

14.Theme from Love Story (4:12)

Le passager de la pluie

Moonlight Magic ... songs of romance remembered

Very fine and unique compilation of jazz and other easy standards from Pier 1 Imports catalogue.    

tracks

01. Nat King Cole Trio - The Frim Fram Sauce (3:19)
02. Billie Holiday - Detour Ahead (3:04)
03. Peggy Lee - Alone Together (2:08)
04. Chet Baker - I Fall In Love Too Easily (3:20)
05. Nancy Wilson - Wave (2:47)
06. Johnny Hartman - I Thought About You (3:13)
07. Nina Simone - I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (4:08)
08. Ivory Joe Hunter - Since I Met You Baby (2:52)
09. Keely Smith - You Go To My Head (2:37)
10. Hadda Brooks - Time Was When (2:51)
11. Count Basie & His Orchestra with Tony Bennett - After Super (3:38)
12. Dean Martin - Sleepy Time Gal (2:49)

Keely Smith - You Go To My Head

Nancy Wilson - Wave

Martin Böttcher ~ Sonderdezernat K1 (OST)

In 1972, well before the long running thriller "GroCstadtrevier", the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) transmitted on television another greatly successful detective series - "Sonderdezernat K1". The NDR producer Harald Vock, known then as a popular writer and director of acclaimed comedies, understood the importance of a good film score for a prestigious project such as "Sonderdezernat K1" and engaged Martin Bottcher, probably the most famous of all German film composers. With his emblematic soundtracks for the Karl May films and contributions to the Edgar Wallace mysteries Bott­cher had already created film music history, but he also had contributed to the medium of television with his music for thrillers such as "Stahlnetz" and "Das Kriminalmuseum".

Just by listening to the main title it becomes clear that Bottcher was the perfect choice as composer for "Sonderdezernat K1"! He realizes a "groove monster" laced with layered effects which catapults the characteristic 1970s Bottcher sound with great energy. Driven by a dynamic rhythm section it develops into a tense amalgam of keyboards, strings, horns, harmonica and vocals, culminating with the ethereal voice of soprano Rosi Rohr, the head of the legendary Rosy Singers, who can be heard in many of Boucher's other recordings.This main theme was recorded in a variety of instrumental versions throughout the series but in the main title it is heard in its highest perfection. To this very day it is one of the best and most popular melodies of German TV. It has always played a special role in the composer's catalog; in the mid 90s manufacturer Hilcona has used a spe­cial arrangement of this melody in their television commercial spots.

With the increasing popularity of the series record companies became increasingly aware of Bottcher's "Sonderdezernat K1" music. Labels Telefunken and Ariola released singles which contained, in addition to the main theme, various melodies from specific episodes. In 1979 an album with 12 themes from the series was finally released: "Mord im Dreiviertel-Takt" (Telefunken6.23971 AS). However it did not contain the original versions as the music was rerecorded and extended to fit to the layout of this album. For some cues the differences were only marginal, but for others Bottcher's arrangements were changed considerably. Satisfyingly the original versions of these cues are preserved for the first time on this CD.

tracks
01. Sonderdezernat K1 (1:45)
02. St.-Pauli-Beat (1:38)
03. Simmons und Steenkamp im Jachthafen (1:14)
04. Mord in einer Villa (2:51)
05. Sunset Strip (3:36)
06. Bubi-Thema (1:47)
07. Fishing For Compliments (1:52)
08. Warten auf die Rockergang (1:29)
09. Verfolgungsjagd (1:21)
10. Todesmelodie (2:33)
11. Sunshine (2:13)
12. Oelker auf Abwegen (1:36)
13. Rauschgiftbande (2:33)
14. Im Alleingang gegen Mörder (0:55)
15. Verfolgung in Altona (2:28)
16. Taxi-Funk (2:14)
17. Türkisches Amulett (1:31)
18. Friedhofsballade (2:58)
19. Flucht (2:58)
20. Flucht (alternativ) (2:19)
21. Ernie und der Erpresser (1:30)
22. Christine im Sportwagen (0:59)
23. Waterkant-Bar (1:27)
24. Gebrauchtwagenhändler (0:43)
25. Supermarkt (1:29)
26. Kornberg am Bahndamm (2:16)
27. Love Me (2:35)
28. Blumenmörder-Thema (2:20)
29. Judy (1:17)
30. Blumenmörder-Thema (alternativ) (2:00)
31. Jagd auf den Entführer (Hellers Thema) (6:38)

Sonderdezernat K1 

St.-Pauli-Beat 

The Anita Kerr Singers ~ Anita Kerr Performs Wonders

tracks

1. Superwoman (6:47)

2. Don't You Worry Bout a Thing (4:11)

3. Seems to Long (3:49)

4. Lookin' For Another Pure Love (4:19)

5. To Shy Too Say (4:09)

6. Creepin' (5:50)

7. If It's Magic (4:24)

8. Knocks Me Off My Feet (3:38)

Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing

download

Martin Böttcher ~ Deutsche Filmkomponisten, Folge 1

Von Martin Böttcher komponierte Musik zu folgenden Filmen: Der Schatz im Silbersee, Winnetou 2. Teil, Der Schut, Unter Geiern, Winnetou 3. Teil, Winnetou und Shatterhand im Tal der Toten, Endstation Liebe, Die Halb- starken, Er kann's nicht fassen, Max der Taschendieb, Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Witwe, Mörderspiel, Wartezimmer zum Jenseits, Das Ungeheuer von London-City, Die Diamanten- hölle am Mekong, Der Fälscher von London, Der schwarze Abt, Die blaue Hand, Der Mönch mit der Peitsche, Das Gasthaus an der Themse, Lange Beine-lange Finger, Die Ente klingelt um 1 / 2 8, Klassenkeile, Dr. med. Fabian- Lachen ist die beste Medizin und Willy der Privatdetektiv
Mit seinen Musiken für zehn Karl-May-Filme und seiner 'Old-Shatterhand- Melodie' avancierte Martin Böttcher in den 1960er Jahren zum erfolgreichsten deutschen Filmkomponisten und ist auch bis heute der wohl bekannteste deutsche Filmkomponist.
Diese CD bietet nicht nur Martin Böttchers musikalische Highligths aus den Karl May- und Edgar Wallace-Filmen, sondern es gibt auch ein Wiederhören mit Titeln aus vielen beliebten Filmen, z. B. 'Mörderspiel', 'Max, der Taschendieb', 'Endstation Liebe', 'Wartezimmer zum Jenseits' und auch sein erster Meilenstein für den deutschen Film 'Die Halbstarken' belegt, warum Böttcher riesige Filmerfolge (hatte) feiern konnte .

tracks
01. Der Schatz im Silbersee - Old-Shatterhand Melodie (3:30)
02. 2. Tramp - Tramp Melodie (2:45)
03. Winnetou Teil 2 - Winnetou Melodie (3:08)
04. Der Schut - Schut -Melodie (2:33)
05. Unter Geiern - Old-Surehand Melodie (2:31)
06. Winnetou Teil 3 - Banditen Thema (2:43)
07. Winnetou und Shatterhand im Tal der Toten - Gran-Canyon Melodie (3:22)
08. Endstation Liebe - Titelmusik (2:03)
09. Sissy - Blues (2:12)
10. Er kann's nicht lassen - Pater-Brown Thema (2:11)
11. Max, der Taschendieb - Moonlight Guitar (2:57)
12. Max, der Taschendieb - Joe's Melody (2:02)
13. Das geheimnis der schwarzen Witwe - Die Schwarze Witwe (Instrumental) (3:23)
14. Mörderspiel - Opus Für Blondinen (2:59)
15. Mörderspiel - Slowly, Slowly (1:49)
16. Wartezimmer zum Jenseits - Serenade Für Laura (3:10)
17. Das Ungeheuer von London-City - Doodle Dandy (2:34)
18. Das Ungeheuer von London-City - Walking Jack (2:32)
19. Die Diamantenhölle am Mekong - Midnight In Bangkok (1:42)
20. Der Fälscher von London - Titelmusik (2:46)
21. Der Schwarze Abt - Titelmusik (2:31)
22. Die Blaue Hand - Titelmusik (1:47)
23. Der Mönch mit der Peitsche - Terrible (1:42)
24. Das Gasthaus an der Themse - Besonders In Der Nacht (Instrumental) (1:18)
25. Das Gasthaus an der Themse - Mekka-Blues (1:46)
26. Lange Beine - Lange Finger (Instrumental) (2:31)
27. Die Ente klingelt um halb acht - Hauptthema (Single Version) (2:09)
28. Klassenkeile - Titelmusik (1:53)
29. Dr. med Fabian - Titelmusik (1:48)
30. Willy, der Privatdetektiv - Pst, Willy (2:51)

Er kann's nicht lassen - Pater-Brown Thema 

Max, der Taschendieb - Moonlight Guitar

Martin Böttcher ~ Die Halbstarken / Endstation Liebe Original Soundtrack (1956 / 1958)

Outstanding collection! Seldom the film scores can be so listenable outside the move context, for which they have been written. Skilfully composed and arranged, the tunes from "Die Halbstarken" and especially from "Endstation Liebe" will take you to a different musical universe. Conveying such powerful ideas using nothing but conventional orchestra instruments can be only be done by a highly skilled and sensitive composer/arranger.
From the point of production and craftsmanship, this album is top notch. Beautifully executed and packaged, it adds to an overall experience and value. The sound quality is outstanding. Even though I prefer vinyl recordings, this CD offers a sound experience not heard on old and worn out LP's.

It is not easy to describe Mr. Böttcher's music, it has to be experienced. Once you spend some time listening to this beautiful album, I am sure you will be, just like me, hooked forever.

tracks

Die Halbstarken

01. Mr.Martin's Shop (2:06)
02. Musik ohne Titel (2:47)
03. Swing Party (2:06)
04. In Chicago (2:19)
05. Mr.Martin's Mop (1:53)
06. 'Außer Dir gibt's doch nichts' (0:42)
07. Leider gut (1:26)
08. Mario und Helga (0:36)
09. Das Verhör der Gang (1:08)
10. Warten (1:32)
11. Der Postraub (2:00)
12. Immer elegant (2:33)
13. Sissy - Blues (2:12)
14. Das Ende (1:48)

Endstation Liebe
15. Titelmusik (2:03)
16. Mr.Martin's Riff (1:43)
17. Mecky und Christa bummeln (2:37)
18. Erster Flirt (2:21)
19. Traumfahrt (1:28)
20. Mecky küsst Christa (2:48)
21. Auf dem Weg zur Party (0:32)
22. Ein Thron für Christa (2:41)
23. Mecky und Christa kochen Kaffee (1:03)
24. Der alte Lehrer (2:30)
25. Kartenspiel mit Happy-End (1:46)
26. Groggy (3:56)
27. Mecky denkt an Christa (1:34)
28.  Endstation Liebe  - Bonus Track (2:33)

Mr.Martin's Shop 

Endstation Liebe

Mikael Tariverdiev ~ Seventeen Moments of Spring - Original Soundtrack

Семнадцать мгновений весны

tracks

01. On Flower Street - На Цветочной улице (3:16)

02. Somewhere Far Away - Где-то далеко (2:47)

03. Echo of War - Эхо войны (1:57)

04. In Black-and-White Rhythm - В чёрно-белом ритме (4:14)

05. Moments - Мгновения (2:04)

06. Prelude for Kathe - Прелюдия для Кэт (3:24)

07. Farewell Station - Вокзал прощания (3:31)

08. Roads - Дороги (2:58)

09. Night Patrol - Ночной патруль (5:44)

10. Spring Morning - Весеннее утро (1:29)

11. Two in a Cafe - Двое в кафе (4:22)

12. Twilight in Berlin - Сумерки в Берлине (2:04)

13. Escape - Побег (4:43)

14. Do Not Think About the Seconds Down - Не думай о секундах свысока (2:59)

Seventeen Moments of Spring (Russian: Семнадцать мгновений весны, trans. Semnadtsat mgnoveniy vesny) is a 1973 Soviet twelve-part television miniseries, directed by Tatyana Lioznova and based on the novel of the same title by Yulian Semyonov. The series portrays the exploits of Maxim Isaev, a Soviet spy operating in Nazi Germany under the name Max Otto von Stierlitz, depicted by Vyacheslav Tikhonov. Stierlitz is tasked with disrupting the negotiations between Karl Wolff and Allen Dulles taking place in Switzerland, aimed at forging a separate peace between Germany and the Western Allies. The series is considered the most successful Soviet espionage thriller ever made, and as one of the most popular television series in Russian history.

Music
Mikael Tariverdiev, the head of the Composers Guild in the Soviet Cinematographers' Association, had at first refused to write the series' score, but changed his mind after reading the script. He authored lyrics for ten different songs to be featured in the soundtrack; since it was later decided to base it mainly on instrumental music, only two of those were included in the final version - Somewhere Far Away and Moments. The first singer invited to vocalize them was Vadim Mulerman, but he was blacklisted and banned from performing in public in 1971, after including a Yiddish song in his repertoire, a move that was frowned upon by the authorities in the wake of the Six Day War. After Mulerman's disqualification, Muslim Magomayev was considered for the role and recorded his own version of the text; however, the producers decided that his voice was not suited for the atmosphere of series' plot, and chose Joseph Kobzon. Although he was allowed to perform the songs, the latter was also subject to the establishment's anti-Jewish campaign; therefore, he was not mentioned in the credits. In spite of this, Kobzon subsequently met great acclaim for singing the series' score.

Moments

Two in a cafe

The Very Best of Francis Lai

Perhaps "Highlights of Francis Lai" would be a better title for this compilation.  There are many other compositions that would rightfully deserve to be included in "The Best of" but this album, as a retrospective that shows Lai's versatile musical genius, is definitively worth owning and listening.  

tracks

01. Bilitis (3:21)

02. Theme from LOVE STORY (4:13)

03. The Blue Rose (La rose bleue) (4:27)

04. Emotion (4:42)

05. Happy New Year (3:15)

06. Love in the Rain (4:16)

07. Seduction (2:52)

08. Intimate Moments (2:35)

09. Par le Sang des Autres (4:33)

10. A Man and a Woman (3:57)

11. Live for Life (3:56)

12. African Summer (2:42)

13. Sur Notre Etoile (3:19)

14. La Ronde (2:29)

15. Les Uns et les Autres (3:22)

16. Smic Smac Smoc (2:25)

17. Solitude (3:39)

18. Whitechapel (3:17)

The Blue Rose (La rose bleue) 

Francis Lai ~ Inedits

tracks

01 Overture Et Le Vaisseau (5:31)
02 Mémoria (2:48)
03 Lonely Days Once More (3:26)
04 Street Games (2:01)
05 Amour Impossible (2:17)
06 Nuit Bleue (2:40)
07 Wings Of Heart (3:19)
08 Indian Summer (3:51)
09 Le Tennisman (4:34)
10 Child Under A leaf (4:51)
11 Haunting Dream (3:15)

alternate link

Indian Summer

Le Tennisman 

Alain Barrière ~ Tu T'en Vas (1973)

A former railroad engineer, Alain Barrière started a successful career as a singer-sonwriter in 1962 with "Elle était si jolie". Now, Barrière is one of the best-known and well respected french singer-songwriter in all french countries over the world. Major hits: "Ma vie", "Plus je t'entends", "Emporte-moi", "C'était aux premiers jours d'avril", "À regarder la mer" and many others.

This album was released in 1975 and even though it was not a huge commercial success it contains some of the finest ballads written by Alain Barrière. "Pour la dernière fois" even today remains very popular and it can be ranked as high as "Elle était si jolie". The rather unusual "L'algue" full of quiet despair and resignation is considered a hallmark of Alain's poetry, yet this tune is still often overlooked despite its beautiful arrangement and production.

tracks

01. Tu t'en vas (avec Noëlle Cordier) (4:22)
02. L'algue (3:36)
03. Le Bel Amour (3:28)
04. A Coups De Nuit (3:26)
05. Il faut danser, Marie (3:03)
06. C'est La Vie (3:50)
07. L'ombre d'un basier (2:25)
08. Reve Et Realite (3:23)
09. Pour la dernière fois (4:08)
10. Que c'est long (2:49)
11. Bretagne, Bretagne (4:02)
12. Si tu te rappelles, Ma Vie (4:20)

Que c'est long 

Reve Et Realite

Francis Lai - Traumschiff

tracks
01. Das Traumschiff (2:49)
02. Karibische Nacht (3:44)
03. Anette (3:31)
04. Love Story (3:14)
05. Souvenir einer Sängerin (2:50)
06. Linda (3:08)
07. Kilimandscharo (3:25)
08. Phantasie (3:36)
09. Südseezauber (2:52)
10. Ein Mann und eine Frau (3:17)
11. Puerto Rico (2:41)
12. Samba Carneval (3:23)
13. Tant der Mexikaner (3:17)
14. Amazonas (3:08)

 Ein Mann und eine Frau

Love Story 

Das ist Raumklang - Eine Super Stereo Demonstration (1966)

tracks

A1. Jörg Bobsin - Das ist Raumklang (19:51)
B1. Das Panorama Sound Orchester - You go to my head (3:16)
B2. Philharmonisches Orchester Den Haag - Ungarischer Marsch (4:13)
B3. Das Panorama Sound Orchester - With a song in my heart (3:13)
B4. The London Symphony Orchestra - Radetzky March (2:52)
B5. Panorama Sound Orchester - Just one of those things (2:53)

Das Panorama Sound Orchester - You go to my head

Das Panorama Sound Orchester - With a song in my heart