Henry Mancini/Greatest Hits (2000/1958-1977)

A single-disc compilation (RCA) that includes 22 well-known pieces (digitally remastered) composed by Henry Mancini, an American composer, conductor and arranger known for his film and television scores. Romantic and jazzy orchestral pop in the easy-listening/lounge style. Features movie themes, "Moon River" (from "Breakfast at Tiffany's"), "Experiment in Terror", "Baby Elephant Walk" (from "Hatari"), "Days of Wine and Roses", "The Pink Panther Theme" and others. A theme from TV drama "Peter Gunn" has been covered by lots of jazz/blues/rock artists, and the cover of Art of Noise with Duane Eddy is famous.

Fred Frith/Step Across the Border (1990) *

The soundtrack to an avant-garde documentary film "Step Across the Border" (directed by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel) on English composer/improviser/guitarist Fred Frith (also known for ex-member of Henry Cow and Art Bears) and his collaborators' live performances, studio recordings, rehearsals and others in Switzerland, Germany, The United States, Japan and others between 1979 and 1989. This disc offers an overview of Fred Frith's musical activities in the 1980s. The musicians are Iva Bittová, Tom Cora, Jean Derome, Haco, Eitetsu Hayashi, Tim Hodgkinson, Bill Laswell, René Lussier, Fred Maher, Kevin Norton, Bob Ostertag, John Zorn and others.

Haruomi Hosono/Nokto de la Galaksia Fervojo (the original soundtrack, 1985)

The original soundtrack for the anime movie 'Night on the Galactic Railroad'. Minimal/ambient-oriented music by making full use of digital synths and sampler. Imaginative sound whichi creates the movie's fantastic and strange atmosphere. A female singer/songwriter, Miharu Koshi (piano, chorus, songwriting) joined. Includes "La Pliocena Marbordo".

Nino Rota/Music for Film (1997)

Includes Italian film music composer, Nino Rota's famous pieces, 30 tracks in total from "The Godfather", "The Godfather II" (directed by Francis Ford Coppola), "8 1/2" (directed by Federico Fellini), "La Dolce Vita/The Sweet Life" (directed by Federico Fellini), "Prova d'Orchestra/Orchestra Rehearsal" (directed by Federico Fellini), "Rocco e i suoi Fratelli/Rocco and his Brothers" (directed by Luchino Visconti), and "Il Gattopardo/The Leopard" (directed by Luchino Visconti). Luscious music with melancholy melodies and deep romanticism. "Love Theme" from "The Godfather" is quite famous. Riccardo Muti conducts Filarmonica della Scala.

Geinoh Yamashirogumi/Symphonic Suite AKIRA (1988)

The music created for the anime movie 'AKIRA' directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. Ethnic near-future sounds featuring synths, Jegog (bamboo percussion of Bali, Indonesia), Kechak (Balinese male chorus), Gamelan (Indonesian percussion ensemble), Japanese traditional Shomyo (Buddhist chanting) and Noh (classical arts). Geinoh Yamashirogumi, the Japanese music group led by Shouji Yamashiro, is a unique chorus/performance art group that adopts ethnic music/traditional arts around the world, and also makes full use of synthesizers, computers, and high-tech recording techniques.

Mother (original soundtrack, 1989)

The original soundtrack for 'Mother' (also known as 'EarthBound 0' in North America), a unique role-playing game greatly influenced by American pop culture. The game was produced by copywriter Shigesato Itoi, and released by Nintendo for Famicom (the Japanese version of NES/Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1989. In Japan, 'Mother' is known for its excellent soundtrack, which is pop-oriented music with simple and beautiful melodies, influenced by the US/UK rock (especially Brian Wilson and John Lennon). Composed and arranged by Keiichi Suzuki (the central figure of the rock band Moonriders) and Hirokazu Tanaka (the game/sound creator of Nintendo at the time). The soundtrack album featuring not only the original game sound sources but also the song versions with vocals. All the tracks recorded in London, and the lyrics are English. Catherine Warwick (vocals), Louis Philippe (vocals), Michael Nyman (arrangement) and David Bedford (arrangement) guest. 'Eight Melodies' arranged by Michael Nyman is a famous song that appeared in a music textbook for Japanese primary school. The digitally remastered version (featuring the extended version of original sound sources and an unreleased demo track added) was released in 2004. The game is also available on GameBoy Advance port as 'Mother 1+2'.

Michael Nyman/The Very Best of Michael Nyman: Film Music 1980-2001 (1980-2001)

A set of 2 CDs that covers almost all the soundtrack works (until 2001) of Michael Nyman, the English contemporary composer. Melodic and repetitive music influenced by baroque music and minimalism. Includes the tracks from Peter Greenway films, " The Draughtsman's Contract", "Drowning By Numbers", "Zoo: A Zed and Two Noughts" and "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover", and Jane Campion's "The Piano", Andrew Niccol's "Gattaca" and others.

(Various Artists)/41 Original Hits From The Soundtrack of American Graffiti (1973)

The soundtrack to the movie 'American Graffiti', directed by George Lucas. Includes mostly American rock & roll/pop hits of the late 1950s to the early 1960s. Bill Haley & The Comets/Rock Around the Clock, Del Shannon/Runaway, Buddy Holly/That'll Be the Day, Chuck Berry/Johnny B. Goode, Clovers/ Love Potion No. 9, Platters/Only You (And You Alone) and others. Convenient as an introductory guide to American oldies.

(Various Artists)/2001: A Space Odyssey (original soundtrack, 1968) *

The soundtrack to the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" directed by Stanley Kubrick. Features Richard Strauss/"Also Sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra)" (Karl Böhm conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), György Ligeti/Requiem for Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Two Mixed Choirs & Orchestra (Francis Travis conducts the Bavarian Radio Orchestra), Ligeti/Lux Aeterna (Choir of Norddeutscher Rundfunk under Helmut Franz), Johann Strauss/The Blue Danube (Herbert von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), Aram Khachaturian/Gayane Ballet Suite (Adagio) (Gennadi Rozhdestvensky conducts Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra), and Ligeti/Atomospheres (Ernest Bour conducts Südwestfunk Orchestra).

Ennio Morricone/The Best of Ennio Morricone (1986)

The best compilaton album that includes famous Italian film music composer, Ennio Morricone's major works on the RCA label. Originally released in Europe in 1986. The theme of 'Per Un Pugno Di Dollari/A Fistful of Dollars' directed by Sergio Leone (1964) is well known as the standard number of the 'spaghetti Western' film music. An introductory album to Morricone's huge and diverse works.

John Barry/The Film Music of John Barry (1988)

The best compilaton album that includes the 17 main pieces from the 1960s works produced by John Barry, the great soundtrack music composer from England. Pop-oriented sound with strong beats and brass attacks, influenced by American jazz and rock. Includes six tracks from the famous "James Bond" series, "The James Bond Theme" (from "Dr. No"), "From Russia with Love", "Goldfinger" (No.8 on the US charts), "Thunderball", "Space March" (from "You Only Live Twice") and "We Have All the Time in the World" (from "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"). Also features "Born Free" and "The Lion in Winter".

Akira Ifukube/Millennium Godzilla Best (1954-1975)

A compilation album that contains the Japanese contemporary music composer, Akira Ifukube's masterpieces for Toho's special-effects monster films, such as 'Godzilla, King of the Monsters' (1954), 'Rodan' (1956), 'The Mysterians' (1957), 'Varan The Unbelievable' (1958), 'King Kong Vs. Godzilla' (1962), 'Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero' (1965) and others. Impressive and thrilling music featuring simple rhythms in march style and pan-Asian melodies. All the music composed and arranged by Akira Ifukube. Pseudo-stereo sound based on the original mono master tapes. The sound quality is good.