LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST:
A1. SUPERMAN 2:56
A2. BLUE FALCON 4:17
A3. POSEIDON 3:52
A4. WOOBINDA 3:18
A5. ROBOT'N'ROLL 3:34
A6. DUCK MARCH 2:57

B1. TIGERMAN 3:58
B2. SCREW DRIVER 4:40
B3. PHANTAMAN 3:20
B4. HIGH-BALL 4:40
B5. MAGMA 3:56



1983, in the history of synths, is a key year. During the January edition of NAMM (the most important music fair in the US), indeed, MIDI - the standard protocol for electronic instruments interaction - was introduced to the world. Until then, programming and making synths work together was something practiced by a restricted elite of "wizards", explorers armed with cables and analog patches, who could create new sonic worlds - but totally temporary, not replicable. Real superheroes of sonic synthesis, scientists of filters who, nowadays, are highly considered by musicians all over the world, after decades of forced exile. In Italy, the seeds of this tradition were planted in RAI's Laboratory of Phonology (in Milan), in the middle of the 1950's; later, pioneers like Piero Umiliani, Federico Monti Arduini (aka Il Guardiano Del Faro), Marcello Giombini, Giampiero Boneschi and Fabio Borgazzi (Fabio Fabor) introduced electronic music in pop. Fabor (together with Antonio Arena) is the protagonist of "Superman", an album of library music released by the World label (owned by Minstrel group) in 1984. Borgazzi, born in 1920, lived through the whole saga of Italian easy listening music (from big orchestras to the digital revolution), always keeping up with the latest styles and trends. So it's not a surprise, here, to see him using a LinnDrum and the first Japanes synths; and it's perfectly natural to find some electro-funk touches (especially "Rockit", by Herbie Hancock, which is a clear influence) between cosmic sounds and rock & roll songs - and, of course, here you will also find heavy traces of the typical dance pop of the era.
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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST:
A1. CYCLOPS4:30
A2. DAPHNE4:20
A3. PERSEUS3:55
A4. ECHO3:23
A5. HERCULES3:00

B1. ORPHEUS3:38
B2. ICARUS3:44
B3. NIOBE2:38
B4. GLAUCUS3:58
B5. MYRRHA3:25
B6. BIBLIS3:40



The early Eighties marked a transition in popular music, especially for a generation of musicians (still heavily influenced by the previous decade) trying to assimilate the changes in aesthetics and technology which were occurring. Disco music is dead, so is prog, synths are still too expensive and unreliable, jazz is lost somewhere and the term "fusion" has become really popular. This the environment in which this album - released in 1981 by library music label Ring - was recorded by a bunch of jazz players and session men from the Milan area, led by pianist Oscar Rocchi and world famous drummer Tullio De Piscopo (respectively credited for seven and four tracks of the album). The stellar line-up features bass player Julius Farmer (from New Orleans), guitarist Sergio Farina, Argentinean sax and flute player Hugo Heredia and Cicci Santucci (trumpet and saxcorn). "Metamorphosis" is not the typical fragmented collection - something pretty common in the world of library music; this is a body of heterogeneous songs with a common ground, a solid body of work (which would surely fit in De Piscopo's and Rocchi's personal discographies). The genre is fusion, still positively influenced by jazz-funk (no muzak effect here!) but also following the impulse to experiment typical of the most progressive jazz-rock. De Piscopo is in top shape (it's not a coincidence that, in 1981, "Vai Mo" by Pino Daniele was also released), sporting a bit less exuberant style of playing compared to his jazz albums of the same period - so he sounds really effective and sharp. With Farmer (who was playing with Dr. John and Professor Longhair before moving to Italy) he makes one of the best rhythm sections of Italian music of the Seventies and Eighties (if you're not convinced, just listen to "Carta Straccia" and "America Good-Bye", two amazing pop albums with a funk soul).
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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!


TRACKLIST:
A1. LION 3:18
A2. VIRGIN 2:58
A3. ACQUARIUS 3:10
A4. SAGITTARIUS 3:20
A5. CANCER 3:11
A6. SCORPION 3:15

B1. TAURUS 3:03
B2. CAPRICORN 3:05
B3. FISHES 3:10
B4. ARIES 3:40
B5. BALANCE 3:04
B6. THE GEMINI 3.02


Rome was, of course, the pulsating heart of Italian library music - it is the place where tv and movies are made, so editors and musicians tend to gather there. But we must not forget what was happening, at the same time, in Milan - where there was a very active music industry, but leaning more on the pop and jazz side. The Roman style was more connected to the classic and orchestral tradition, but the musicians in Milan adopted a more urban and international approach, in the vein of contemporary pop with some US jazz-funk instrumental deviations. It's not a coincidence that among the most active artists in the library world we find people who - in the Seventies and Eighties - played in many records by Mina, Fabrizio De André, Gaber, Branduardi and Fausto Papetti. The quartet featuring pianist Oscar Rocchi, bassist Gigi Cappellotto, drummer Andy Surdi and guitarist Ernesto Verardi is behind many great library music albums, most of which released via the labels owned by Edizioni Minstrel. "Horoscope" was released in 1978, in a few hundred out of commerce copies, credited to Modern Sound Quartet (one of the many monikers used by the band), on Ring label. This album is a manifesto of the band's style, using the concept of horoscope and zodiac signs to lay down a dozen of tracks perfectly reflecting their age: a good dose of disco ("Lion", "Aries", "Sagittarius", "Scorpion", "Gemini"), a hint of melodic pop ("Virgin", "Balance"), a touch of prog ("Fishes", "Cancer"), some light jazz-funk fusion ("Capricorn") and b-movie atmospheres ("Acquarius", "Taurus")
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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST:
A1. GALASSIA M81 3:35
A2. NEBULOSA 2:45
A3. VIA LATTEA 3:10
A4. ANTARES 3:00
A5. MACCHIA SOLARE 2:46
A6. BETA 700 2:57

B1. STELLA NOVA 3:32
B2. VENERE 3:27
B3. ECLISSE 3:30
B4. SATURNO 2:56
B5. MARTE 3:15
B6. MONTE PALOMAR 3:00


Fabio Borgazzi - aka Fabio Fabor - played literally every known style of music, from baroque to "satanic" electronic, in his library music albums released during his career which lasted almost seven decades. Born in Milan in 1920, Fabor was one of the great artisans of post-war Italian popular music. Author, arranger and conductor with a classical background, he started writing songs (in the 1950's and 1960's) for popstars such as Nilla Pizzi, Johnny Dorelli and Milva; he then turned to music for theatre, cinema and tv, to which he dedicated the rest of his career. In 1981, when he released "Galassia M81", Fabor was a veteran in the scene of library music, both as an author and an editor. It was the so-called golden age for the genre, just a moment before the advent of MIDI - which made everything easier, but flatter too, putting an end to the "Italian Touch". The tracks featured here (credited to the fictional combo The Astral Dimension: Fabor together with his friend Antonio Arena) still have a definite Seventies taste, reminding the wave of German kosmische musik (especially the Darmstad school), but they also reflect the Moog-mania raging in pop music after the big success of Walter/Wendy Carlos with the "Switched On" series. Avant-garde and kitsch hand in hand, ambient for documentaries and background music for horoscopes… all in sequence, with the only purpose of being used and generating royalties. Apparently there's nothing poetic here, but the deepest core of this music is full of substance and genius, mixing a classical background with a futuristic twist - something that made so special a lot of the best music written in Italy during the 20 th century.

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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST:
A1. BABE 4:37
A2. CONFESSION 4:41
A3. GOOD TIMES 4:25
A4. BASS CONSTRUCTION 4:30

B1. COLOURS TO MY LIFE 5:26
B2. DREAMS 4:28
B3. TENDER MELODY 3:58
B4. LIKE YOU DO 4:48


Rome was, of course, the pulsing heart of Italian library music - it is the place where tv and movies are made, so editors and musicians tend to gather there. But we must not forget what was happening in the library music world, at the same time, in Milan - where there was a very active music industry, but leaning more on the pop and jazz side. The Roman style was more connected to the classic and orchestral tradition, but the musicians from Milan adopted a more urban and international approach, in the vein of contemporary pop with some US jazz-funk instrumental deviations. It's not a coincidence that among the most active artists in the library world we find people who - in the Seventies and Eighties - played in many records by Mina, Fabrizio De André, Gaber, Branduardi and Fausto Papetti. The quartet featuring pianist Oscar Rocchi, bassist Gigi Cappellotto, drummer Andy Surdi and guitarist Ernesto Verardi is behind many great library music albums from the golden age, most of which released via the labels owned by Edizioni Minstrel. "Crazy Colours" (originally marketed in 1979 via BAM label, credited to the New Sound Quartet), is quite a big effort for a library music album, since it features a whole orchestra to back the quartet and soloist Hugo Heredia (always present on sax and flute in the albums by the four musicians). In these eight tracks, orchestral disco music is the main focus: in the vein of late Seventies, the biggest influences are to be found in Quincy Jones and Barry White. But the future is already there, since a few synths can be heard in the mix. To this landscape, Rocchi, Cappellotto, Surdi and Verardi add their personality, their experience in the pop field and the love for jazz - all with that peculiar Italian feel.

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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST :
A1. Disagio Sociale 1:40
A2. Campagne Abbandonate 2:20
A3. Classe Operaia 2:55
A4. Classe Operaia (Version Flute) 2:47
A5. Classe Operaia (Version Spinette/Flute) 2:21
A6. Disoccupazione 1:57
A7. Disoccupazione (Version Spinette) 1:57

B1. Movimento Sindacale 2:05
B2. Casa Di Riposo 2:10
B3. Riformatorio 1:43
B4. Riformatorio (Version Guitar) 1:38
B5. Mano D'opera 1:37
B6. Coscienza Di Classe 1:45
B7. Coscienza Di Classe (Version Piano) 2:02
B8. Scuola Rurale 1:48

Ruscigan is Guido Baggiani, neapolitan composer and trumpet player, ex Karlheinz Stockhausen's student. Ruscigan is Piero Umiliani, one of the most important Masters in Italian music, author of dozens of soundtracks and library recordings. "Disagio Sociale" was always considered as Umiliani's solo work, even though it's not part of his detailed and official discography as, i.e., "Viaggio nel domani". Despite all the mystery and the discomfort of not knowing, the re-release of "Disagio sociale" is now available for the first time on vinyl. Title songs were and still are actual and prophetics: 'Disoccupazione' (unemployement), 'Classe operaia' (working class) (yes, but which one now?), 'Campagne abbandonate' (forsaken farmlands), 'Casa di riposo' (rest home), 'Riformatorio' (Reformatory), speak about Italy in the '70s, outdated yet still existing. Moods and textures belong to those years - we are in 1971, when '68 political echoes still resound in citizens' ears and minds. The Morriconian's and almost western theme of 'Movimento sindacale' (labour movement) stands for redemption and labor and human rights, but melancholy and frustration are the main concepts of the album, highlighted by flutes and acoustic guitars ('Casa di riposo', unhappy starting from the title, and the two versions of 'Riformatorio'). The strange experimental intermezzo in 'Mano d'opera' (manpower) is just an interlude, leading the listener to the last song "Coscienza di classe' (class consciousness), expression of the social distress this record refers to.
"Disagio Sociale" is a rare and beautiful album and it's important that's the first release of the newborn Italian label Spettro. Let's celebrate!






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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST
A1. Coagulations 2:21
A2. Dipper 2:22
A3. Lay-Out 1:42
A4. Pledge 2:27
A5. Overtime 3:03
A6. Quit Hold 2:21
A7. Puzzle 2:25

B1. Likewise 2:43
B2. Cobweb 2:20
B3. Nibble Out 2:33
B4. Properly 2:28
B5. Range In 2:34
B6. Zoo Sound 2:25
B7. Way On 2:41


Released by Octopus in 1973 and now available for the first time on vinyl on Spettro, "Bass Modulations" is a record included in many "hip hop breakbeats" charts and it pays specific attention on bass - as title - and percussions. Composers are Antonino Scuderi, who worked on 2 tracks, 'Overtime', with low frequencies and a primitive drum machine, and 'Range in', one of the most strange track of this compilation, Roberto Conrado, Roman composer, already member of Gli Apostoli in the 60s, and Piero Romano Montanari, Roman, scores' author (long-lasting collaboration with cult director Joe D'Amato), bass player and session-musician for many Italian pop stars as Renato Zero, Ivan Graziani, Pino Daniele, Sergio Caputo and Claudio Baglioni, just to name a few. "Bass Modulation" is an easy listening collection of tracks, with no experimental fit and lot of funky hooks and 70s rhythms and dynamics. 'Likewise' is a groovy gem, led by guitar, bass and synth; 'Pledge' hangs between light psych and flutes, while 'Properly' is another little masterpiece of this record, full of fuzz guitar and afro percussions. Just let the groove overwhelm you, every track is devoted to bass modulations.






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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST:
A1. Idee 2:41
A2. Lunedì Ore 7:45 1:53
A3. Venerdì Ore 20:30 2:25
A4. Creatività 2:47
A5. Tibetano 2:07
A6. Filanda 2:39

B1. Scoramento 2:06
B2. Ripensandoci 2:24
B3. Asettico 2:16
B4. Astrazione Per Flauto 1:52
B5. Astrazione Per Piano 2:02
B6. La Fonderia 2:27
B7. Ansietà 2:07


If we talk about ideas, we surely talk about "Idee 1", one of the best collaborations between Massimo Catalano and Remigio Ducros - together with "La fatica", that will be reprint in a while - with contributions from the amazing Daniela Casa. Daniela is one of the few women in the "Italian libraries" scene, but she's more talented than some of her better known male colleagues. If Daniela, and so her husband Ducros, are names linked to a tiny niche of soundtracks' lovers, Catalano has instead worked for television, being a well-known composer for the audience. His great technique and composition, combined with those of his 2 colleagues, is one of the strong points of "Idee 1", published (but never released) by Team on February 1972, fulfilled with experimental sparks (Astrazione per Flauto, Astrazione per Piano, Filanda, La Fonderia), staggering orchestrations, breakbeat and funky (Lunedì ore 7:45, Ducros), mournful atmospheres (Venerdì ore 20:30, by Casa; Ripensandoci by Catalano) and world music influences (Tibetano, Catalano). If we have to explain this record with just one track, this would be the fourth one, Creatività (Creativity): unrestrained, with no limits or filters, this song is ready to get heavy rotation on your record player.



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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST:
A1. Clouds 3:08
A2. 3/4 Western 2:44
A3. Chase 3:14
A4. Riding 2:18
A5. Modern Expressions 2:27
A6. Loneliness 2:31

B1. Mood 2:36
B2. Sea-Side 3:06
B3. Nightmare 3:08
B4. Games 3:56
B5. Friends 3:18

More than to reward the artistic ambitions of the artist, the majority of Library records were generally functional to sonorizations and conceived for a commercial use. So the main difficulty for the artist was to demonstrate his compositional versatility that allowed the use of his songs in different contests : documentaries, spaghetti western movies, television programs and dramas, news reports. "Clouds", fourth chapter of this new and exciting Spettro series, is a classic library release in its purest form. Despite being credited solely Pasquale Castiglione, this is in effect a collaboration of the composer with Paolo Casa, here involved in arrangements and in conducting the orchestra. The two are less known respect to Umiliani, Alessandroni and Macchi, but they are surely worth of being rediscovered. Just listen to the super-classic eurofunk "Movimenti di Casa" to understand. "Clouds" was released in 1975 from the label Octopus. Amongst the songs clearly influenced by Ennio Morricone, you're able to discover funk and jazz rock gems ("Chase" and "Games"), smooth and relaxed moments as in the lush title track, simple pop interludes ("Loneliness") and even some experimental excursion similar to the ones of other "aquatic libraries" like in the song "Modern Expressions". "Clouds" is another classic release by Spettro.

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LP, 180 grams black vinyl 500 hand numbered copies
The label is called SPETTRO (the word has two meanings in Italian, it means “spectrum” but also “ghost”) and the releases will be split in two series :
SPETTRO LIBRARY and SPETTRO SOUNDTRACK - this is SPETTRO LIBRARY!

TRACKLIST:
A1. Il Tempo Dello Spirito 2:25
A2. Festività 2:00
A3. Giubileo 1:50
A4. Ave Maria 2:32
A5. Gloria In Excelsis Deo 1:52
A6. Pellegrinaggio 2:17
A7. Salmo Gregoriano 2:00
A8. Le Novizie 1:36
A9. Il Peccato 2:25

B1. Elevazione 1:50
B2. Concilio 2:37
B3. Black Allelujah 2:31
B4. Funzione 2:14
B5. Messa Solenne 3:05
B6. Messa Solenne (Vers. Raccolta) 2:27
B7. Presenza Di Dio 1:25
B8. Deposizione 1:57

Amongst the first bunch of this new label releases, we couldn't miss a tribute to one of the greatest masters of libraries recordings, Alessandro Alessandroni, born in 1925. In his long career Alessandroni has published lots of soundtracks - and we mean lots of - and for this he's considered a real star of Italian music. As a friend, and close collaborator of Ennio Morricone, he's remembered as "the whistle man" for his fundamental contribution to the immortal scores of Sergio Leone's movies. His class allowed him to range between genres and atmospheres, from beat to avant-garde, from funky to abstract compositions, always reaching and keeping the highest quality. This is immediately clear in "Il Tempo Dello Spirito", originally published in 1971 for the meritorious Flirt label. It's an album full of sacred music, gospel and spiritual, yet capable of personal flashes that make it interesting, particular and unique. Simple church songs? In some cases it may seems so - titles as Ave Maria, Gloria In Excelsis Deo, Pellegrinaggio or Messa Solenne do not leave much room for doubt and interpretations - but Alessandroni is able to astonish even in extreme cases like this. The best comes with songs like Il Peccato, Black Hallelujah, Deposizione, Elevazione and Concilio, in a crescendo of mysticism. Unbelievers or devotees, here you will find bread for your inveterate collectors' teeth! Let us thank Spettro!

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