ROY BUDD - THE STONE KILLER / DIAMONDS

A Roy Budd double-header – with two excellent soundtracks in a single package! The Stone Killer is one of the darkest Budd scores ever – designed to accompany a brutal police film starring Charles Bronson! The main theme has a nice electronic sound that's kind of like the "Mystery Movie" theme from the 70s – then the score moves into some nicely moody regions that feature spare Fender Rhodes riffs underpinned by dark orchestral scoring! Occasional beats and jazzy rhythms move into the picture from time to time, and the album has one nice groovy vocal track – the sweet "Black Is Beautiful", which features Roy on electric keys, and some nice female vocals, very much in the tradition of one of the vocal numbers from Get Carter. Titles include "Jazz Source", "Cool Bossa Source", "Too Late", "Main Titles", and "M3 (sk 1)". Nice stuff, and one of Budd's best moments from the 70s!

Diamonds is next – a great 70s heist film, of the sort that usually provided excellent soundtrack material! 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 – tight and funky in the right places, and more laidback in others. The LP's overflowing with tracks, including a few bonus mixes, and there's even three vocal numbers that feature The Three Degrees. Titles include "The Thief", "Beauty & The Bass", "Diamonds", "Party Piece", "Thief On the Prowl", and more!

Source: Dusty Groove