The soundtrack from Vincente Minnelli's 1943 debut film, Cabin in the Sky, makes a diverting and entertaining CD. There are ten songs on this 75-minute CD, written by Vernon Duke and John LaTouche, and Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg; Duke Ellington and Mercer Ellington are represented as well, and also included is most of the background instrumental music by Roger Edens. Musically, this low-priced CD is virtually a duplicate of Rhino's Cabin in the Sky soundtrack CD, with a slightly different track breakdown and none of the outtakes included on Rhino's CD. Also, in lieu of the handsomely produced booklet that comes with the Rhino disc, this CD has a plainer insert that does, at least, contain a good plot summary and full music and performer credits. Otherwise, one is as good as the other, except that the Rhino release is authorized by the actual owners of the film (Soundtrack Factory's release is a little cloudier in terms of legalities) and, therefore, not morally objectionable on its face. ~ Bruce Eder

Ennio Morricone has scored over 500 films, and as he himself says in the brief liner notes, only 30 of them were Westerns. He's unlikely to ever shake the legacy of spaghetti Western scores that first brought him wide attention in the States, but it is nice to see a collection that broadens the scope of his work a bit. Morricone High picks the best moments from a handful of European films that the composer scored from 1969 to 1971 in a number of genres, none of them Westerns either. It manages to retain all of the tension that made his best known work so great and captivating, while adding more of the mod and psychedelic elements that were fermenting in the greater cultural brew of the times. Breezy, romantic mod as heard on the brittle Morricone High opener "Excuse Me, Let's Make Love?" and the more straightforward "Take Me Now," both tunes that will sit well with fans of the Free Design and Serge Gainsbourg. They also bring attention to one of Morricone's greatest signatures, the wordless vocals (often voiced by one of his chief muses, Edda Dell'Orso) anchoring his subtle, rich arrangements that rode shotgun. It can be heard again on the relaxed, introspective "A Lidia" and the orchestral pop psych of "La Bamola." Psychedelic music takes many shades in Morricone's work, from the obvious charge of fuzz wah-wah guitar in the go-go number "Allegretto per Signora" to the icy, tense harpsichord and cascading chimes of "Astratto 1" (aka "Abstract 1," why some of these titles are translated and others not isn't clear) and "Le Fotographie." Clearly there's a lot going on in this little collection! It's a tastefully selected introduction to Morricone's non-Western soundtracks that doesn't overlap with any of the other established winners in that field. With so many Morricone scores yet to be pillaged, this should be the first in a very long line of Morricone Highs. ~ Wade Kergan