Decca Schallplatten & CDs

Review: It's the late 1950s and modernism reigns. The fires of World War II have been extinguished, leaving behind scorched earth, half-ruined cities, and a firm focus on looking ahead to a better world. How little they knew. From this Cold War setting, wherein the lines between good and bad appear deceptively clear, a new form of jazz begins to emerge. Smooth, cool, and unarguably inviting, Miles Davis was among the greatest proponents of the 'modal' movement - whereby long, linear melodic movements were favoured over the nervous energy and tension of what had come before. The legendary trumpeter, bandleader and composer gave us a lot of landmark sounds, and his score to the Louis Malle film, Ascenseur Pour L'echafaud, isn't one of the best known. Nevertheless, it defines everything that was great and timeless about the iconic brass man.

Review: La Planete Sauvage, or Fantastic Planet to give its Anglicised name, is a landmark of animation. In technical terms, it's perhaps not the most advanced film to have come out in 1973, but the creative vision, storyline and atmosphere of Rene Laloux's film remains an enduring influence, and that's helped no end by Alain Goraguer's surrealist, expressive score. As the film celebrates its 50th anniversary, Decca are pulling out the stops for a high-end reissue that remixes and remasters Goraguer's score from the recently discovered multi-track tapes, including seven previously unreleased pieces and three alternative mixes.

Review: If you like the idea of recreating the magic of Bond in your living room then this reissue of the soundtrack to the epic Spectre should get you excited. The OST to the twenty-fourth James Bond film arrives here via Decca on double white vinyl and Thomas Newman's electrifying orchestral score from the 2015 blockbuster as never sounded better. It amplifies the adrenaline-fuelled action as Daniel Craig takes on the iconic role of 007 for the fourth time and the album also includes an instrumental rendition of Sam Smith's Bond main title song, 'Writing's On The Wall'.