Library

These records were intended for background music on television/radio/film, and were never commercially released to the public at the time. The library records included on this site will range from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s.

Rene Roussel – Rubriques

Ok, so I realize this is sort of going against the grain of most reviews on here, but I couldn’t resist posting a (dare I say) PROTO Italo/house library track (yes, these actually exist). The release date on this was not included but it had to be either 1979 or 1980 (probably ’79 – after […]

Orlando Kimber & John Keliehor – East Meets West

Wow, an 80’s library record that doesn’t sound like it belongs in a corporate training video for IBM! Unfortunately these types are few and far between, but thankfully for fans of floating synths and electronics, this one delivers. The first side mainly consists of gamelan jams that (for the most part) do a good job […]

Eric Siday – Musique Electronique

I wrote a little review on J. Matthews’ Electronic Music a while ago on this site. Here’s another very cool one that comes in the same pre-1968 library format, 78rpm microgroove. This one has the same title, be it in French, but it is 5 years earlier, from 1960. It’s by Eric Siday, an English […]

Musique Moderne

Here’s an unusual title that may interest ethnic beat and library music aficionados. “Musique Moderne” is a somewhat mysterious release which appears to have been produced by the Moroccan government. I’m guessing early 1980s from the look and sound of it. A possible agenda for it was to display the ability and versatility of the […]

Edward Williams – Music for Life on Earth

“Life on Earth was a groundbreaking television natural history series made by the BBC in association with Warner Bros. and Reiner Moritz Productions. It was transmitted in the UK from 16 January 1979. I chanced upon this in a local thrift shop for a golden English pound and was intrigued by the lack of information […]

The “Easy Listening” Group – Vol 1

The messages on the sleeve of this record are somewhat confusing. First, the front promises us “easy listening” and adds a logo saying we are dealing with “background music” (or “BGM”). The back adds to the titles classical indications what style and tempo they are in. So we have scherzoso, moderato but also tempo di […]

Oronzo De Filippi – Meccanizzazione

Small-group jazz library LP which at times could easily be mistaken for a Morricone soundtrack. Very distinct mix of harpischord, bossa rhythms, abstract electronics, and the classic Italian lounge sound on here. This record (which sounds great I might add – nice and loud mono pressing) was released on the scarce Italian library label Leo, […]

JJ Perrey & Pat Prilly – Moog Expressions

The first father-daughter electronic library record? I can get with this. I’m sure most of you who read this site are already well aware of Jean Jacques Perrey, one of the biggest names in the 60’s moog scene. Well apparently his daughter (a musician herself), would join him in the studio and relay song ideas […]

Bernard Estardy – Electro Sounds Volume 2

Bernard Estardy was one of the most prolific (and sought after) sound engineers in the French music scene during the 60’s and 70’s. After being involved on a number of sessions with Nino Ferrer, he took the initiative to build his own studio from scratch (the CBE as it’s known, built in 1967). It is […]

Guy Des Joncs / Guido Giovagnoli – Flute And Sax

Regency Line were a small library label based in Brighton, England (home of Fatboy Slim and Brad Pitt designed architecture) who issued a run of 30 LPs before disappearing into the ether. Their albums are some of the lesser known and tougher to find UK library LPs and were often issues of obscure mainland European […]

Patrice Sciortino – Percussion Power

Strange “exotica” library disc out of Paris, France from what sounds like the late 60’s (no date listed on the label or back cover). A “composition for 30 instruments and percussion accessories” by French composer Patrice Sciortino, and one of the finest of its kind. Sciortino does a great job of creating a distinct mood […]

Puccio Roelens – Research of Sound

First i’d like to thanks Ed for his help and kindness … Ok people now let me tell you about this little baby.  I’m sure you library lovers know about the desirable and perfect “Feelings” by Stefano Torossi, well in my opinion this LP is Puccio’s masterpiece as far as i know is discographie. Very […]

BBC Sound Effects Centre – Comedy Sounds

An in-house 7″ BBC sound effects disc from about 1967 by the look of the house style. The ‘handle with great care’ suggestion should have been taken more seriously, as there’s a big chunk out of the edge of the disc, depriving us of “Things Falling and Clanging”. Not very musically inspirational, as you might […]

Felice Fugazza – Megamoog

Here is another ‘space electronics’ library, quite similar to the Electronic Age LP i posted a week or two ago. Released on Orly’s “Kaleidoscope” series, these tracks probably first appeared on a small Italian label and were soon after re-licensed to this particular French library (there are a few other records in this series credited […]

Electronic Age – Modern Science, Space & Mystery

Absolute classic as far as avant garde/electronic library records are concerned. A number of Studio G regulars are on this LP, all of whom display a deep appreciation for tape delay, distortion, warbling synths, and minimal ‘space age’ electronics. If there were ever a soundtrack to everyday space station living in the 22nd century, this […]

J. Matthews – Electronic Music

The moment time travel will be made available to the general public, this is the kind of record I will be ordering, in retrospect, from 1965. Those who love vintage record oddities will agree this disc has a lot going for it. First, the very format is peculiar. It’s a 10″ microgroove record, but it […]

Walt Rockman – Pollution

I now have a new pick for favorite library record cover ever. It’ll probably change in a few months but wow is this great. “Pollution” comes from the German SONOTON label and features some excellent electronic drone action. The record is mainly electronic, aside from two very kraut-rock / motorik percussion tracks, “Pollution Drums” and […]

Phasing Drums & Electronic Sounds

Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with a discussion on how cool the “Phasing Drums” part is. As a matter of fact, that’s the most uninteresting part of the record (gasp!). The highlights of this record therefore fall under the “electronic sounds” section, which makes up the entire A side and a quarter of the […]

Various Artists – Bass Modulations

This one comes from Italy on the obscure Octopus library label. No date is listed on the back cover but a safe guess would be early 70’s. The music on here is mainly jazz, but there are a few tracks which venture into the ‘psych’ territory. Most of the songs are composed by R. Conrado […]

Jean-Pierre Decerf and Gerard Zajd – Out of the Way

This record strikes me as being very odd. It sounds so contemporary, you almost suspect it’s a hoax by some sample dudes from 2006. But it’s not. It’s on the French Cam, so it’s probably from the beginning of the eighties. There are several stand out tracks, with subdued electronic beats, percussion and sound effects, but the […]

The Lemon Dips – Who’s Gonna Buy

The best library LP i found for 1 euro, released on De wolfe in the end of the 60s, this one is not the instrumental library LP you can often find on KPM or De Wolfe. This one is a record by an unknown british garage-psych band who can be compared with “The Deviants”. Side […]

Vladimir Cosma – Enfance

“I hear you still buy records, what kind of music do you like?” “Well, lately I’ve been listening to this odd electro-medieval-kiddie record.” ” Oh . . . silly me, I still haven’t said hi to the host yet. Nice to meet you.” Listen

Ronald S. Marquisee-Electronic Music Vol. 1

This is a sound library on the Corelli/Jacobs Film Music Library label (a subsidiary of De Wolfe?) and I have never seen any other library on this label. According to the seller in which I bought it from, it was cut in the late 60’s. This album is broken down into two parts. Side A […]

Claude Vasori – Cocktail d’Images

Musique Pour l’Image was a small library label based out of Paris founded by pianist Robert Vigier in 1968. The label is popular with library fiends due to the fantanstic cover art and, more importantly, the high quality music. Almost all of the MPI albums I’ve seen feature black and white covers, and many, such […]

Bernard Fevre – The Strange World of Bernard Fevre

File under: late 70’s science-fiction-themed after school special background music. This is one of the last releases on the great L’Illustration Musicale label; an “all electronic” album, as the back cover states. A top late 70’s electronic library (well, to me at least) — spacy moogs, clavinet, and analog drum machines. Fevre was also half of […]