There are four movie soundtrack LPs from 1974 in the Vinyl Connection collection. None are essential but each is interesting in its own way.
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HARRY NILSSON — SON OF DRACULA
The movie poster’s slug line was “The First Rock-and-Roll Dracula movie” and it teamed Harry Nilsson with mate Ringo Starr as a totally believable Merlin. The OST combines Nilsson songs with instrumental pieces by Paul Buckmaster, with several of the former plundered from Nilsson’s most successful LP (“Moonbeam Song”, “Jump Into The Fire” and “Without You”). “Daybreak” is the only new song, a jaunty number featuring Peter Frampton on guitar.
Passages of dialogue link the songs, though without knowing the film this is not especially riveting. In fact the whole thing is more a nicely packaged movie memento than an essential soundtrack, especially if you found a copy with the original iron-on t-shirt image. My copy had the paper bag but not, sadly, the transfer it once contained. Still, who could resist a bat wing gatefold cover?
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STONE — ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
A violent motorbikesploitation movie about a long-haired undercover cop joining a bikie gang to investigate what appears to be a political assassination, this Australian film was released in June 1974.
The soundtrack was composed by Billy Green who had been part of Doug Parkinson’s In Focus. Doug contributes powerful vocals, his opening and closing contributions being highlights. Elsewhere there are instrumental interludes delivered by a crack gang of local session musos. These incidental instrumentals sound more composed and complete than many such pieces do, making the LP a worthwhile addition to any 1970s OST collection.
The excellent poster makes a bold temporal claim; Stone was five years before Mad Max.
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PHASE IV — ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
The one feature film by legendary title designer Saul Bass was not well received in 1974, but is viewed more kindly these days. The OST is a pleasing hybrid of electronic music (David Vorhaus of White Noise fame) and a flowing orchestral score by Brian Gascoigne, with short pieces being segued together into four, er, phases. It was first released by Waxwork Records in 2015, including two high quality stills and a booklet. This is an interesting and very enjoyable soundtrack that deserves to be better known.
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THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN — ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK
Roger Moore’s second outing as 007 is a very silly and thoroughly enjoyable Bond romp. Christopher Lee’s suave Scaramanga cruises through the film with effortless aplomb while Brit Ekland advances the cause of feminism with her tough, independent portrayal of the mishap prone Goodnight. (Fact Check: It’s dreadfully sexist and in one scene revoltingly Connery-violent, in keeping with the worst trends of the era.)
Musically, John Barry did the score and Lulu delivered the excellent title song. The song is better than the film, actually, which is why it came in at number three in VC’s ranking of all the Bond songs, just behind “Live and Let Die.”
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Any memories of these films or their soundtracks?
vinylconnection.com.au 
Seems like it should have been Shirley Bassey singing every Bond theme, including “Golden Gun,” and wouldn’t it have been great to have her do “Live and Let Die?”
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I was just re-reading the comments on the complete Bond song ranking list, Robert; it was indeed opening a can of worms. But as for Ms Bassey, she sang three times as many as any other performer, which is not too shabby, is it?
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That bat wing gatefold cover was indeed something! Nice shout out for the Phase IV album, too. 🙂
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You know the film, Marty? I’ve not seen it. But the soundtrack is terrific, and the LP re-issue a lovely job .
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Oh, yes. Missed it when it was initially released to little or no business. Caught up to it when released to VHS tape based on recommendations from the Video Store who I rented it from. Underappreciated sci-fi gem by famed graphic designer Saul Bass in his only feature-length film as a movie director.
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Spooky sounds for the Halloween season.
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I hadn’t made that connection, but yes! 🙂
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As I was scrolling through your post, I was like, ‘jeez, I don’t know any of these films,” until “The Man With the Golden Gun” saved the day, or I guess I should say the evening! I love the old 007 movies , though we seem to agree this isn’t the best Bond picture. I’m also with you the title song by Lulu, however, ranks among the best 007 songs. My personal favorite is “Goldfinger.” Shirley Bassey’s voice is just killer! I also dig “Live and Let Die” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” another gem sung by Bassey.
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Hooray for Lulu, Christian! Yes, lots of love for Shirley Bassey, the only triple winner.
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I watched Son of Dracula a few months ago again. One thing that is cool about it…where else will you see Keith Moon, Ringo Starr, and John Bonham in the same place? Probably 3 of the most influential drummers of the rock era.
Not the best Bond film but I liked it…I’m a big Christopher Lee fan.
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Lee is marvellous, right? Never raises a sweat but smoothly glides through the movie.
I’ve not seen Son Of Dracula, Max, so appreciate that neat little factoid about Bonham and Moon. Can you just imagine the drinking after shooting finished?!
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Just Nilsson and Starr alone would be crazy…but add the other two…a night no one could remember.
The movie is pretty bad but fun watching because of who is in it. It’s worth existing just because of that.
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Stone – I imagine that very few of your readers have seen this one. I liked it at the time, even made a Super 8 pastiche of it with friends one weekend. Long,-stretched memory tells me the music was pretty good. My acting in our suburban backyard version deserved the silent soundtrack it was filmed with.
Thanks Bruce,
DD
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That creates a fabulous image, DD. Re-purposed cowboys and indians guns and tomato sauce?
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Opening scene: I pull up on my motorbike at a fresh grave, the helmet comes off, gloves are thrown to the ground, fist shaken at a lowering sky, revenge promised…
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I’m glued to my seat already.
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“I shot the sheriff” would have been our outro if Clapton had come on board.
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🤣
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Lulu sang a Bond film???? I never knew that! Wonderful nugget. – Marty
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Have you listened, Marty? It’s a corker!
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I did after reading the post, yes. Indeed it is! 😆
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💛🧡💛
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Never in a million years would I have guessed that a Nilsson song – let alone one of his classics – would be on the OST of a…vampire film! Wow. Wondering if DD and pals recruited any ants for their pastiche of Stone. (That poster is pretty gruesome). I think I’d known, but long since forgotten, that Lulu had contributed to a Bond film. She’s forever linked with To Sir With Love in my – and that of many others’ – mind. Fun to think about Bond themes again. When you ran your ranking of all of them a couple of years ago, I know if chipped in my two cents for Chris Cornell’s You Know My Name…always loved the line “I’ve seen diamonds cut through harder men…” And I have to say I love Moore’s bell bottoms in that second poster…
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Big ‘yes’ to Lulu’s ‘To Sir With Love’; one of the all time great film songs.
I believe the Nilsson pic was something of a ‘mate’s project’. The dialogue excerpts on the LP are pretty ropey!
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