Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come (1972)

1. You Can Get It If You Really Want
2. Draw Your Breaks - Scotty
3. Rivers Of Babylon - The Melodians
4. Many Rivers To Cross
5. Sweet And Dandy - The Maytals
6. The Harder They Come
7. Johnny Too Bad - The Slickers
8. 007 (Shanty Town) - Desmond Dekker
10. Sitting In Limbo
11. You Can Get It If You Really Want
12. The Harder They Come

Artistdirect.com
In 1973, when the movie The Harder They Come was released, reggae was not on the radar screen of American pop culture. The soundtrack went a ways toward changing that situation. It is a collection of consistently excellent early reggae songs by artists who went on to thrive with reggae's increased popularity and others for whom this is the most well-known vehicle. Jimmy Cliff is both the star of the movie and the headliner on the soundtrack. He contributes three excellent songs: the hymnal "Many Rivers to Cross," "You Can Get It If You Really Want," and "The Harder They Come" (the latter two are repeated at the end of the album, but you probably wanted to hear them again anyway). Interestingly, the better production values of his songs actually seems to detract from them when compared to the rougher, but less sanitized, mixes of the other tracks. All the songs on this collection are excellent, but some truly stand out. Toots & the Maytals deliver two high-energy songs with "Sweet and Dandy" and "Pressure Drop" (covered by the Clash among others). Scotty develops a mellow, loping groove on "Stop That Train" (not the same as the Wailers' song by the same name) and the Slickers prove on "Johnny Too Bad" that you don't have to spout profanity or graphic violence to convey danger. The Harder They Come is strongly recommended both for the casual listener interested in getting a sense of reggae music and the more serious enthusiast. Collections don't come much better than this.

Quincy Jones - In The Heat Of The Night (1967)

 
01 - Ray Charles , In the Heat of the Night.mp3
02 - Peep-Freak Patrol Car.mp3
03 - Cotton curtain.mp3
04 - Where Whitey Ain't Around.mp3
05 - Whipping Boy.mp3
06 - No You Won't.mp3
07 - (Movie Dialogue) , Keep Cool.mp3
08 - Nitty Gritty Time.mp3
09 - Gil Bernal , It Sure Is Groovy!.mp3
10 - Glen Campbell , Bowlegged Polly.mp3
11 - (Movie Dialogue) , That's Enough for Me.mp3
12 - Shag Bag, Hounds & Harvey.mp3
13 - Chief's Drive to Mayor.mp3
14 - Give Me Until Morning.mp3
15 - (Movie Dialogue) , The Wrong Man.mp3
16 - On Your Feet, Boy!.mp3
17 - Blood & Roots.mp3
18 - Ray Charles , Mama Caleba's Blues.mp3
19 - Boomer & Travis , Foul Owl.mp3

Amazon.com
Composer, arranger, and producer Quincy Jones was a youthful veteran of pop, jazz, and r&b when he began creating film and television music in the late '60s, and he brought those lessons to bear on vivid, contemporary music that broke from Hollywood's dependence on conventional orchestration. Although not the first film composer to lean heavily on jazz, Jones was unusually versatile in effectively coupling jazz, blues, and soul accents as he did in the brooding, bluesy score for 1968's In The Heat Of The Night [...] — noteworthy for a terrific main title song featuring Ray Charles. [...] --Sam Sutherland

[...] The funky, southern soul of In The Heat Of The Night features Glen Campbell on banjo, Billy Preston on Organ, Ray Brown on bass, Rahsaan Roland Kirk on flute, and the Raelettes

Smokey Robinson - Big Time (1977)

1. Theme From 'Big Time'
2. J.J's Theme
3. He Is The Light Of The World
4. So Nice To Be With U
5. Shana's Theme
6. Hip Trip
7. If We're Gonna Act Like Lovers
8. The Agony & The Ecstacy
9. Theme From 'Big Time' (Reprise)

Blaxploitation.com
A late entry into the flagging blaxploitation genre, this 1977 effort by Smokey Robinson sees him adopt typical blaxploitation instrumentation and feel while retaining some sweeter soul moments too. The best funk moments are the great theme and its reprise - both nice dancefloor chunky groovers in a late 70s straight feel (kind of Car Wash style) with good guitar, Rhodes and synth bass work. The other cuts on the album are a little too smooth and over-produced, but for a cheap and easy to find album, it's a steal.

Movie review
Big Time (1977)

Various Artist - The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979)

1. A Theme For L.A.'s Team
2. Magic Mona
3. Mighty Mighty Pisces
4. (Do it, Do it) No One Does It Better
5. The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
6. Moses Theme
7. Chance Of A Lifetime
8. Follow Every Dream
9. Ragtime
10. It Is Love, Must Be Love

Artistdirect.com
Appearing on many writers' Top Ten worst sports movies of all time, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh might have been an air ball at the box office, but the music for the movie is nothing but net. This fairly obscure album features music arranged and conducted by Thom Bell, with many guests appearing throughout. Fans of the Spinners, the Sylvers, and the Four Tops are treated to deep, rich, textured vocals as well as full funky instrumentation. "Moses Theme," sung by Frankie Bleu, showcases a laid-back '70s groove with an emotional string arrangement coupled with strong bass and percussion. The Four Tops' instantly singable "Chance of a Lifetime" features catchy lyrics that pop over a funk string hook and infectious rhythm. William Hart's falsetto vocals on "Follow Every Dream" serve as a smooth ride over more outstanding arrangements reminiscent of Bell's work with the Spinners. Other standout tracks include "(Do It, Do It) No One Does It Better," "Mighty Mighty Pisces," and the title song. It's a shame that only a limited quantity of "promotional only" records made it to stores in 1979, probably due to the poor attendance at movie theaters. This soundtrack is overlooked as a fitting addition to the soul masterpieces of the '70s, filled with hope, hard work, and dreams


Thanks Big Speech