Stanley Black Conducts.

The first of the two Decca ‘Phase 4’ albums compiled on this CD showcases orchestra leader/arranger Stanley Black in a very modern musical setting, and one for which he is not usually known. ‘Black Magic’ (1976) sees Stanley focusing on contemporary 1970s material including music drawn from the worlds of film and disco. The aggressive wah-wah guitar pyrotechnics and funk groove of Isaac Hayes’s Theme from ‘Shaft’, with which the album opens, signals to the listener that this will be a very different Stanley Black experience, and the ’70s grooves continue to flow thick and fast including exciting arrangements of Van McCoy’s disco hit The Hustle and Morris Albert’s Feelings. Satan Superstar (1978) heads off in a slightly more conventional direction, and features spine-chilling arrangements for full orchestra of music from horror films including Exorcist II, The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby.

SATAN SUPERSTAR (1978) STEREO

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Suite (Waxman)
Rosemary’s Baby (Lullaby) (Komeda)
King of Kings (Devil Scene) (Rozsa)
The Seventh Victim (Webb): Prelude; Nocturne; The Walk through the Night City; Finale
Exorcist II: The Heretic (Regan’s Theme) (Morricone)
The Omen (Goldsmith)

BLACK MAGIC (1976) STEREO

Theme from “Shaft” (Hayes)
Feelings (Albert)
Our Day Will Come (Garson; Hilliard)
Wave (Jobim)
All It Takes is Two (Like Me and You) (Kaye; Hertha; Gietz)
The Hustle (McCoy)
Aranjuez, Mon Amour (Rodrigo)
Berimbau (De Moraes; Powell)
Love in the Rain (Taylor)
Volare (Migliacci; Modugno; Parish)