I knew that I was in for a treat the moment that I laid eyes on the disturbingly erotic cover of Diggler Records latest compilation release Melodies in Love The Erotic World of Gerhard Heinz. A sexilicious soaked to the bone blonde lass, lovingly petting a horse in what appears to be a heavenly tropical paradise. Paradise indeed my friend, paradise indeed. The magic of the unnamable 60's or 70's groove soundtrack is something that many a cult film fan can attest to having a certain type of fondness for. Generally speaking, these songs are performed by acts that we've never heard of or heard from again. Sight unseen we purchase these releases with the eternal hope of finding that little gem of a disco tune or an infectious lounge groove. Many times over though we're not lucky enough to catch these tunes in their natural habitat, while watching the movie that they happened to originate from. Well, look no further, because Diggler's follow up CD to their erotic tunes of Peter Thomas offers its fair share of some of the best in fan favorite sleazy listening.

I've never seen any of the films that these tunes originated from, but it's pretty obvious that each of them must be something extremely special. I'm am a big fan of cult groove soundtracks, although I usually want what I just can't have. I'm unable to get the infectious tunes of Emanuelle In America out of my head after indulging in Blue Underground's recent release; unfortunately any pressing of that soundtrack is long out of print. The reversal is true in this case though. After having listened to these tunes, I have to see the films that they've originated from!

Boasting 19 tracks which amounts to just about an hours worth of listening depravity, Melodies in Love runs the gamut of the sleazy soundtrack empire. You've got yer jazz, wocka jo wocka disco, groovy rock numbers, you name it. Picking it apart one piece at a time we find that the first track entitled All You Ever Need Is Beat really does a great job in getting this show on the road. With it's great 60's go-go vibe and slick female vocals accompanied by the gruff male vocals delivering a low "woooooah, that's what ya need lady!" followed by an unnervingly high "c'mon give me some, waaaaaaoouuhh!" Suffice to say it's a pretty groovy listen. Other notables include the Shirley Bassey sounding track Bangkok at Night and the deliriously inspired aforementioned wocka jo wocka disco number titled oddly enough Rachel's Theme. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. Audio quality gets high marks all around. Levels are consistent from track to track and everything remains quite clear. Most, if not all of the songs contain lyrics in either German or English (moans and whistles are considered lyrics right?) The compilation is available in either CD form (this is what we reviewed) or a limited vinyl edition (which includes a few bonus tracks, you guys know what a record is, don't you?) but act quickly, those limited vinyl runs tend to sell out mighty quick.

Packaged with a 2-fold vertical poster and liner notes that are presented in both English and German, the inside booklet features some sexy photos which also include some original poster artwork as well. There really are some true treasures to be found within, fans of 60's and 70's era soundtracks with an erotic twist (there are a few moans and grunts to be found within) would be wise to take a peek. For me it's just priceless, this compilation comes highly recommended.

Click here to visit Diggler Records online or check out Movie Grooves for a great selection of imported musical wonders.