1998
SHOW 27: January 4
Astro-kitten BARBARELLA (1968) leads us into the brave new year to hear the grooviest space sounds this side of Uranus, courtesy of Bob Crewe and Charles Fox. Composer Jerry Goldsmith fires the WARNING SHOT (1967) that sets off a night of urban chaos. Dig Herbie Hancock’s soulful sounds wafting through Antonioni’s pop culture snapshot, BLOWUP (1966). Or slap yourself into an enlightened state with the mysterious SHEMP MEDITATION TAPE (1993), plus Larry and Moe. Includes DANGER MAN (1961).
SHOW 28: January 11
Filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles helped usher in the age of black exploitation films when he cast himself as a superstud in SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG (1971). $4 million in stolen gold bullion can buy a lot of records, but Quincy Jones’ chase scenes are priceless in the gold-heist romp THE ITALIAN JOB (1969). Plus two James Bond rip-offs nearly redeemed by their scores: The Walker Bros.’ DEADLIER THAN THE MALE (1967) and David Whitaker’s HAMMERHEAD (1968). Includes THE MAGIC GARDEN OF STANLEY SWEETHEART (1970) and OUTLAW RIDERS (1971).
SHOW 29: January 18
Maestro Nino Rota’s mondo tribal freak-out inspires psychedelic gladiator dreams in FELLINI SATYRICON (1970). The Byrds and Vic Mizzy provide fun in the Malibu sun for Tony Curtis and Sharon "Helter Skelter" Tate in DON'T MAKE WAVES (1967). John Wong and his band of warriors massacre their foes along with the English language in the martial arts rock opera, LET'S ROCK! (1975). Includes New World Symphony’s extended theme from WONDER WOMAN (1976-79) and BOOK OF NUMBERS (1973).
SHOW 30: January 25
Al Caiola’s twangy guitar screams "Run!" in the Bob Hope comedy EIGHT ON THE LAM (1967). There’s no place to hide when the pack of roving man-eaters from SHE DEVILS ON WHEELS (1968) tears through your town--singing lyrics by cult director Herschell Gordon Lewis! The only Pink Floyd soundtrack worthy of a spin here is the Euro-hippie odyssey THE VALLEY (OBSCURED BY CLOUDS) (1972). Also Alexandro Jodorowsky’s funk remix from his own film EL TOPO (1971), the retro-futuristic MAN IN SPACE WITH SOUNDS (1962) and ED WOOD (1994).
SHOW 31: February 1
Missing from the screen these days are mean-spirited satires like LORD LOVE A DUCK (1966), whose theme by The Wild Ones flips the bird at everything in sight. Galt MacDermot’s old-school gangsta grooves move uptown when COTTON COMES TO HARLEM (1970). Harlem comes to Hong Kong for a bloody culture clash in THE REVENGE OF MR. MOPOJI (1974), with a soul soundtrack by Mike Jackson. Also The Sandals’ tubular tunes from THE LAST OF THE SKI BUMS (1969) and DER BUCKLIGE VON SOHO (1966).
SHOW 32: February 8
Composer Jim Helms kicks up the dust for the giant desert biker brawl that is ANGEL UNCHAINED (1970). Rod Steiger’s lesson on Jewishness masks a torrent of self-hate in THE PAWNBROKER (1965); Quincy Jones’ music picks up the slack when the going gets rough. England’s crown prince of TV themes, Ron Grainer, packs a wallop with his opener from the long-forgotten BBC actioner MAN IN THE NEWS (c. 1966). Plus game show god Chuck Barris: talented tunesmith, too? Includes Marvin Gaye's TROUBLE MAN (1972) and WINNING (1969).
SHOW 33: February 15
Love gone rancid is the theme of our half-assed stab at a Valentine’s Day special. Woody is no Bogie but he is funnier in the soundtrack from PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM (1972), complete with an added laugh track that must’ve ruffled his red feathers. Kenyon Hopkins’ swampy, southern gothic funk adds to the agony of Karl Malden in his pathetic lust for teen bride BABY DOLL (1956). But rare Davie Allan and the Arrows surf tracks liven up the white trash comedy WIFE CHILD (1968). Includes SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL (1964) and HOW TO MURDER YOUR WIFE (1965).
SHOW 34: February 22
Pre-sellout John(ny) Williams puts a wiggle in the walk of bikini-clad bank robber Natalie Wood in PENELOPE (1966). WILLIE DYNAMITE (1974) launches an all-out mack attack with a pimp-slappin’ score by J. J. Johnson. Aging mobster George C. Scott gets it up one more time with the help of soundtrack godfather Jerry Goldsmith in THE LAST RUN (1971). And Cory McAbee’s psycho-lounge act known as THE BILLY NAYER SHOW celebrates the video release of its films.
SHOW 35: March 1
Torn from yesterday’s headlines!: TEENAGE REBELLION (1967) shocks with tales of "The Gay Teenager," "A Pot Party," and Mike Curb’s music. Quincy Jones’ brooding, paranoid score chills the plasma in the true crime classic IN COLD BLOOD (1967). A dash of A-1 Sauce might flavor the tasteless off-Broadway feast EATING RAOUL, THE MUSICAL (1992). Includes OTLEY (1969) and POPI (1969).
SHOW 36: March 8
Cooler-than-Bond Dirk Bogarde takes his cues from Jerry Goldsmith’s trés groovie Now Sounds in SEBASTIAN (1968). Kenyon Hopkins’ hip jazz strains don’t do jack for Pat Boone’s gun-toting avenger in THE YELLOW CANARY (1963). "Vengeance is mine!" sayeth Charles Bronson in the Herbie Hancock-scored DEATH WISH (1974). Plus GETTING STRAIGHT (1970) and Oliver Nelson’s bongo-mad ZIGZAG (1970).
SHOW 37: March 15
Peter Sellers twirls his love beads in time to Elmer Bernstein’s psychedelic sitar in the goofy trip I LOVE YOU, ALICE B. TOKLAS (1968). Goblin emit electronic etudes for the ballet school-cum-witches coven in Dario Argento’s screamer SUSPIRIA (1977). Bobby Womack sings of mayhem in Harlem in ACROSS 110th STREET (1972). And Leith Stevens spikes the punch for THE INTERNS (1962). Includes Goblin's SUSPIRIA (1977).
SHOW 38: March 22
What do you call a white bigot who finds his head grafted onto a black man’s body? THE THING WITH TWO HEADS (1972); schizophrenic soundtrack by Robert O. Ragland. Race relations improve when Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis, Jr. team up in SALT AND PEPPER (1968); the latter half belts out the theme. Pete King bids a swingin’ adieu to THE LAST OF THE SECRET AGENTS (1966). Includes Isaac Hayes' SHAFT (1971).
SHOW 39: March 29
Liz and Dick slum it in the asylum comedy HAMMERSMITH IS OUT (1972) while Dominic Frontiere discovers the wa-wa pedal in the next cell. Everybody is kung fu fighting to J. J. Johnson’s chop-ass beats in CLEOPATRA JONES (1973). Harley chains and Cream tunes prove effective weapons in THE SAVAGE SEVEN (1968). Plus Duke Ellington’s classic ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959).
SHOW 40: April 5
Junkies fear when Pam Grier is near as COFFY (1973), settling the score to Ron Ayers’ funktrack. Secret agent/tennis pro Bill Cosby trots the globe in TV’s I SPY (1965-68) while Earle Hagen pens silly musical postcards at each whistlestop. Ray Charles warns would-be card sharks about THE CINCINNATI KID (1965) and his deadly duel with Lady Luck. But Jerry Styner sings the praises of THE SIDEHACKERS (1967), those daredevils of the 3-wheel, 2-man motorcyle race that history forgot.
SHOW 41: April 12
Charles Bernstein’s southern-fried chase themes (and a jar of White Lightning) send swamp stud Burt Reynolds flying across state lines in GATOR (1976). Billy Strange’s fuzzy guitar sounds stranger when it accompanies hippie impostors Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine in BUNNY O'HARE (1972). Amnesia is a cocktail party if you’re MISTER BUDDWING (1966), especially when maestro Kenyon Hopkins is mixing! And Osibisa adds salsa to the soul in SUPERFLY TNT (1973).
SHOW 42: April 19
A MAN COULD GET KILLED (1966), a femme fatale could cause it, and Bert Kaempfert could set it to music. The Mugwamp Establishment and Davey Allan set the Sunset Strip ablaze in the riotous exploit MONDO HOLLYWOOD (1967). Across the canyon, Sharon Tate-Polansky takes a curtain call in John Moran’s perverse play, THE MANSON FAMILY, AN OPERA (1992). Bruno Nicolai brings Day-glo love party vibes to Jess Franco’s pseudo-sado-nudie DE SADE ’70 (1970). Includes the ultimate funky ride in CAR WASH (1976) and the Italian sci-fi THE TENTH VICTIM (1965).
SHOW 43: April 26
Nothing’s sacred on this show, so we ignore Easter and opt for PETEY WHEATSTRAW (1977), Rudy Ray Moore’s rhyming sleazemaster with music by Nat Dove and the Devils. Alan Arkin as INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU (1968)? Don’t think pink: swingin’ Ken Thorpe handles the band. Rockin’ Dominic Frontiere gets squirelly for the Steve McQueen motorcycle doc, ON ANY SUNDAY (1971). Morgan Freeman and Mel Brooks turn on for THE ELECTRIC COMPANY (1971-76). Plus Italian porn tracks.
SHOW 44: May 3
"A deep magenta head-bath" is how one stoned critic described GHETTO FREAKS (1970), featuring imitation HAIR tunes. Johnny Williams provides musical beds for bored couples in NOT WITH MY WIFE, YOU DON'T (1966). The Germans enter the Space Race a few centuries too late in the Peter Thomas-scored series SPACE PATROL (1966). And War blast the ghetto in YOUNGBLOOD (1978).
SHOW 45: May 10
East meets west wearing a silk nightie in THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG (1960), mirrored in George Duning’s exotica-meets-Las Vegas Grind soundtrack. Race riot meets laugh riot in director/composer Melvin Van Peebles’ WATERMELON MAN (1970). And Stanley Myers supplies a fistful of hip tunes for quick-change psycho-charmer Rod Steiger in NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY (1968). Includes WILLIE WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971) and THE PILLOW BOOK (1996).
SHOW 46: May 17
Wayward Susan Hayward screams I WANT TO LIVE! (1958) as Johnny Mandel’s beatnik bongos echo from her checkered past. Al Hirt’s trumpet cries "Long Live The General!" who tries to retake the Alamo in VIVA MAX! (1969). Bernard Ebbinghouse prescribes a lethal dose of cute ditties in the sex romp PRUDENCE AND THE PILL (1968). Also: Muhammad Ali and Lily Tomlin in THE DRUG KING'S LAST STAND (1977) and THEY CALL ME MISTER TIBBS! (1970).
SHOW 47: May 24
From outer space arrives the deadly virus known as THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN (1971) on a ray of electronic sounds by Gil Melle. Davie Allan and the Arrows rev up the rock for the THE HELLCATS (1968) as they pussywhip the cops. Sid Ramin gets "made" after scoring the groovie Mafia party scenes in STILETTO (1971). Includes THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1964-6) and annoying corporate musical productions.
SHOW 48: May 31
Singer Solomon Burke puts the bad mouth on the diamond thieves in COOL BREEZE (1972) who make off with 3-mil worth of "Whitey’s ice." Jerry Goldsmith teams up with The Man from Z.O.W.I.E. for mod spy-jinx in OUR MAN FLINT (1966). Composer Igor Kantor turns on the juice for Russ Meyer’s titillating man-eater VIXEN (1968), who comes with all the fixin’s! Includes THE CARPETBAGGERS (1964) and HAWAII FIVE-O (1968-80).
SHOW 49: June 7
The Sloopys warn the world about evil Vincent Price’s nuclear navel devices in DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS (1966). Duck and cover to Cold War ditties about doomsday devices in ATOMIC CAFE (1982). "Are you ready to die?" queries acid showman Timothy Leary as he guides a fellow shrink through kosmik rebirth in TURN ON, TUNE IN AND DROP OUT (1967). The Sidewalk Sounds tune up, turn up and burn rubber in the Fabian stock-car race flick THUNDER ALLEY (1967). Includes DIRTY HARRY (1972) and MAGNUM FORCE (1973).
SHOW 50: June 14
One wonders why Mikis Theodorakis’ groovie score couldn’t save the Greek gay mutant hippie comedy THE DAY THE FISH CAME OUT (1967). Andy Bodale’s five-star blaxploitation soundtrack for GORDON'S WAR (1973) rallies the film’s returned vets to rid Harlem of The Man’s Dope. Lalo Schifrin’s breakneck beats in BULLITT (1968) take gratuitous San Francisco chase scenes to new heights. Davey Allen’s surf riffs bring Hell’s Angels p.r. to new lows in THE WILD ANGELS (1966). Includes S.W.A.T. (1975-6).
SHOW 51: June 21
The Nazis invade Broadway with a two-step goose-step in Mel Brooks’ THE PRODUCERS (1968). Ain’t no springtime for Hitler in Walter Quintus’ sure-fire flop, DER FUHRER, A ROCK OPERA (1977). Somebody inhaled when they hired Mrs. Miller to sing the theme for the bogus pot scare film MARYJANE (1966). Even The Monkees turned on for HEAD (1968) (includes bites from Ratso’s 1995 interviews with Davy Jones and Peter Tork). Plus James Brown’s BLACK CAESAR (1973).
SHOW 52: June 28 (Farewell Show)
"Always leave ‘em wanting more!" is part of the guiding philosophy that draws to a close this one-year series. Tune in for an evening of favorite and most-requested soundtracks from an era whose history is only now being written. Thanks to Kate, Stephen, Gary the Owl, Sean, Scott, David, Carrie, Mandy, Marisa, Colin Sick, Chris S., Ira, Dave, J. Boog & Posse, Jason K., the SF Chronicle, the SF Weekly, Film/Tape World, Schlock, IndieWIRE and all the groovie composers, sleazy producers, hack directors, twisted writers, hungry actors, and outtasight record labels.
1999
SHOW 53: 2-HOUR SPECIAL: April 4
Bring on da funk, bring on da cheez! Ratso mixes it all up again with music from THE WILD RACERS (1968), KILL (1971), ENTER THE DRAGON (1973), SHAFT IN AFRICA (1973), PERVIRELLA (1997), OUT OF SIGHT (1998) and more!
Plus, a psycho-sexual trip with Xaviera Hollander and THE HIPPIE GODDESSES,
Italian TV themes, exploitation trailers, commercials from your childhood,
Bad Mystery Celebrity and free movie tickets!
SHOW 54: 2-HOUR SUMMER SPECIAL: July 4
It's sex, sand and simians when DJ Ratso hosts this summer-time special! Music from the skin flick TONGUE (1976), the beach blanket romp DON'T MAKE WAVES (1967), the Roddy McDowall-gone-ape-shit adventure ESCAPE FROM THE PLANET OF THE APES (1971), Quincy Jones' funkiest score from DOLLARS (1971), the tasteless rape fantasy LIPSTICK (1976), raunchy Rudy Ray Moore's blaxploit DOLEMITE (1975), and the latest grooves imported from Italy and India! Plus a star-spangled tribute to our revolutionary sweetheart, Tanya, with music from PATTY HEARST (1988), PATTY RATED X (1975), and her original ransom tape! Along with Italian shockers, sleazy trailers, godawful commercials, Bad Mystery Celebrity and free movie tickets! More fun than a box of M-80s and a book of matches!
2000
SHOW 55: 2-HOUR MILLENNIUM SPECIAL: January 30
First there was Mondo 2000, then Furnishings 2000. Now get ready for Groovie Movie Soundtracks 2000, another groovadelic freakout revival airing on KUSF's Spotlight January 30, 2000, from 4 - 6pm (PST).
This 2-hour exploitaganza will include Danny Saber's phonky beats from THE LIMEY (1999); terrifying electronics from Kenneth Anger's LUCIFER RISING (1970-80, recorded in prison by Sharon Tate's murderer Bobby Beausoleil!); the black fu flick that never was, SOUL ECSTACY (1999); Piero Piccioni's LSD vibes from COLPO ROVENTE (aka RED HOT BLOW, 1970); action tracks from the British crime show, THE HANGED MAN (1975); Les Baxter's vroom-vroom score from the biker movie HELL'S BELLES (1969); the original BEDAZZLED (1967) and much more!
2001
SHOW 56: 2-HOUR WW3 SPECIAL: November 4
GROOVIE MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS with DJ Ratso returns NOVEMBER 4, 2001, from 2 - 4 p.m. on KUSF's "Spotlight"--90.3 FM, San Francisco! Your furry Daddy Mack packs the stacks of black wax from his soundtrack shack. Clothing optional, body paint mandatory!
Celluloid spins will include the Japanese porno thriller I.K.U.; the Billy Nayer Show's intergalactic hoedown THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT (2000); spaghetti slasher flasher 4...3...2...1...DIE! (1967); idolatrous love-ins GROUPIE GIRL (1969) and THE GROUPIES (1969); FOXY BROWN (1974); swingin' German TV commercials; FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET (1972); PSICOEROTICA (2001) and much more!
2002
SHOW 57: GRAND FINALE SPECIAL: May 26
DJ RATSO doses you with trippy tracks and funky features with an all-new, two-hour episode of GROOVIE MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS on KUSF, 90.3 FM, San Francisco!
Tune in SUNDAY, MAY 26, 2002, from 2 – 4 p.m. (PST), for a psychosexual circus including the German disco sci-fi TV series STAR MAIDENS (1976); urban groovers BROTHER ON THE RUN (1973), FIVE ON THE BLACK HAND SIDE (1973) and FRIDAY FOSTER (1975); the BBC's drunken Brit-cop actioner THE SWEENEY (1975-8); Bollywood ballyhoo with SHALIMAR (1978); a psychedelic uproar from RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP (1967); Brazilian soap operas from the 80s and 90s; and Italian sex romps! And back by popular demand: MUHAMMAD ALI AND HIS GANG VS. TOOTH DECAY (1976)!
