Eli Roth Partners With Italian Soundtrack Label for ‘Red Light Disco’ Vinyl Sexploitation Cinema Compilation (EXCLUSIVE)

The scores for Italian horror films, from giallos to zombie movies, have in recent years become a cornerstone of the vinyl reissue market. Not a month goes by when collectors can’t acquire a new copy of the soundtrack to “Suspiria,” “Zombi 2,” “Nightmare City” or dozens of other terrifying titles. The music for Italian comedies, meanwhile, largely continues to languish in obscurity — at least until now.

Writer-director Eli Roth, lover of genre films (and their soundtracks), has partnered with CAM Sugar, one of Italy’s most storied record labels, on a compilation of cues from from the heyday of the “commedia sexy all’italiana,” or sexy Italian comedy. Due March 21, “Eli Roth’s Red Light Disco: Dancefloor Seduction From Italian Sexploitation Cinema” features 20 tracks handpicked by Roth from the label’s expansive 2,000-title deep library of film music. Assembled on vinyl, CD and via digital platforms, the release marks the first time many of these tracks have even been heard outside of their respective films.

“When I first heard the music of the Italian genre films of the 1970s, these tracks were impossible to find outside of the films themselves,” says Roth in the set’s liner notes. “When CAM Sugar Music asked me to curate this collection, it was not only a thrill for me as a film fan, it was a dream as a director too, because they opened the archive to thousands and thousands of previously unreleased tracks.”

Although the films may not be readily familiar even to dedicated genre fans, the composers of their music certainly will be: tracks appear by the likes of Stelvio Cipriani, Bruno Nicolai, Riz Ortolani, Franco Campanino, Gianni Ferrio, Nico Fidenco and Daniele Patucchi. To provide vital context for the selected music, Roth wrote extensive essays and conducted interviews, including with European genre legend Edwige Fenech (“The Case of the Bloody Iris”) and the granddaughter of Bombolo, one of the male superstars of the “commedia sexy all’italiana” films, and Campanino, composer of the music to “To Be Twenty,” one of Roth’s favorite Italian films.

“Eli Roth’s Red Light Disco” will be released in multiple formats: a standard version on either 2LP black vinyl or CD, and a deluxe limited deluxe edition pressed on red vinyl featuring a special mirrored cover and a bonus a 7” single with two rare cuts, one unreleased and one previously unissued on vinyl, along with a poster and a set of postcards with previously unseen photographs from Italian sexy comedy film sets. All versions of the album include the 28-page booklet featuring “Eli Roth’s Guide to Italian Red Light Cinema.” All of the audio has been restored and remastered from the original sources, to meet the presentation standards of contemporary audiophiles.

Although CAM Sugar has licensed its music for reissues in the past — notably Decca’s compilation “Paura: A Collection of Italian Horror Sounds From the CAM Sugar Archives” — this set curated by Roth marks a new partnership with the label to uncover and re-release more music from its library. It encompasses a catalog that began in 1959 when the label was founded, and extends to today.

“Eli Roth’s Red Light Disco: Dancefloor Seduction From Italian Sexploitation Cinema”

2LP VINYL – DELUXE EDITION TRACKLISTING

LATO A

A1. Sparklin’ Conversation – Alfonso Zenga, Paolo Gatti — from O.S.T. SENSI CALDI (1980)

A2. La Musica È – Gianni Ferrio — from O.S.T. L’INFERMIERA DI NOTTE (1979)

A3. Una vergine in familia – Carlo Savina — from O.S.T. UNA VERGINE IN FAMIGLIA (1975) *

A4. Avere vent’anni – Disco – Franco Campanino — from O.S.T. AVERE VENT’ANNI (1978) ** 

A5. Quando vuoi con chi vuoi – Gianni Ferrio — from O.S.T. LA LICEALE SEDUCE I PROFESSORI (1979) **

LATO B

B1 Amori Stellari – Giochi erotici nella terza Galassia (Titoli) – Don Powell — from O.S.T. AMORI STELLARI – GIOCHI EROTICI NELLA TERZA GALASSIA (1981) * 

B2. I’m Number One – Nico Fidenco — from O.S.T. EROS PERVERSION (1979) **

B3. Sexy Night – Nico Fidenco — from O.S.T. PORNO HOLOCAUST (1981)

B4. Taxi Girl (Ritmico Disco) – Pulsar Music Ltd. — from O.S.T. TAXI GIRL (1977) *

B5. Nude Odeon (Ritmico Funk) – Vasil Kojucharov — from O.S.T. NUDE ODEON (1979) * 

LATO C

C1. L’erotomane (Beat) – Riz Ortolani — from O.S.T. L’EROTOMANE (1980)

C2. What Can I Do – Stelvio Cipriani — from O.S.T. LA SUPPLENTE VA IN CITTÀ (1979) **

C3. Servizio fotográfico – Bruno Nicolai — from O.S.T. LA DAMA ROSSA UCCIDE SETTE VOLTE (1972)

C4. Do It With The Pamango – Franco Campanino — from O.S.T. UNA MOGLIE, DUE AMICI, QUATTRO AMANTI (1980) * 

C5. La settimana bianca – Gianni Ferrio — from O.S.T. LA SETTIMANA BIANCA (1980)

LATO D

D1. Studio X – Giuseppe De Luca — from O.S.T. L’ALTRA FACCIA DEL PECCATO (1969)

D2. Studio Z – Giuseppe De Luca — from O.S.T. L’ALTRA FACCIA DEL PECCATO (1969) * 

D3. I’m So Young – Versione coro – Giacomo Dell’Orso — from O.S.T. L’INFERMIERA DI MIO PADRE (1981) * 

D4. Runnin’ Around – Daniele Patucchi — from O.S.T. BIONDA FRAGOLA (1980) * 

D5. Il sesso del diavolo – Finale – Stelvio Cipriani — from O.S.T. IL SESSO DEL DIAVOLO (1971)

BONUS 45 RPM – 7 INCHES 

A. Avere vent’anni – Franco Campanino — from O.S.T. AVERE VENT’ANNI (1978) **

B. Doppio sesso incrociato (Disco Sexy) – Alfonso Santisteban — from O.S.T. DOPPIO SESSO INCROCIATO (1980) *

* previously unreleased

** first time on vinyl

CD/DIGITAL

1. Sparklin’ Conversation – Alfonso Zenga, Paolo Gatti — from O.S.T. SENSI CALDI (1980)

2. La musica è – Gianni Ferrio — from O.S.T. L’INFERMIERA DI NOTTE (1979)

3. Una vergine in familia – Carlo Savina — from O.S.T. UNA VERGINE IN FAMIGLIA (1975) *

4. Avere vent’anni – Disco – Franco Campanino — from O.S.T. AVERE VENT’ANNI (1978) **

5. Quando vuoi con chi vuoi – Gianni Ferrio — from O.S.T. LA LICEALE SEDUCE I PROFESSORI (1979) **

6. Amori stellari – Giochi erotici nella terza Galassia (Titoli) – Don Powell — from O.S.T. AMORI STELLARI – GIOCHI EROTICI NELLA TERZA GALASSIA (1981) * 

7. I’m Number One – Nico Fidenco — from O.S.T. EROS PERVERSION (1979) **

8. Sexy Night – Nico Fidenco — from O.S.T. PORNO HOLOCAUST (1981)

9. Taxi Girl (Ritmico Disco) – Pulsar Music Ltd. — from O.S.T. TAXI GIRL (1977) *

10. Nude Odeon (Ritmico Funk) – Vasil Kojucharov — from O.S.T. NUDE ODEON (1979) * 

11. L’erotomane (Beat) – Riz Ortolani — from O.S.T. L’EROTOMANE (1980)

12. What Can I Do – Stelvio Cipriani — from O.S.T. LA SUPPLENTE VA IN CITTÀ (1979) **

13. Servizio fotográfico – Bruno Nicolai — from O.S.T. LA DAMA ROSSA UCCIDE SETTE VOLTE (1972)

14. Do It With The Pamango – Franco Campanino — from O.S.T. UNA MOGLIE, DUE AMICI, QUATTRO AMANTI (1980) * 

15. La settimana bianca – Gianni Ferrio — from O.S.T. LA SETTIMANA BIANCA (1980)

16. Studio X – Giuseppe De Luca — from O.S.T. L’ALTRA FACCIA DEL PECCATO (1969)

17. Studio Z – Giuseppe De Luca — from O.S.T. L’ALTRA FACCIA DEL PECCATO (1969) * 

18. I’m So Young – Versione coro – Giacomo Dell’Orso — from O.S.T. L’INFERMIERA DI MIO PADRE (1981) * 

19. Runnin’ Around – Daniele Patucchi — from O.S.T. BIONDA FRAGOLA (1980) * 

20. Il sesso del diavolo – Finale – Stelvio Cipriani — from O.S.T. IL SESSO DEL DIAVOLO (1971)

* previously unreleased 

** first time on vinyl