Although - contrary to the C.A.M.-label - RCAs non-commercial soundtrack-series, the RCA SP 8000-series, is better known than all other RCA soundtrack-releases, RCA did in fact entertain a few other soundtrack-series´ as well! At the same time the RCA SP-series was launched RCA Italiana started the RCA PML-series (some releases also feature the prefix LPM) with its first release being Renzo Rosselinis highly acclaimed score "Viva l ´Italia" in a print run of 500 copies only.

Over the following years around a dozen more scores were released, most of them jazz-scores, most of them in 1000 copies only print-runs. However, the releases did not show any distinctive pattern like the RCA SP-series and also the numbering was incoherent and as infrequent as the releases ere spread among other RCA-waxings (in fact the "void" numbers were RCAs main business: non soundtrack-stuff!). The following less than two pages show all th RCA-releases that I am aware of, but I can not say if this representation is anywhere complete since RCAs back-catalogue from the 60ies is - due to its infrequent releases and due to RCAs lack in using marketing tools - moreless lost to oblivion (or how else could anybody become aware of such an obscure but nice 500-copies release as "Settimo parallelo"?). Therefore I especially encourage everybody to share any available info with this sites community by sending e-mails regarding other existing RCA soundtrack-on-vinyl releases!

The most sought-after item from this series is clearly the Piero Umiliani/Chet Baker-collaboration "SMOG", which - issued in a 1000 copies print-run - is practically impossible to find. Thanks God it was re-issued on vinyl (!) in the later 90ies, an issue, which is still findable for reasonable amounts, although as well out of print and soon destined to become a rarity itself (so grab it while it´s still around!). This item is closely followed by the - in my humble opinion - even better jazz-waxing "Paradiso dell´uomo", which was released about a year later and musically accompanied a so-called "mondo"-movie on Japan (Japan as peoples paradise). One of the best jazz-soundtracks of all time! On the other side of the rarity-scale is "Mondo die notte #1", which is admittedly the easiest to find from all the commercial RCA-releases (showing no print-run informationon the back cover), since the movie has been a big box-office success in the earyl 60ies, but ... this non-fold-out-release could well be an "immediate re-issues" cashing in o the movies box office success! Although relatively easy to find in comparison to the other commercial RCA-releases, also this item is a top rarity and VERY much in demand due to its fantastic jazz-grooves and great vocals by top-singer Lydia McDonald! And what makes collectors life even more difficult: I dare to say no M/M copies of this score did survive the test of time! Although I have seen several copies by now, none of them was in better than NM/NM condition, since this waxing was very popular and everybody who owned it was likely to play it frequently (with early 60ies phonographs ... puhhhhh). And that´s not the end: As hinted above, this nice waxing might in fact be an "immediate" (=same year) "re-"issue, because a completely reliable source informed me of the existence of a F/O-version he once owned. Assuming that this info is accurate (I have no reason to doubt it), RCA could well have done a F/O-print run of 500 copies (or less!) first and then re-released another 1000 copies without a F/O-cover or maybe they did both versions at the same time, like they did with Umilianis et al. "Bocaccio ´70" - not yet but soon on this site (there´s an impossible-to-find F/O-version existing and a 1000 copy print run with a "normal" cover).

Another piece of trivia info worth mentioning is that all these releases were in fact high-priced "luxery"-items (as well as all the later RCA soundtrack-releases)! Today one would call them limited collectors editions, but in the 60ies it was just normal for RCA to sell them high priced. How do I know that? Well, RCA was - as well as CAM on its MAG and SAG-series - so kind to print the sales price on the waxings back-cover, which sales price was - already in the 60ies - 2.700 Italian Lire as opposed to CAMs late 60ies/early 70ies price-tag of 1.900 Italian Lire. So in fact RCAs soundtrack-releases were in fact 50%+ more expensive than CAMs releases from 5 to 10 years later!! 2.700 Italian Lire was a "helluva" (smile) lot of money those days and that´s another reason for its low regular sales figures and another reason why RCA did only release very few soundtrack LPs on a commercial basis! Their price was (too) high, the sales figures therefore low and the release numbers dwindling ... the perfect environment for a later ultra-rarity status!

As far as production values are concerned, the pressing quality on heavy vinyl was great, but not as top as the one used for the non-commercial SP 8000-series. The covers were manufactured from strong cardboard as the RCA SP-series releases were, but their commercial counterparts´ covers were unfortunately not laminated. Overall, RCA did invest less care in its commercial releases than in its non-commercial ones! Noble, but not a wise business-decidion!

Last but not least and in fact out of context I have to mention Piccionis follow-up score to the "Mondo di notte" follow-up movie "Mondo di notte #2"! For reasons unknown today this score was not released on RCA Italiana anymore, but on the even scarcer Karim-label. Again a true jazz-masterpiece and an item VERY seldomly seen anywhere. Funnily enough, part # 3 of this series was again released on another label, this time as part of the C.A.M. Cms.-30.000-series and now scored - again with a very jazzy touch - by top composer Riz Ortolani! Again, a grab it when you can-item! In case you´re curious what the term "mondo" does in fact mean, in other words: which genre it describes ... entries on individual Italian movie-genres such as "mondo", "(Italo-)western", "giallo", "horror", etc. ... are planned for 2003!

If you have any questions, that have been left unanswered (and I am sure there are some ...), please do not hesitate to drop me a line e-mail! I answer all questions as fast as possible, plan to collect them and want to put them into a FAQ-section (which is planned for 2003!). The same goes of course, if you have any info or items for sale or trade available!!

AVAILABLE items (visually graded: cover/record; play-graded upon request):

   
RCA PML 10394: I tre volti        (Piero Piccioni), M-/M-