Be With Records presents a reissue of James Clarke's Mystery Movie, originally released in 1974. It was originally billed as "modern, small group compositions in various moods, ideally suited to the new Americanized style of T.V. and cinema film where music is used to create the mood and carry the action." So this collection covers a lot of bases, but it does so brilliantly, a fantastic listen from start to finish. Mystery Movie is best known for the slick drum breaks underpinning the top-notch jazz-funk chase theme "Car Patrol", the fuzz riffing and ARP soloing of "The Heavies" and the slow-mo strut of "Mystery Moll". "Study In Fear" and "Empty Streets" are horror soundtrack fodder of the finest sort. The understated, plaintive pieces are the most rewarding, though: ambient feels and strung-out fried-folk treats full of cyclical naive melodies that evoke the "downlifting" Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood instrumentals from Mahoney's Last Stand (1976), as well as the soundtrack work of Jack Nitzsche and Ry Cooder. You might also recognize "Waiting Game" from being sampled by melodic downbeat masters Express Rising. Check "Relaxed Theme", "Quiet Girl", "Routine Procedure" and "Quietness Sustained" for a melodic, melancholic set, the last three performed on just acoustic guitar and harp. The audio comes from the original analog tapes, remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis, with sleeve reproduction by Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity. 180 gram vinyl.