Far Out 40: an introduction to library music
In the late 1960s, amid a boom in low-budget television and film productions, a generation of composers found work in library music. Imaginative, classically trained and phenomenally hard-working, these musicians provided incidental music for producers looking to source soundtracks without hiring a composer. As demand for library music increased, composers were forced into ever more experimental territory, crafting huge stocks of recordings to fit a variety of moods.
While initially regarded as an inexpensive alternative to traditional film scoring, many of these records are now incredibly popular among record collectors – and for good reason. The hey-dey of library music coincided with a period in which the boundaries between genres were beginning to dissolve, allowing composers the freedom to experiment with new forms of orchestration, new instruments and cutting-edge harmonic approaches.
Though composers like John Cameron, Piero Umiliani and Keith Mansfield weren’t exactly famous, they were undoubtedly financially successful. As Library music became more and more lucrative, it attracted the likes of Ennio Morricone, who worked with fellow Italian composer Burno Nicolai to craft a vast collection of library music called Dimensioni Sonore.
Few library music composers experienced Morricone’s level of fame. Composers often worked under multiple pseudonyms, and modern compilations continue to emphasise brand unity over artist individuality, with London’s KPM releasing all of its LPs in the same forest-green sleeve. Thankfully, the tide is beginning to turn, and these composers are now the centre of a critical re-appraisal.
Below, we’ve put together a 40-track playlist of the best cuts from this unique and astonishing genre. Enjoy.
