The Stone Killer (Original Soundtrack)
Roy Budd
Roy Budd’s The Stone Killer (Original Soundtrack) is the score for Michael Winner’s 1973 Charles Bronson crime-action film, initially issued in limited form in Italy and Japan in 1974. It is a quintessential example of Budd’s stylish 1970s thriller music, built from tense orchestral passages, jazz-funk rhythms, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer, guitar, bass, percussion, brass, and saxophone. Rather than relying on one theme repeated in different forms, Budd wrote a sequence of compact, distinctive cues that mirror the film’s surveillance, pursuit, urban menace, and violent confrontation. The sound sits between noir suspense, gritty cop-film funk, lounge jazz, and cinematic action music.
The original program follows the film’s action through titles such as “The Stone Killer Main Titles,” “Under Surveillance,” “The Plot,” “On the Trail,” “The Graveyard,” “The Old Precinct,” “Down Downtown,” “On the Move,” “The Chase,” “The Assassination,” and “Final Capture.” Later definitive editions expand the 15-track original album with alternate mixes, film mixes, unreleased cues, and the groove-oriented track “Black Is Beautiful,” bringing the total to 28 tracks. Modern reissues—including a 2026 limited silver-and-black marble-vinyl edition—make the score more accessible as both a piece of film history and a stand-alone collection of richly arranged instrumental music. The Stone Killer remains a particularly strong showcase for Budd’s ability to make crime-film tension feel sleek, rhythmic, and unexpectedly melodic.
The Stone Killer (Original Soundtrack)
Roy Budd
Roy Budd’s The Stone Killer (Original Soundtrack) is the score for Michael Winner’s 1973 Charles Bronson crime-action film, initially issued in limited form in Italy and Japan in 1974. It is a quintessential example of Budd’s stylish 1970s thriller music, built from tense orchestral passages, jazz-funk rhythms, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer, guitar, bass, percussion, brass, and saxophone. Rather than relying on one theme repeated in different forms, Budd wrote a sequence of compact, distinctive cues that mirror the film’s surveillance, pursuit, urban menace, and violent confrontation. The sound sits between noir suspense, gritty cop-film funk, lounge jazz, and cinematic action music.
The original program follows the film’s action through titles such as “The Stone Killer Main Titles,” “Under Surveillance,” “The Plot,” “On the Trail,” “The Graveyard,” “The Old Precinct,” “Down Downtown,” “On the Move,” “The Chase,” “The Assassination,” and “Final Capture.” Later definitive editions expand the 15-track original album with alternate mixes, film mixes, unreleased cues, and the groove-oriented track “Black Is Beautiful,” bringing the total to 28 tracks. Modern reissues—including a 2026 limited silver-and-black marble-vinyl edition—make the score more accessible as both a piece of film history and a stand-alone collection of richly arranged instrumental music. The Stone Killer remains a particularly strong showcase for Budd’s ability to make crime-film tension feel sleek, rhythmic, and unexpectedly melodic.