Customer Reviews

Kelly's Heroes (1970 Film) / The Cincinnati Kid (1965 Film)

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I bought this CD for the Kelly's Heroes portion. I've seen this movie more times than I can count and I really like the music. I had been searching Amazon.com for probably a year or so only to be informed after each search that this particular soundtrack didn't exist. When finally my search came back positive I couldn't wait to buy it. When I received it though it fell well below my expectations. "Burning Bridges" by the Mike Curb Congregation is good of course but much of the other music is definitely not the original music that I hear every time I see this movie. Much of it is way too jazzed up for me. For example; the track on this CD from the scene where Kelly, Big Joe, and Oddball march showdown style towards the lone German tank crew guarding the bank in the center of town has some pretty jazzy guitar on it that I just don't seem to hear whenever I catch this movie. Thats just one example. When it comes to soundtracts I like to hear what I heard in the movie. At best the Kelley's Heroes portion of this CD can be filed under the category "Something is better than nothing". In my opinion, if you absolutely have to have the music from Kelly's Heroes thats about all you can expect from this CD. If all you are looking for is the "Burning Bridges" song you can buy it cheaper simply by searching for "The Mike Curb Congregation" on Amazon.com.

This compilation of music from the motion picture Kelly's Heroes was a historical hybrid -- it was the very first non-musical, dramatic movie soundtrack to combine dull background music from the film with catchy songs added to the film which have nothing to do with the plot. Many earlier attempts at dramatic-movie sound tracks were absolute failures -- really, who wants to hear the tuneless background violin music being played when a couple of characters are hiking through the woods? Later movie sound tracks, such as Pretty Woman, Grosse Point Blank and Urban Cowboy, contain catchy popular songs only -- songs having nothing to do with the plot -- with none of that incidental background music (that no one cares about). The Kelly's Heroes album was the first to start the process of bridging those genres, a genuine pioneer effort at movie sound-track presentation. It's worth the price purely for its historical value.

One does not have to see the movie 'Kelly's Heroes' to enjoy this fusion of jazz and honkey tonk rapped in an early seventies spirit of freedom. Just pop it in and listen to Hank Williams Jr. croon for his new found Love in a troubled world; the Mike Curb Congrgation singing about lost innocence of a man in the late 60's due to the establishment conflicts of the time. Its inteligently campy at times with a down right feel for the psych-drama of the working world with a touch of Ennio Morricone influence; you know the guy who scored 'The Good The Bad and The Ugly'. On the flip side 'The Cincinnati Kid' there's Ray Chrarles singing a song about the world of gambeling while the rest of the jazz music is accompanied with orchastrated strings. Good soulful stuff. Get it for your car today!!