Customer Reviews

Memphis Belle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Liked it but I really bought it for the jazzed up version of danny boy that was in the movie. It wasn't on the CD. Dissapointed.

This has been one of my favorite CDs for the past decade (I bought the soundtrack shortly after the movie came out). The instrumental tracks are incredibly powerful and moving. The "Danny Boy" melody woven throughout is wonderful (as is the vocal version, although it would've been nice to have Harry Connick, Jr.'s voice!). The real gem is the "Amazing Grace" orchestration; it is very uplifting--just listening to it is a spiritual experience. George Fenton is a genius! His "Shadowlands" and "Anna and the King" soundtracks are some of my other favorites.

I have to admit first off that I am a big Memphis Belle fan anyway, but the soundtrack is superb. The tracks fall into two main categories - original "movie" music, and 1940s big band songs - such as Green Eyes or "I know why...". Both fit well with the visual footage, and the movie tracks are highly appropriate to the feel of the movie. My only slight criticism is that I would have liked to have seen "'Neath the Spreading Chestnut Tree", and Harry Connick Jr's "Danny Boy", but then we can't have everything! I was initially sceptical of the new version of Danny Boy (last track), but I like it, although I do not think it is particularly relevant to the film. All together, though, an excellent soundtrack, which stands as an album in its own right.

Memphis Belle ranks high as one of George Fenton's finest soundtracks. Originally released in September of 1990, this soundtrack is based on a World War II film about an American crew flying a mission over Germany. Some of the music on this CD is written with piano and guitar, making it a fine blend (Take "Amazing Grace" for example) The main title starts with a lone trumpet for the first half minute, then building as strings make up the background of the song, with snare drums making it sound like a historic World War II piece. The next three tracks (2,3,4) are real World War II band songs, and are great if you are into 40's band music. ("Danny Boy" being a popular song) Track number 5 is "Amazing grace" written in a great-sounding arrangement. Beginning with a guitar, and then strings and drums as the background, and a fife as the lead instrument, this track is great. Also another fine track, number 6, is a mix between strings and brass, making it a great orchestral track. The rest of the music on this CD is pretty tense (During the mission over Germany), This is a good soundtrack full of great, peaceful orchestral music as well as tense battle music. The soundtrack to this movie fits it just perfect, even if the movie isn't very accurate to the Memphis Belle's final mission over Germany. A fun CD, great for collectors!

I bought this CD because I enjoyed the film. Simple as that. Most of the music is here and as with any soundtrack album the music is reasonably varied. Like I said in my title, watch the film first. If you like the score by George Fenton, here it is!

...lead off the music on this CD. If you saw the movie you may have missed it, but it's really good. There's no pretending here; the musicians on this CD obviously know the big band era, complete with swing tempos, sliding sax sections and walls of trombones and trumpets. But if that isn't enough to get you "in the mood," the updated "Danny Boy" theme throughout the CD is. Even "Amazing Grace... a hymn that must have been the most well-known tune to ever cross the English Channel... is represented here in an orchestral theme. Anyone whose eyes mist over when the war years are mentioned will enjoy this soundtrack immensely. The movie, incidentally, was almost as good as the music!

I purchased the CD because I was expecting to get two songs performed by Harry Connick,Jr. Namely, "Danny Boy", and "Amazing Grace". These were after all,in the movie! When you open then paper CD jacket there is a picture of Harry Connick, Jr. at the piano. But that's all of Harry Connick your going to get with this CD because the songs are missing.What a rip off. It is the "bait and switch" at it's finest I must say.

Listen to Danny boy. In the move it was sung by Harry Connick Jr. and that ain't him on the last track. Listen to the sample and you tell me. This is just another soundtrack rip-off album. It's a shame that there is not a score lower than 1.

I love the music on this album - my other half and I just LOVED the film, so I had to get hold of the soundtrack. Was happy with the original music on there and the WWII-era swing stuff, but VERY disappointed that Harry Connick Jr's version of "Danny Boy" wasn't on it, which was one of the film's highlights for us - the lame 'boy-band' version plonked on the end of the CD annoys the crap outa me (Gen Y 'himbo' rubbish - NOT EVEN IN THE MOVIE! Why did they even bother putting it on the CD?)

Other than that last track (the gaylord mangling of "Danny Boy"), the CD is worth having.

I like this movie, and the music is moving. It gives the idea of the story and of the tragedy in the skies of WWII. I especially like "amazing grace", because it communicates a sense of purpose and the tense preparation for takeoff. Overall it is a nice soundtrack, with very nice swing pieces. Personally, I was a bit disappointed by "Danny boy" in rock version, I was hoping for the version actually sung in the movie.