Customer Reviews

Miami Vice: Complete Collection

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...of the marketplace, since Amazon is sold out of this as I write, go to www.janhammer.com and you'll have it in a week!

I've been a loyal Amazon customer for seven years but they let me down on this one. I spent two months waiting for Amazon marketplace when I could have had it right away.

Miami Vice: The Complete Collection is a powerful monument to composer Jan Hammer's groundbreaking soundtrack to one of television's most memorable series. With over two hours of music, the two compact discs feature 42 memorable cuts, including 22, which have never been released to the public before. Miami Vice redefined television and Jan Hammer's soundtrack completely redefined the way in which shows were scored. The result was a chart-topping commercial success never before seen from a television soundtrack and international acclaim for series and composer alike.

While there have been other Miami Vice albums in the past, fans have long hoped for this expanded collection and, in resounding fashion, Hammer does not fail to deliver. The old favorites, such as the original "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", are all there but the real payoff is a complete disc, 22 tracks, of previously unreleased gems such as "The Talk", surely one of Hammer's finest compositions from his three and a half years scoring Miami Vice. The end result of it all is a totally wonderful musical experience.

Even after several listenings it continues to amaze me just how many memorable tracks there are and really, when you think about it, it is amazing that anyone could fill two CDs with great music from any television series. Hammer has the most incredible gift for mood and melody and his music stands tall even without the visual components it was written to accompany.

Whether you are a fan of Miami Vice, Jan Hammer, or even if you just enjoy great music, Miami Vice: The Complete Collection delivers the goods.

Marc Loren

One of the most important parts of the "Miami Vice" legacy is Jan Hammer's score, beautifully capturing the feel of Miami in the mid-1980's. Some of the songs have been released on the three hit soundtracks from the show, but a complete collection of Hammer's music has never been released. Until now.

The CD begins with the unforgettable "Original Miami Vice Theme" as heard in the opening titles of the show. Then it goes on to the calm, relaxing "Crockett's Theme" frequently heard on the show (and later featured in the immediate classic video game GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY), followed by the "New York Theme" from the second season pilot episode (a.k.a. "Miami Vice II: The Prodigal Son"). There is then a bunch of themes from the episodes (including the fast-paced "Chase" and the beautiful "Marina"), until we near the end of the first CD with "Rico's Blues", "The Trial and the Search", and "Wedding". To close the CD, the single version of the "Miami Vice Theme" that became so extremely popular is used - basically an extended version of the "Original Miami Vice Theme".

The second CD is, in my opinion, a better CD than the first, containing songs not released until now. It opens with "Candy" (which brings two words to your mind, no matter when you hear it: "Miami Vice"), then moves on to "Voodoo Dance", a fun song. "Angelina Flashback" is a nice re-performance of the original "Flashback", while "Rain" has a very cool, casual feeling to it. "Crockett's Return" is pretty much a new version of "Crockett's Theme", followed by a series of songs that include the western-sounding "El Viejo Mix" and "Stone's War", another cool song that brings instant images of Crockett and Rico making a drug bust. "Runaround" is one of my favorites, sounding more like an 80's emotional rock song at the beginning; the CD is finished off with "Turning Point", a fine finish for the collection.

Overall, Jan Hammer's "Miami Vice: The Complete Collection" is one of my favorite CDs. It is, naturally, essential for anyone who calls themself a "Miami Vice" fan, but I also highly recommend it for any and all of you 80's lovers (like myself) out there. The show may be over, but thanks to Jan Hammer, the feeling lives on.
- Adam Pierson

I am and always will be a huge fan of Miami Vice. There were so many elements that made the show groundbreaking in style and attitude. I believe that chief among those elements was the original sound scoring by Jan Hammer. With the possible exception of Vangelis and BladeRunner, I don't believe any original music captured the essence of a show like Hammer's work for this series. Miami Vice: The Complete Collection is a TREASURE TROVE of this music. My only hope is that Mr. Hammer will be moved to release additional volumes with more and more of his excellent work from the series.

Miami Vice: The Complete Collection . . .Well, Almost! If you are a child of the 80's, and/or simply a fan of Miami Vice, this is one CD you must add to your collection.
Jan Hammer's unique music score, which helped define the fast paced, high energy and completely fashionable series,Miami Vice, comes alive in this CD packed with over 40 pieces.
Listening to this collection will have you longing for those Friday nights of yesteryear on NBC at 10:00 . . .waiting to see Sonny Crockett take chase in his black Daytona Spider and awaiting the sound of Ricardo Tubb's shotgun in an altercation with drug dealers!
This CD is packed, not only with pieces from classic episodes such as "Payback", "Out Where the Busses Don't Run", "Home Invaders" and "No Exit",but is also accompanied with memories of the television show which helped define the 1980s.
The CD's only downfall is that it does not include several scores from episodes such as, and in particular, "Buddies" and "Little Miss Dangerous", as well as certain pieces heard in "Payback", "Calderone's Return: Part II" and "Golden Triangle". With any luck, and with constant requests, maybe Mr. Hammer will release these someday as well. ( We can only hope!!)
This CD is excellent! Trust me!

First of all, let me thank Mr. Hammer for giving us old "Vice" fans this treasure! My copy of this double-album is mere months old and has already logged significant mileage!
I wish there was a choice for 4.75 stars, because that is more like what I feel the album deserves, not a mere four. I was really excited by 95 percent of what I heard on the album, mainly by the new material I had not heard in any form other than its use in actual episodes. When I think of Miami Vice as a whole, I tend to focus on and be drawn to the grittier aspects of the show. As a result, the darker musical themes are what draw me in. Having said that, some of my favorites among the new themes include "The Talk", "Clues", "Airport Swap", "Russian Story", "Lombard Trial", "Shadow In The Dark" and "Golden Triangle". Those of you who have not heard long-standing tracks like "Chase" and "Evan" would benefit from those and other, more familiar tracks, most of which are on the first of this two-album (CD) set.
The best thing about the music Jan Hammer composed for Miami Vice is how he scored each track to set the exact mood of the scene or episode it is part of. The album's liner notes state that he would watch a tape of rough cut of each episode and then score music on a week-to-week basis which was tailored to that episode, much the way other great composers like Vangelis and John Williams do when scoring films. This technique is brilliant, and I know I'm not the only one that feels that without Jan Hammer's inspired and painstaking compositions, the show would have been less than it ultimately was. He is truly a third, unseen but very audible partner to Crockett and Tubbs.
Virtually every major character has their own theme of sorts; even some of the guest-stars' characters have a theme. "Lombard Trial" is one of these. It sets a total mood of urgency, doubt and desperation that underpins the episode. Dennis Farina plays Lombard, a mob boss who is looking for a way out of the world of crime, but who refuses to rat out other crime figures he is entangled with. His stubborn grip on his sense of pride ultimately proves his undoing and costs him his life, or so we are led to believe at the close of the episode.
The other tracks I mentioned above do essentially the same thing for the various episodes they were scored for. "Russian Story" weaves the mood for the dramatic episode, "Bushido", in which Lieutenant Castillo faces off with an old ally from his days in the "Company" -- presumably the CIA or NSA -- who has resurfaced in Miami while fleeing the Russian KGB. "Clues" is yet another terrific track which is used in the disturbing and unforgettable episodes "The Home Invaders" and "Out Where The Buses Don't Run", specifically in scenes where the good guys are trying to piece together information and clues that will lead them to their dangerous quarry -- namely robbers and drug dealers.
My only constructive criticism of this album is that it could have had more grit and less fluff. "Boat Party" is a light, fun track, but I would have preferred something akin to the throbbing drums and razor-sharp guitar licks Hammer wove under the "stiltsville dock" scene in "Out Where The Buses Don't Run". Hank Weldon knows what I mean. [grin] One track I very seriously would have loved to have seen included in this collection is from a very dark, poignant and powerful episode called "Duty And Honor". Castillo (Edward James Olmos) and an old acquaintance from his Vietnam war days are hunting an assassin code named "Savage" who is with them in a darkened house at night. The house belongs to a politician who has been marked for death. The track - which I would call something like "Hunting The Savage" -- is entrancing, eerie and wrought with all the emotion that comes with having hunted this assassin across many years and countries. What is more poignant is that the actor playing the Vietnamese police officer, Dr. Haing S. Ngor [The Killing Fields], was killed outside his California home many years ago. Hammer's music is a tribute to his memory as a great actor. In that episode, Hammer, Mr. Olmos and Dr. Ngor rule the field.
Final Comment: This is the best of the various Miami Vice-related albums because of its extensive and excellent track list of only Jan Hammer's compositions for the show. I can only hope that Mr. Hammer releases a third companion CD of some additional tracks which will hopefully include the afore-mentioned material! [grin] Here's hoping.
Happy listening, fellow "Vice" fans!!

Even though I already had all 3 Miami Vice soundtrack albums, I really wanted more of Hammer's work from this era. This 2 CD set didn't disappoint. CD 1 is from the 3 previously released soundtracks but CD2 is completely unreleased stuff and a joy to listen to. I wonder if this release has anything to do with the rumoured new Miami Vice movie by Michael Mann? I hope Hammer's doing the soundtrack again if he is!!! :)

Jan Hammer is by far, one of THE BEST composers and muscians to have lived during our time. This complete collection of music from Miami Vice is yet another album by Jan that proves his worth.

As for the Complete Collection, one doesn't need to be a Miami Vice fan (even though I am) to thoroughly enjoy this album(s). From beginning to end, it transports you to to a different place. You feel as if you're almost being watched by Jan and he's playing this music as you go through your day. Every single emotion is felt. Every song is a few minutes of your day.

No, there isn't any singing -- it's all instrumental -- but just picture yourself back in 1985-86, zooming down the street in a taffetta white Testerossa, burning by pastel painted buildings and palm tree-lined streets, on a mission. Picture a day in humid Miami, Florida and there you have it.

If you are a Miami Vice fan, then you can definitely appreciate this collection. We've been waiting for this CD for quite some time -- a COMPLETE collection of all of Jan's Miami Vice work. :)

I don't believe there is one single song in this collection that one will be disappointed with... just listen to the samples... you'll see what I mean... :) I promise, you WILL like this.

Anyone who has seen even one episode of Miami Vice can recognize just how instrumental the score to that show is. This double-disc sets brings that all back. No other show before or since could give you such a forboding feeling as Crockett & Tubbs cruise along the canals and beaches at four in the morning. Top down, butterflies in their stomachs, not speaking a word. There is so much here that's more than necessary, but it all becomes essential as soon as you hear it. Even the calypso/carribean pieces have such a gritty edge to them. Tangerine Dream or Vangelis are the only ones who could score a length of film this well. And Jan Hammer outdoes even them on this abundant set. If you love driving, atmospheric music, you really can't get much better than this.

I have been listening to Jan Hammer since early 70's esp his work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Since then, he has collaborated with many top guitarists like Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Neal Schon etc. In 1984, Jan had a great opportunity to score for Miami Vice which he did with great style & flair to match the ever-popular TV series. Now, for the first time, the entire musical score has been brought out in a 2 CD format. Disc 2 is unreleased material mostly re-worked by Jan. The music stands out superbly. Jan's playing is unsurpassed. Definately if you are inspired by TV/FILM music or are a fan of Jan's music, pick this one up. You won't regret it !