Customer Reviews

Rocky IV: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I first heard that Rocky IV was being re-issued, I was excited because I really felt a little cheated with the original release. As great as the songs were, it was still missing a few songs/musical cues. I was REALLY hoping that this re-release would actually be an expanded version of the previous release... It was "expanded", but not what I was hoping for. The ONLY difference between the two versions (besides being remastered) was the inclusion of "Man Against The World" by Surivor. This song was supposed to be in the film, but was cut at the last minute. So now we have TWO songs that were not in the movie on the soundtrack (the other is "The Sweetest Victory" by Touch, also on the original release). I was hoping to get the full-length version of "Hearts On Fire". The part of the song where Rocky climbs the mountain was ommited from the orignal soundtrack. The full version should have been included on this release. We were also subjected to inferior versions of "Training Montage" and "War". Why couldn't they just include the (superior) movie versions instead? This re-issue would have been the perfect opportunity. I also wanted to hear more of Vince DiCola's score. I know that one of the 45's (on vinyl) from the album had "Apollo's Death" as a b-side. That should've been on here as well. When Legacy re-released "Footloose" and "Top Gun" they got it right (mostly), but they dropped the ball on this one. I am so disappointed.

Ok, let me start by defeating some of the claims against this release. It's not as "different" as the reviews make it out to be. In fact, most of the "differences" are improvements. First and foremost, the remastering improves the sound noticably but is not overdone. To give a fair review, here's a track by track comparison of this remastered version to the original.

1. Burning Heart (Same)
2. Hearts On Fire (Same)
3. Double Or Nothing (Intro has been fixed)
4. Eye Of The Tiger (Plays 17 seconds longer!)
5. War (Same)
6. Living In America (Intro has been fixed)
7. No Easy Way Out (Same)
8. One Way Street (Same)
9. The Sweetest Victory (The only major difference, this song has been entirely remixed - it's not better or worse to me, just different)
10. Training Montage (Same)
11. Man Against The World (Bonus track, cut from film and not on original release of soundtrack)

There you have it, that's the run down. While I personally love this new remastered edition, the CD loses one star for not including the original mix of The Sweetest Victory and another star for not including more of the films music, such as Apollo's Death and the extended version of Heart's On Fire. A five star tracklist would have included everything on the original release PLUS Man Against The World, Heart's On Fire (Extended) and Sweetest Victory (Remix) and the other neglectic music all as bonus material.

This is hands down my favorite motion picture soundtrack of all time!!! If you like a crisp, intense 80s sound, this is the cd for you. This cd is loaded with high-energy tracks that will inspire you to accomplish tasks that require great will. If there were six stars, that's what I would give this track!!!

Advertised as a remastered re-release, longtime fans of the original release of this soundtrack may be unpleasantly surprised to learn that most of the songs appear to have been somewhat remixed as well. While the remastered sound quality is excellent, giving many of the songs, especially the Vince Di Cola instrumentals, a fuller and richer sound, almost every song appears to have been altered from its original form in some way. While some of the changes are rather subtle, a few songs are noticeably different. "The Sweetest Victory" is vastly inferior to that of the original release, something I found particularly disappointing given that the song was always one of my favorites from this album.

Still one of the better soundtracks of the 80's, but if you're looking for the original soundtrack, this version may not be what you want. Also, unless you're a collector, I wouldn't recommend buying it just to have the added Survivor song. It's a ballad that was probably cut from the film for good reason.

This album still earns 4 stars for it's sentimental and inspirational value, but that's one less star than I'd give to my old, worn out cassette.

Rocky IV marked a shift in the franchise. To capitalize on the popularity of the then-fledgling MTV network and the emergence of the synthesizer as a signature "instrument" of the 80's, Stallone wanted the soundtrack to adopt these characteristics. Of course, this meant parting ways with maestro Bill Conti, who had provided the score for all three of the previous films and would eventually return for Rocky V and Rocky Balboa (his orchestrations for the original Rocky earned him an Oscar nomination, and the inspiring "Gonna Fly Now" became synonymous with the franchise, appearing in all installments in the film series in some form or another). Instead, Stallone turned to Vince Dicola to provide the synth score for Rocky IV, and utilized more source music than ever before from artists like Kenny Loggins, Gladys Knight, James Brown, and of course, Survivor. As disappointed as I was to hear that Conti would not provide the music for the film, Dicola's synth score is actual a great fit for this installment, as it complements the film's underlying theme regarding advancing technology permeating everywhere from sports to our own homes.

When the music from Rocky IV was first released onto CD and audio casette (it was the 80's, after all), all that was available was the film's source music, with only two of the score arrangements, Vince Dicola's "Training Montage" and "War", thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, these two pieces sounded drastically different from the pieces used in the film, sounding as if they were recorded separately using different synth equipment and altered for the sake of turning them into hit singles. For a long time, it seemed like the film's true score as heard in the film would never be released.

But after 25 years, our wish has been granted. The newly-released Rocky IV: The Original Motion Picture Score, finally provides us with the film's original synth orchestrations. There are 15 tracks, most of which never surpass the 3-minute mark. The album's longest pieces are the ones you expect, the film versions of "Training Montage" and "War." The album runs at just over a half an hour in length, which isn't surprising considering how heavily the film relied on its source music over its arranged score.

The other most desired piece on the disc is "Up the Mountain," which was heard in the film as the orchestral accompaniment to Robert Cafferty's "Hearts on Fire". In the film, "Hearts of Fire" and "Up the Mountain" are heard as a single piece. Dicola and Cafferty co-wrote "Hearts", as it was meant to seamlessly fit into the film's score. But the original Rocky IV soundtrack only included "Hearts" as a single, minus its "Up the Mountain" crescendo at its end. And now on this album, "Hearts" has been omitted, leaving us with the 2-minute chunk of "Up the Mountain". Therein lies the album's biggest flaw. It would have been wonderful to hear the full piece, and this was probably the best (and likely only) chance to include it. But they probably didn't want to pay Cafferty his cut of royalties to use it again, and we're only given "Up the Mountain". That leaves us to use whatever editing software to meld the two pieces together on our own, which likely won't sound as good since even the album's recording of "Hearts" is sonically different from the version used in the film and therefore an awkward fit to "Up the Mountain". It's like taking two puzzle pieces that look like they fit but really don't, and trying to force them together anyway.

Rocky IV: The Original Motion Picture Score took 25 years to get here, but it was (mostly) worth the wait for any of you Rocky completists out there who wanted the "real" renditions of Rocky IV's film score. But if you're like me, you'll still be disappointed that the full film version of "Hearts on Fire" hasn't been included, and it's doubtful we're ever see it released.

Even if you're not a fan of the Rocky films, this is an AWESOME movie soundtrack. Great songs by Survivor mixed with selections from Bill Conti's inspiring original score make this the perfect CD for workouts.

I've owned the original 'Rocky IV' soundtrack for years but this new remastered version is much better! All songs have the same mix (except "Sweetest Victory") but the sound quality is improved & louder which of course is typical of remastered CDs these days & there is a bonus track from Survivor, "Man Against the World." The icing on the cake for me however was the remixed "Sweetest Victory" by Touch. If you heard the original version you already know it's the most rockin' track on the disc even though it never made the cut for the film but the newer remixed version is just amazing! EVERY instrument & the vocals stand out nice & clear & has an edgier feel to it & there is some saxophone parts added to give it that special "touch." Too bad that Touch never did much in their career because that song has to be one of the greatest rock gems of all time! If you love this movie & excellent pop/hard rock from the 80s then buy this soundtrack!

Great CD!!, Great movie!!, and a Great Soundtrack !!! I would pay so much for this but thank God it's so cheap...

Great choice for collectors and 80's culture lovers !!!

It doesn't get much better than this ladies and gentlemen. The album starts at with the classic, albeit slightly morose "Burning Heart". That is a wonderful beginning to an amazing album.

"Hearts on Fire" is a perfect second song. It takes you right to Rocky's turning point in his training to the fight for his life against the more than worthy adversary Ivan Draggo. Once he has the support of Adrian, our protagonist cannot be stopped.

There are so many classics on this album that I will not waste your or my time buy going over each of them, but anytime you have contributions by Survivor, John Cafferty, and Robert Tepper, everything is going to be just fine.

Stop wasting your time by thinking of getting this album, and just do it. You will not be disappointed.

Would be perfect if the Heart's on fire (extended) was included and Sweetest Victory had the same "Sweetest Victory" background.
Don't Legacy know that the missing end of Heart's on Fire is one hell of a motivator in the Gym or track (especially when someone is trying to push themselves past their limits)?

Every track is the same (only better sound quality) except that Sweetest Victory is changed though. The sound
quality of Sweetest Victory is somewhat better than the original but it doesn't have that umph when the background is saying "Sweetish Victory". They should have just made the sound quality better while keeping the same (or nearly the same) "Sweetest Victory" background. Then many wouldn't care that it is changed. IMO, Sweetest Victory is only slightly worse than the original. My main beef is with Hearts on Fire though. I desperately want to work out hearing the finale of this song when Rocky
climbs the mountain (and Drago is running the treadmill). I would probably be as strong as Hulk with it. This still is a good buy though (especially for those who own the original Scotti Bros. soundtrack).

P.S. This is the best Rocky movie of the series (And one of my all time favorites). This should have been the last movie of the series though since Drago represented the pinnacle of human perfection (there can exist
no greater human opponent) and yet Rocky did the impossible and beat him. The movie should have also been the last one because it had the greatest messages ever (Change for the better of mankind and judge others only based on the content of their heart and character). Anyone who says that this isn't the best movie of the series is an idiot and don't know jack about movies or messages. No offense.