Good Morning Vietnam: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [SOUNDTRACK]

Various Artists - Soundtracks - 1987

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1989)
• Original Release Date: January 15, 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B000002GEA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,726 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #10 in	Music > Pop > Oldies > Girl Groups
  #25 in	Music > Soundtracks > By Decade > 1980s
  #68 in	Music > Classic Rock > British Invasion

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Nineteen eighty-seven's Good Morning, Vietnam was a turning point for Robin Williams, garnering the comic his first Academy Award nomination and leveraging him into the first rank of American film stars. As directed by Barry Levinson, Williams imbues the "true life" story of Armed Forces Radio rebel Adrian Cronauer with his patented machine-gun comic banter, undercut by dollops of now equally familiar tragi-comic bathos. But contrary to the tired hit parade we've come to expect from period soundtracks, the '60s music Williams's character spins here is often a refreshing surprise, drawing from trashy garage-band chic ("Liar Liar" by the Castaways), underexposed British Invasion hits (the Searchers' "Sugar and Spice," "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders), and relatively obscure American chart hits ("Five O'Clock World" by the Vogues, the Rivieras' "Warm California Sun"), all of it gratuitously punctuated by Williams's manic DJ rantings. The inspired revival of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" also became one of the 1980s' most unlikely hits. --Jerry McCulley

Product Description
UK compilation featuring 17 tracks is a soundtrack to the 60s with No.1 hits by Norman Greenbaum & Chris Farlowe, as well as many other thought provoking classics by the likes of Jimmy Cliff, Donovan, & The Zombies, to name a few. Music Club. 2004. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Like listening to Armed Forces Radio all over again..., February 8, 2002

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of "Good Morning, Vietnam" is exactly what you would expect it to be, a combination of Robin William's maniacal spiels as DJ Adrian Cronauer and some great music from the Sixties. The result is something not too far removed from what it would have been like to listen to Armed Forces Radio in the 'Nam way back when. The only thing missing are the announcements for staff sergeant so-and-so to check in with his command post A.S.A.P. The songs included here are not exactly what you would classify as anti-war songs, although certainly there is something ironic about "Nowhere to Run," "Liar, Liar" and "What a Wonderful World" in the context of the Vietnam War. There is also a nice mixture of big names, such as James Brown and the Beach Boys, with lesser known artists, like The Searchers, The Rivieras and Them. This actually gives this album a nice sense of authenticity because these are not wall to wall classic hits like we had with the "Forrest Gump" soundtrack. Of course you are going to get tired of William's comedy long before you want to stop listening to the music. The only question is when, but since we can program CDs to skip what we want, this is not going to be a major consideration. However, for all you Drew Carey fans, if you do not already have it, here are The Vogues doing "Five O'Clock World."

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Robin Williams Radio Show, July 30, 2002

By	Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the excellent soundtrack album to the film, "Good Morning Vietnam," interspersing classic tunes from the 60's by Martha & The Vandellas, The Beach Boys, James Brown, Them (w/ Van Morisson), Louis Armstrong and others, with comedy schtick by Robin Williams' DJ character, Adrian Cronauer, taken directly from the film, so listening to the album is like listening to "The Robin Williams 60's Flashback Radio Show," so to speak. The CD's very brisk running time of 35 minutes leaves you hungry for more, and Williams' aggressive comedy approach is more likely to just make you smile rather than double over laughing, but nonetheless, the "Good Morning Vietnam" movie soundtrack is a whole lot of fun, and especially a great disc to play during those hot summer days. :-)

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Williams makes this oldies collection something special., October 15, 1998

By	"bjdonohue" (WALDORF, MD United States) - See all my reviews

Director Barry Levinson seems to have a knack for picking popular songs that truly add to his films (see RAIN MAN and DINER for more proof). This collection, chock full of great oldies like I GET AROUND, FIVE O'CLOCK WORLD, and WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, is made even better by the often humorous dialogue (spoken by Robin Williams) interspersed throughout. This is one of Williams' better performances and this disc gives fans a funny and sometimes touching reminder of his unique talent.