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 - "Cut to the Chase"Like all the people on this page said, this is a great 60's Jazz album. But the heart of it is "Shifting Gears". This tension-building gem sets up the greatest chase sequence ever. It perfectly meshes with the expressions on Mr.McQueen's and Mr.Hickman's faces as they cat & mouse each other, and accents the 'Stang's hyper exhaust note and bad-a** Charger's throaty roar. This cut alone sells the album! Rating:  - Not the Original 1968 VersionThis is not the original recording released in 1968. This is a re-recording, which is sometimes successful, sometimes not. It does include new recordings of the 'original' original themes, as heard in the movie. Apparently some were 'cleaned up' and re-scored as lighter jazzier numbers for the LP release. Otherwise, the recording group is talented, but the recordings are fairly lackluster, missing the zing and spark from the 1968 release, which I'd gladly rate 5 stars. Better than nothing, but I'd rather have the 'original'. Peter Rating:  - Thank You LaloI had the great fortune of seeing "Bullitt" on the big screen recently (2003), when a local cinema held a week-long tribute to the former theater manager by showing some of his favorite films. I was, of course, mesmerized, and so was everybody in the theater. The soundtrack stayed with me long after the movie was over. There really is nothing like seeing and hearing the movie on a large screen, but this recording definitely recaptures the energy and the heart of it. The music fits perfectly with the car chase scene, the "ice pick" hit man scene, and the low-key cool of Steve McQueen throughout. Lalo Schifrin is fantastic. Rating: - A mixed bagOne of my most treasured possessions is an old scratchy vinyl copy of the 1968 aftermarket release of the "Bullitt" soundtrack. This LP does not contain the soundtrack arrangements unfortunately, but rather airplay-friendly versions (i.e., three minutes or less) of the various themes heard throughout the movie. This CD contains new versions of every cut on the LP, as well as freshly-recorded film versions of the main theme; the foot chase through the hospital basement; "Room 26"; and two cues not heard on the 1968 LP. It almost, but not quite, hits the mark. The recording itself is generally excellent, though it's a little bass-heavy. I need to attenuate the 60 Hz band when I get a hankering to crank this disk at high volume. The highs are crisp and clear, and the presence is astonishing. It's like having the WDR in my living room. The sequencing of the tunes is a little illogical. Why segue directly from the main theme to "Shifting Gears" (the car chase), thence to "Ice Pick Mike" (hospital basement footchase)? The LP at least tried to arrange the music parallel to the movie's plot line, putting "Shifting Gears" midway through Side 2. Thank God for programmable CD players. The cover art is a little cheesy, but the liner notes are good. The musicianship is generally good, but something seems to be missing. Swing? The players sometimes seem to be going through the motions. The drummer in particular gives a lackluster performance, especially in "The First Snowfall", a pretty tune (the only one Schifrin did not write) marred by overly obvious stick work. Likewise, "Hotel Daniels" (heard in the movie for about two seconds issuing from the bedside radio of the about-to-be-murdered witness) seems watered down in comparison to the brutal urgency of the LP version. It's almost too polished. If you listen to the LP carefully, you can even hear a horn player coming in off-cue; there are no such mistakes on the CD. Too bad. This new recording seems occasionally a triumph of technique over soul. Still, this is far and away the ballsiest arrangement ever of the main theme: measured, deadly, wonderfully Schifrinesque. (I can almost see scrolling text "...and Jacqueline Bisset, as The Girl" when the flutes take over!) The movie version of "Room 26" is so unlike the LP version I didn't recognize it at first - a big-band treatment, with no shortage of swing. My only complaint is that it's too short. "Cantata for Combo", a bit of easily overlooked filler on the LP, is perhaps the only tune from the LP to benefit from re-recording. Here the half-stops in the rhythm clearly identify it as a tango, and it's become one of my favorites. The solo acoustic guitar version of the main theme doesn't really fit in, but I'm glad it's here just the same. The shuffling treatment of the end title is unlike that heard in either the film or the LP, but it's so good I used it to close out a mix tape to play when I'm on the road. Overall, not a perfect CD, and likely to disappoint listeners expecting an exact recreation of either the soundtrack or the 1968 LP; but one I don't regret buying. Now if we could just prevail upon Mr. Schifrin to issue or recreate the score to "The Hellstrom Chronicle"... Rating: - DissapointingPaging Joel McNeely! He did a better job copying a dead guy--Bernard Herrman's Marnie than Schifrin did Schifrin. The track samples on Amazon are too short to reveal the differences between this recording and the original film accompaniment although this version is better than the original one. "Just Coffee" is good. What's worse are the absent cues: restaurant scene, newspaper box/TV dinners, "Miss Simmons doesn't answer." , and the closing credits' guitar and flute duet. I recommend you do what I did. Get the dvd and record what's missing to form your own compilation although one has to put up with some sound effects and dialogue. It's too bad it doesn't come with a separate audio track; but at least it's stereo unlike Goldfinger and OHMSS.
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