Not quite as good as the vinyl original
RaceFan | 04/01/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The Le Mans soundtrack is a work of genious, no doubt, but if you ever get chance to buy the original (vinyl only) then do so -- it has much more atmosphere since it includes much more of the film. The Race, First Laps, for example, is so much more atmospheric with the sound of a Porsche 908 superposed."
The Long Wait is Over
David Soares | Santa Cruz, CA United States | 12/12/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Fans of Steve McQueen's classic racing movie "Le Mans" have been waiting patiently for decades to get their hands on a recording of Michel Legrand's wonderful score. McQueen's obsession with racing footage over plot would probably have fallen flat without Legrand's jazz-tinged orchestrations. This disc finally delivers. In addition there are tracks that didn't make the film (including a wild Jean-Luc Ponty jam) and more tracks from McQueen's later film "The Hunter." I almost bought it on vinyl back in '81 at a used record store in Covent Garden but passed on the opportunity because it was expensive and I didn't want to carry the record all over Europe. Now, 37 years after I first saw the film as a teenager, the disc is in my own Porsche 911 ready for a drive in the country -- although at a bit less than 200 mph."
Legrand did good
Kenneth M. Johnson | 10/12/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For Legrand fans, this is a must-have; for fans of Steve McQueen, this is also of import since this album features music from one of his most popular films ("Le Mans") and his last film ("The Hunter"). Interesting to note similar motifs used by Legrand for both. "Le Mans" has some tracks that just scream "1960s", but there is also a great deal of ahead-of-the-curve innovation. "The Hunter" features some very innovative musical concepts that apparantly had the studio suits a bit concerned, but thankfully Legrand stayed with his vision."
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1