Mob Hits: Music from and a Tribute to Great Mob Movies

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: David Brinker (Compilation); David Brinker (Compilation); David Fritz (Compilation)
Distributor: Bayside Record Dist.

Notes: Digitally remastered by John Aiosa. Personnel: Bobby Vinton (vocals). Photographer: Mark April. Arranger: J. Grace. Sure, the title of Mob Hits: Music from and a Tribute to Great Mob Movies sounds silly, but truth be told, it's a killer idea for a compilation. Face it, there are many, many people out there -- not just Gen-Xers, but Baby Boomers as well -- who fell in love with vocal pop through gangster movies. The Godfather, Goodfellas, Casino, and Donnie Brasco, four of the films whose soundtracks are featured on this collection, all had a darkly romantic feel, and it wasn't just the stories -- it was how the visuals intermingled with the smooth, sophisticated music. Of course, the years of legends about Sinatra, Dino and the Mob certainly play a part in the associations between gangsters, movies, and traditional pop, but the myths and the films are only part of the reason why Mob Hits is so entertaining. The fact of the matter is, this is good music. Yes, the collection is hurt slightly by the compilers' failed attempts to license music from The Godfather -- they compensate with re-recordings of "The Godfather Waltz" and two Al Martino songs -- but the remainder of the songs are uniformly excellent. They're primarily songs by Dean Martin and Jerry Vale, with a couple of Louis Prima, Julius LaRosa, and Rosemary Clooney cuts thrown in for good measure, but that gives the album some consistency. The most important thing is, Mob Hits is good enough to appeal to listeners who don't want to be married to the mob -- it's just a fine collection of terrific music that can be appreciated by someone with no sense of irony whatsoever. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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