Roy Budd/Original Soundtrack - Get Carter [1971 UK] (CD)

All Music Guide

Excepting only the work of the great Lalo Schifrin, Roy Budd's Get Carter was the best theme in the lucrative world of spy/gangster/heist soundtracks from the late '60s and early '70s. Underpinning the tense strength of director Mike Hodges' film about a hit man turned avenging angel, the film's main theme ("Carter Takes a Train") is a paranoid, hallucinatory title that deftly played up the menace of Michael Caine's character. Interested parties who've only heard the legend of Get Carter, however, may not find much else to interest them; those who've seen it can carry a bit more, but most of these tracks are titles to a film, and don't escape the period feel. The fine collections Rebirth of the Budd or Buddism are both better purchases toward understanding the brilliance of Roy Budd.

- John Bush, All Music Guide