Uploaded March 2011 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
You've heard of The Seven Samurai. You've heard of The Magnificent Seven. But have you heard of Three Amigos? No? The last of the string of raucous comedies directed by John Landis, the man who gave the world Animal House and The Blues Brothers, Three Amigos takes the plot of The Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven and turns it into a vehicle for Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short. To provide the music, Landis chose two Hollywood legends: Elmer Bernstein -- who, among other things, had scored The Magnificent Seven and thereby gave the world a western theme it'll never forget -- and Randy Newman -- who, although he was only the nephew of film score giants Alfred, Thomas, and David Newman, had already had a string of superb pop albums to his credit and thereby gave the world such gems as "Short People." The combination of their talents is a straight-faced parody of the western idiom that ideally matched the silly shenanigans and hilarious escapades on screen. From Newman's riotous "The Ballade of the Three Amigo" with its way too long climactic note to Bernstein's resolutely heroic "End Credits," this disc includes all the music used in the film, including Newman's cameo aural appearance as the voice of the Singing Bush. For tried and true fans of the Hollywood Western, this disc may be the last thing they'll ever want to hear, but for fans of Bernstein and Newman, this disc demands to be heard. Indeed, one's only regret is that the disc doesn't include "Happy," a hilariously vulgar Newman song that was later cut from the film. To hear it in all its unprintable glory, completists will have to seek out Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman. They'll laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh. Collector's Choice Music's "straight from the soundtrack to your home" sound is a bit dim and boxy, but what are you going to do?
You've heard of The Seven Samurai. You've heard of The Magnificent Seven. But have you heard of Three Amigos? No? The last of the string of raucous comedies directed by John Landis, the man who gave the world Animal House and The Blues Brothers, Three Amigos takes the plot of The Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven and turns it into a vehicle for Steve Martin, Chevy Chase, and Martin Short. To provide the music, Landis chose two Hollywood legends: Elmer Bernstein -- who, among other things, had scored The Magnificent Seven and thereby gave the world a western theme it'll never forget -- and Randy Newman -- who, although he was only the nephew of film score giants Alfred, Thomas, and David Newman, had already had a string of superb pop albums to his credit and thereby gave the world such gems as "Short People." The combination of their talents is a straight-faced parody of the western idiom that ideally matched the silly shenanigans and hilarious escapades on screen. From Newman's riotous "The Ballade of the Three Amigo" with its way too long climactic note to Bernstein's resolutely heroic "End Credits," this disc includes all the music used in the film, including Newman's cameo aural appearance as the voice of the Singing Bush. For tried and true fans of the Hollywood Western, this disc may be the last thing they'll ever want to hear, but for fans of Bernstein and Newman, this disc demands to be heard. Indeed, one's only regret is that the disc doesn't include "Happy," a hilariously vulgar Newman song that was later cut from the film. To hear it in all its unprintable glory, completists will have to seek out Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman. They'll laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh. Collector's Choice Music's "straight from the soundtrack to your home" sound is a bit dim and boxy, but what are you going to do?
