Johnny Keating Robbery (1967)

• Johnny Keating – Born To Lose
• Johnny Keating – Accident
• Johnny Keating – Breaking Into The Mail Van

• 1. Born To Lose
• 2. Diamond Robbery
• 3. Accident
• 4. Kate's Theme
• 5. Robbery!
• 6. Breaking Into The Mail Van
• 7. Robinson - Portrait of a Loser
• 8. Passing The Mail Bags
• 9. Gang's Arrest
• 10. Paul's Goodbye and Main Theme

Johnny Keating’s name was legendary within big band and jazz circles in both the UK and America during the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Through his association with the Decca Record Company and many of its artistes – most notably the Ted Heath Orchestra for whom he was chief arranger from 1954-1971 – Keating’s remarkable gifts as a composer-arranger became world-renowned. His lengthy career has seen him active in many different areas of music including scoring films; however, only three motion pictures feature his work. His score for the 1967 UK crime-thriller film Robbery is arguably his best.

Based on the Great Train Robbery of 1963, Robbery stars Stanley Baker as hardened criminal and ex-convict Paul Clifton, who’s determined to pull-off the biggest job of his career – robbing the overnight mail train from Glasgow to London . Keating’s brilliant score underlines and heightens the drama, suspense and action, especially during the tense opening sequence (Diamond Robbery). The score is composed in the modern big band style, but also features some gorgeous, tender underscores as heard in Kate’s Theme (for Paul Clifton’s wife, played by Joanna Pettet) and Robinson – Portrait of a Loser (for currency expert Robinson, played by Frank Finlay). Passing the Mail Bags, Breaking into the Mail Van and Gang’s Arrest are tension-filled big band scores, while Born to Lose (not heard in the film) sung by session vocalist Jackie Lee is as good an example of bright, optimistic big band pop as you could wish to hear. If you haven’t seen Robbery, listening to John ny Keating’s gripping score will certainly make you want to.