Unfortunately, Rocky III experiences a greater disconnect between its music on screen and that on its album when compared to its predecessors. Not only is the version of "Eye of the Tiger" on the album different (technically, the film edit was considered a demo), but the instrumental adaptation of that song for the training of Rocky by Apollo is also missing from the album. Conti's score wasn't particularly well served by the album, either. The Rocky LPs (and later identical CD releases) were never long, always running just a tad over thirty minutes, and this brevity especially hurts Conti's work for Rocky III. Most of the material on the album is simply a reprise (in contents and even sometimes name) of what was previously released from the first two albums, thus making this soundtrack a "best of" highlight product. The redemption theme from Rocky II is absent, as are both the adversity and victory themes from both previous scores. The love theme and its adaptation into a family theme in Rocky II are extended to the material for both Adrian and the death of Mickey, Rocky's original trainer. These two cues in Rocky III, "Mickey" and "Adrian," are its only truly interesting and original six minutes of music, a good match for the two equally pretty symphonic cues from Rocky II on any compilation of Conti's fluffier side. Both cues offer fragments of the "Gonna Fly Now" fanfare theme, the latter in appealingly snazzy form. The only other unique material to be heard in the score is the two-minute, dissonant, electronic cue "Reflections," which had no business making it onto this album. Other Conti cues in Rocky III are straight reprises, including "Decision" (named "Reflections" in Rocky and still containing that absolutely awful, synthetic pitch effect that rises through the octaves), "Gonna Fly Now" (the original Rocky recording), and "Conquest" (representing Rocky II and Apollo). Otherwise, there's really nothing of note to mention about the Rocky III album. It's a poor representation of the score despite being the last good offering of Conti's contribution to the franchise during its original five-picture run. The sound quality did pick up in both Rocky II and Rocky III, though an available remastering of Rocky helped alleviate the previously significant difference in clarity (especially in the string section of the orchestra). If you want to create the best compilation of material from Conti's first three scores in the series, though, you really do need to include at least the "Mickey" cue from Rocky III, and "Eye of the Tiger" is an obvious plus. Until this score receives better album treatment, however, it's definitely less attractive than its predecessors.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download