From the deepest reaches of space (the final frontier), to the toughest streets on either side of America, to not one, but two prehistoric adventures on tropical islands, La-La Land Records' just-announced final five catalogue soundtrack titles of 2016 offer some of the greatest film music around!
"He's been chased, thrown through a window and arrested," the poster proclaimed. Just another day for a Detroit cop on vacation in Beverly Hills--though Eddie Murphy's detective Axel Foley wasn't just any cop! Murphy's turn as Foley in 1984's Beverly Hills Cop cemented the rising star status films like 48 Hrs. (1982), Trading Places (1983) and the comedy special Delirious (1983) had done well to establish. The archetypal Foley, whose gifts on the force just couldn't stop him from getting into trouble, powered three Beverly Hills Cop films from 1987 to 1994, and La-La Land's releasing, for the first time in any format, the scores to the first two films by synth mastermind Harold Faltermeyer.
Driven by an irresistible main theme tune, the worldwide Top 5 hit "Axel F," the Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop II releases feature alternate takes from both films as well as the added bonus of many of the hit pop songs featured on the film's original soundtrack albums, including the hits "The Heat is On" by Glenn Frey, The Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance," and Patti LaBelle's "Stir It Up" and "New Attitude" (from the original film) plus Bob Seger's "Shakedown" and George Michael's "I Want Your Sex" from Beverly Hills Cop II. (George's appearance on the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack, then and now, is the easiest place to find the single version of "Sex" on CD.)
Each release is limited to 3,000 units (with 200 Beverly Hills Cop booklets autographed by Faltermeyer) and feature new in-depth liner notes by Tim Grieving which feature new interviews with the composer. Dan Goldwasser produced both sets, with mastering by Doug Schwartz.
Next, La-La Land turns to a different kind of cop on the East Coast: Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, the New York City detective whose ripped-from-the-headlines exploits (based on real detective NYPD cop Eddie Egan) became the acclaimed 1971 film The French Connection, an Oscar winner for Best Picture, Best Director (William Friedkin), Best Actor (Gene Hackman, as Doyle) Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Doyle's exploits, namely his tireless pursuit of drug kingpin Alain Charnier (played by Fernando Rey), couldn't fit one movie, and John Frankenheimer directed 1975's French Connection II. Eleven years later, Ed O'Neill (a year away from his breakout starring role on the FOX sitcom Married...with Children) starred as Doyle in an NBC TV movie, 1986's Popeye Doyle. La-La Land's 2CD The French Connection Collection features Don Ellis' scores to both French Connection films plus the Popeye Doyle score by Brad Fiedel, composer of the music for the first two Terminator films--plus alternates and source cues for all three. Nick Redman and Mike Matessino produce, Matessino mixes, Daniel Hersch masters and Julie Kirgo writes liner notes. 2,000 copies of The French Connection Collection will be made.
It was billed as "an adventure 65 million years in the making," and now its music is being presented definitively on CD! The John Williams Jurassic Park Collection brings together, on four discs, the complete and chronological presentations of Williams' scores to Steven Spielberg's 1993 dinosaur adventure Jurassic Park and its 1997 sequel The Lost World. This in-depth set, limited to 5,000 copies, features production, editing, mastering and liner notes by Mike Matessino.
La-La Land has done eight titles from the Star Trek franchise on CD, including an expansive 15CD box set of music from the original series, collections from The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise and Jerry Goldsmith's scores to Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)--and now they're capping the 50th anniversary of Gene Roddenberry's groundbreaking sci-fi series with a 4CD set of rare and treasured tracks from across various Trek shows, films and ephemera.
Star Trek: 50th Anniversary Collection - Musical Rarities from Across the Star Trek Universe collects music from the following properties:
- Star Trek: The Original Series: music from all three seasons of TOS, as featured on La-La Land's box set but presented here from newly discovered elements
- Star Trek: The Animated Series: this set marks the first release of music from the 1973-1975 Filmation series by Yvette Blais and Jeff Michael
- Star Trek: The Motion Picture / Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: one track each from Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner's acclaimed scores to the first two Trek feature films are included--an alternate mix of TMP's "Inner Workings," and the ending cue of TWoK without the narration heard on the original album and film mix.
- Three pieces of original music inspired by Star Trek written by Star Trek: The Next Generation composer Ron Jones
- Star Trek: The Next Generation: unreleased score and source music from the 1987-1994 series composed by Dennis McCarthy is featured
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: two score demos by McCarthy
- Star Trek: Voyager: a demo of Goldsmith's main title theme, plus a score cue from Jay Chattaway
- Star Trek: Borg: a 1996 interactive video game with original music by McCarthy
- A recording of standard "Moonlight Becomes You" from 1996's Star Trek: First Contact
- Star Trek: The Experience: two scores by Chattaway, McCarthy and Kevin Kiner for interactive attractions at the Las Vegas Hilton
- One cue from Star Trek: Enterprise by McCarthy
Lukas Kendall produced this Trek time capsule, with mastering by Doug Schwartz and liner notes by Jeff Bond. 3,000 units of this set will be made.
All five titles are on sale TODAY, November 29 at 12:00 p.m. PST, at La-La Land's official web site. Thanks to the label for a stellar soundtrack year, and here's to a great 2017!
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