Music Composed by Harold Faltermeyer
Rating: **

You have to hand it to La-La Land Records for releasing Harold Faltermeyer’s Tango & Cash, a mid-’80s vintage example of film scoring that is far from high art. There must be a contingent of die-hard ’80s synth-score fanatics out there that made this album a worthwhile venture (though getting photo approval from Sly Stallone and Kurt Russell for the artwork must surely have been hell — there is only the key art and one photo repeated twice in the packaging), as Tango & Cash was surely not begging for release based on sheer musical quality. Instead this is a score that coasted into 2006 based on nostalgia for a time where pop beats, electronic percussion and breathy samples lent not-so-subtle support to cocaine-fueled big screen images of flashes of sex, violence and fast cars.

The appeal of Faltermeyer’s Tango & Cash is truly a double-edged sword: it is desirable for some because of it’s dated sound, and undesirable to others for the exact same reason. There is no effort to emulate a symphony orchestra here, instead Faltermeyer lays down a set of pulsing rythms with occasional bursts of synth bass and electric guitars, whisper-y patches and other assorted electronic sounds (”Perret Gloats/No Golf Course”). Unfortunately the music is not quite cheesy enough to induce smiles (though “Love Theme”, included here twice, gets close), rather the album is pretty heavy-handed and sedate. There are, however, a handful of tracks where Faltermeyer attempts to quicken the pulse, but these brisk moments are usually bookended by steely passages of bad-guy bass (”Laundry Chute”, “Fubar/Shock Therapy”, “Cash in the Tunnel/Guards Come/Conan Fries”).

Harold Faltermeyer

Besides the Faltermeyer Fanatics, those who dig Hans Zimmer’s earlier efforts might want to sample Tango & Cash, as many of Faltermeyer’s synthesizer sounds of whizz-bangery overlap Zimmer’s own palette from that period. Otherwise fans of soaring symphonic masterworks might find repeat listening impossible, unless you happen to drive a Pontiac Fiero, wear day-glo shorts and sport a pair of Back To The Future 2 sunglasses you bought at Pizza Hut.

The scores presentation is exemplary considering the music. Tango is treated with respect by La-La Land, and fans of the score could not have asked for more without severely shaming themselves. Randall Larson adds extensive liner notes, while the sound quality is as good today as it must have been the day it was saved to disk.

Listening to Tango & Cash, it’s almost difficult to believe that movies were scored like this only two short decades ago. Just giving the score a surface examination, there seems to be little to no effort to psychologically enhance the film beyond adding needed thrust to the action scenes (though perhaps that’s indicative of the decade as a whole!). Faltermeyer was obviously at the top of the synth score game at the point he scored Tango & Cash, and the whole thing is admittedly pretty slick, but it feels hollow and joyless, sounding a lot like routine programming, rather than a truly rich and involving listening experience.

Music Composed and Produced by Harold Faltermeyer; Executive Album Producers: MV Gerhard and Matt Verboys; Album Produced by Ford A. Thaxton; Label: La-La Land Records, (LLLCD 1052); Availability: Limited to 3,000 units; U.S. Release Date: January, 2007.

01. Bus Chase/Cocaine (2:50)
02. Cash Intro/Chinese Assassin (2:50)
03. Tango At The Office (:23)
04. Cash’s Gun/Chinese Toilet (1:41)
05. Bad Guys Plot (3:32)
06. Stake Out/Set Up/Switching Tapes (4:49)
07. News At Eleven (1:49)
08. Perret Gloats/No Golf Course (1:29)
09. Chaos (:44)
10. Slinky’s Cell (:54)
11. Laundry Chute (2:15)
12. Fubar/Shock Therapy (2:49)
13. Cash In The Tunnel/Guards Come/Conan Fries (9:45)
14. Most Disturbing (1:05)
15. Dog Explodes/Tape Doctor (1:10)
16. Love Theme (2:14)
17. Brother & Sister (1:27)
18. Ponytail’s Apt./Plan “A” (1:16)
19. Hi Five/Owen’s Toy (1:07)
20. RV From Hell (2:12)
21. Off Road Battle (5:02)
22. Final Assault/The Bomb (6:41)
23. Love Theme (2:12)

Total Playing Time: 60:16