Charlie's Angels / Blue Streak (Bootleg)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Shearmur as action composer? Well, it could happen and it happened, only do not expect a Media Ventures clone! Reign of Fire was a hard to nails affair and didn't leave any room for you to breath while Johnny English was hardly the big bombastic affair, how fun it altogether sounded after all. So, the action moves of the 3 babes and a black robber in police costume could do the trick, but for the babes they left the action music out of it and for the black dude, it offered more then I expected. First of all, as said Charlie's Angels isn't the action score but more a repertoire of what Edward Shearmur else composed for it. Meaning, 2 versions of the main theme and some spy music with overtly diverse results. What to think of 'Speedway Dub', an assortment of seduction vocals with the most appropriate music over that, I can't explain it any different and the fact is, it doesn't sound stupid at all. 'Redstar Mix' is funky background music with nice strings over that, 'Breaking Into Redstar' the more familiar spy music with some slight droning over that. 'Scaling the Wall' has the same spy music with some light tension coming of the strings while 'Tracking Charlie' by then has piano, tension rhythms over this constant piano theme which makes it quite good and a rocking electronic ending for the rough edge. Altogether, not really action music. Only the theme does suffice a bit, 'In Flight' presents the theme over funky rhythms and a nice touch is presented when the main theme is performed by piano in 'Meeting Charlie', making it a nice closer to the short non action score of Charlie's Angels. Perhaps not enough for many people expecting to hear action music of Edward Shearmur but at least it brings diversity. But also a sign of things to come for the Johnny English soundtrack, yet only Blue Streak has that way more on display.

The score to Blue Streak has even lesser material but sounds altogether much more pleasing because of the more action type music. 'Casing the Joint' isn't action music but a funky opening with a constant reappearing version of the funky theme and even some Bond moves at the end to spice it up. 'Deaken Turns Nasty' presents even better stuff, with action based tension music, a funky rhythm ala Shaft at times and some low guitar straight out of the Bond scores. 'Miles the Cop' presents more cool sounding tones but after a minute it is followed by action music on rhythm and with brief brass fanfares. Making way for then the best track, final track and the music we wanted to hear in the Charlie's Angels collection. Still, 'Showdown' is a great finisher with Bond fanfares, action music with a rhythm, even a Matrix like move around the 4 minute and basically strong orchestral and electronic play in a powerful mix that ends just big. The music you didn't spot in the film, the music you wanted more because of the good mix of ideas, orchestra and electronics and because its also the type you would hear in Charlie's Angels and especially added with choir in the evenly unreleased Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. I admire Edward Shearmur when he does something like this, because it sounds fresh when he does it. When fully orchestral and bleak like Reign of Fire or when its more funky and groovy like for instance in these 2 scores. Sadly unreleased for the mass populous, Charlie's Angels and Blue Streak present the short material in excellent sound quality and especially for the great final track of Blue Streak, this comes as a relief. Altogether, perhaps it is the presentation of the babes that is a bit of a let down at the end, considering it could have been more, but the mix of the two scores together presents in the end just all the ideas and right diversity. Making Shearmur's babes not too bad at all when you think about it.

Charlie's Angels: ***
Blue Streak: ***

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Tracks

Single Disc

Charlie's Angels

1. In Flight (3.40)

2. Breaking Into Redstar (3.28)

3. Redstar Mix (3.40)

4. Scaling The Wall (1.45)

5. The Real Bad Guys (1.29)

6. Tracking Charlie (3.00)

7. Speedway Dub (3.48)

8. After The Bomb (1.53)

9. Meeting Charlie (1.36)

Total Length: 24.19

Blue Streak

10. Casing The Joint (3.41)

11. Deaken Turns Nasty (3.39)

12. Free At Last (3.21)

13. Miles The Cop (1.54)

14. Showdown (5.50)

Total Length: 18.25

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: Edward Shearmur ===