Tango & Cash

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

If you say the '80 you think of teen comedies, cool songs, fun kitsch, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Brad Fiedel, Harold Faltermeyer and so much more. Whoever grew up in that time felt good because it was such a fun time that nothing was taken seriously and that teenage bounciness was ruling the planet. In that time some of the most fun movies were made, think of Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, all those teen comedies that felt so cute. Cute is not the word for this motion picture debut of a film score because Faltermeyer is anything but cute, however the word you're looking for is once again fun. Its cheesy now, its electronic always and its fun from tango to cash, its basically La-La Land's premiere recording of one of Harold Faltermeyer's more enjoyable releases namely Tango & Cash. The fun action comedy starring Sylvester Stallone & Kurt Russell was all about overblown macho behavior and unbelievable action seriousness but what the hell, it was and still is fun to see and now hear this piece of '80 bounciness again. Its nice to see La-La Land making a record of reinstating those '80 treasures because with Spaceballs, Tango & Cash, Breakheart Pass and Extreme Prejudice their releases have been just tagged with that '80 sound. And now its been done to one of Faltermeyer's best scores. And why is simple, the themes are just catchy, nothing more, nothing less. We start with Tango's theme, a bouncy typical Faltermeyer tune (a bit like Beverly Hills Cop sometimes) in 'Bus Chase / Cocaine'. The other theme is for Cash which is heard in 'Cash Intro / Chinese Assassin', and this one is now really bouncy and above all comedic, it really fits Kurt Russell's character on screen. These themes reappear until we reach 'Bad Guys Plot', which presents us with some mood but also the bad guy theme, this is nothing more than a moody underscore tune but it sure represents Jack Pallance's role in the movie effectively.

Sadly the middle portions are a bit moody and actually boring, 'Stake Out / Set Up / Switching Tapes' starts with probably the best performance of Tango's theme but after that, all dreary underscore. Some suspense in 'News at Eleven', the bad guy theme in 'Perret Gloats / No Golf Course', electronic atonality for 'Chaos' and a lullaby in 'Slinky's Cell'. So much for the more inappropriate selections because after that more welcomed Faltermeyer action begins. Actually its surprising how easily likeable his action music is here. OK, its basically a variation on the themes but it sure does work. 'Laundry Chute' with electric guitars and cool moments aplenty in 'Fubar / Shock Therapy' and 'Cash in the Tunnel / Guards Come / Conan Fries'. Perhaps cheesy but totally fitting for that genre 'Love Theme' is too bouncy for any other movie, not for this one. 'Hi Five / Owen's Toy' is even more over the top but its such cheesy fun so who cares?! For 'Off Road Battle' we return to the action music and statements we heard in tracks 12 and 13 and once again, cool they remain. 'Final Assault / The Bomb' switches between this action tune and the eerie underscore for about 6 minutes before a final love version tune signals off this trip down memory lane. I said it in The Running Man review, there are better scores out there from Faltermeyer and this surely is one of his most requested from that list. OK, its totally electronic and its cheesy at times, but my god did it enlighten the movie in such a perfect '80 manner. Its fun, just fun. The begin portions bring forward the themes, the middle is somewhat boring underscore but from track 11 we are set in this typical appropriate and cool setting that it doesn't matter Faltermeyer is scoring anything nowadays, what matters is he does it right now in Tango & Cash.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Bus Chase / Cocaine (2.49)

2. Cash Intro / Chinese Assassin (2.48)

3. Tango At The Office (0.22)

4. Cash's Gun / Chinese Toilet (1.40)

5. Bad Guys Plot (3.31)

6. Stake Out / Set Up / Switching Tapes (4.47)

7. News At Eleven (1.48)

8. Perret Gloats / No Golf Course (1.28)

9. Chaos (0.43)

10. Slinky's Cell (0.53)

11. Laundry Chute (2.13)

12. Fubar / Shock Therapy (2.48)

13. Cash In The Tunnel / Guards Come / Conan Fries (9.41)

14. Most Disturbing (1.04)

15. Dog Explodes / Tape Doctor (1.09)

16. Love Theme (2.13)

17. Brother & Sister (1.26)

18. Ponytail's Apt. / Plan "A" (1.15)

19. Hi Five / Owen's Toy (1.06)

20. RV From Hell (2.11)

21. Off Road Battle (5.00)

22. Final Assault / The Bomb (6.39)

23. Love Theme Reprise (2.11)

Total Length: 59.45

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