Milan Records releases the soundtrack to The Naked Gun, featuring music by composer Lorne Balfe. Also included in the 13-track collection are two new original vocal songs performed by the cast, 'Sassafras Chicken in D' and 'My Sweet Beth'. Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world. Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. follows in his father's footsteps...

Drawing inspiration from the well-loved music of past films, Balfe has crafted a nostalgia-tinged score that also manages to balance the film’s serious action with its irreverent charm.

The soundtrack for The Naked Gun would only have worked if, like the acting, it was played straight - highlighting the drama, no matter how bizarre and off the wall the events unfolding on the big screen were. The album opens with 'My Name is Frank Drebin Jr.', a wonderfully honest, tonal piece which ramps up the tension adding drama and gravitas, before transforming into a wonderfully soothing jazz theme. It beautifully pays homage to movies of a bygone era without grandstanding.

Of the soundtrack, composer Lorne Balfe, says: "When I first sat down with the director to talk about the score for The Naked Gun, he told me one thing right away: the music had to feel honest. That set the tone for everything that followed. No matter how absurd the scenes got, the score needed to treat them seriously - especially the action. We weren’t playing for laughs; the music had to sell the drama, because that’s what makes the comedy land. I grew up loving The Naked Gun and Police Squad - they were a big part of my childhood. Ira Newborn’s original theme is iconic, and I really wanted to honour that noir-inspired, brassy sound while bringing a fresh energy for today’s audience. That contrast - serious music underscoring ridiculous situations - is what makes this world so fun to play in".

The score consists of 13 tracks (30 min, 44 sec) with personal highlights including the beautiful romance theme intertwined within 'There She Was Again' and the mysterious, eerie 'Something Fowl'. I could have done without the "comedy" flavour that's introduced in 'Sassafras Chicken In D' and 'My Sweet Beth', but I could just about stomach them for one play through.

The album winds down with Balfe's loving homage to Ira Newborn's original theme for Police Squad. An interesting and thematically engaging soundtrack that I'm has gone Newborn's legacy proud.

7

Darren Rea