CD
Retro Fan Review
While
his motion picture composing career was taking off, Police founder
and drummer Stewart Copeland got to prove his chops further in homes
across America with his hard-hitting, pulse-pounding score to the hit
1980s television series, The Equalizer.
Performed
entirely by Copeland on guitar, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, drums,
and percussion, the soundtrack is dark, ominous, and propulsive,
making it a perfect accompaniment to scenes of hired avenger Robert
McCall (Edward Woodward) delivering brutal beat-downs to New York
City’s criminal element.
The
music is somewhat similar to Jan Hammer’s groundbreaking score to
the Miami Vice TV series, and the title theme and several
other tunes here could have worked easily on that show. Copeland’s
unique composing style is also kind of a cross between Hammer and
Danny Elfman (Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Batman, The Simpsons).
Perhaps this is due to the fact that Copeland, Hammer, and Elfman
have backgrounds in pop, rock, and jazz fusion rather than classical
music.
Of
course, given Copeland’s primary instrumental vocation, the music
is understandably much heavier on the drums and the percussion, and
enjoyably so.
Highlights
include “Screaming Lord Cole and the Commanches,” “The
Equalizer Busy Equalizing,” and “Archie David in Overtime.”
This
album is definitely a must-have for fans of The Equalizer and
Stewart Copeland, as well as anyone who is interested in an
alternative and highly stylized musical approach to 1980s prime-time
television.
--Raj
Manoharan
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