To Live & Die In L.A.: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Director William Friedkin knows a thing or two about innovative, genre-bending film scores. He commissioned edgy modern-jazz playerDon Ellisfor his classicThe French Connectionand reworkedMike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" into the haunting soundtrack for the blockbusterThe Exorcist. But even veteran film buffs were surprised when Friedkin turned the scoring chores for his taut 1985 forgery-ring thrillerTo Live and Die in LAover to British pop stars Wang Chung. Though they're still best known for their perennial rock-of-the-'80s hits "Dancehall Days," "Everybody Have Fun Tonight," and "Let's Go," Friedkin's early admiration for the band's often underrated musicality paid off with a tense, rhythmic soundscape that crystallized the era and locale of the film. And, though synth-pop has gained ill repute as a cheesy 1980s cliché, this album ably proves that it could rise above its stereotype in dramatic fashion. The Jack Hues-sung title track was also a minor pop hit.--Jerry McCulley