Sunday, June 21, 2020

A Score To Settle Podcast - Episode 31, Listening to... "Lethal Weapon" (Part 1)

Hello everyone! In this new episode of the podcast, I am exploring the music of the popular cop/action film series, LETHAL WEAPON, from the initial installment which appeared onscreen in 1987 up to LETHAL WEAPON 4, released in 1998. The scores, as composed by Michael Kamen, Eric Clapton and David Sanborn, are a colorful, exciting fusion of genres, such as rock, blues and orchestral, feature memorable character motifs along with instrumental solos by Clapton on guitar and Sanborn on saxophone. I begin by spotlighting examples of music from cop & detective movies preceding LETHAL WEAPON, noting how the styles moved from dissonant, dark orchestral turmoil to downtrodden, lonely sounds that often incorporated popular trends of the time, my aim being to provide some historical context for where the LETHAL WEAPON scores both follow this model and chart a new path.

I hope that everyone who listens will enjoy the episode and forgive any technical or factual gaffes. Below is the embedded player from which you can listen or simply click on the website link to head directly to where the podcast is hosted on Podbean. Everyone stay safe, take care of yourself and each other!

Feel free to subscribe and download the episode via iTunes, just search their store for "a score to settle" or launch from the link below. If you do listen through iTunes, take a moment to rate the show and write a review, it will help bring more notice. The podcast is also available on Spotify! Check out the links to the Facebook and Twitter accounts, the latter of which can be found at @score2settlepod. Thanks again!