TFG1MIKE 365 – 2024 Day 275 – Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Album Review!!!

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – Album Review!

Hello all and welcome to a NEW Daily Blog series from me… TFG1Mike! The idea here is for me to write something, anything, once a day for 365 days. From January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024. In my 275th entry, I’ll be talking about the film score to Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F!!!! This was originally gonna be Day 267 back on September 23rd, but with the passing of John Ashton on September 26th, 2024…. I decided to move the album review to Day 275, and dedicate it to his memory. 

^^As soon as I saw the TEASER, I was IN!

From 2 months ago, over on Kai Dragon Media’s The Dragon’s Lair Talk Show Kai, Steve, and I talked about BHC AF, which you can watch HERE! Then over on Studio 2009 in EP 087 Kai, Steve, and I celebrated the 40th anniversary of Beverly Hills Cop, and discussed Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F! You can listen to that right HERE! So the movie itself has been discussed at length. 

And I’m the “MUSIC GUY” around here, for the most part. I’m the one that can take the music out of the film, tv show, cartoon, video game… whatever it is…. And ENJOY THE CRAP OUT OF IT! Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is no different! 

Lorne Balfe is a composer that I have been following since I heard him score the music for the 2015 animated film Home! He has slowly become one of the composer’s who’s name is always in my list of favorites, when I talk about my favorite music composers! 

^^And as soon as I saw the trailer…. I was IN even more on this film. 

What is so great about the BHC AF score is the uniqueness of what Lorne and the rest of the musicians put into it, whilst also weaving in the Harold Faltermeyer score sections! As of October 1, 2024, I just rewatched the film to see how the music fits in, and right now as I’m typing this… I’ve got the score on repeat! Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a masterpiece of filmmaking. Most will say the plot is standard or simple, and they aren’t wrong it is. And to me that’s the effin’ point! But it’s a good story, and it’s told in a way that gets you pumped up, or emotional, or whatever! It brings you back into the BHC film franchise!

^^HUGE THANKS TO LORNE BALFE, AND MY FRIENDS AT LA LA LAND RECORDS FOR THE AUTOGRAPHED COPY! I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT, AND IT MADE MY YEAR!

The physical copy of the album has 15 tracks, while the digital version has 14. That extra track is the Lil NAS X song Here We Go! I’ve been listening to the digital streaming version longer than the physical CD, so having that track at the beginning kinda threw me for a loop. I wish it was the final track on the album. That is my only gripe, the rest of the score is amazing, that song is amazing, and fits the film like a glove. It just needs to be the closing track, like I’ve got it here in this Spotify playlist:

Tracks 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, and 14 are my favorites, and that’s not just because they have the Faltermeyer theme in them. It’s because they have a lot of unique themes in them. Especially the “Bad Helicopter” track, when I first saw the scene in the film… there was a moment when the helicopter stalls and then Bobby gets it going again, I felt like I was watching Airwolf from the 80s. I dunno why, but that’s the feeling that moment and Lorne’s music gave me! 

Now you might be asking yourself…. TFG1Mike WHY are you only highlighting your favorite tracks? Well I’ll tell ya… I LOVE THE WHOLE SCORE, but the ones I go into detail with below, are my FAVORITES to re listen to outside of the album. Tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 11, and 12 are all equally amazing. However the nine tracks below are simply outstanding to me. I can put these in with my “Library Faves” playlist, and when they will come on shuffle.. they will give me the same feeling as they do right now.

Track 3: Junior Bollinger: starts of with the Faltermeyer theme we all know and love, and then it evolves into this amazing chase music! As the chase continues, the classic theme is weaved in and out. But the devolution from the classic theme into the chase part of this track… It is so fluid, yet it feels like HEY KID, HERE’S THE DANGEROUS PART! Obviously right, but OMG… Lorne Balfe and the many musicians that worked on this craft something extremely special. 

Track 5: Trackers: is another one I gravitated towards. It starts off with an intriguing melody, and then it takes on the adventure of the scene! Again this track has a background element to the music that I absolutely love. It’s a sound that I could listen to on an endless loop! In he middle of the track it slows down for the emotion of the scene, but the tones that are used…. They just fit, and then they rip yer damn heart out! 

Track 6: Wilshire Boulevard: has this really awesome reverb and I think…. drum undertone to start. I’m probably wrong in saying that it’s a drum tone, because it could all be synthesized! The first minute and five seconds of this track lulls you into it, and then right at 1 minute six seconds, everything elevates, as the scene has changed! This track feels just like the oil field scene in Beverly Hills Cop II! The care that went into this is amazing, and the excitement that builds to the ending tension of the tones…. wowzers! It knocks my socks off every time. Then there’s the fade out at the end. It just is a compelling, exciting, ecstatic piece of music. THIS IS WHY I LOVE SOUNDTRACK SCORES!!!

Track 9: Rooftop Escape: And… Here… We… Go!!!! Suspenseful beginning, and throughout the undertones of Faltermeyer’s work. It’s compelling, it brings you into the universe, it does everything it should! This is the way a film score should be! Around the 2 minute 7 second mark it has those familiar tones we love, and then it breaks into the action…. This is where Grant says, “They’re on the fuckin’ roof!” Just love it, and then at the end… The hard stop from this to Bad Helicopter! Perfection! 

Track 10: Bad Helicopter: “Because THIS is on the roof!!!!!!” Oh Yeah! I’m here for this! That hard stop at the end of track 9 into this track, it works so damn well. And then there’s this. High octane action with the horns, and the backbeat. Then the orchestra comes into the fade out as they almost crash!!! But they don’t crash (SPOILER!!), they save the damn day!!! From 1 minute 35 seconds to the end of the track it’s all high action, as it’s the helicopter flying through downtown LA!!! The crescendo at the end, that fades into more amped up tones….. EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS TRACK!!! Just everything, I love it, and I can and will have it on repeat. At the 2 minute 58 second mark there’s this beatbox kinda sound that just fills the whole theater, or living room, wherever you are watching this!!! This track is a testament to the storytelling of how music tells the story as well. Every high and low note in Bad Helicopter resonates with you when you hear it. 

Track 13: Team Talk: The BHC Trio!! The car scene, just like in the other BHC films. Unfortunately this will be the last time we see Taggart with John Ashton’s passing. And it makes this track even more special than it already was. There’s no bananas in the tailpipe here, but there are a lot of Faltermeyer tones, as there should be. After all Axel just wants a steak! Once again this track just kinda stops, there’s no fade out into the final track. I’m ok with it, because of how 90210 starts off, but it’d have been nice if they faded into each other. 

Track 14: 90210: The adventure continues! at 1:16… 90210 is a wonderfully tonal ending point to the film and to the album. It also gives hope for that 5th film we might or even are getting I’m not sure what’s gonna happen with that. But this closing track for the digital release puts a nice exclamation point on Axel and his 4th adventure! 

Track 15: Lil Nas X’s Here We Go!: I’m only putting this here, because as I said at the beginning of this I feel for me as a listener it fits better at the end. I love the song, and I love how it fits into the truck scene when Axel “gets the backup!” It’s a great chase music track! It even has the Harold Faltermeyer themes in it, wow… I almost didn’t remember that, even though I have been listening to it all day! Looking at the lyrics, I can safely say it fits the scene it’s used in. It also fits Axel’s character! Billy says it best, “God I missed you Axel!” 

Final Thoughts: I’ve already said it in each track breakdown… This score is amazing! If you’ve seen the film, you need to experience the score! You can get the physical CD at La-La Land Records right HERE!

We have brought back The GCRN Universal Ratings System in a BRAND NEW BRANDING!!! It’s The GCRN GEEK METER! And my rating for this CD soundtrack release, as well as the digital release is:

Join me next time when I’ll be writing about something! <— I’ve stopped putting tomorrow or the dates here, because I dunno if I’m gonna write the next day or not. I’ve tried to write more this year though, and the year ain’t over yet…