Various Artists - Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Original Soundtrack) [2LP Orange/Red/Black Splatter]

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F puts Harold Faltermeyer's most instantly recognisable synth riff back in circulation forty years after it first hit, now spread across a 2LP orange, red, and black splatter pressing.

The original Axel F theme is one of the great accidents of film scoring history, a synth-pop instrumental so catchy it charted higher than most actual songs of 1985 and outlived the movie it was written for. Lorne Balfe takes on scoring duties for this legacy sequel and does the smart thing, building the whole score around that theme rather than replacing it, letting it resurface reharmonised and reorchestrated throughout rather than treating it as a museum piece. Lil Nas X, Tim Cappello, and Sunglasses Kid all contribute additional material, keeping the record from feeling like pure nostalgia exercise.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the Curnow Harding remix, opens the album by immediately reintroducing that theme with modern production polish. 90210 folds the melody into something built for a dancefloor rather than a car chase, Team Talk carries the action-scoring muscle Balfe is known for, and Junior Bollinger gives the score its most playful, comedic beat.

Forty years on, the riff still works exactly as well as it did the first time. Some hooks just don't age.

Tracklist

1. Here We Go (From the Netflix Film "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F") - Performed By Lil Nas X
2. Snowplough Chase
3. Junior Bollinger
4. Meet Jane
5. Beverly Hills Cop - Axel F (Curnow Harding Remix) Feat. Tim Cappello
6. Trackers
7. Wilshire Boulevard
8. Bribe Chalino
9. Axel's Return Feat. Tim Cappello and Sunglasses Kid
10. Rooftop Escape
11. Bad Helicopter
12. 90210
13. Rescue Rosewood
14. Mansion Shootout
15. Team Talk