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A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

John Wayne starred in two police dramas in the mid 1970s (everything else he made during the decade was a western) and, bizarrely, their scores have both been released on CD, by two different labels, within days of each other.  Along with Film Score Monthly's release of Elmer Bernstein's McQ comes La-La Land's release of Dominic Frontiere's for Brannigan.  I must admit to never having even heard of Brannigan before this release came around, and never having heard any music by Frontiere, whose output seems to be sadly neglected on CD. 

It's an urban, funky score, similar in ways to something like Lalo Schifrin's Dirty Harry, but with a lot of personality of its own.  It's vibrant and dynamic, with the London Symphony Orchestra combining with guitars and percussion for a sometimes jazzy, frequently exciting package.  Frontiere's music always emphasises the "fish out of water" scenario of the film, in which John Wayne's Chicago cop goes off to London in search of a mobster.  His driving main theme is quintessentially American, and very funky.  The four-part "Ransom" sequence sees lots of action and suspense music, and it's done very well; it's a real surprise that Frontiere didn't get to work on more of these kinds of things.  His action music actually evokes the same sound as Jerry Goldsmith was providing for no end of action thrillers through the 1970s, like Breakout (written at the same time as this).

Frontiere occasionally emphasises the comedy of the interplay between Wayne's tough character and Richard Attenborough's quaint English policemen, such as in "Twenty Five Grand".  Some of the cues actually seem more like standalone jazz than film music, like "Stampede Along the Thames", a wonderfully groovy piece that you could easily dance to.  This is a very good score, and well done to La-La Land for releasing it.  A relatively obscure film from thirty years ago with music by a composer whose name will not sell albums - but it's good music - and that's what counts.  

Tracks

1. Main Title (3:07)
2. Knock, Knock (2:31)
3. The Kidnap (1:28)
4. Ransom - Part One (3:19)
5. Ransom - Part Two (1:46)
6. Ransom - Part Three (1:41)
7. Ransom - Part Four (4:09)
8. Shotgun (2:46)
9. Twenty Five Grand (1:37)
10. I'm a Cop (1:38)
11. All Right Buster (1:43)
12. Stampede Along the Thames (2:01)
13. Raindrops Keep Falling on my Bird (4:54)
14. Bugging Around (4:06)
15. Here Comes the Jag (2:49)
16. End Titles (1:20)