Francis Lai: The Essential Film Music Collection - Review

A Collection of Broken Hearts
Review by Richard Buxton

For a composer with over one hundred composing credits to his name it is perhaps strange that FRANCIS LAI is not talked about more often in the film industry course, this can partly be attributed to his relative inactivity in recent years, and while the likes of Zimmer & co dominate the scoring stage these days, the music of FRANCIS LAI will nevertheless be something is forever be looked upon fondly in cinematic history

After winning the hearts of the Academy and the music-listening population of the United States in 1970 with his score for LOVE STORY and its theme-turned-song “Where Do I Begin”, FRANCIS LAI cemented his place as one of the greats of film scoring So it is fitting after a career spanning over 45 years that LAI and his fans are rewarded with such a collection as this. However, despite all of the acclaim, THE ESSENTIAL MUSIC COLLECTION is somewhat of a divisive listening experience. A single listen-through makes it abundantly clear that a number of the tracks are the kind that will either be loved or hated by the listener, such is their nature.

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