Buy it... if you agree that every composer should be allowed to come out of retirement and return to his roots one final time, especially if it can be done with both precision and a sense of humor.

Avoid it... if you are horrified to be reminded of the era of Marvin Hamlisch's dominance in 1970's mainstream jazz and light romance and, on a related note, you couldn't stand the Austin Powers scores that parodied him and his contemporary peers.

The Informant!: (Marvin Hamlisch) While immersed in his Ocean's Eleven franchise in the early 2000's, director Steven Soderbergh sought to adapt journalist Kurt Eichenwald's book about the whistle-blower behind the exposure of a large agricultural company's conspiracy to fix the price of lysine in the 1990's. The true story of The Informant! focuses on Mark Whitacre, an executive in the company who worked with the FBI to secretly record his cohorts' business dealings. Unfortunately, while this man proved useful to the government's case, he also suffers from bipolar disorder, which caused him to take on the role of a mole as if he were a secret agent, with all the delusions of the characteristics assumed by such spies. His wacky and reckless behavior culminates in the revelation that while he was betraying his own company, he was also defrauding it of millions of dollars and living under the assumption that his actions would be greeted with enough appreciation that he would become CEO of the company once all of the other executives were cleared out in the government raid. Ultimately, his defense became so insane that he ended up serving more time in prison than those who were actually doing the price fixing, thus bringing to an end the man's fantasies of grand esteem. Matt Damon's performance in the lead role, which made headlines by requiring him to gain thirty pounds and puffy cheeks, was the selling point of the film, and the production managed to squeak out a small profit. It wouldn't have been surprising to see Soderbergh turn to his frequent collaborator David Holmes for a snazzy musical score for The Informant!, but he made a far more surprising choice in the hiring of famed 1970's songwriter Marvin Hamlisch. An entire generation has passed since Hamlisch was a household name who earned Oscar nominations at a rate only matched by John Williams, and, in the interim, at some point in the 1990's, his name was often mocked as being perhaps the biggest symbol of 1970's loungey jazz that had fallen out of favor. It's ironic in many ways that the sound he helped maintain in popularity throughout the 1970's and into the 80's was parodied extremely well by George S. Clinton in his Austin Powers scores. And now, another decade removed, Hamlisch returns to write his own retro throwback score with a personality that young listeners will only recognize from the Austin Powers films. What a cruel circle it is, but at least it's still humorous.

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It's possible that The Informant! will be to Hamlisch what Far From Heaven was for Elmer Bernstein: one final foray into the sound of yesteryear for a rare film for which that sound is appropriate. If so, then bravo! This is truly the way careers should be remembered. For Hamlisch, the soundtrack community had long thought his exit came with the 1996 Barbra Streisand film The Mirror Has Two Faces, so this sudden infusion of faithful Hamlisch pizzazz from another era is striking. Not only does the composer resurrect staples from his own career, but also those of Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini, and Burt Bacharach, rolling so many stereotypes from 1970's jazz into one place that it will likely shock anyone under 30 years old. Everything you remember from the era's spy capers (and the Austin Powers scores, for that matter) returns, from elegant piano solos to muted trumpets, thumping electric guitar, vibrant harmonicas, rhythmic puffs of the Hammond organ, spirited flutes, innocent whistling, burping sax and kazoo, swaying strings, and lightly tapped snare and cymbal. It's interesting that Soderbergh and Hamlisch completely bypassed the 1990's setting of the film and chose this style of jazz to represent the world in the lead character's head. The disparate sounds of the 70's and 90's are certainly an effective way to address the bi-polar disorder that causes him his delusions. Hamlisch does nothing to restrain himself, even taking the score into hoedown territory for a banjo and fiddle explosion in "Polygraph." The most nostalgic parts of The Informant! are those such as "Boxes," in which piano and soloists romantically ponder the situation over soothing string backing. Only a bass bassoon figure in this cue and the opening "The Informant" hint at an ominous future. It's difficult not to smile upon hearing Hamlisch return to this territory; what was once laughed at because it was so unfashionable is now so lovingly conveyed in perfect digital sound that you can't help but appreciate its employment. There's even a Las Vegas-style showpiece song with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and vocals by Steve Tyrell. Nevertheless, the audience for this score will be limited. But hey, if you're going to go back to shamelessly resurrect a sound like this, you may as well do it right. And Hamlisch, firmly rooted in his comfort zone, nails it with authority. A short CDr-on-demand album is the perfect length for this material. It was nominated by half a dozen awarding bodies, including the Golden Globes, and it was somewhat surprising not to see the 70's star receive another Oscar nomination for old times' sake. ****   Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download