Mike Post (1974) The Rockford Files

 Mike Post, a producer famous for arranging Classical Gas and the northern soul hit Afternoon of the Rhino, Post would bring his penchant for vibrant, big band horn suites to TV. Soon to become a big name in TV theme tunes in the 80s alogn with partner Pete Carpenter their names would be made with the theme music for America's Greatest Hero, Hill Street Blues, Magnum PI and Law and Order he would soon become synonymous with the minute and a half intros. With a deft skill in mixing diverse elements with a grand melody, here Post brings together a swaggering Minimoog lick that just oozes with the kind of cool reserved for rock stars it fits the lead character Jim Rockford; an effortlessly cool, charming and confident detective. The explosive drum fills punctuate through along with electric guitars and barrelling horns but it's the interplay and contrasts of the countrified harmonica with the slick, urban Moog riff both so rolling along smoothly and melodically in their own way. The buildup of the horn section trumpeting along to the single wah wah guitar is superb before the final return of that awesome all pervasive moog lick.


Mixing in Prog rock, country hoedown and Motown into a slick package that would announce Post's talents and the many faces of Jim Garner's Rockford, not to mention how cool it sounds. Such disparate elements you would never think would mesh and yet seem almost organic here.