There are many reasons to be excited for Shane Black’s latest romp, “The Nice Guys.” For one, it’s Black in his natural habit, working with the type of bust-’em-up L.A. detective lark that served his career best from the first “Lethal Weapon” to his directorial debut “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.” And then there’s the marvelous red-band trailer — which prominently displays Black’s filthy wit in fine form, as well as strong-looking performances from leads Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, in what very well may be an explosively entertaining pairing. And now we’ve got a first look at the soundtrack, which features some familiar hits that’ll hopefully get us in a groovy ‘70s swing when the new film comes stomping into theaters May 20th.
READ MORE: 5 Scripts That Made Shane Black Hollywood’s Hottest Writer In The 1990s
There are more than a handful of signature singles on this upcoming soundtrack, but the most notable hits of the bunch includes “September” and “Boogie Wonderland” by Earth, Wind & Fire, “Get Down on It” by Kool & the Gang, “A Horse With No Name” by America and “Rock and Roll All Nite” by Kiss. And what would a soundtrack be without a play or two of Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”? Perhaps these are some obvious favorites, but it comes with the territory of a period piece studio film such as this, I suppose. And surely Black will make it work, right?
If the soundtrack itself seems just a little too safe, take some comfort in knowing the artwork prominently displayed on the Collector’s Edition Vinyl is anything-but-conventional. As noted by Collider, in addition to featuring the 15 tracks listed above-and-below on the 2xLP 180-gram record, it’ll also come with 3D glasses, a nude 3D centerfold to admire, adult-only XXX wrap, a signature business card from the film, one of six double-sided pin-up posters, liner notes from the co-writer/director, and a download of the digital soundtrack. It’s available for pre-order now at iam8bit.com, and it’ll be shipped this May. Surely a naughty early Christmas gift from everyone’s favorite yuletide-obsessed filmmaker. Hopefully the action-comedy that inspired it follows suit this summer.
"The Nice Guys" Soundtrack Tracklisting
1. Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone – The Temptations
2. Get Down On It – Kool & The Gang
3. Boogie Oogie Oogie- A Taste of Honey
4. September – Earth, Wind & Fire
5. Couldn’t Get It Right – Climax Blues Band
6. Love and Happiness – Al Green
7. Dazz – Brick
8. Boogie Wonderland – Earth Wind & Fire
9. Jive Talkin’ – Bee Gees
10. Rock and Roll All Nite – Kiss
11. Ain’t Got No Home- The Band
12. Escape (The Pina Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes
13. Lonely Boy – Andrew Gold
14. A Horse With No Name – America
15. Green Peppers – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass