Rat Race - Unused Score

La-La Land Records and Paramount Pictures present the world premiere release of legendary composer Elmer Bernstein's original unused score to the raucous 2001 big-screen comedy Rat Race, starring Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg and Jon Lovitz, and directed by Jerry Zucker.

Having scored such legendary comedies as Airplane!, Animal House, Ghostbusters, Stripes as well as many others, it's no accident that Maestro Bernstein was initially the composer of choice for this madcap ensemble comedy in the vein of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Now for the first time, and with the blessing of the composer's family, Bernstein's take on the film is here for us all to enjoy and it's an orchestral comic delight – a rollicking wonder that embraces the film's outlandish, desperate characters and overall cartoonish verve. The composer's approach is as off-the-wall as it is classical - an impressively energetic and complex work of comedic scoring.

Produced by Dan Goldwasser and mastered by Doug Schwartz, this limited edition CD release of 1000 units features exclusive, in-depth liner notes by writer Daniel Schweiger, with new comments by the composer's son, Peter Bernstein and the composer's protégé, Bear McCreary, and zippy art design by Goldwasser.