| Family Guy: Live in Vegas | |
| Type: | Soundtrack |
| Artist: | Walter Murphy and His Orchestra |
| Cover: | Familyguyvegascover.jpg |
| Recorded: | 1999–2005 |
| Genre: | Comedy jazz, soundtrack |
| Length: | 67:53 |
| Label: | Geffen |
| Producer: | Seth MacFarlane Walter Murphy |
| Chronology: | Walter Murphy |
| Prev Title: | Themes from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and More |
| Prev Year: | 1982 |
| Next Title: | Ted (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
| Next Year: | 2012 |
Family Guy: Live in Vegas is a soundtrack album for the American animated television series Family Guy, released on April 26, 2005 by Geffen Records.[1] Composed by Walter Murphy and creator Seth MacFarlane, the album features vocals from cast regulars Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mike Henry, Mila Kunis, Adam West and Lori Alan, alongside guest stars Haylie Duff, Patti LuPone, and Jason Alexander. It includes an extended version of the series' theme song; the remaining tracks were composed exclusively for the album, with Rat Pack- and Broadway-inspired songs, including reworked versions of pop standards "The Last Time I Saw Paris", "Slightly Out of Tune", and "One Boy".
The CD is accompanied by a DVD featuring the music video for Stewie's "Sexy Party" as well as featurettes. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album at the 48th Grammy Awards, but it lost to Chris Rock's Never Scared.
Seth MacFarlane described the album as "a blend of the rich, lush arrangements of the classic era of Rat Pack Vegas shows combined with the fart jokes of today".[2] MacFarlane co-produced the album and co-wrote several tracks. It features guest stars Jason Alexander, Patti LuPone and Haylie Duff. The album includes a cover of "The Last Time I Saw Paris" by Jerome Kern as well as a medley of theme songs from 1980s shows such as Diff'rent Strokes, Who's the Boss, Growing Pains and Charles in Charge.[2] The album is arranged and orchestrated by Walter Murphy and all songs are produced by MacFarlane and Murphy.
All the voice actors from the show appear on the album voicing their characters. The album includes a DVD with the music video of Stewie's "Sexy Party" and behind the scenes segments on making the album and the video.[2] The DVD also includes a trailer for American Dad! and the fourth season of Family Guy.[3]
The album received positive reviews from music sources and critics. Rob Theakston of AllMusic said that "[''Family Guy'' is] back and raunchier than ever, sparing no expense and leaving no pop culture stone unturned" and "without the constraints of network censors, the profanity and heat are turned up to the max". He called the Broadway-inspired music "brilliant yet jarring juxtaposition of raunch and class". The DVD was called a "must-have for any fan of the show". Tina Huang of Soundtrack.Net said that the album "wonderfully merges the flair of big-band orchestras, with simulated, on-stage, Rat Pack-like performances, a chorus, and convincing live audience" and called it "mainly for fans; it can't be argued that the music is no less than impressive, but the messages may offend".
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[4] | 105 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Comedy Albums | 2 |