Film Music - Original Soundtracks

Posted by: P on 20 March 2001

I need to expand my collection in this area and am a little stuck for ideas so can I ask.

What are your favourite Film Soundtrack albums?

FWIW My current faves are:

American Beauty - Thomas Newman - Heard the opening track of this through the 1500/DBL at Bristol recently and I have been hankering ever since! Sheer Magic.

The Natural - Randy Newman - Have yet to see a movie he scored that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. (If you're not into Randy Newman may I suggest you try the Guilty box set - disc 4?)

The Virgin Suicides - Air - I really like Air - a lot. There are some rather obvious influences showing through on this album ( Meddle?) and some folk find them corny and/or cheesy, but I can't get enough. I suppose you could classify all their stuff as soundtrack music really. (Modular Mix from Premiers Symptomes sounds phenomenal through a full Naim system)

Twin Peaks - Angelo Badalamenti - I loved the TV series. This still sounds great.

So that is what I listened to over the weekend and last night but now I'm stuck so any further recommendations would be most welcome.

Hope you can help

Regards

Posted on: 21 March 2001 by Hammerhead

Must get round for finding the s/t for Betty Blue as well someday...

Steve

Posted on: 21 March 2001 by Former member

Pierre

Thanks for the reminder about American Beauty.

Some fun stuff:-

Poledouris,Conan The Barbarian
Meaty, fun - must be played loud.

Morricone, The Mission
Some utterly beautiful bits, some film music.

Glass,Dracula
Done for a re-issue of the 30's classic - scary, don't listen woithout your teddy-bear to hide behind.

Glass, Koyaanisqatsi
Can take out bass cones - with the VOCALS.

Glass, Kundun
Bit more refined.

Zimmer/Gerrard, Gladiator
In some places this sounds like a nice piece of modern music. In other places - the Holst/Mars rip off gets a bit wearing. Well worth a blast.

Howard Shore, The Cell
Bit weird, takes a few tastings, but worth it in the end.

Kenji Kawai, Ghost in the Shell
Manga music - unearthly weirdness in places, stunning beauty in others - and some overlap. Sound is quite compressed a la sample type compression - but the kookyness of it does it for me.

Michael Nyman, The essential michael nyman band
Several films here; The Cook the th.., Prospero's Books, Draughtsmans contr... - just great music.

The Dust Brothers, Fight Club
Maybe not quite what you are looking for - but I just love this album. Had to stop putting it in the car 'cos I was driving far to fast. More dance than classical.

Vangelis, Bladerunner
Not released until years after the film - best thing the Greek boy ever did, better than Chariots. And the occasional voices "Do you like our owl?" is so perfectly placed in the music. Slightly upset that "Let me tell you about my mother" isn't used.

These are my favourites - and the more original pieces type stuff - I also have :

Matrix
Pulp Fiction
Pump up the Volume
Reservoir Dogs
SouthPark "bigger.." film album
The Crow
Trainspotting
Trainspotting #2

..and several Ennio Moricone albums for when I'm feeling really cool, hard and non-vocal - - washing up in a man-with-no-name style (those plates STAY washed) to the vice of killing is such fun.

Jonathan

Posted on: 22 March 2001 by P

Steve - Beson can do no wrong can he? Leon is one of my all time top filumms. Thanks for the 5th Element rec - I remember being knocked out by the visuals when I saw the film but can't say I remember the soundtrack (or the plot!) too well?
I'm gonna buy it anyway. Thanks.

Jonathon - Bloody Hell - You don't do things by halfs do you?

You have joggled me ole memory banks good style though and I'd like to thank you for your extensive contribution here.

You also happened to mention a couple of fillums that I happen to adore. Thank you for the reminder.

The soundtracks are now on order.

Thanks guys - I'm looking forward to it.

Best

Posted on: 22 March 2001 by glenda

Here are a few more :
Ry Cooder - Paris , Texas
Misc - Baraka - can't explain the soundtrack - a bit ambient and hippy dippy ,but the film is in the style of Koyaanisqatsi (as per Jonathan's contribution )
Peter Gabriel - The last temptation of Christ
The best OST by a mile is The Big Lebowski - it made me buy a Kenny Rogers album !!
Good luck
Tony

[This message was edited by tony clark on THURSDAY 22 March 2001 at 22:36.]

Posted on: 22 March 2001 by Andrew Randle

A couple of suggestions spring to mind:

Rocky Horror Picture Show
Star Wars, Phantom Menace

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

Posted on: 22 March 2001 by Former member

I generally avoid film music, but there is one soundtrack I thought was outstanding (and bought): Zbigniew Preisner's score for "The Double Life of Veronique".

Ross

Posted on: 23 March 2001 by Former member

O brother where art thou

Posted on: 24 March 2001 by Peter Litwack

No Fear, No Die (great jazz soundtrack by Abdullah Ibrahim)
Round Midnight (featuring Dexter Gordon)
Naked Lunch (Ornette Coleman/Howard Shore)
Passion (Peter Gabriel - if you like this one, you might also check out Passion Sources, which contains original ethnic music that the soundtrack was drawn from)
Dead Man (Neil Young)
The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff & other Reggae and Ska)
Dingo (Miles Davis)
12 Monkeys
Lost Highway
Before the Rain (great Balkan/World Music - some of the most awesome bass ever recorded - and make sure you check out the movie - highly recommended)

Posted on: 26 March 2001 by Former member

Thanks Ross - I keep meaning to look up who did that soundtrack and get a copy.

Good film - great music.

Jonathan

Posted on: 26 March 2001 by Former member

And how did I forget Miles Davis and Ascenseur pour L'echafaud ???

Posted on: 27 March 2001 by Former member

I love "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence", by Ruichi Sakamoto, featuring David Bowie on a memorable last track. I can imagine others hating it though, as it's rather quirky, so get a listen first !

Regards

Simon

Posted on: 28 March 2001 by P

Thanks everybody!

That little lot will keeep me going for a while.

Thanks!

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Alex S.

Despite the fact that Mick P has been enthusing about this I thought I'd give it a try.

Its an astonishingly succesful marriage (given the bride and groom) between Gustav Holst and Enya.

On occasion, its a surprisingly good way of testing the flexibility and durability of drive units.

Its original at least; even those who cobble stuff together well - Tarantino, Lynch et al - I find unsatisfying in the main.

Alex

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Former member

I'd agree that the soundtrack really stands on it's own and is fantastic.

There is a second album of music from the film - has anyone heard it? How does it compare to the first

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Alex S.

This does some spooky things to my rolled-off daleks - your wardrobes must waltz across the shagpile!

Alex

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Bruce Woodhouse

The music on the second album is a more varied and of slightly uneven quality, it is also interspersed with clips of daialogue from the film which I find rather irritating!

Other soundtrack recomendations

Crouching Tiger:Hidden Dragon,

For those who liked Eric Serra and the Fifth Element try The Big Blue

Bruce

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Alex S.

Nice not to talk about needles.

You're right about the Big Blue - excellent. Trouble is I only have it on tape, must rectify.

Going back to Twin Peaks, the truly Ghastly film: 'Fire! Walk out of the Cinema with me' or whatever it was called, does contain the best Tw'eaks music.

Alex

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Keith Mattox

quote:
Going back to Twin Peaks, the truly Ghastly film: 'Fire! Walk out of the Cinema with me' or whatever it was called, does contain the best Tw'eaks music.

If you're looking for more music in the Twin Peaks vein, search for a couple of records by a singer named Julee Cruise - slow, strange ballads written by Lynch, scored by Badalamenti (sp?) and sung in the dreamiest fashion possible. I have both "Floating Into The Night" and "The Voice Of Love" and they're marvelous - but they ain't everyone's cuppa tea.

If you remember much from Twin Peaks the series, she appeared in several nightclub scenes as a singer - I believe that the music that she sang those few times ended up on the "Floating" album.

Cheers

Keith.

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Former member

If you want to give your speakers a workout, there are some parts of the Planet of the Apes s/t that'll do the job.

I have to admit that I enjoy the soundtrack to South Pacific. Get an early vinyl copy and the recording is fabulous too. Even if you haven't seen or wouldn't want to see the film, you'll know most of the songs.

Life of Brian is great because the CD has almost all the dialogue and I can't listen to it without laughing.

In the UK, magazines like Total Film quite often have cover mount CDs full of soundtrack music.

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by P

Blimey. Was it really nearly a year ago since this thread was started? How time flies and how we've changed.

This really brings back some memories and not at all nasty too, mostly.

I suppose the worrying thing is I've yet to hear an OST album this last year that sounds as good as some of the recommendations that were put forward here (to judge within the context of listening on a full Naim system only BTW - don't wanna know about duff speakers, fancy cables and trendy jap amps)

Hmmmmmmm

Wonder what the boys'll delight you with at Bristol this year? Who's taking a camera?

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Former member

My cloices would be:
A Life Less Ordinary and
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet

Kev

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by Mick P

Chaps

Try the theme from the TV series Inspector Morse.

Really good music.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 31 January 2002 by fred simon

Just a few for now …

Double Life of Veronique … double yes!

Selmasongs, Bjork, from film Dancer In the Dark, not technically a soundtrack because it was re-recorded for the album, but it is the music from the film.

Finding Forrester … the music is better than the film: Bill Frisell, plus Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman

Posted on: 01 February 2002 by Former member

Keith,

Have you heard the Hybrid album "Wide Angle"? All the singing (about half the tracks - she also co-writes) is by her. Excellent album.

Posted on: 01 February 2002 by Keith Mattox

quote:
Have you heard the Hybrid album "Wide Angle"? All the singing (about half the tracks - she also co-writes) is by her. Excellent album.

I have not. I will look into it!

Cheers

Keith.