best movie soundtracks?

[Scottie]

Licerbus wrote:

"A Clockwork Orange turned me on to classical music, though Walter Carlos' synth score was pretty cool (especially back when I used to drink)."

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Drinking aside, are you referring to Wendy Carlos? No, I guess Walter was still her viable persona up until 1979, at least that's what wikipedia says. Wendy/Walter is my favorite synthetic composer. A Clockwork Orange's soundtrack is perfect.

I've seen one name thrown around here a lot though it's his movie I'm actually seeing: almost every single one of Quentin Tarantino's movie have made it onto this board's favorite soundtrack list. Kudos to him! His movies do seem to be able to use the music in a unique and fully assimilated way. Pulp Fiction is my favorite with Jackie Brown as my second.

I only buy the sound tracks I like so I own 2001: A Space Odyssey and Buena Vista Social Club. The latter is up for debate on whether or not it is a movie soundtrack or an independently released album that a movie was based upon but either way the music and the movie are wonderful. I've been looking for A Clockwork Orange's soundtrack at a good price for a while but it hasn't happened yet. I like that soundtrack a lot.

[Scott]

Conan the Barbarian
Godzilla (Great clip)
The Mission
The Magnificient Seven
The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Once Upon a Time in the West
Death Rides a Horse
Return of Ringo (Check out this trailer. Lots of fun and great Morricone theme music.)
Keoma
Companeros
West Side Story
James Bond
Rocky
Halloween
Star Wars
Grease

[RCMerchant]

HELP! (No, I don't need help,I mean the soundtrack to the Beatles soundtrack,which I am lucky enuff to own. )
WILD ANGELS!(Watch the movie again...the music is GREAT!)
PSYCHO!
DEVIL'S REJECTS-I m' sick of Freebird,but in this context,its super cool. And Midnite Rider is always a good song.
LIVE and LET DIE
GIMME SHELTER-the Rolling stones at Altamont!!!!(I like the part in the movie when Jagger's on stage and one of the biker's glaring at Jagger like he wants to kill HIM.

[Scott]

One of my favorite biker films RCMerchant. Starring Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra. Film was shot at Indian Canyon and Tahquitz Canyon in the Palm Springs area on an Indian reservation at the edge of town. Went there in 2005. Nice waterfall in Tahquitz Canyon. LOST HORIZON was also shot there by Frank Capra.

Wild Angels Trailer

[dean]

It all depends on what type of film I guess.  I have so many soundtracks kicking around here, and quite alot of them are really really good, so it's hard to list a definite favourite, especially considering what type of mood you may be in at the time [I switch many times from different soundtracks of different sounds so it's hard to lock down favourites.]

But what I will do is put out a list of some good ones that don't stray far from the cd player.

Transformers the Movie soundtrack: 80s rock at it's finest.  One of my most favourite of favourite soundtracks!

The work of David Holmes, on soundtracks such as Ocean's 11 and Out of Sight [and to a lesser degree, Ocean's 12].  Great funk sounds.

Swordfish is another good one, mostly done by Paul Oakenfold.  Good for dancey-electro type music.

Requiem For A Dream is another good one.  I have the 'remixed' album where it's essentially electronic remixes of the themes from the original soundtrack.

I won't worry about stating the already used excellent suggestions such as Clockwork, Vangelis and Quentin Tarantino's excellent use of music in his film.

Oh wait, I did... well it's worth noting again.

Some other very worthy mentions are Fifth Element, Run Lola Run, Plunkett and Macleane [very good symphonic track mixed in with some nice beats] and Black Hawk Down.

Plus personal fav compilations such as Strange Days, The Jackal and Kevin Smith movie soundtracks.

Like I said, there's too many to list, but in terms of best, I guess it all depends.  There's classic composers such as Elmer Bernstien, Ennio Morricone and Bernard Hermann.  I've also been getting into Harry Gregson Williams, Howard Shore and Hans Zimmer.

I have wayyyyyyy too many soundtracks to pick a shortlist so I'll leave it there now, but there's plenty that haven't been mentioned, such as classic 50's soundtracks, musicals, famous theme songs and whatnot, but the above are some of the common fav's of mine personally.

Also if any of you are interested in movie soundtracks, there's a great mixed album by "UNKLE" which is called "Edit Music for a film" or something like that [I'm bad with titles]

But it's essentially a dj mix of some terrific movie soundtracks, such as Clockwork orange, but with some contemporary music as well all together.  Very well done and very much worth a listen to.  It's pretty much my favourite Dj mixed album ever, so I highly reccommend it!

Anyways enough rambling from me...

[RCMerchant]

What-no "BEN""???? Just kidding!
The soundtrack by Prince for BATMAN really,REALLY sucks.Though I love the original Batman TV show song."BATMAN-DADADADAD-BATMAN-DADADADADA-"
the old SPIDERMAN cartoon! I heard a remake of it done by none other than the RAMONES!
GIGANTOR!GIGANTOR! GIGAAAAAANNNNTORRRR!!!
"King Kong! You know the name of KING KONG! You know the name of KING KONG! Ten times as big as a man!"
Believe it or Not-guilty pleasure time the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie-(I got kids...LOTS of 'em....)the Chili Peppers in the opening parachute scene,"Higher Ground".
   I'm showing my age with the  60's cartoon stuff,but sum things stick with you. I can't remeber last week,but I can remember things that happened 30 or so years ago....God.....I feel YOUNG!

[RCMerchant]

What-no "BEN""???? Just kidding!
The soundtrack by Prince for BATMAN really,REALLY sucks.Though I love the original Batman TV show song."BATMAN-DADADADAD-BATMAN-DADADADADA-"
the old SPIDERMAN cartoon! I heard a remake of it done by none other than the RAMONES!
GIGANTOR!GIGANTOR! GIGAAAAAANNNNTORRRR!!!
"King Kong! You know the name of KING KONG! You know the name of KING KONG! Ten times as big as a man!"
Believe it or Not-guilty pleasure time the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie-(I got kids...LOTS of 'em....)the Chili Peppers in the opening parachute scene,"Higher Ground".
   I'm showing my age with the  60's cartoon stuff,but sum things stick with you. I can't remeber last week,but I can remember things that happened 30 or so years ago....God.....I feel YOUNG!

[peter johnson]

Not a whole lot on here prior to 1980, is there?
There was music before the '70's even -- before The Beatles even --
North by Northwest, Bernard Hermann
Psycho, also Bernard Hermann
The Third Man, can't remember, but it wasn't all zither music, you know --
King Kong (1933)
Dr. Zhivago -- lush, compelling, just what a soundtrack is supposed to accomplish.
Gone With The Wind (1939) -- without the music, just another costume melodrama --
peter the mad theremin player

[RCMerchant]

I agree!The opening theme to DRACULA(1931) has haunted me for ever...
KING KONG
the bizzare spiratual moaning from WHITE ZOMBIE
the wedding march from BRIDE of FRANKENSTIEN
  I am a confirmed metalhead. I am 44 years old. I have seen Aerosmith,Sabbath,Suicidal Tendencies, White Zombie, Black Flag,Foghat, Joan Jett,the Ozark Mountain Daredevils,blah blahblah....
to limit yourself to ONE genre is a form of self-censorship.
There is so much interesting stuff out there...and a lot of crap.
"To eachhis own" ! EXCELISOR!" (Aint that whut they sed in the old Marvel comic ads?)

[loyal1]

Harold and Maude
Pulp Fiction
Natural Born Killers
The Blues Brothers
Grease
Rock and Roll High School
Fantasia

[Yaddo 42]

I agree on "The Third Man", but listening to the music too often will drive you insane.

The Professionals
Sorceror- fantastic creepy Tangerine Dream soundtrack, before they went all new age-ish. I own the CD but learned to not listen to it while driving at night if there is even a HINT of fog, you will get paranoid and think you will crash.
The soundtracks to the first two Patlabor anime films.
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels awesome mix of tunes and dialogue bits. Plus that great guitar version of the "Zorba the Greek" theme.
Lots of Ennio Moricone but I'll just add "Once Upon a Time in the West"
Koyaaanisqatsi - music by Philip Glass
Passion - Music for the Last Temptation of Christ by Peter Gabriel. Not an exact soundtrack, but awesome music anyway.
The Big Lebowski
Akira - if only for the music to the opening cycle chase, perfect use of music for a film.

Did I miss mentions of "Forbidden Planet" and "The Exorcist"? Neither film would have lodged in the minds of viewers as strongly without their music, IMO.

[peter johnson]

, , , and I don't know who did this, but the music to Val Lewton's "Curse of The Cat People" was and is wholly evocative and menacing -- especially the scene where the "ghost-cat" mother entertains her "daughter"(?) in the snow --
brrr . . .
peter theremin

[Fearless Freep]

Does "Maximum Overdrive" count?

[Scott]

Some how I have never seen CAT PEOPLE (1942) or CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE (1944). Both are suppose to be excellent films. They are now on my list.

[RCMerchant]

DAM! I forgot! WHO MADE WHO!!! AC?DC!