Best soundtracks?

[Gongsun Zan]

I was thinking about this earlier on, so I decided to open it up for some discussion -- what do you think are the best soundtracks, not just in terms of musical standard, but in relation to the movie itself?

I can think of a few, but the first that comes to mind is probably Star Wars: Episode 3. Say what you want about George Lucas or Star Wars in general, but as far as the soundtrack goes, it's simply amazing. Now, I know the stuff in the OT is pretty top notch to begin with, but what sets this apart from the rest of the saga is how Williams works in snippets of more familiar themes into the newer peices, subtley hinting at Anakin's turn to the dark side. Though I admit it's not as memorable as the other movies, it's certainly the most atmospheric of the lot.

So yeah, what other movies featured great music, or on a related note, what great movies were ruined by poor usage of sound?

[lanky316]

Currently on my "soundtracks" playlist, only 4 at the moment since I haven't bothered putting others on the pc yet.

Batman - Not a big fan of the tracks by the artist but the score over the opening sequence is just brilliant, never get tired of it.

Jurassic Park - The signature theme is great again, think the world of that one and I got some strange looks when I was working at my old primary school as an LSA and this band came in and played it, I marked out big time

Indiana Jones - do-dodo-doo-do-da-doo 'nuff said.

Schindlers List - I just love the violin piece, think it's taken from a piece by Chopin but it's a beautiful little piece. Advised a director to use it when I was in "Merchant of Venice" for Shylocks theme. Fantastic.

[Zaz]

The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. The music added sooo much to the films. Half my playlist is taken up with it. Get on MSN, Gongsun, and I'll even send you a bit

[AJ]

I must sound like a broken record, but just about anything from John Williams is awesome.

Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Superman, E.T. to name but a few.

As far as other composers go, I think the Back To The Future theme is superb, and very Williams-esque.

The score for LOTR by Howard Shore is beautiful, and the POTC soundtrack by Klaus Badelt was perfect for the movie.

[figos]

Anything From John Williams or Danny Elfman (Y)

Edited November 11, 2005 by figos

[Skummy]

Just to be pedantic, this should be "Best Score", not "Best Soundtrack"

I definitely agree with all the love for John Williams, especially the main theme from Jurassic Park, but my favourite movie score probably has to be Danny Elfman's work on Edward Scissorhands. Elfman and Burton are pretty much inseperable these days, which is no bad thing, but I think that movie showcased the absolute best possible combination of Burton's imagery with Elfman's music.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

The Beach has an awesome soundtrack. Love the music from that movie, and some of the music fits the scenes so well, certainly 'Porcelain' or however it's spelt.

[Skummy]

Crikey, how did I forget Thomas Newman's score for American Beauty? Utterly wonderful.

The Donnie Darko score is fairly impressive as well, especially when doubled with the rest of the soundtrack (Echo and The Bunnymen et al)

[figos]

And he scored A Series Of Unfortunate Events too (Y)

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Fight Club's a great soundtrack with Dust Brothers and Pixies.

I'm a big fan of the Grosse Pointe Blank soundtrack, even if it is just a collection of 80s pop tunes. Brilliance.

[Heel Turn]

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

[TMM]

Bizarrely enough, I'm listening to the Serenity soundtrack right now, which I rate right up there with the very best. There's that, or there's any of the six Star Wars as well as any of or all of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

[Death Before Dishonor]

Dazed and Confused and Fight Club really stick out for me.

[apsham]

So would anyone kill me if I said 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'? And that means the original animated one, by way.

[VerbalPuke]

So would anyone kill me if I said 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'? And that means the original animated one, by way.

Not me, I think it's perfect.

I'd say the Romper Stomper soundtrack, it's so perfect for the movie. The anthematic marching tunes go perfectly with the nazi content of the movie. On top of the great marching anthems, there is some good White Power Oi thrown in, which is coupled with scenes of skinhead boot parties, and skinheads running for their lives. The intensity that each song brings (be it the Oi or Marching Anthem) is used in great context in relation to the movie. I'd like to see the person who composed those marching anthems used in other movies, I'm not sure if that particular person has been involved in any other movie scores. The soundtrack could not have been any better for this movie.

SLC Punk also has a great soundtrack, the songs they use are perfect for the scenes they are involved in. I don't particulary like the movie, but the music is great for the time period.

[The Dork Knight]

The Big Lebowski

[Gabriel]

Personally, my favorite soundtrack as a whole would be the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. The music, mostly written by Jonathon Davis, is awesome. I prefer the soundtrack versions to the ones in the film though, as Davis seemed to phone it in on most of the songs vocally...so having the other guys, Chester Benningotn, Jay Gordon, Marilyn Manson, etc. do the vocal work on the soundtrack was great.

[EddieRuckus]

I think any musical would definately garner it, after all the music was written for it>_>

One of my personal faves was the score for A Beautiful Mind. The music fit every part perfectly, from figuring out equations(the music trying to find a key to call home) to the insanity of things and the creepiness of the car chase, along with all the good things in the movie. That and Charlotte fit like a glove for the movie's theme.

[Lowerdeck]

Scarface had a real good soundtrack. That's the best I can think of right now.

[cram]

- Resevoir Dogs - so many of the songs on the soundtrack had purpose in the movie...i still cringe a little when i hear 'Stuck in the Middle'

- Pulp Fiction - Again, alot of the songs on the album serve in the movie

- A Clockwork Orange - Full of Beethoven classics, all of them were used in the movie

- The Commitments - Full of great Pub-rock style tracks, obviously given that the movie is about a band, the tracks here are all used in the movie too so it's a score of sorts i suppose...