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Top 3 Movie soundtrack thread

spurspinter1

spurspinter1

Paul Stalteri
We have a film thread, and possibly a music one somewhere. I'm not sure if we have one that combines both but I don't know how to use the search function for threads that well so here is the result!

What happens when both mediums meet? The simple question is, what film has the best music? Results must include original score as well as chosen songs. So not the quality of the songs / pieces of music themselves but how they impact on the film itself.

Here's mine:

1. Lord of the Rings - Even just the music from the shire is enough, but if you let it, the sheer emotions that music will make you feel is astounding. Nothing is even close to being out of place, it's just perfect. No "pop music" here and it's not relevant, it's still not even close.

2. The Social Network - Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor smashed it here imo. It couldn't have suited the film better. The use of build ups / tension coupled so well with the subject matter, plus an absurd rework of a classical piece that everyone knows but somehow not jarring. It holds a special place on in my head as it was the soundtrack to a couple of ludicrously unimportant drugged up scrabble games in uni that seemed to mean so much at the time.

3. Enter the Spider verse - If you doubt the suggestion, just watch the film with some quality speakers and I'll happily accept your apology because I'm lovely like that. The combination of the original arrangement coupled with songs from outside artists is phenomenal.

I feel like a dingdong not including Daft Punk's Tron work in my top three, feel free to let me know how else I've messed up as there's no doubt other shouts that I've missed.

Edit - Musicals are begrudgingly also accepted as an option for top 3s, in case that wasn't clear.
 
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Oh, good call on this

the chalk he of course is one song can make a soundtrack, but the rest could be average

Edith Bowman has a great Pod on this called soundtracking if you haven’t heard it. She gets a lot of the film scores analysed by those that made them

I need to now have a think on mine

I can pluck some of the songs from soundtracks that stand out like Adagio for Strings in Platoon, or so many John Williams scores

this is a tough one

as an aside, I took my daughter to see Barbie. The soundtrack has some stunningly clever songs that take the film story so well. I appreciate that most on here won’t have seen it but Mark Ronson does a great job on that film
 
I’m aware this was a US Office Dwight joke, but, the 1994 Brandon Lee film, The Crow, had a perfect sound track and score.

Jaws, don’t think that one needs an explanation.

Goodfellas. winding so many themes that set the stage and the time.

Bonus unrequested answer, TV score, as Sorkin was mentioned in the TV thread, he always picked great songs for his episodes.
 
Back to the Future - the score and the music is just brilliant.

The Shawshank Redemption - great score, the music really stayed with me when Hadley and the other guards beat up Boggs as retaliation for abusing Andy. I think that’s the one scene in the film where everyone is cheering Hadley on.

Guardians of the Galaxy - some great well known hits as well as some lesser known songs (come and get your love).

Some other soundtracks worth mentioning; Heat, Pulp Fiction, 500 days of Summer.

Great shout to the OP re the social network, love the soundtrack and the film itself and should have won best picture over the King’s Speech.
 
Bedfordspurs said:
Oh, good call on this

the chalk he of course is one song can make a soundtrack, but the rest could be average

Edith Bowman has a great Pod on this called soundtracking if you haven’t heard it. She gets a lot of the film scores analysed by those that made them

I need to now have a think on mine

I can pluck some of the songs from soundtracks that stand out like Adagio for Strings in Platoon, or so many John Williams scores

this is a tough one

as an aside, I took my daughter to see Barbie. The soundtrack has some stunningly clever songs that take the film story so well. I appreciate that most on here won’t have seen it but Mark Ronson does a great job on that film
Click to expand...

Platoon is already a brilliant answer that I hadn't considerered.

Thinking about it, the original Alien is up there for the suspense, just the lack of music is excruciating in a way that felt so original. The whole film is delightfully horrible to watch as a result of the emptiness, it's unparalleled.

Unironically, I don't doubt that Barbie is a good shout as well but I haven't seen it yet (or Oppenheimer for that matter)

Edit - I met Mark Ronson and had a cheeky spliff with him doing a master class at my uni back in the day, he's undoubtedly great at what he does. The work with Amy Winehouse will never be gotten by people who know good music.
 
spurspinter1 said:
Platoon is already a brilliant answer that I hadn't considerered.

Thinking about it, the original Alien is up there for the suspense, just the lack of music is excruciating in a way that felt so original. The whole film is delightfully horrible to watch as a result of the emptiness, it's unparalleled.

Unironically, I don't doubt that Barbie is a good shout as well but I haven't seen it yet (or Oppenheimer for that matter)
Click to expand...

Worth a read, on Alien,

https://www.rogerebert.com/features...story-behind-jerry-goldsmiths-score-for-alien
 
In terms of needle drops, then probably Shooting Fish or Face

In terms of original scores, the Air one for Virgin Suicides

Lost In Translation (Jesus and Mary Chain etc) and Life Aquatic (Seu Jorge etc.) left big impressions.

It's cheating a bit, but also obviously The Harder They Come
 
spurspinter1 said:
Platoon is already a brilliant answer that I hadn't considerered.

Thinking about it, the original Alien is up there for the suspense, just the lack of music is excruciating in a way that felt so original. The whole film is delightfully horrible to watch as a result of the emptiness, it's unparalleled.

Unironically, I don't doubt that Barbie is a good shout as well but I haven't seen it yet (or Oppenheimer for that matter)

Edit - I met Mark Ronson and had a cheeky spliff with him doing a master class at my uni back in the day, he's undoubtedly great at what he does. The work with Amy Winehouse will never be gotten by people who know good music.
Click to expand...
I met him at a Radiohead gig
He was in the crowd just chilling
He was absolutely mashed
Very very polite though
 
Kandi1977 said:
As pure scores goes:
The Dark Knight
Inception
The DaVinci Code

Soundtracks
Saturday night fever
Shaft
The Bodyguard
Pulp Fiction
Lion King
Purple Rain
Click to expand...
See the soundtracks in the one you have pulled in almost outlast or stand alone form the film
I guess that’s a testament to them.
I’d add Top Gun, Dirty Dancing and Grease because of my age… I grew up with them

I really like the original question and the elements of a score vs a soundtrack

I was listening to some classical earlier because it was on a podcast… and to think that some has the brains, intelligence and skill to create these whole, huge songs… I find it amazing

a few I’ll throw in because they made the film with just one song…
Axel F
chariots of fire

Synths creating the mood that lives outside of the film now
 
Gutter Boy said:
In terms of needle drops, then probably Shooting Fish or Face

In terms of original scores, the Air one for Virgin Suicides

Lost In Translation (Jesus and Mary Chain etc) and Life Aquatic (Seu Jorge etc.) left big impressions.

It's cheating a bit, but also obviously The Harder They Come
Click to expand...

Funnily enough I've heard the album for the Virgin suicides many times but never seen the film, it's definitely on the watchlist. Speaking of Air, the way Alone in Kyoto for Lost in translation was perfect as well..
 
I was at a Zimmer vs Williams performance there a few weeks back. Superb, and the orchestra was huge and created a very intimidating sound. You cannot beat the sound of a big orchestra. I love Zimmer (Interstellar especially) but when you hear the William pieces live you realise he really is on a different level to everyone else, IMO.
 
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