This site was conceived as a side project by a "tekkie" friend of mine who suggested I use my journalistic experience to write about something I love. We bandied about some ideas before settling on this one - largely because I had collected movie soundtracks for much of my life and thought I could write about them. We wanted the site to be user friendly, well-written and reliable.
Over time, I hope to attract other writers keen to contribute to the site, who don't mind foregoing the financial benefits they may be used to in the short-term for something that may, or may not, be profitable further down the line.
The gradual demise of the cd format, re-emergence of vinyl, along with the expansion of blu-ray dvd and downloads translate to an ever-changing market place; despite this, most of us still buy cd's and dvd's and I hope that you will use the Amazon links on this site to buy online.
We have also included mini YouTube video links that accompany the reviews, so that you can listen to your favourite theme music while watching a related trailer or clip from the movie; because film is a visual medium, there seems no better way of presenting it.
Finally, a note on the type of soundtracks featured. Though purists generally view albums such as "Top Gun", "Flashdance" and others like them, as unworthy of coverage on a film soundtrack site, preferring instead to focus on orchestral scores, we have taken the view that these albums have earned their place based on their continued saleability and affection with a large section of cinema-goers. We wanted to reach as broad an audience as possible and have developed the site with this in mind, without forgetting those fans for whom composers such as Bernard Herrmann and Jerry Goldsmith, among many others, are considered on a par with the master composers. We hope you can find your best movie soundtracks on this site.
Flambards Television Soundtrack.
1979, LWT.
David Fanshawe.
Phillips, CDR, 1979, CD03 Rating:
LWT adapted K.M. Peyton’s children’s novel set in 1901 about an orphan, Christina, sent to live on a grand crumbling estate, Flambards, with her mother’s half-brother, Russell, a violent cripple and his son Mark. David Fanshawe’s highly original score, turns what may have been an entertaining, if slight, drama into an atmospheric, haunting piece of classic television. Ominous vocals, whistles and swooping brass all make the mix, particularly effective in the ‘Main Theme’ and ‘Childhood Memories’. ‘Song For Christina’, written for the main character, is a wonderfully evocative cue, elaborating on the main theme with lyrics by Alan Plater (who also wrote some of the episodes) and accompanying a scene where Christina is taken up in an aeroplane by her inventor lover, William. There are also some upbeat flapper-esque themes for Chrsitina’s best friend, Dorothy (’Dorothy’s Theme’, ’Elm Park Café’) and the mischievous adopted son Tizzy (’Tizzy’s Theme’) which add a lighter dimension. Available through David Fanshawe’s website; just click the link. Flambard’s Television Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Flambards Theme
2. Aunt Grace’s Two Step
3. Childhood Memories
4. Mr Johnson’s Rag
5. Mark Russell’s Pomp
6. Dick Teaches Christina To Ride
7. Uncle Russell’s Wrath
8. Rhapsody - Looping The Loop
9. Lady Bountiful
10. A Misty Ride
11. Battersea Urchins
12. The Whistle (a)
13. The Whistle (b)
14. Dorothy’s Theme
15. Song Of Christina
16. Will Proposes To Christina
17. Wedding Reception
18. Danger In Flight
19. Mr Dermot’s Funeral
20. Elm Park Cafe
21. Sandy’s Death
22. Young Widowed Ladies
23. Echoes Of Lost Love
24. Tizzy’s Theme
25. Elegy
26. The Last Waltz
27. End Theme
28. Main Theme (Alternate Version)
29. The Hunt
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.
1975, Fantasy Films.
Jack Nitzsche.
Fantasy, CD, 1991, 0025218453127. Rating:
The film version of Ken Kesey’s cult 1962 novel, about a lone rebel turning the order of a state asylum on its head, swept the board at the Oscars, winning best film, director (Milos Forman), actor (Jack Nicholson) and actress (Louise Fletcher). Nitzsche’s score was also nominated, highlighting the film’s central theme of state control of the individual in the shadow of the Vietnam war, in a rather understated way. The quivering, melancholic ‘Opening Theme’ sets the pace with a quietly knowing series of cues that highlight disturbing situations and incidents in an almost matter-of-fact fashion, particularly in ‘Medication Valse’ - the daily round of deadening tranquilisers fed to patients sounding like a Sunday afternoon tea party. Meanwhile ‘Bus Ride To Paradise’ is a reminder of the beatnik break for freedom so much a part of the spirit of the novel. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Opening Theme).
2. Medication Valse.
3. Bus Ride To Paradise.
4. Cruising.
5. Trolling.
6. Aloha Los Pescadores.
7. Charmaine.
8. Play The Game.
9. Last Dance.
10. Act Of Love.
11. Jingle Bells.
12. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Closing Theme).
Boy’s From Brazil Movie Soundtrack.
1978, 20th Century Fox.
Jerry Goldsmith.
Intrada, CD, 2008, Special Collection Volume 75. Rating:
Originally released in 1978, the LP version of ‘The Boys From Brazil’ was an effective, if incomplete offering; its high point, a well executed suite running for nearly twenty minutes incorporating many of the highlights. This double CD release takes one of Goldsmith’s best ever scores to new heights with a wealth of material not included on the original. Written for Franklin J. Shaffner’s Nazi thriller about notorious Dr. Josef Menegle’s plans to restore the crumbling fascia of the Third Reich by cloning Hitler from his South American hideaway, is an interesting if ultimately overbaked production, filled with grand performances and well known stars, including Lawrence Olivier and Gregory Peck as Mengele. Underpinned by a beautiful Viennese waltz that intermittently subverts into a dark Wagnerian nightmare, Goldsmith’s score plays up to the films sometimes melodramtic nature, while providing it with added ballast in the form of some understated character motifs, such as those written for Olivier’s character, Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman. The second CD features the original album, along with source music: both have cleaned-up sound. Detailed liner notes and plenty of film artwork make this one of the most impressive releases this year. Limited edition of 5000. The Boys From Brazil Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Disc One:
1. Main Title.
2. The Killers Arrive.
3. What Does He Want.
4. Find It / Don’t Believe Me.
5. Kill Him.
6. Reuters News.
7. Broken Bottles.
8. We’re Home Again (Film Mix).
9. S29 (track details unknown).
10. Without Hope / Frau Doring.
11. Do Yours.
12. The Dam.
13. Over The Top / Frieda Maloney.
14. December 11th.
15. The Hospital (Revised).
16. Jungle Holocaust.
17. Old Photos.
18. You!
19. The Right One.
20. Print! / The Dark Room / End Title.
Disc Two:
1. Suite from ‘The Boys From Brazil’
2. We’re Home Again (Album Mix).
3. Frau Doring.
4. The Dogs & Finale.
5. Siegfried Idyll [excerpt] (Richard Wagner).
6. The Blue Danube [excerpt] (Johann Strauss II, adapted by Arthur Morton).
7. Ismael’s Samba [radio source] (Arthur Morton).
8. The Hospital.
9. The Killers Arrive [without percussion overlay] .
Sorry! no clips of the score itself were available on YouTube. Here is the trailer instead.
