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.
Quentin Tarantino’s latest bombastic offering sets a group of Jewish/American soldiers loose in Nazi occupied France; the result is a violent and caricatured combination of historical (though, far from historically accurate) set pieces, in which the characters crash into, or merely skirt past each other. As with previous efforts, ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Jackie Brown’ et al, the soundtrack borrows heavily from other sources (Tarantino rarely commissions a composer to write a score for his films), with the likes of Billy Preston’s 1970s raucous funk rock, ‘Slaughter’ and David Bowie’s ‘Cat People (Putting Out The Fire)’, alongside film score music from Ennio Morricone and Lalo Schifrin. While ‘Inglorious’ may have trouble finding a market - it could be too off the wall for regular listeners, too familiar to soundtrack collectors - the diverse styles generally work well together and it at least brings Morricone’s atmospheric work to a wider audience, which, despite its shortcomings, makes it a lot more interesting than many of the film tie-in fodder on the market. Inglorious Basterds Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Green Leaves Of Summer (Nick Perito).
2. Verdict (Dopo la Condanna) (Ennio Morricone).
3. White Lightning (Main Title) [from White Lightning] (Charles Bernstein).
4. Slaughter (Billy Preston).
5. Surrender (La Resa) (Ennio Morricone).
6. One Silver Dollar (Un Dollaro Bucato) (The Film Studio Orchestra).
7. Davon Geht Die Welt Nicht Unter (From Die Grosse Liebe) (Zarah Leander).
8. Man With The Big Sombrero (Samantha Shelton).
9. Ich Wollt Ich Waer Ein Huhn (Willy Fritsch/Lilian Harvey).
10. Main Theme From Dark Of The Sun (Jacques Loussier).
11. Cat People (Putting Out The Fire) (David Bowie).
12. Tiger Tank (Lalo Schifrin).
13. Amico (Ennio Morricone).
14. Rabbia E Tarantella (Ennio Morricone).
3:10 To Yuma.
2007, Lionsgate.
Marco Beltrami.
Lions Gate, CD, 2007, 8-5696-80012-9-6 Rating:
Marco Beltrami may have borrowed heavily from the Westerns of Sergio Leone for director James Mangold’s cool actioner but 3:10 remains inventive enough to bring a fresh approach to a well-established genre. Nominated for an Academy Award, 3:10 is not your average Western and the score reflects Beltrami’s absolute understanding of both the traditional and modernistic aspects of Mangold’s vision. He has also employed experimental techniques, such as adapting a regular piano with fish wire to create a mandolin-esque sound and using the piano’s pedal to create a creaking effect, that bring additional rhythm and texture to the score. ‘Chinese Democracy’ and ’One For The Road’, along with the ‘The 3:10 To Yuma’ represent probably the most memorable cues, propelled by a melodic main theme, while ‘Barn Burn’, demonstrates a mature knowledge of just how important a score is in creating the right type of filmic atmosphere. Beltrami’s best so far. 3:10 To Yuma Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Main Title.
2. Ben Takes the Stage / Dan’s Burden.
3. Man of His Word.
4. Bisbygliando.
5. Barn Burn.
6. Chinatown.
7. Indian Grounds.
8. Chinese Democracy.
9. One for the Road / Storm Clouds.
10. Trial by Fire.
11. Flight of the Princess.
12. Ben There Done That.
13. Gang Arrives.
14. Ben Arrested.
15. It’s Time.
16. Hotel.
17. One Man Left.
18. William Escapes.
19. Bible Studay.
20. Who Let the Cows Out?
21. The 3:10 to Yuma.
Based on his novel, Kevin Sampson’s screenplay about a disaffected youth’s initiation into a group of football thugs, may not be the most original of ideas (see the generally inferior ‘Football Factory’, ‘Green Street’ etc.) but its focus on identity, whether through the eyes of the sexually ambiguous Elvis, new joiner Carty or the fashion conscious casuals culture they inhabit, gives this film a slight twist. The soundtrack album mirrors the film with a collection of cult cuts from the late 1970s, many of which aren’t half bad, including lesser known songs by Ultravox (‘Young Savage’), Elvis Costello (‘Night Rally’) and Teardrop Explodes (‘Sleeping Gas - Zoo Version’). The score, composed by David Alan Hughes which works perfectly within the film also stands its own on the album, sandwiched between songs by Magazine and Echo And The Bunnymen. But the endless dialogue slows the pace, reminding us that while it may be an entertaining blast from the past, ‘Awaydays’ just ain’t that original, even if the music puts up a good fight to say otherwise.
Track Listing:
1. Young Savage (Ultravox!).
2. Carty And Elvis In Eric’s
3. All That Jazz (The Rascals).
4. Nag Nag Nag (Cabaret Voltaire).
5. Sunrise.
6. Liverpool 1979.
7. The Light Pours Out Of Me (Joy Division).
8. When We Go To Berlin.
9. Slow Motion (Ultravox!).
10. Wool Stomp.
11. 10:15 Saturday Night (The Cure).
12. Insight (Joy Division).
13. Come See The Stars.
14. Elvis’s Dub.
15. Carty Deflated.
16. Carty’s Revenge.
17. Going Up (Echo And The Bunnymen).
18. Carty’s Last Awayday.
19. Just For A Moment (Ultravox!).
20. Where Were You? (The Mekons).
21. When You’re Young (The Jam).
22. Night Rally (elvis Costello And The Attractions).
23. The World (Dalek I)
24. Sleeping Gas (The Teardrop Explodes).
25. Electricity (OMD).
26. Being Boiled (Fast Version) (Human League).
27. I Am The Fly (Wire).
28. Damaged Goods (Gang Of Four).
