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.
Funky Soundtrack Sensations.
Various Artists.
Music Club/Demon, CD, 2005, MCCD568. Rating:
Movie soundtrack compilations can be a bit hit and miss but while the budget ranges often look less attractive in terms of packaging, their contents can still be worthwhile. ‘Funky Soundtrack Sensations’ most definitely fits into this category; its garish artwork and lack of decent liner notes become minor irritations once it gets going, with classics from David Shire (‘The Taking Of Pelham 123’), Bobby Womack (‘Across 110th Street’) Quincy Jones (‘They Call Me Mr. Tibbs’) and even ‘Gotcha’, the theme from 1970’s cop show ‘Starsky & Hutch’ making an appearance. Though these are all pretty mainstream offerings, there is a fair amount of scope within the genre, moving from Morton Stevens theme from ‘Hawaii Five-O’ to Henri Mancini’s ‘Return Of The Pink Panther’. This may not be for purists but the fact that it includes only original recordings is a good sign that the people behind it were heading in the right direction. Funky Soundtrack Sensations. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Across 110th Street (Bobby Womack).
2. The Sweeney (The Harry South Orchestra).
3. You Can’t Even Walk In The Park (Johnny Pate).
4. The Taking Of Pelham 123 (David Shire).
5. Gotcha (Tom Scott).
6. The Boss (James Brown).
7. Theme From Shaft (Isaac Hayes).
8. Kojak (John Gregory And His Orchestra).
9. Do Do Wap Is Strong In Here (Curtis Mayfield).
10. Easin’ In (Edwin Starr).
11. Wilford’s Gone (The Blackbyrds).
12. Superfly (Curtis Mayfield).
13. Are You Man Enough? (The Four Tops).
14. Brothers Gonna Work It Out (Willie Hutch).
15. They Call Me Mister Tibbs (Quincy Jones).
16. To The Batmobile! (Nelson Riddle).
17. Hawaii Five-O (Morton Stevens).
18. The Return Of The Pink Panther (Parts 1 & 2) (Henry Mancini).
Retro cop series, ‘Ashes To Ashes’, may not tread much new territory; not surprising considering its whole premise deliberately relies on recycled material. But its ‘80’s setting, soundtrack and likeable sparring partners played by Philip Glenister and Keeley Hawes, inject enough sparks to keep up the momentum. The soundtrack for the second series provides much the same kind of energy, though in the show, the songs rarely appear for more than ten seconds, leaving the viewer feeling a bit short-changed. ‘Ashes To Ashes 2’, the album doesn’t suffer from this problem, with the likes of Duran Duran (’Planet Earth‘), Blondie (’Atomic’) and The Specials (’Rat Race‘), singing their un-edited hearts out. But attempting to increase the show’s cool quotient by including dialogue tracks was a big mistake: largely because it draws attention to just how derivative most of them are. Without the visuals to distract from the sometimes ropey dialogue, they quickly lose their impact and more so with repeated plays. While this might make ‘Ashes To Ashes 2’ stand out from other generic 1980’s best of cds, it doesn’t, as I would imagine the producers thought it would, make it memorable enough in its own right to be remembered with the same affection as the 1970s cop shows from which it steals much of its thunder. Ashes To Ashes Series 2 Television Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Under Pressure (Queen/David Bowie).
2. “Alex Drake” (Dialogue).
3. Opening Titles (Edmund Butt).
4. Planet Earth (Duran Dduran).
5. In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins).
6. Rat Race (The Specials).
7. “Vindaloo” (Dialogue).
8. Mirror Man (Human League).
9. The Look Of Love (Part 1.) (ABC).
10. Going Back To My Roots (Odyssey).
11. “The Strangest Days” (Dialogue).
12. Alex’s Theme (Edmund Butt).
13. Funeral Pyre (The Jam).
14. Temptation (New Order).
15. The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum (Fun Boy Three).
16. Back Of Love (Echo And The Bunnymen).
17. Wishing (If I had A Photography Of You) (A Flock Of Seagulls).
18. Love Plus One (Haircut 100).
19. “Felicity Kendal” (Dialogue).
20. Stand And Deliver (Adam And The Ants).
21. Lies (Thompson Twins).
22. Streets Of London (Anti-Nowhere League).
23. I Second That Emotion (Japan).
24. Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime (The Korgis).
25. Atomic (Blondie).
26. Hunt’s Theme (Edmund Butt).
