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.
Tomorrow Never Dies.
1997, United Artists.
David Arnold.
A&M, CD. 1997, 540 830 2 Rating:
David Arnold’s best Bond score to date is an energetic combination of hi-tech action and jazz, reminiscent of some of John Barry’s best work for the franchise. Extensive use of Monty Norman’s main Bond theme, particularly effective in ‘Company Car’ is incorporated into Arnold’s new material with a slickness that signals progression rather than a regressive repeat of past glories; Arnold’s continued involvement with the franchise is an obvious asset, confirmed here by the song ‘Surrender’, performed by K.D. Lang, written to be the main theme but passed on by the studio in favour of Sheryl’s Crow’s star power; (see YouTube clip below featuring Lang’s performance as it would have appeared and Crow’s as it was). An impressive, wood wind driven love theme, featured most notably in ‘The Last Goodbye’ and ‘Paris And Bond’ adds an additional thematic layer, demonstrating Arnold’s versatility - something less evident in his predominantly action-led scores for ‘Independence Day’ and ‘Stargate’. Though more complete editions of the score have been released, most notably from Chapter III records in 2000, this is a fine album packed full of exciting escapism with a technological twist. Tomorrow Never Dies Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Tomorrow Never Dies (Sheryl Crow).
2. White Knight.
3. The Sinking of the Devonshire.
4. Company Car.
5. Station Break.
6. Paris and Bond.
7. The Last Goodbye.
8. Hamburg Beak In.
9. Hamburg Break Out.
10. Doctor Kaufmann.
11. 3-Send.
12. Underwater Discovery.
13. Backseat Driver (David Arnold/The Propellerheads).
14. Surrender (Tomorrow Never Dies) (K.D. Lang).
15. James Bond Theme (Moby).
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).
Though the term “music from and inspired by” is enough to send any self-respecting lover of soundtracks running for a refund, ‘Mission: Impossible’ is a reasonable collection with bands ‘Pulp’, ‘Massive Attack’ and ‘Bjork’ all putting in solid performances, if only they were in the film. The major drawback lies in the lack of an orchestral score, with Danny Elfman’s contribution running to only three cues - which is a shame because the ones featured are pretty strong. Of course, the iconic ‘Theme From Mission: Impossible’ makes a souped-up appearance but there isn’t enough to get your teeth into here. With only five of fifteen tracks actually appearing in the film, this is obviously a marketing exercise, though why bother with Elfman’s score at all considering that it was given a separate release at the same time? Mission: Misguided. Mission: Impossible Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Theme From Mission: Impossible (Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen).
2. Spying Glass (Massive Attack).
3. I Spy (Pulp, Anne Dudley, Orchestra).
4. Impossible Mission (Danny Elfman).
5. Headphones (Björk).
6. Weak (Skunk Anansie).
7. On & On (Longpigs).
8. Claire (Danny Elfman).
9. Dreams (The Cranberries).
10. You Me And World War III (Gavin Friday).
11. So (Salt).
12. Trouble (Danny Elfman).
13. No Government (Nicolette).
14. Alright (Cast).
15. Mission: Impossible Theme (Mission Accomplished) (Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen).
