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.
Veronica Guerin.
2003, Touchstone.
Harry Gregson-Williams
Hollywood Records CD, 2003, 5050466-5820-2-7 Rating:
Veronica Guerin, a reporter for the Irish Independent, was assassinated by drug barons after writing a series of investigative articles lifting the lid on those involved. The film, made surprisingly well, by blockbuster director Joel Schumacher and the infamous Jerry Bruckheimer works well as a vehicle for Cate Blanchett in the lead role. The music is also effective, not least because it manages to successfully deliver traditional Irish music in a thoroughly contemporary way. Strings and piano dominate, (including Gregson-Williams’ regular, Hugh Marsh on electric violin), with a strong sense of rhythmic progression in cues ‘Driving’ and ‘Research’, capturing the industrious free-spirit of Guerin at work. The opening track, ‘One More Day’ performed by Sinead O’Connor is a haunting performance as is Brian O’Donnell’s ‘Bad News’, which features in the film directly after Guerin’s murder. ‘One More Day’, along with ‘The Funeral’, again performed by O’Connor, and co-written by Hugh Marsh along with Gregson-Williams and Patrick Cassidy, really add a lot to the album. The score, however, while working well, both as part of the film and in its own right (cues such as, ‘Traynor Lies’ and ‘Preparations’, are melodic and atmospheric) just doesn’t make enough of a statement to match the vocal performances, which are exceptional. Veronica Guerin Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. One More Day (Sinead O’Connor)
2. Dublin
3. Driving
4. Preperations
5. The Killing
6. Research
7. Traynot Lies
8. The Beating
9. Conversations
10. First Warning
11. Bad News (Brian O’Donnell)
12. Second Warning
13. Deceit
14. Never show Your Fear
15. The Funeral (Sinead O’Connor)
The Talented Mr Ripley.
1999, Miramax.
Gabriel Yared.
Sony Music Sountrax CD, 1999, SK 51337 Rating:
The late Anthony Minghella made good work of this off-beat psychological crime drama based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith. Matt Damon plays Tom Ripley, an inadequate loner who steals the identity of a wealthy acquaintance, played by Jude Law, after he rejects his advances. Set largely in Italy, it also stars Gwyneth Paltrow as the victim’s girlfriend and includes a stirling performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman as a suspicious friend who is determined to get to the bottom of things. In the story, the Jude Law character is an avid jazz fan and this is reflected heavily in the score with performances by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. There are also a couple of tracks performed by Law and Damon and a strong vocal performance by Sinead O’Connor. Yared’s cues are suspenseful and engaging enough, though the lack of continuity, broken-up as they are with a variety of other musical styles, leave the listener with little sense of cohesion. The Talented Mr Ripley Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Tu Vuo’ Fa L’Americano
2. My Funny Valentine
3. Italia
4. Cain’s Mother, A Lullaby
5. Crazy Tom
6. Ko-Ko
7. Nature Boy
8. Mischief
9. The Talented Mr Ripley
10. Pent-Up House
11. Guaglione
12. Moanin’
13. Proust
14. Four
15. Promise
16. The Champ
17. Syncopes
18. Stabat Mater
19. You Don’t Know What Love Is
Completed just hours before his death, Bernard Herrmann’s score to Martin Scorsese’s ‘Taxi Driver’ is considered to be some of his best work. In the film, Robert DeNiro plays Travis Bickle, a New York cabbie whose mental instability and dislocation from the world around him lead to violence. The soundtrack, a departure from Herrmann’s usual style is generally a downbeat affair with jazz saxophone used to underscore the city at night theme. In ‘The .44 Magnum Is A Monster’, sax is combined with sweeping harp and Herrmann’s signature flexing sound to create a powerful and interesting cue. It is the ‘Main Title’ that dominates this score however giving the whole piece a central theme that resonates throughout. Originally released on vinyl in 1976 with a fraction of the content delivered here, this release is essential for any collector. Featuring all of Herrmann’s cues presented in sequential order and extra material, including dialogue and musical interpretations. Taxi Driver Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Main Title
2. Thank God For The Rain
3. Cleaning The Cab
4. I Still Can’t Sleep/They Cannot Touch Her (Betsy’s Theme)
5. Phone Call/I Realize How Much She IS Like The Others/A Strange Customer/Watching Palantine On TV/You’re Gonna Die In Hell/Betsy’s Theme/Hitting The Girl
6. The .44 Magnum Is A Monster
7. Getting Into Shape/Listen You Screwheads/Gun Play/Dear Father & Mother/The Card/Soap Opera
8. Sport And Iris
9. The $20 Bill/Target Practice
10. Assassination Attempt/After The Carnage
11. A Reluctant Hero/Betsy/End Credits
12. Diary Of A Taxi Driver (Album Version)
13. God’s Lonely Man (album Version With Alternate Ending)
14. Theme From Taxi Driver
15. I Work The Whole City
16. Betsy In A White Dress
17. The Days Do Not End
18. Theme From Taxi Driver (Reprise)
