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.
Beetlejuice
1988, Warner Bros.
Danny Elfman.
Geffen, CD, 1998, GEF24202-2 Rated:
Packed full of humorous, fast-paced cues, Beetlejuice, remains one of Danny Elfman’s most compulsive and entertaining scores; despite the fact that it was written nearly twenty years ago. The film story, about an odd-ball exorcist named Beetlejuice, who is hired by the dead to protect their homes from invasion by living people is an interesting one and perfect for Elfman’s off-beat musical sensibilities. All of the Elfman hallmarks are here, including the fairytale flourishes that made Edward Scissorhands so listenable. ‘Main Title’ is a madcap romp of a cue including some impressive vocals that highlight the comedy/horror elements of the story. ‘The Book/Obituaries’ is a gothic waltz. Meanwhile, ‘Travel Music’ is a melodic string cue, reminiscent, along with several others of John William’s ‘The Witches Of Eastwick’, written one year earlier. While the two composers generally don’t have much in common, their listenability is undeniable – Beetlejuice is no exception. Beetlejuice Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Main Titles.
2. Travel Music.
3. The Book!/Obituaries.
4. enter…”The Family”/Sand Worm Planet.
5. The Fly.
6. Lydia Discovers.
7. In The Model.
8. Juno’s Theme.
9. Beetle-Snake.
10. “Sold”.
11. The Flier/Lydia’s Pep Talk.
12. Day-O (Harry Belafonte).
13. The Incantation.
14. Lydia Strikes A Bargain…
15. Showtime!
16. “Laughs”.
17. The Wedding.
18. The Aftermath.
19. End Credits.
20. Jump In Line (Shake, Shake Senora). (Harry Belafonte).
The Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition.
1993, Touchstone/Disney.
Danny Elfman.
Disney, CD, 2007, DSN8616362 Rating:
Tim Burton’s stop-motion animation feature could have been a washout had he failed to find a composer of Danny Elfman’s talents to write the score. Unlike many musicals that use songs to mark story progression, Nightmare is largely told through song, making it essential to story development. Initially considered just too dark for mass audiences, it has since become a cult hit, providing Disney with a new found credibility beyond its usual audience. The story of a skeleton who escapes from ‘Halloween Town’ in order to bring the spirit of Christmas home to lighten up the joint but makes a mess of it instead, is an offbeat tale full of ghouls and ghosts, even managing to incorporate a love story between the skeleton and a Frankenstein-like girl (Sally) sewn together by an evil professor. It would all be pretty grim if it weren’t for a strong humorous element that really is laugh-out-loud funny. Songs such as ‘This Is Halloween’, where Jack Skeleton introduces the audience to Halloween Town and ‘What’s This?’ as he discovers Christmas, are two of the strongest performances. ‘Sally’s Song’ is a melancholic ballad, while ’Oogie Boogie’s Song’ is a jazz number performed by a ghoulish boogieman determined to kill Sandy Claws (sic). The vocalists, including Broadway legend Ken Page pull the whole thing off exceptionally well with Elfman taking the role of Jack Skeleton and several other smaller parts. This special edition, released to coincide with the films thirteenth anniversary includes a second disc with covers by Marilyn Manson (‘This Is Halloween’) and Fiona Apple (‘Sally’s Song’) and some demo performances by Elfman. The Nightmare Before Christmas Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Overture.
2. Opening.
3. This Is Halloween.
4. Jack’s Lament.
5. Doctor Finklestein/In The Forest.
6. What’s This?
7. Town Meeting Song.
8. Jack And Sally Montage.
9. Jack’s Obsession.
10. Kidnap The Sandy Claws.
11. Making Christmas.
12. Nabbed.
13. Oogie Boogie’s Song.
14. Sally’s Song.
15. Christmas Eve Montage.
16. Poor Jack.
17. To The Rescue.
18. Finale/Reprise.
19. Closing.
20. End Title.
CD 2 Track Listing:
1. This Is Halloween (Marilyn Manson).
2. Sally’s Song. (Fiona Apple).
3. What’s This? (Fall Out Boy).
4. Kidnap The Sandy Claws (She Wants Revenge).
5. This IS Halloween (Panic At The Disco).
6. Making Christmas (Demo/Elfman).
7. Oogie Boogie’s Song (Demo/Elfman).
8. Kidnap The Sandy Claws (Demo/Elfman).
9. This Is Halloween (Demo/Elfman).
10. Town Meeting Song (Demo/Elfman).
11. What’s This? (Demo/Elfman).
