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.
Car Wash.
1976, Universal.
Norman Whitfield/Various.
MCA, CD, 1996, MCD 11502. Rating:
Set in a downtown L.A. car wash, Joel Schumacher’s lively screenplay is largely a device used to link musical numbers, in this comedy populated by a disparate group of engaging oddballs. The director broke with cinematic convention by recording the soundtrack before filming in order to ensure visual continuity, while R&B songwriter and Producer, Norman Whitfield who penned ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ for Marvin Gaye, formed the band ‘Rose Royce’ specifically for the film; the band perform the songs, including the well known title tune, with its infectious opening guitar riffs and ‘I Wanna Get Next To You’, both of which reached number one in the Billboard Top 100 in 1976. Re-issued in 1996, the soundtrack is a fond reminder of just how a good tune and a few laughs can make something good into something special; the songs may not be as impressive as those recorded by some of Whitfield’s roster of Motown stars including Stevie Wonder, Glady’s Knight and The Temptations but they stand up well away from the parameters of the story. However, it is the clutch of instrumental tracks, ‘Yo Yo’, ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Righteous Rhythm’, towards the end of the album with their atmospheric, multi-layered grooves that lift ‘Car Wash’ out of the disco and onto a more sophisticated level. Dialogue from the film performed by Richard Pryor as ‘Daddy Rich’ adds a touch of social commentary to what is essentially a good R&B/disco album that hints at greatness. Car Wash Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Car Wash.
2. 6 O’Clock DJ (Let’s Rock).
3. I Wanna Get Next To You.
4. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.
5. Zig Zag.
6. You’re On My Mind.
7. Mid Day DJ Theme.
8. Born To Love You.
9. Daddy Rich.
10. Richard Pryor Dialogue/Rich Reprise.
11. You Gotta Believe.
12. I’m Going Down.
13. Yo Yo.
14. Sunrise.
15. Righteous Rhythm.
16. Water.
17. Crying.
18. Doin’ What Comes Naturally.
19. Keep On Keepin’ On.
Hazell O’Connor wrote and performed the songs, as well as starring in, this entertaining if over the top exploration of the pressures of rock stardom. Produced by the legendary Tony Visconti and spawning hits ‘Eighth Day’ and ‘Will You’, the soundtrack is actually better than the film, with O’Connor singing, then shouting, her way through a set of generally up-tempo post punk pop songs that condemn the rise of a big brother state and criticise society’s disinterest in ‘the little people’: all delivered with plenty of attitude. Breaking Glass Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Writing On The Wall.
2. Monsters In Disguise.
3. Come Into The Air.
4. Big Brother.
5. Who Needs It.
6. Will You?
7. Eighth Day.
8. Top Of The Wheel.
9. Calls The Tune.
10. Blackman.
11. Give Me An Inch.
12. If Only.
Grease 2.
1982, Paramount.
Louis St. Louis etc.
Polydor, CD, 1994, 8250962 Rating:
Slated by critics on release, Grease 2 is probably always going to be the poor relation to the 1978 blockbuster that spawned it, but the fact that the soundtrack cd has been in print for some years now may tell us that it has developed a certain cult status of its own. The film starred Michelle Pfeiffer as Stephanie Zanoni, leader of the Pink Ladies and Maxwell Caulfield as the new boy in town who falls for her. Set two years after ‘Grease’, the sequel is basically a re-hash of the first film, with Caulfield in the girls role and Pfeiffer in the boys; motorbikes instead of cars, luau’s rather than fun fairs and an ending as corny as the first film, though the dance numbers by director Patricia Birch, who also choreographed ‘Grease’, are energetic and entertaining. The soundtrack is also a poor substitute to the original though The Four Top’s opener ‘Back To School Again’ is exceptional. The main problem, apart from the fact that the songs are just not strong enough to hold the audience is that many of the actors cast cannot sing; Maxwell Caulfield (Michael) and Maureen Teefy (Sharon) are particularly bad; Teefy was edited out of the soundtrack album, leaving ‘Do It For Our Country’, one of the better songs in the film, to be performed by Peter Frechette (Louis) solo. ‘Reproduction’, performed by many of the cast, including 1950s icon Tab Hunter, hit’s a bright note, though you just cannot help feeling that you have heard it all before - and done much better. Grease 2 Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Back To School Again (The Four Tops)
2. Cool Rider (Cast)
3. Score Tonight (Cast)
4. Girl For All Seasons (Michele Pfeiffer and Cast)
5. Do It For Our Country (Peter Frechette)
6. Who’s That Guy? (Cast)
7. Prowlin’ (Adrian Zmed & Cast)
8. Reproduction (Tab Hunter & Cast)
9. Charades (Maxwell Caulfield)
10. Turn Back The Hands Of Time (Love Will) (Michelle Pfeiffer)
11. Rack-a-Hula-Luau (summer Is Coming) (Michelle Pfeiffer, Maxwell Caulfield & Cast)
12. We’ll Be Together (Cast)
