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.
Based on Truman Capote’s ‘non-fiction novel’, Richard Brooks film was an overly long examination of events that led up to the murder of a quiet farming family in America’s Midwest during the 1950s. Following the trail of the two killers as they wind their way towards, and away from, the murder scene, the film was exceptional in its depiction of the two men with their juvenile dreams and disturbing backgrounds. Quincy Jones’ grimy jazz score is experimental and effective. While much of his later work tended towards the commercial, ‘In Cold Blood’ is not easy listening but remains one of his most intriguing pieces of work. Out of print and highly collectable, the original LP has yet to be released on CD but can be obtained through eBay or other specialist outlets. In Cold Blood Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. In Cold Blood
2. Clutter Family Theme
3. Hangin’ Paper
4. Down Clutter’s Lane
5. Seduction
6. Perry’s Theme
7. Lonely Bottles
8. No Witnesses
9. I’ll Have To Kill You
10. Nina (Vocal by Gil Bernal)
11. Murder Scene
12. The Corner
The Italian Job.
1969, Paramount.
Quincy Jones.
MCA CD, 2000, MCD 60074/112488-2 Rating:
This energetic, stylish score for the 1969 heist caper starring Michael Caine is living proof that a soundtrack can lift a film above the sum of its parts. In this case, master composer and producer Quincy Jones, best known for his work with Michael Jackson and his scores for ‘In The Heat of the Night’, ‘In Cold Blood’ and ‘The Color Purple’, has put together a mix of lounge (‘On Days Like These’), jazz (‘Greensleeves and All That Jazz’) and good old British chanting (‘It’s Caper Time’ and ‘Getta Bloomin’ Move On!’) for an album that covers all the bases. There is a real sense of the British abroad about both the film and the soundtrack, as a cockney geezer goes after a security van full of gold bullion in the centre of Turin, under the noses of local crime bosses. Jones’ manages to combine the continental and the quintessentially British nature of the film well, injecting a good dash of humour and playfulness into the action. ‘Hello Mrs Beckerman!’ contains echoes of Michel LeGrand’s score for ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’, but Jones’ effort is more rough and tumble. At only 28 minutes long, the score may be short but it is a great ride. The Italian Job Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. On Days Like These (Matt Munro)
2. Something’s Cookin’
3. Hello Mrs. Beckerman!
4. Britannia And Mr Bridger, If You Please
5. Trouble For Charlie
6. On Days Like These
7. It’s Caper Time (Self-Preservation Society)
8. Meanwhile, Back In The Mafia
9. Smell The Gold!
10. Greensleeves And All That Jazz
11. On Days Like These (Reprise)
12. Getta Bloomin’ Move On! (Self-Preservation Society)
