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.
Darkman.
1990, Universal.
Danny Elfman.
MCA, CD, 1990, MCAD-10094. Rating:
Liam Neeson plays a scientist, forced to use his newly created synthetic skin designed to mask disfigurements, on himself, after he is pushed into a pool of acid by gangster (Larry Drake). Sam Raimi’s black comedy horror is Frankenstein meets Batman: part mad inventor, part crusading vigilante, pining for the love he lost. Danny Elfman’s score is suitably dark, and dramatic, though following on so closely from his score for ‘Batman’, which also makes much of a waltz (’The Plot Unfolds’) and a march (’Main Titles‘), sounds less than original. The highlight, ‘Carnival From Hell’, plays to the films sense of grand guignol with a corrupted fairground theme that gives way to another helping of Elfman’s dark symphonic scoring, affirming his tendency to repeat himself. While it is unlikely to disappoint hardcore fans, ’Darkman’ remains both lighter (weight) and less intricate than many of his earlier scores, which is unfortunate considering his high regard for Raimi’s work and his love of the comic book genre. Darkman Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Main Titles
2. Woe
3. Rebuilding / Failure
4. Love Theme
5. Julie Transforms
6. Rage / Peppy Science
7. Creating Pauley
8. Double Durante
9. Plot Unfolds
10. Carnival From Hell
11. Julie Discovers Darkman
12. High Steel
13. Finale / End Credits
Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone Soundtrack CD
Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone (U.S title)
2001, Warner Bros.
John Williams.
Atlantic, CD, 2001, 7567-93086-5. Rating:
Though John William’s score to this first Harry Potter adventure remains a safe, melodic confection, packed full of thematic material, it is nevertheless perfect for the movie for which it was composed. Vaguely reminiscent of his work on ‘Witches Of Eastwick’ and ‘Hook’ with plenty of string plucking and brass arrangements conveying the magical world of the wizard, its an enjoyable and playful ride, if a little repetitive. The most familiar cues come early on with both ‘Prologue’, developed more fully as ’Hedwig’s Theme’ and ‘Harry’s Wondrous World’ largely defining the body of the score. The darker elements, of which there are too few, notable in ‘The Arrival Of Baby Harry’ and ‘The Face Of Voldermort’ play a fairly minor role but give the score a bit more bite. The highpoints however, are the exciting ‘The Quidditch Match’ and the, at times, modernistic sounding ‘The Chess Game’, both of which add a new dimension to what is an entertaining, if extremely commercially aware piece of scoring. Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Re-titled in the U.S. as Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone.
Track Listing:
1. Prologue
2. Harry’s Wonderous World
3. The Arrival of Baby Harry
4. Visit to the Zoo and Letters from Hogwarts
5. Diagon Alley and The Gringotts Valut
6. Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters and The Journey to Hogwarts
7. Entry into the Great Hal and The Banquet
8. Mr. Longbottom Flies
9. Hogwarts Forever! and The Moving Stairs
10. The Norwegian Ridgeback and A Change of Season
11. The Quidditch Match
12. Christmas at Hogwarts
13. The Invisibility Cloak and The Library Scene
14. Fluffy’s Harp
15. In the Devil’s Snare and The Flying Keys
16. The Chess Game
17. The Face of Voldemort
18. Leaving Hogwarts
19. Hedwig’s Theme
Finally, Wendy Carlos’ score to Disney’s effects driven techno chase movie, gets a deserved CD release after years of copyright wrangles. Originally released in 1982 on LP, this is a straight transfer with three additional tracks, including the dynamic ‘TRONAction’. Carlos’ part electronic, part orchestral score represents the two sides of the story; one set inside a computer, the other outside, in the ‘real’ world. Though the electronics may sound heavy-handed compared to today’s offerings, they add to, rather than detract from the overall effect of the score, bringing a warmth to the proceedings that would vanish had they been ‘air-brushed’ out. Two main themes predominate: a secondary love theme representing the relationship between Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) and Yori (Cindy Morgan) and a militaristic one, representing the the company (MCP) on their trail. There is also a main ‘Love Theme’ heard in full during ‘End Titles’ and a couple of MOR songs by Journey. Electric. Tron Movie Soundtrack. Review: Tim Mowbray.
Track Listing:
1. Creation of TRON
2. “Only Solutions” (Journey).
3. We’ve Got Company
4. Wormhole
5. Ring Game and Escape
6. Water, Music and TRONAction
7. TRON Scherzo
8. Miracle and Magician
9. Magic Landings
10. Theme from TRON
11. “1990’s Theme” (Journey).
12. Love Theme
13. Tower Music - Let Us Pray
14. The Light Sailer
15. Sea of Simulation
16. A New TRON and the MCP
17. Anthem
18. Ending Titles
19. TRONAction (Original Version)
20. Break In (For Strings, Flutes and Celesta)
21. Anthem for Keyboard Solo
