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ROCK AND ROLL! => All Them Other Guys => Topic started by: Zzzptm on March 07, 2026, 08:26:12 AM
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What are the soundtracks that just *make* the film for you? The ones you could play over and over, and even without the film rolling, you can experience the film along with the songs? That's this list!
We want overall scores on this list. If there's a great theme and a meh score, save it for the "best themes" list that will likely roll out once we're done here.
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I'm going to start off with one of my dear favorites, Elmer Bernstein's score for Robot Monster!
And once it starts, the greatness of the theme music commences! Elmer Bernstein had been blacklisted and was only able to get work on B-movie scores, and this is a B-movie sooooo bad it rivals Plan 9 From Outer Space as the worst of the worst. But that Bernstein score stands right out as perhaps the lone redeeming feature in a desert of terrible acting, terrible special effects, terrible script, and terrible everything else. And it's not a case of everything being so bad, it makes the score seem good: it really is that good. I remember watching this with my kids in a Golden Turkey festival and all of us remarking on the amazingly good music score. It was so good, we had to look up the composer and with a name like Elmer Bernstein, well, you don't forget that name!
It was only after that that we found out he hit the big time later on and did loads of blockbuster movie scores, including Ghostbusters... but this is where it started for him, and I LOVE the soundtrack! Great Halloween music, much of it!
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So scores not themes!
Okay! That made things bit harder to be honest.
But I'm still gonna kick things off with an easy one here...although if I'd be doing this in order this might be number one on the list.
STAR WARS
Ofcourse the title theme is iconic on it's own but the whole score for the movie (or the whole series for that matter!!) is absolutely suberb. There are some really awesome little subtle parts that just almost fly by without you even noticing them but you'd sure as hell would notice if they were missing.
John Williams is without a doubt one of the greatest composers of our time...if not THE greatest.
I'm not gonna pick the theme for this one but I am gonna pick the March!
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^Star Wars is a total banger, I played the soundtrack over and over again when I was a kid. My favorite track was the Cantina Band music.
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Star Wars was a good choice, I don't know Robot Monsters!
My first pick... before anyone else steals it!
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/Lord_Rings_Fellowship_Ring.jpg)
So I went with the trilogy but if I must pick one I'll go with the Fellowship which is just a nudge better than the other two.
I think this is still the only film soundtrack I have actually bought!
An Oscar won for Howard Shore!
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^^
That is a great score for sure! And I was thinking about it but I knew your love for the movies and thought you'd be choosing it!
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My John Williams pick is Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which got him an Oscar nomination in 1978... along with his nomination for Star Wars!
My favorite part of the soundtrack is "The Dialogue" where Williams gives us a fugue for synthesizer and mothership. Playfully, he adds in a bit of his Jaws theme. :smug:
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^^
Oh...great one! It's been probably 30 years since I've seen that movie! Too bad it's not on any of my streaming services I would have watched it tonight!!
If KDC got away with a trilogy I'll do the same!
#2
THE DOLLAR TRILOGY by ENNIO MORRICONE!
The score on these movies is probably among the best ever made! It's like the music itself is telling a story.
Fistful Of Dollars, For Few Dollars More and The Good The Bad And The Ugly all have so iconic themes that it's kind of hard to pick one...I think for another top 10 I chose For Few Dollars More so I'll go with Fistful Of Dollars this time!
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Ahhh... the dollars trilogy! Yes! Great, iconic soundtracks for all of them!
Me, I'm sticking to one-off films, and my next choice is John Waters' 1988 classic, Hairspray!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Hairspray_%281988%29.jpg)
Not the musical or the 2007 movie of the musical version, the original. It's full of great tracks from 1962, selected by Kenny Vance, who also did the soundtrack for Animal House - another film set in 1962 with a great soundtrack.
To be sure, two of the songs used in the film are from 1963, and Toussaint McCall's epic ballad "Nothing Takes the Place of You" came out in 1967, but it fits the period so very well, it just had to be there.
28 songs make up the soundtrack, and they're pretty much all bangers. List here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairspray_(1988_soundtrack) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairspray_(1988_soundtrack))
So get on out there and do The Bird!
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Tsk, tsk... crosses The Fistful trilogy off his list!!
Pick number 2...
This is Spinal Tap
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c8/Thisisspinaltapposter.jpg)
I really need to watch this again, it's been a while!
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For my 3rd pick I'm gonna do just one movie out a whole series...
ALIENS
James Horner's score isn't the most prominent one, but it adds so much to the atmosphere of the film and it's just enough in places where it's needed.
Alien movies don't really have any actual theme so the underlying score becomes much more prominent and important.
Horner's use of drums and horns gives a military feel that suits the movie perfectly.
Here's a collection of pieces from the film!
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In case you haven't noticed, I'm sitting this one out. Great idea, but one I'm scatterbrained about!
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I did notice that yes...this isn't an easy one and I'm having hard time getting 10 as well...because I don't want to use those movies that I'm gonna be using for the best themes one...which makes this one harder...
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My 4th movie will be...
That Thing You Do (1996)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/That_Thing_You_Do%21_film_poster.jpg)
It's a cute comedy-drama with a light touch of romance about a bunch of guys becoming one-hit wonders, circa 1964. The film's title song actually charted in 1996, so whaddya know, huh? The soundtrack album itself succeeded well enough for Tom Hanks (exec producer of the whole shebang) to form the Playtone label as an actual entity that handled film and television soundtrack releases.
In the film itself, the songs punctuate moments in the narrative and lend an excellent period feel to the whole picture. I love singing along and feeling along with the moments in the film. The incidental music is also strong, understated even, and I appreciate the light touches there so that the tunes on the radio and stage come across with that much more oomph.
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Pick number 3
2001: A Space Oddyssey
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/2001_A_Space_Odyssey_%281968%29.png)
Kubrick at his finest in terms of film making. Most of the soundtrack appears to be old classical pieces such as Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Not a fan of the films ending mind, but it doesn't detract from the score!
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Oh yes! That was my gateway drug into the works of Gyorgy Ligeti!
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I can't even remember much about 2001...not among my favourite movies that one...
For my 4th pick I'll have some HANS ZIMMER.
Bunch movies that I could have picked here but I decided to go with BLACK RAIN!
One of Ridley Scott's most underrated works that in my mind is actually among his best...certainly better than anyhing he's done in 2000->
Anyways the score is a fantastic mixture of 80s american and old japanese influences. And the use of music in the film is just suberb.
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My 5th pick is close to home. Filmed in North Texas and some buddies of mine got to be extras, it's True Stories!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/dd/True_stories_poster.JPG/250px-True_stories_poster.JPG)
David Byrne basically films Texas as a one-man show. It's one of my favorites, a time capsule of where I lived back in 1986 with a wonderful set of songs done by a great set of performers. My favorite song is "Papa Legba" sung by Pops Staples, who I didn't know about at the time, but have since gone after his other work with joy and excitement. He's a legend.
(My buddies from a local Boy Scout troop show up at 1:03 in this video, that's my brush with movie fame there!)
That's where I lived and those were the people doing their things in Texas at that time. Yup!
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Pick number 4
The Blues Brothers
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Bluesbrothersmovieposter.jpg)
A blues heavy soundtrack including songs by legends such as Cab Caloway, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, but more importantly it's such a good film anyway. Having said that... I need to watch it again, it's been way too long!
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^^^
I was thinking about that but since it doesn't really have much of a score, just individual songs (not even written for the movie) I thought it wouldn't quite fit the topic...?
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I think it fits, part of the job of the songs is to propel the story, so I'd say it's a soundtrack as opposed to something like a jukebox musical that uses the plot to string together the songs.
That does remind me of a few films from the 1940s that had next to no plot, and served as vehicles for a star like Cab Calloway or Louis Jordan to do 8-10 numbers and throw a few zingers in between. The idea of a "concert film" had not yet arrived due to a lack of good live recording gear.
There were also documentaries on music, like Spheeris' "The Decline of Western Civilization" that showed bands playing their tunes and sold albums as soundtracks, but since the songs weren't there to advance a plot, I'm not considering those proper movie soundtracks.
But in the case of The Blues Brothers, tunes like The Old Landmark, Shake a Tail Feather, and Think do an excellent job of propelling the plot forward with music and dance.
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You have fair point...but I still didn't want to include non original songs on my list here....
For 5th I'm going with a JERRY GOLDSMITH score...
There honestly could be several movies but I'm going with a less obvious choice.
THE MUMMY
The action comedy brought back great old adventure movies like the old Indiana Jones films and added bit more humor and great visual effect AND most importantly here a great musical score by the master Jerry Goldsmith.
His useage of strings both build atmosphere and adds haste and bit of quip. I'd say this is probably one of his most underrated scores!
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^ Totally great music for that film! Loved it all.
And now I reveal the stark truth that I was a parent in the late 80s/early 90s
THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989)
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/The_Little_Mermaid_%28Official_1989_Film_Poster%29.png)
I loved this movie as much as my daughter did, maybe more... but the songs were so fun to sing along with! Alan Menken's score and Howard Ashman's lyrics are amazing and nearly 40 years later, I still want to sing along with "Part of Your World", "Under the Sea" and "Les Poissons". But best of all is Pat Carroll's show-stopper "Poor Unfortunate Souls". When I taught, I loved having a rotating chair so I could do Ursula's moves as I sang! :D Pure fun, and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.
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Pick Number 5
Baby Driver
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/Baby_Driver_poster.jpg)
2017 heist film by Edgar Wright starring Ansel Elgort, Lily James, Kevin Spacey. Elgort plays Baby who is a getaway driver, he listens to music to drown out his tinnitus. The music he listens to is the backdrop to the film, it's a juke box of classic songs from many genres.
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For my 6th pick I'll go with a fantastic score by another great composer mr. DANNY ELFMAN!
This was something I was thinking long and hard on do I want to include it here or save it for the future movie themes list, but I decided to go with it here as there's so much more great musical pieces in the film than just the fantastic theme.
Ofcourse I'm talking about the one and only true BATMAN by Tim Burton.
The gothic almost cyberpunkish atmosphere of the film is only elevated by Elfman's brilliant score.
Not going with the theme here but another great piece:
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Elfman's score for Batman was an essential ingredient to the film's excellence.
My favorite Elfman pure score is Men in Black (1997).
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fb/Men_in_Black_Poster.jpg/250px-Men_in_Black_Poster.jpg)
Sheer unease and strangeness conveyed via the orchestra, Elfman's a master composer for sure.
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Pick number 6
If we're talking favourite Danny Elfman scores (and I was picking this anyway!), let's go with...
The Nightmare Before Christmas
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/Nightmare_Soundtrack.jpg)
Love most of this songs in this modern classic.
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Glad to see more love for mr. Elfman! And MIB was close one for me! Great score!
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And Nightmare Before Christmas is another excellent choice. Elfman is the master of moody 'n' scary.
Betcha Elmer Bernstein is one of his inspirations!
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7th pick from me is another one from ENNIO MORRICONE
He's got plenty to choose from but I went with THE THING
One of THE best movies ever made also has a great soundtrack. Most of the music is (maybe bit unlike Morricone) subtle and barely audible in the background but it works brilliantly in adding the suspense, which in this movie is turned up to 11.
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My number 8 will be...
THE SEVEN SAMURAI
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c8/Seven_Samurai_Poster.png/250px-Seven_Samurai_Poster.png)
The main theme gets me, every time, when it's played slow and loud to show the bravery of the self-sacrificing samurai.
The film's composer, Fumio Hayasaka, passed away the next year due to tuberculosis, aged 41. His influence on Japanese film scores, however continues on, fitting tribute to his genius.
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For pick number 7, I'm going back to the "Juke Box" style of soundtrack
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/32/Guardians_of_the_Galaxy_Vol._2_poster.jpg)
I went with Volume 2 as I slightly prefer the mix of songs than we got in Volume 1, Volume 3 has a few good moments but is in a clear third place (even though it's the best of the three as a film overall)!
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For my Number 8 I'll go with another John Carpenter movie...
This time a bit of a lesser known film from him but something that has a killer soundtrack and why wouldn't it as Carpenter got such names like Steve Vai and ANTHRAX to play on it!
That's right it's the GHOSTS OF MARS!
The soundtrack is about as furious as the movie itself. This is his most "metal" movie and his most METAL soundtrack as well. Carpenter himself composed all the songs as he is an incredibly talented composer as well.
Here's ANTHRAX doing the tune FIGHT TRAIN
This is a soundtrack I highly recommend getting!
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Number 9 for me is...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/34/Shaft_cover.jpg/250px-Shaft_cover.jpg)
Isaac Hayes - SHAFT
This is the soundtrack that made big waves in film scoring, introducing more contemporary, edgier instrumentation and arrangements. It sold well independently of the film, hitting the top of the charts as it racked up an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and three Grammys. The theme song is an icon in its own right. But in terms of film scores, Shaft opened so many doors back in 1971 to all kinds of possibilities in film scoring. Great stuff, this one.
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Pick number 8
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Chittychittybangbangposter.jpg)
One of my early memories is seeing this film... loved the inventions, the child catcher, the music box. Based on an Ian Fleming story too!
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Fun songs, except for that lullaby on the beach... too effective, almost always puts me to sleep and then I miss the action at the end!
But I want to be this guy when I grow up:
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^^^
I like that one too. But don't forget you also had an essentially serious role from Benny Hill as the Toy maker.
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I'm struggling to come up with my 9th and 10th picks. I know there's plenty out there but I'm frustrating unable to remember them...! I'll come back to this in a day or two!!
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I have my tenth pick and then a list of my ten favorite Bollywood soundtracks. Because I loves the Bollywoods.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Singin%27_in_the_Rain_%281952_poster%29.jpg/500px-Singin%27_in_the_Rain_%281952_poster%29.jpg)
Singin' in the Rain
An outstanding musical from the Golden Age of Hollywood, this one's pure entertainment, from start to finish. Gene Kelly is an outstanding interpreter through singing and dancing and the rest of the cast isn't all that bad, either! The musical team behind the film came up with the idea of a movie about the transition from silent films to talkies and put the soundtrack together from songs they had written from the era along with new material. If you haven't seen it before, take 4 minutes to enjoy the joy of the music:
And if you have seen it before, well, you're already watching it again! :)
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1. Devdas (2002 version)
2. Kabhi Kushie Kabhie Ghum
3. Lagaan
4. Kal Ho Naa Ho
5. Sholay
6. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
7. Lage Raho Munna Bhai
8. Dil To Pagal Hai
9. Veer-Zaara
10. Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai
In case anyone wants a great Bollywood soundtrack, there's ten to pick from! :smug:
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:nono:
Can't do musicals...just no. If there's a genre of movies I would happily erase from existence that'd be musicals! ;D
I do am having a bit of a hard time finding the final two...I have plenty but I want to save them for the best themes portion so don't want to use 'em here...so I'm finding myself digging deep now...
I think I'll stew on it over the weekend.
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I seem to have pressed a button. :smug:
Then let me un-press that button with Black and Blue, soundtrack 50% Blue Oyster Cult 50% Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell...
(movie itself starts around 5 mins with "War Pigs")
One I didn't include was the soundtrack for Heavy Metal, which only had like, what 4??? actual "metal" songs on it. The HM version of The Mob Rules is epic as hell, but it can't carry the weight of an album weighed down by Journey's "Open Arms", in spite of Elmer Bernstein (remember him?) providing the music in between the songs done by the bands.
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You cannot unpush that button! But Black & Blue helps to deal with it though.
Yeah for a movie called HEAVY METAL the soundtrack sure didn't have that much heavy metal in it...part from the brilliance of Mob Rules obviously....
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Well having thought about this I think I have one more that I'm sure of...
And that is the 80s classic action masterpiece COMMANDO!
I was thinking hard about this one as the main theme is rather excellent as well and could have been a canditate for the best Themes list...
But the overall score by James Horner is pretty ace. Horner made it twice on my list here which in hindsight was bit surprising but on the other hand not so much...
This has that classic 80s feel to it...and in a good way!!
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Almost forgot!!!
Pick number 9
Toy Story 2
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c0/Toy_Story_2.jpg)
The only TS film I would consider. It is raised above others by the flashback sequence where Jessie reminisces about her first owner during the song When She Loved Me, the rest of it is better than in the other films too.
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^^
Never seen those.
I'll do my final pick based on very old memories...
This will be my second Jerry Goldsmith pick as well....He got an Oscar nomination for this one as well but lost to a Disney cartoon not all that surprising really.
I have not seen this movie in over 20 years (I should watch it again to be honest) but I do remember the music was very captivating and suspenseful.
The movie in question ofcourse is the Paul Verhoven masterpiece BASIC INSTINCT.
I remember Jerry saying in interviews that this was one of his favourite scores of all time because it was so challenging.
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I'll post a final film, one that just came to me. It's another Disney film but one of the originals...
Pinocchio
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Pinocchio-1940-poster.jpg)
Always thought this one was quite creepy.
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Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was a fave when I was little, didn't care about the storyline but was enamored with the flying car.