Nick's Top Soundtracks

I buy a lot of cd’s even in this age of Ipod’s and down loadable music. In my collection I have a number of soundtrack’s. A good soundtrack usually has a good mix of performers that when you plop it into the cd player there is no need to keep skipping tracks to find the one decent song. Good movies can have bad soundtracks and bad movies can have good soundtracks. There is no steadfast rule when it comes to these things. So, with that said I am going to list ten of my favorite soundtracks. This list is in no particular order other then alphabetical.

The Blues Brother’s – What no one seems to realize is just what a great band Dan Akroyd and John Belushi were able to gather. Formed from some of the greatest studio musicians of all time they were what made the Blues Brothers so enjoyable. Belushi himself admitted he wasn’t the greatest singer but with that killer sound behind him no one gave a shit. On top of the Blues Brothers songs you have Ray Charles, James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin and John Lee Hooker. I mean what else could anyone ask for.

The Commitment’s – Using soul classics as its template, this soundtrack just works. If you’ve seen the movie then you know the premise. The director instead of hiring actors hired as many Irish and English musicians as he could and plugged them into act. Thus, forming the fictional band the Commitments. The soundtrack is first rate with a great version of The Dark End of The Street and Try and Little Tenderness. Since the first one was so popular a second soundtrack was released. That one is also worth a listen but not in the same league as the original.

The Conehead’s – OK, I know this movie sucked donkey balls. I will not argue that fact. Still, it had a very surprising soundtrack. On it you will find one of my favorite 80’s songs Tainted Love. Then you have a Chili Peppers song that was not released called Soul to Squeeze which actually became a minor hit for them. Paul Simon’s Kodachrome and an REM tune are also on it. Trust me, whenever people look at my CD collection and see the Conehead’s soundtrack I get shit. That is until I play it for them and they realize that it isn’t half bad.

Dazed and Confused – Any soundtrack with Tuesday’s Gone on it can’t be bad. Obviously, all these tunes are from the 70’s. Some were monster hits like School’s Out and some were forgotten tunes like Jim Dandy. All of them have one thing in common, they are enjoyable. A great disc to put into the CD player in your car and drive along to. The music is unpretentious and fun. What is wrong with that?

Garden State – Ever since I picked up this disc, I have been hooked on it. It had a lot of stuff on it that I had not heard of until I bought it. A lot of the music is on the mellow side but it is still quality. It opens with Don’t Panic by Coldplay and that sets an effective mood. My favorite track has to be In the Waiting Line by Zero 7. That lady’s voice just does something to me. A very good soundtrack and a pretty good film as well.

Pulp Fiction – A disc that brought surf music to the forefront. Surf music and Dick Dale have been around since the 60’s. It has always had up’s and downs in popularity and Tarintino used it effectively in the film and on this record. On top of the surf tunes you have Dusty Springfield singing her heart out on Son of a Preacher Man and Urge Overkill doing a killer version of Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon. This is what all soundtracks should sound like.

Repo Man – Repo Man has been one of my favorite soundtracks since the first time I heard it. Punk music was always around but living in suburbia I was stuck listening to REO Speedwagon and Journey a whole lot. Well, thankfully this disc introduced me to a sound that I had not heard before. The Circle Jerk’s, Black Flag, Burning Sensations and Fear all dot this record and create an anthem. I still love this disc and this film.

Reservoir Dogs – Say what you want about Tarintino but he knows how to put a soundtrack together. In this one he used the music of AM radio of the 1970’s with the introduction of Steen Wright before each song to make a record that is quite enjoyable. From the energetic and addictive Little Green Bag to Joe Tex’s I gotcha and of course Stuck in the Middle With You, it is all quite fun and anchors a solid movie.

Rushmore – When Wes Anderson was putting this soundtrack together his first idea was to use just all old Kinks songs. That would have been a good idea but the direction he chose instead was just fine. Mark Motherrsbaough fills one half of the disc with his mellowing sounds and the other half is made up of some great tunes. My favorite is, the Who classic A Quick One While He Is Away. But that is hardly the only quality. Oh La La by the Faces and a great little tune by Cat Stevens, In the Wind are also very good. Trust me this is a damn fine record.

Say Anything – Back in 1989, if you were going on a date to see a movie this was the movie you were going to see. Cameron Crowe obviously has a special place in his heart for certain music. Here he captures the feeling of what was going on at the time. You have Living Colour, Fishbone, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Joe Satrani all on it. Of course this record will always be remembered for bringing Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes, a song released three years earlier to the mainstream’s attention.