For the majority of films, an album of songs is released, either 'from the' film, or 'inspired by' the film, or a mix of both. But are any of them worth buying? What exactly makes a good film soundtrack?
Soundtracks that feature background music found in the film- in other words, parts of the score- will never quite work. A heavy quantity of instrumental music, with full versions of snippets you can hear in the film should be left to film score CDs. It is simply not to everyone's taste. Even the beautiful Lord of the Rings soundtrack gets quite boring after a few tracks (and Enya is unbearable at the best of times). In the other corner are 'inspired by' soundtracks, which feature no music from the actual film, and are often a thrown-together mixture of mid-level artists' tracks which never made the final cut for their own album.
A good film soundtrack, then, must contain songs that appear in the film, but avoiding lengthy vocal-free instrumentals (put these on a separate 'Score' CD), and, the inclusion of some other quality tracks which fit into the style of the album. If done properly, a good soundtrack can not only help promote a film, but can stand up in its own right as a quality record worthy of any CD collection.
There is a lot of tripe out there, so we've picked out a few of our favourite film soundtracks that are worth a listen, and even worth purchasing...
The soundtrack for Cameron Crowe's film set in early 90s Seattle is a love-letter to the grunge scene of the time. Featuring songs found in the film (Alice in Chains' Would?, Soundgarden's Birth Ritual etc) and original tracks by the bands of the moment, this album is truly a classic. It's worth it for the two Pearl Jam tracks alone, and Chris Cornell's beautiful Seasons.
The soundtrack to Baz Lurhmann's version of Shakespeare's love story, this record offers a fine collection of nineties pop-indie-rock. No songs on here are fillers, and all the artists are extremely credible. The definite highlight is Radiohead's Talk Show Host, a delicate, melancholic piece of musical genius. The ever-popular Love Fool (The Cardigans) and You and Me Song (The Wannadies) also feature.
An essential soundtrack for rock fans, this is a CD featuring songs from and inspired by the gothic horror film The Crow. Picks include Nine Inch Nails' Dead Souls, The Cure's Burn, Stone Temple Pilots' Big Empty and Snakerider by The Jesus and Mary Chain, a dirgy grungey work of aural art.
So the moral of the story is, most soundtracks are a load of rubbish, taking up shelf-space in HMV. But, there are a few gems out there- it's all about searching, researching and word-of-mouth to help find them.
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