Best soundtrack
Blues Brothers. Not sure if this is even an discussion. Not only is it song for song a masterpiece… but the songs are all well woven into the film and rarely (if ever) forced.
What film was more soundtrack than film?
Singles. It was a good movie, no question. The soundtrack, though, defined a generation. Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone, Jimi Hendrix, Soundgarden? Come on! Note… this soundtrack was just re-issued as an expanded set. I got it in the mail the day they found Chris Cornell dead. Heavy.
I would imagine same could be said for Travolta and the Bee Gees and the disco era. That stuff was mostly before my time, though.
Best contribution to a soundtrack
Purple Rain to the movie Purple Rain. The movie was fine, and the album as well. That song, though, is the everything. It is Prince, it is his story, his passion… his movie. Don’t have 90 minutes for the movie? Just listen to Purple Rain over and over, while googling ‘apollonia lake Minnetonka scene’ (NSFW… if you do it right!)
What movie soundtrack is the ‘soundtrack of your life’
Singles, hence my drooling appreciation. It came at peak times – mid college. Great age, great friends, too much fun, and music coming out of that era was incredible. In a 3 year period, we got PEAK: beastie boys, smashing pumpkins, pearl jam, chili peppers, REM, and Nirvana. Early 90s were fucking incredible, musically. Even the Grateful Dead was in their most fertile live era EVER. They have since released 3 box sets of stadium shows from that era. Bonus? I was at a LOT of them. Well… maybe not a lot… 10 or so.. but more than you were!
If you could build a soundtrack to a film that isn’t known for one… what would it be (the movie) and what are those tracks?
I thought immediately of ‘Big Fish’. I haven’t talked about it enough here. Yes, I rave about Fish Called Wanda, Spinal Tap, and Princess Bride. I think Big Fish may be better than all of them, and I fear it is too far under the radar. Turns out it does have a soundtrack released, and it’s terrific. You get Danny Elfman and Pearl Jam. Only surprise is Tim Burton didn’t give his wife a song or 12. Talk about nepotism… I have to admit I was a little happy when they got separated. It meant she would not be the lead in every single roll in every single movie… if not multiple characters.
Listen, she is a fine actress and wonderful to look at… but it’s just too much to have her star in every movie. Shit; even when he did the ape movie he cast her as lead ape! Get a room, you two!
before we go – I just remembered Eddie and the Cruisers. Man, what a GREAT movie that was. If you haven’t seen the movie… or maybe even heard of it… go watch it now. It’s prolly free on Amazon Prime, or like $3. I’ll leave you with the trailer
I did that whole thing without going on an extended rant about Spinal Tap, and how brilliant it is. Or how those actors wrote and recorded and performed those songs themselves. Or that the whole movie was improvised, as well.