Top 5 Film OSTs (Original Sound Tracks)

[Peter Harris]

I originally posted this in the forum of my film society - go there to see other people than mine's top 5s, as i'll only transcribe mine.

Bear in mind my selection is hampered by how few movies i've seen, but boosted by the fact that I prefer music to film (blasphemy!).

So:

Vangelis - Blade Runner OST. Brilliant work, picking an essentially time-neutral "trademark" synth (excepting an oldie blues-style number) soundtrack which nicely highlights the urban anomie which many of us will no doubt feel in 2019. Comments welcome on whether the use of synthesisers does in fact make it quintessentially 1980sish.

A Clockwork Orange OST - This film (and to a *much* lesser extent, Rollerball) showed that the safe bet is to use classical pieces. They'll never go out of fashion. Although "Singing In The Rain" may make your eyes water in the future. And the "William Tell Overture" may not be the record of choice whilst gettin' it oooooooon.

O Brother, Where Art Thou - An excellent, excellent collection of works from the country/bluegrass genre (also some plantation spirituals too). Ignoring the everso annoying "In the Highways" by Sarah, Hannah & Leah Peasall, this album is superb. Utterly superb. And meshes with the film fantastically.

Spawn OST. Comments about the movie aside (i'm sure it has some opponents), this is an excellent OST as it does something rarely seen - collaborations by two artists, sometimes terrible bipolar (Korn & The Dust Brothers? Marilyn Manson + Sneaker Pimps?? Butthole Surfers & Moby?? the list goes on). This album serves the musical community as it shows the indie snobs who pour recrimination on other genres only let themselves down by not hearing such a delicious blend.

John Williams - Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope OST. I guess it was inevitable that John Williams had to have *at least* one in the top 5. And I think this is it. Fantastic pieces which are now "standards" in the galaxy; the sweeping strings in "Binary Sunset" still send a tingle down my spine talking about it. Yeah, some people may say The Empire Strikes Back kicks it for the insertion of the Imperial March, but I think all it does is build on the more than brilliant original work in Episode 4.

Honourable Mentions go to Good Morning Vietnam, Trainspotting and Clueless for effectively setting time and space by soundtrack. I think what they lose out on is a lack of innovation and using the soundtrack to maximum effect, although the excellently assembled songs make up for this to an extent.

Fight Club's OST has something to it also, but i think it could be read as a modernist "Classical" soundtrack; using the Dust Brothers as orchestral leaders which helps the plot and premise most brilliantly. Honourable mention and maybe a sneaker into the top 6

The Pulp Fiction OST gets props because SO MANY people I know own it. Man, Tarantino and his cronies must have done more for some bands than anyone else (The Delfonics cashing in off the back of Jackie Brown, anyone?).

I have a soft spot for Baz Luhrmann's rendition of Romeo + Juliet; a really good assemblage of bands there, and considering the "unreality" of the setting, the music really, really lends something to it. A lot of good tunes on that one.

I deliberately left Woodstock OST off the list, as the films more damn music than soundtrack. If this was giving out a number one for music, Woodstock would be the winner by TKO.

EDIT: since writing this, I have listened to The Graduate OST a lot too, that is an excellent piece of work.