Thursday, July 28, 2011

The 40 Best Movie Soundtracks

A couple of weeks ago, I found a few movie soundtrack CDs in the 50 cent clearance bin at a record store that is closing down. These collections can have some really rare gems like cover songs, exclusive recordings, etc. So it got me thinking: what are THE best movie soundtrack albums?

This entire week I've been really digging deep, trying to find all of those lost treasures. The rules I gave myself for this list are: 1. The soundtrack has to have around 50% vocal music or more (so no movie scores, we'll save that for a future list), 2. The songs have to appear on the soundtrack album (sometimes a rad song will appear in a movie, but it didn't end up on the album). 

I've posted a ton of links, so if you'd like to buy the movie, the album, or individual songs, there are several formats to choose from.

If you'd like to keep up with my daily postings, head on over to the Life On This Planet Facebook Page and click LIKE over there. Okay, so without further ado... here are The 40 Best Movie Soundtracks. Please enjoy.


40.  The Lost Boys (1987)
I love this movie. Saw it back when it came out in the Summer of '87. RIP Corey Haim.


Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 CD

39.  The Commitments (1991)
Great film with some fun R&B music.
Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

38.  Dirty Dancing (1987)
Another one from the Summer of '87. Patrick Swayze, RIP

Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

37.  The Graduate (1968)
Most of the soundtrack was done by Simon & Garfunkel.

Key Tracks:  The Sounds Of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, Scarborough Fair, April Come She Will

Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

36.  Almost Famous (2000)
Did you know that Mark Kozelek from Red House Painters & Sun Kil Moon plays one of the band members?


Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: CD

35.  Maximum Overdrive (1986)
This adaptation of a Stephen King short story features a soundtrack by AC/DC. The entire collection was released as Who Made Who.

Key Tracks:  Who Made Who, You Shook Me All Night Long, Hells Bells, For Those About To Rock

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: CD

34.  Wedding Singer (1998)
A second volume was released with even more 80s classics.

Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

33.  The Doors (1991)
Crispin Glover was rad as Andy Warhol.


Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: CD


32.  Forrest Gump (1994)
Lots and lots of killer tracks on this double album.


Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: CD

31.  Party Monster (2003)
New York club kids, murder and some great dance music - based on a true story.

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: CD

30.  Buffalo 66 (1998)
One of my favorite films of all time. Not only did Vincent Gallo write, direct, and play the lead role in Buffalo 66, but he wrote some of the songs on the eclectic soundtrack.


Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

29.  Platoon (1987)
Who can forget that moment depicted on the album cover above?


Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD


28.  Empire Records (1995)
This has been playing on TV a lot lately. Several of the actors went on to bigger things. The soundtrack had some great music on it.

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: CD

27.  Cruel Intentions (1999)

Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

26.  Easy Rider (1969)
A classic, featuring the late Dennis Hopper. Own it. Be sure to check out the deluxe edition of the soundtrack.

Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

25.  Saturday Night Fever (1977)
In the U.S. alone, the album sold over 15 million copies. Get on your disco shoes.


Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

24.  Pump Up The Volume (1990)
I was never really a fan of the movie, but the soundtrack rocked.

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: CD

23.  The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)
Brilliant Wes Anderson movie with a great accompanying soundtrack - featuring Brazilian Seu Jorge's fabulous David Bowie covers in his native tongue - Portugese. Shortly after, Jorge released an extended version with additional songs that didn't make the album.

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

22.  The Crow (1994)
I saw this movie three times in the theatre when it came out - just to hear that Cure song!

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

21.  Pretty In Pink (1986)
From the late John Hughes.

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

20.  Good Will Hunting (1997)
Elliott Smith earned a Grammy nomination for his song Miss Misery.


Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

19.  Say Anything (1989)
Yeah, you know the one. John Cusack holds up the boombox playing In Your Eyes. Check out this great soundtrack.

Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: CD

18.  The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Another cool Wes Anderson film with quirky characters and some great music.

17.  Hot Tub Time Machine (2010)
Really great comedy with a fun soundtrack.

16.  Nowhere (1997)
I remember very little about the movie, but the soundtrack featured some exclusive tracks that rivaled some of the included bands' best work.

15.  Purple Rain (1984)
Not only is it a Prince album, but it acts as the soundtrack to the movie.

Key Tracks:  Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy

Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

14.  Natural Born Killers (1994)
Disturbing Oliver Stone film with a rad soundtrack.


Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

13.  Dazed And Confused (1993)
I can't believe this movie is almost 20 years old! Always happy to see it when it comes on TV. A second volume of the soundtrack was also released, with some more great 70s jams.

12.  Marie Antoinette (2006)
Great 80s alternative soundtrack.

Key Tracks:  New Order - Ceremony, The Cure - Plainsong & All Cats Are Grey, Siouxsie & The Banshees - Hong Kong Garden

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

11.  Lords Of Dogtown (2005)
A fantastic film portraying a group of teenage skaters in Santa Monica, California.

10.  Trainspotting (1996)
Saw this in the theatre back when it came out and was blown away by the soundtrack. A second volume was later released on CD, with even more great tunes.


Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: CD

09.  Lost Highway (1996)
Like most David Lynch films, no matter how many times you see it, you'll never understand it all.


Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

08.  Adventureland (2009)
Somehow I doubt the kids in this movie would've had a copy of Big Star's Radio City, but nonetheless, the soundtrack is pretty great.


07.  24 Hour Party People (2002)
Great portrayal of Tony Wilson and the Manchester music scene.


Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: CD


06.  Into The Wild (2007)
The soundtrack served as Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder's spectacular, debut solo album.

Key Tracks:  Setting Forth, Far Behind, Rise, Society, Hard Sun, Long Nights

Purchase Movie:  DVD, Blu-ray
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD

05.  Control (2007)
A really amazing, tragic biographical look at the short life of Joy Division frontman, Ian Curtis.

04.  Hedwig And The Angry Inch (2001)
Phenonmenal movie. The soundtrack was written for the movie - just incredible. Haven't seen it? Buy it now.

Key Tracks:  Midnight Radio, The Origin Of Love, Wicked Little Town, Wig In A Box, Angry Inch, Tear Me Down, Sugar Daddy

Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: CD


03.  Velvet Goldmine (1998)
A cool film, loosely-based on Bowie & Iggy Pop. A band was assembled to re-record some classic glam-era tracks named The Venus In Furs, featuring Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, Bernard Butler of Suede, Andy Mackay of Roxy Music and actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers.


Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: Amazon MP3 / CD


02.  Donnie Darko (2004)
If you haven't seen the film, buy it now - it's intense and pretty deep.

01.  Singles (1992)
I saw this the day it came out and was blown away by the soundtrack.


Purchase Movie:  DVD
Purchase Soundtrack: CD


If you're a vinyl enthusiast, check out our feature on the Spin Clean Vinyl Record Cleaning Machine (click image below)

Follow us on Facebook / Twitter / YouTube

2 comments:

  1. You have done it again, sir. Kudos. There are some movies/albums listed here which I have to see and hear. I liked that "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" was on the list. Seu Jorge is awesome with his Bowie replications. As I scrolled down the list, I kept expecting to run into "Grease" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and maybe even "The Sound of Music." A very intriguing list! Well done!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you! As you can guess, it's almost impossible to think of every movie, so naturally some good ones went by forgotten. I was just at a record store yesterday and saw a few that I can't believe I forgot. :) I did have The Sound Of Music, The Wizard Of Oz, Grease AND Grease 2 on my master list, but at the very end I had to make some decisions to keep it at 40. Thanks for stopping by and for your feedback! - Bret

    ReplyDelete