Top 10 Favorite Soundtracks

Here's the impetus for this list ... over the weekend I saw a band that friends of mine are in and they did a cover of "Son of a Preacher Man" which got me to thinking about Pulp Fiction and the Pulp Fiction soundtrack and how much I love that CD.

So I started poking around the ol' external hard drive onto which I've ripped our 1000+ CDs and we have a number of soundtracks. So here is a list of my faves (in no particular order, except the first one):

1. Pulp Fiction

This to me is the quintessential soundtrack. Every single song on this CD works and it's a brilliant collection. Whenever I listen to this disc, I immediately think about where in the move the music appears. Quentin Tarantino hit the mark on this soundtrack from the first to the last track. And the sound bites from the movie are perfect. "No man, they have the metric system in Europe, they wouldn't know what the f%#$ a Quarter Pounder is ..."


2. The Producers

My god, how much do I love this disc? Mel Brooks is a genius and he writes the most amazing music and lyrics for his projects. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this CD and laughed like hell, especially when "Keep It Gay" is playing (best song in the show, IMO). "Shows should be more witty, shows should be more pretty, shows should be more ... what's the word?" "Gay?" "Exactly!" Whenever I listed to this disc, I can't skip around because every song is just that good.



3. The Fifth Element

This is one of those movies that not a lot of people have heard of but it's one of Bruce Willis' best, I think. It looks amazing, great story, lots of humor (Chris Tucker steals every scene he's in) and the music is amazing. The more times you see this movie, the more you appreciate the music because it's so ethereal and blends perfectly with the action on screen.



4. Austin Powers

An excellent movie because it was a fresh idea at the time and a great soundtrack from start to finish. "Incense and Peppermint", "Soul Bossa Nova" and "Mas Que Nada" are standouts. Now, if Myers would just not make another one of these movies, we'd all be better off. I really wish he'd stopped after the first because the franchise really tanked after this movie, but I digress ...



5. Jackie Brown

Much like Pulp Fiction, Tarantino hit another home run with this collection. Every song just...works. "Strawberry Letter 23" ... just amazing. And like Fiction, the disc is peppered with sound bites from the movie. Excellent. "The AK-47 ... when you've absolutely, positively got to kill every
motherf-er in the room, accept no substitutes!"





6. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Admittedly, not a great movie, but it's another great collection of music from the genius that is John Williams. "Duel of the Fates" just sent a shiver up my spine when I first heard it and then hearing it in the movie when Darth Maul appears just gave me chills again ... still does and for me, that's the sign of a great piece of music.





7. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Three words for you: Darth ... Vader's ... Theme. I actually have the vinyl version of this soundtrack and I remember the summer (1980) that this movie came out. I bought the album and must have listened to it dozens of times.







8. Monty Python's Spamalot

Python legend Eric Idle is at peak form on these tracks and shines once again as one of the comic geniuses behind the Python franchise. And the Broadway cast, including Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce and Hank Azaria, is just perfect. I actually saw this show before getting the soundtrack and remember thinking that I wanted to stop by a store on the way home from the show to get the CD. Remember, "What happens in Camelot stays in Camelot!"



9. A Charlie Brown Christmas

If there ever was an iconic Christmas album, that has to be it (or, at least one of them). One the things I liked most about the Peanuts TV specials was the music (even as a kid) and as an adult, I really appreciate the virtuosity of Vince Guaraldi. When the holidays roll around, this is one of the first Christmas CDs I'll listen to. "Skating", "Christmastime is Here" and "O Tannenbaum" are true standouts. Who can't listen to "Skating" and not picture Snoopy gliding along the ice? A classic soundtrack for a classic special.



10. The Song Remains the Same

One of the greatest live recordings from one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Yeah, the movie itself was a bit ... um, weird when the concert footage cuts to the dream sequence kinda of stuff (you get the sense that an altered state is probably helpful when viewing this film), but still, the film shows the band at it's height and the soundtrack just plain rocks. And not for nothing but I'll forever be jealous of my cousin Joe who got to see Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden.

Honorable mentions would include:

• Chicago - Yes, I'm a guy and yes, I liked this movie. Great soundtrack, too. Who woulda thunk Catherine Zeta-Jones could sing like that? Fave track, tho, is John C. Reilly singing "Mister Cellophane" ... heartbreaking.
  
• Pink Floyd's The Wall - Yes, the album came first but it's a concept album and the movie followed it virtually verbatim.
  
• The Breakfast Club - I defy anyone who grew up and was in high school in the 1980s to not know at least one line from this movie. "Don't you, forget about me ..."
  
• The Big Chill - Top to bottom, front to back, one classic song after another.
  
• Woodstock - 'Nuff said!