Great Soundtracks

I was watching High Fidelity this morning. I remembered how much I really like this film, it's one of my favorites. Anyway, it got me thinking about soundtracks. So, as Rob Gordon (originally Rob Fleming, in the novel) does I'll try my Top 5 Soundtracks of all time. Before I get to the list I have to say that the overall outcome of the movie does influence my decision to rank a soundtrack as great. Because a soundtrack is not only throwing a bunch of nice songs together in a film. It is using music to emphasize certain feelings and moods in the screen, and as Nick Hornby says, "Using somebody else's poetry to express how you feel is a very delicate matter."

5. Good Will Hunting. This is the type of soundtrack the guys from Thumbsucker and Garden State would have really wanted to make. The best thing about it is that this is not an "indie" film. Or at least it doesn't shout about it. That is probably the only reason I will not include Garden State in this list. They tried to so hard to put together a bunch of songs, make a movie and shout out "hey, I'm cool, I'm indie, look at me". Good Will Hunting just happened to mix a bunch of kick ass Elliott Smith songs with the Dandy Warhols, Al Green and even the Waterboys. Great.

4. Pulp Fiction. No comments. A classic.


3. High Fidelity. Well of course I had to include this one in the list. Great mix of classics like Velvet Underground, The Kinks and Dylan with Stereolab and even Stevie Wonder (who I have to say fits the film perfectly, and who doesn't like that song? Probably a guilty pleasure but I don't care.) Anyway, with all that music talk in the film it's hard not to get involved with the soundtrack. For those of you who haven't read the book, do so, the musical knowledge in it is worth the trip. And come on, admit it, you'd never heard of the Beta Band before.



2. 24 Hour Party People. This is a movie about one of the best musical periods of all time, Manchester circa early 80's. If you haven't seen the movie, see it. The soundtrack will come to you automatically. And while you're at it go further. The movie focuses mainly on Joy Division and The Happy Mondays. Good start for Manchester. After that do New Order, The Smiths, James, and all the way down to The Charlatans and The Stone Roses.

1. The Royal Tenenbaums. Everyone could mix Elliott Smith, Bob Dylan, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, Nick Drake, Nico, The Velvet Underground, et al. But no one has done it with such perfection. The songs fit the moments and the story as if they were written for it. One of my favorite moments in films is when RichieTenenbaum (Luke Wilson) is inside the little tent in his room after his failed suicide attempt. Fly by Nick Drake is playing in the back. Then Margot Tenenbaum (Gwyneth Paltrow) walks in the room and they talk about their feelings towards each other. Until Margot says "Well Richie, I guess we'll just have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that." In that moment Ruby Tuesday by the Stones breaks. Do I really need to keep explaining why this is the best soundtrack of all time?