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Friday 23 September 2011

Soundtracks: discuss


I was having a good hearty shuffle the other day, and following on from one of Vomitory's latest ballads my non-Apple MP4 media player selected James Brown's Living in America. This got me thinking about film soundtracks (for reasons most men will immediately recognise) and I wondered what else I'd put in my Top 5 Film Soundtracks Wot Might Not Be Perfect Start To Finish But have Some Proper Belters On list, 2011.

5. Waynes World (1992)

Before Mike Myers created that fucking Austin Powers twat, he was funny. Dudes in a basement make a TV show, they play music, protagonist pulls an impossibly hot girl - it's the things teenage dreams are made of. And thanks to Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath and "that" Queen song, a soundtrack that commands headbanging like a total tit.

4. Singles (1992)

This film about challenged bands, tumultuous relationships and lumberjack shirts wouldn't have made the top five were it not for the inclusion of Pearl Jam's State of Love and Trust in the soundtrack - in my opinion, their finest ever work. Add in some Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Mudhoney and you've got yourself the grungiest thing since Kurt Cobain woke up, donned a cardigan and decided against the hairbrush.

3. Forrest Gump (1994)

Tom Hanks plays a mong with a weighty beardline who's good at running to an absolutely extraordinary soundtrack that spans a good few decades. Creedance Clearwater Revival, Lynryd Skynyrd, The Doobie Brothers; what more could you need? Oh, The Doors? Fleetwood Mac? Done. Fantastic.

2. The Crow (1994)

A film that played on repeat in my household during my early teens, and which subsequently inspired my sister's dress code, The Crow sees the late Brandon Lee off on a mission to avenge the murder of himself and his fiance. Dark, eh? A soundtrack of angst and pain, provided by the likes of Rage Against The Machine, Stone Temple Pilots and Pantera, mean this is possibly one of the most gothically metal films of all time.

1. Rocky IV (1985)

Quite simply the best soundtrack in history. A man with a melty face runs through the snow carrying logs, sweats a lot and punches five shades of shit out of Dolph Lundgren. Robert Tepper's No Easy Way Out is without exception, the most awesome song you could ever work out to. And of course, Survivor not only had Eye of the Tiger on the soundtrack, they had the monstrously powerful Burning Heart included too. That's some serious rock right there.

Now press play on this video and do some sit ups.



M
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a good list, but instead of Forrest Gump I'd have Pump Up The Volume, 1990. Bad Brains with Henry Rollins, The Pixies, Soundgarden, Sonic Youth, Concrete Blonde. Coolest teen angst movie ever and a wicked soundtrack.

Dad At Home said...

Excellent list, if it was my top 10 I'd have to include:

Saturday Night Fever
Purple Rain
This is Spinal Tap
Woodstock
The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Top Gun is another classic for a bit of 80's rock cheese :)

MADman said...

@Enterthegoatlady - I have to confess I haven't actually seen that...I will investigate!

@DadatHome - Top Gun was very nearly on the list if only for Loggins' Danger Zone - epic song.

jon mears said...

I'm with Simon! Stan Bush alone makes it number 1! Also Bio-Dome and The Matrix are pretty good.

MADman said...

I knew this would be a slightly contentious post...lots of good suggestions here though!