A selection of worthy movie soundtracks

I have just realized that over the years, I collected the CDs of a few movie soundtracks, although I did not see the interest of this twenty years ago. I have come to realize that although the vast majority of movie soundtracks are not worth mentioning, a few have a particular quality to them, and in some cases the soundtrack is so good that it is a character in itself in the movie. There are many websites dedicated to soundtracks review like soundtrack.net or filmtracks.com.
Let me guide you through my collection of soundtracks, starting with the one that made me come to this realization: The Wicker Man.

	The Wicker Man (1973) I have seen this cult movie a couple of years ago in DVD and didn't particularly remember the soundtrack. But I recently purchased the 40-years anniversary Blu-ray edition and the soundtrack is offered on a separate CD. It turns out to be quite interesting, a mix of folk music, religious chants and children songs, and contribute without a doubt to the special atmosphere in this movie. Noticeable songs: Gently Johnny, Maypole, Festival.
	Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) Who didn't fall in love with the soundtrack after watching this movie? Now we have heard it too much but twelve years ago, listening to it reminded me of the romance of the movie. Probably the highlight in Yann Tiersen's career. Noticeable songs: La Valse d'Amélie (theme song), Comptine d'un Autre Été: L'Après Midi, A quai, La Redécouverte.
	Titan A.E. (2000) One of the first soundtracks I bought, just after watching the movie twice in a row in a cinema room from which I was not kicked out after the first projection! I liked the topic of the movie (Earth is destroyed by an alien race), the mix of traditional and 3D animation, and the rock soundtrack that illustrated efficiently the already good-looking scenes. Noticeable songs: Lit - Over my Head, The Urge - It's my Turn to Fly, Jamiroquai - Everybody's going to the Moon, Wailing Souls - Renegade Survivor.
	Friends (1994-2004) - Soundtrack (1995) This CD is for nostalgics of the cult series of the 90's, as it was released after the first season. It gathers songs that the six friends like to listen in their New York apartments, interleaved with funny dialog. Noticeable songs: The Rembrandts - I'll be there for you (theme song), Pretenders - Angel in the Morning, Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi.
	American Beauty (1999) I also loved this movie, mainly (but not only) thanks to the acting of Kevin Spacey (for which he received an Academy Award). The music is chosen to perfectly fit the action, like when the main character has just taken a turn in his life and sings "American woman, stay away from me!" (from The Guess Who) while driving his new convertible car (but that song is not on the soundtrack CD). Noticeable songs: Free - All Right Now, Eels - Cancer for the Cure - The Who - The Seeker.
	Wayne's World (1992) The classic rock parody with Mike Myers. I haven't seen it in a long while but the 80's rock soundtrack is always as good to hear. Noticeable songs: Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody, Black Sabbath - Time Machine, Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady, Alice Cooper - Feed my Frankenstein, Tia Carrere - Ballroom Blitz.
	Austin Powers (1997) Mike Myers plays such an excellent character that I didn't recognize the guy from Wayne's World when I saw Austin Powers. I had a lot of fun watching this movie but not so much with the sequels, and even the first movie has badly aged. The soundtrack is composed of 70's disco and psychedelic songs, very rhythmic and putting you in a good mood. Noticeable songs: The Lightning Seeds - You Showed me, Quincy Jones and his Orchestra - Sould Bossa Nova, the Divinyls - I Touch Myself.
	From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) Another cult movie, and with a Mexican rock soundtrack! There is even a bar in Munich named after the one in the movie (Titty Twister) and that plays this kind of music. The songs are interleaved with bits of dialog from the movie. Noticeable songs: Tito & Tarantula - Angry Cockroaches (Cucarachas Enojadas), Tito & Tarantula - After Dark.
	Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) Quentin Tarantino's movie soundtracks are always remarkable, although not original. He puts together pieces of music that you don't expect. I hear that Ennio Morricone stopped his collaboration with him just for that reason.  Noticeable songs: Santa Esmeralda - Don't Let me be Misunderstood, The RZA - Ode to Oren Ishii, The 5.6.7.8's (that I have seen in concert) - Woo Hoo.
	Death Proof (2007) An underrated movie by Tarantino, that motivated him to move back to what the audience expected. Well I like it and the characters it includes (Kurt Russell rules). There are some interesting Indie-rock-pop on this soundtrack (interleaved with dialog), the most reminded being the one of the lap dance scene (Down in Mexico). Noticeable songs: The Coasters - Down in Mexico, An April March - Chick Habit.
	The Tarantino experience (2008) If you don't want to buy individual soundtracks, this 2-CD compilation is not bad, and contains songs from all Tarantino's movies until and including Kill Bill. Noticeable songs: Urge Overkill - Girl you'll be a Woman Soon, Dick Dale & The Del-Tones - Misirlou, Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line.
	The Big Lebowski (1998) The cult movie by the Coen brothers also contains its share of great songs. The soundtrack contains those, and also some more experimental and ambiance pieces. Noticeable songs: The Gipsy King - Hotel California, Kenny Rogers - Just Dropped In (To see what Condition my Condition was in).
	O'Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) The soundtrack of this other Coen brothers movie is less easy to listen to as it consists mainly in traditional western folk songs. But it is nonetheless very pleasant to hear and fits very well with the movie. I wanted to by the music right after watching the film. Noticeable songs: Soggy Bottom Boys feat. Dan Tyminski - I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow, Harry McClintock - Big Rock Candy Mountain.
	The Blues Brothers (1980) This is the very first movie I wanted to watch after installing my brand new Home cinema equipment in 2009, and for a good reason. The movie is about a Blues band and the soundtrack consists of the songs sung by the actors during the movie, some of them turning out to be legends of Soul like James Brown. Be sure to listen with a good set of bass. Noticeable songs: Peter Gunn - Theme song, Jake Blues - Rawhide, Jake Blues - Everybody needs somebody to Love, Cab Calloway - Minnie the Moocher.
	Super Fly (1972) This is one of the rare cases (the only one?) for which I know the soundtrack before having watched the film. As funky as can be, but maybe not as "dancing" as you would expect. The first CD contains the original soundtrack by Curtis Mayfield and the second contains extended or "improved" version. This second CD is maybe the easiest to listen to if you are not completely into Funk music. Noticeable songs: Freddy's Dead, Pusherman, Superfly (theme song).
	Best of Blacksploitation (3 CDs) Exactly as the title advertises, this triple CD gathers a vast selection of songs from Blaxploitation movies of the70's (made by black people for black people... and the others). Funk and Soul on the menu. I love the song that speaks continuously of what Black people will do when "When the revolution comes" but concludes that until then they will continue to party, and bullshit, and party, and bullshit... Noticeable songs: Kool and the Gang - Jungle Boogie, The Temptations - Papa Was a Rollin' Stone, The Last Poets - When the Revolution Comes.
	Barbarella (1968) For some reason I was very excited after watching this old sexy space opera with the beautiful Jane Fonda, and the disco soundtrack by Glitterhouse helps in making the movie so special. By coincidence this remastered CD edition was released at the same time. The quality of the sound is very good and a few songs are great. The rest is better heard while watching the movie. Noticeable songs: Barbarella (theme song), Pygar's New Wings, An Angel is Love.
	In the Mood for Love (19) The theme song of Wong Kar Wai's romance is quite famous and inseparable from the movie. The soundtrack CD also includes rather sad atmosphere pieces, jazz songs and variations on the main theme, interleaved with some dialog. Noticeable songs: Yumeji's Theme (theme song), Nat King Cole - Aquellos Ojos Verdes.
	The Devil's Rejects (2005) The second movie by Rob Zombie (after The House of the 1000 Corpses) made me realize that he was a gifted director and a music lover, beyond the Metal Rock that he plays himself with his band. This soundtrack regroups all the songs he made me discover in this movie (interleaved with dialog), and in particular the one accompanying the last ride (Free as a Bird) that leaves you with a great feeling. Noticeable songs: The Allman Brothers Band - Midnight Rider, Three Dog Night - Shambala, Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around and Fell in Love, Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird, Terry Reid - Seed of Memory.
	Tenebre (1982) I am a big fan of Dario Argento's Giallo movies of his golden age, when he was collaborating with the band Goblin like on this Tenebre. The one song to know is the theme song that has been sampled (well, almost copied) by the band Justice for their title Phantom, and on which the word Paura (fear) can be heard, electronically distorted. The rest of the CD is more difficult to listen to. Noticeable songs: Tenebre (theme song, several version), Lesbo.
	The Fantastic Voyage of Goblin (2007) This is a compilation of the best songs made by the band Goblin for Dario Argento's Giallo movies (and a few others). The band was very original at that time and recorded some masterpieces of Gothic horror soundtrack. But as usual, half of the songs are more difficult to enjoy, being slow atmosphere songs. Noticeable songs: Profondo Rosso, Suspiria, L'alba dei Morti Viventi.
	Dario Argento (2008) Yet another compilation of soundtrack songs from Dario Argento's movies, quite rare as only offered with a beautiful picture book (CineCult CDbook) on the Maestro. Slightly redundant with The Fantastic Voyage of Goblin, but interesting however as the versions are different, in particular the one of Profondo Rosso. Noticeable songs: Ninna Nanna in Blue, Profondo Rosso, Suspiria, Phenomena.
	Deliverance - Dueling Banjos (1972) This movie is known as one of the first in the survival genre (a group of friends usually in a forest, forced to move forward to escape a mad family). I found the movie very strong, in particular because there is only one death in it and it is dramatic as it should be. The rest of the group is devastated by the news, while in recent movies (like Slashers), the body count is much higher and there is no emotion. The first song is the famous one of the guy playing guitar together with the kid playing banjo. I like this song. The rest of the CD is in the same spirit, that is to say quite repetitive and annoying after a while. Noticeable songs: Dueling Banjos.
	The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) - projection of the movies with the soundtrack played live by an philharmonic orchestra. I do not own the soundtrack of Peter Jackson's trilogy composed by Howard Shore. If I want to hear it I would rather watch the movies again. But I know that he composed it with the idea of making it a symphony that one could play independently from the movie. I was thrilled to learn that the soundtrack was going to be played live in the Philharmonic room of Munich's Gasteig, and I went to see the three movies year after year, with only the light disappointment that the theater cuts were shown and not the extended ones. The experience of having more than 120 people perform the soundtrack is amazing. It is something I highly recommend although it comes at a price (about 70 euros per movie). The sections with the male Choir are my favorites. Noticeable songs: Mines of Moria, The Fields of the Pelennor.
	Conan the Barbarian (1982) - 20th Anniversary edition (2002) It is time to introduce my favorite soundtrack, the one of the classic Heroic Fantasy movie by John Milius and featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The soundtrack was composed and directed by the genius Basil Poledouris, and is a character on its own during the movie, which contains on purpose very few dialog. The soundtrack is hard to describe but you will understand what I mean if you have seen and liked the movie. This version is a re-edition of the original soundtrack by Varese Sarabande. Noticeable songs: Riders of Doom, Wheel of Pain, Theology, The Orgy.
	Conan the Barbarian (1982) - Collector edition (2003) This edition contains almost the same titles as the original one but some of them have been rearranged or grouped, and the sound quality is supposed to be better. Moreover, some songs written by Poledouris for other movies are provided as bonus: Red Dawn, Farewell to the King and Robocop. Noticeable songs:  Robocop (Showdown).
	Conan the Barbarian (1982) - The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack - 3 CDs (2012) This is the most complete edition to date and it aims at being the definitive one. The first CD and half of the second gather the complete soundtrack, i.e. all songs heard in the movie, as they were recorded at the time. The second half of the second CD contains bonus songs, i.e. alternative versions or songs recorded but not used in the movie. The third CD is the original soundtrack, that even contains the two versions of the introduction originally present on the European and American soundtracks. Of course all have been remastered. This is quite an edition! It is limited and I pre-ordered it as soon as I heard about it. The booklet is also very complete and informative. Noticeable songs: All.
	Conan the Barbarian (1982) - World premiere recording by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Nic Raine - 2 CDs (2010). The release of this CD in 2010 started my collection and admiration of the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack. It is a new recording (agreed to by the Poledouris family) which means that the songs are the ones we know from the original soundtrack, but they are played differently, and supposedly more closely to what the composer originally wanted before starting trade-offs with the director. This statement is based on original partitions annotated by the composer. In general the rhythm and emotion are not as strong as the original, but we hear better nuances (there are more instruments and recording techniques have evolved) and some songs could even be said better than the original ones (especially the ones featuring the Prague male choir). The second CD also features a song from Conan the Destroyer as preview (Chamber of Mirrors). I would very much like to hear this soundtrack live, like I have heard the one of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Noticeable songs: Wheel of Pain, The Orgy.
	Conan the Barbarian (1982) - A Tribute to Basil Poledouris, Live at Ubeda DVD (2011) Shortly before he passed away, Basil Poledouris accepted to conduct an orchestra playing part of this soundtrack live in Spain, I think for the only time in his live, with a projection of the movie scenes in background. This one-hour concert was recorded with relatively poor quality but you can see the Maestro at work on this very rare DVD edition (1000 copies only). Also presented are some interviews and backstage footage.
	Conan the Destroyer (1984) - World premiere recording by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Nic Raine - 2 CDs (2011) Following the similar re-recording of the Conan the Barbarian soundtrack and with the same concept, this double CD is also interesting to see how Poledouris created music for a second Conan movie based on the success of the first. Some original songs of the first movie have been re-worked, and the new songs are unfortunately lacking the inspiration of the original ones. The same can be said about the movie. Noticeable songs: Chamber of Mirrors.
	Red Sonja (1985) - Perseverance Records edition (2010)  I actually find this movie better than Conan the Destroyer, even if Conan (well, his name is Kalidor in this one) was originally not the main character. The soundtrack is by Ennio Morricone and is not as brilliant as the one of Conan the Barbarian, but presents some interesting moments. The booklet is also informative. Noticeable songs: Main Title, Temple Raid, Uarna's Death.
	Starship Troopers (1997) - DVD special edition with isolated score and commentary from Composer Basil Poledouris. To my knowledge the second best soundtrack by Poledouris (but I don't know all of them). I do not own the CD of the soundtrack (maybe I should get it) but I remember downloading from Internet the main theme song after watching the movie, at a time when I was using a slow modem and it was taking forever. But what I do possess is an American (Zone 1) double DVD edition of the movie that includes the most complete set of bonuses (even compared to the Blu-ray edition). The most interesting is the isolated score and commentary from Basil Poledouris. The songs follow one another with short breaks that allow the composer to tell us more about the creation process (he doesn't speak when the music plays), as if done on purpose. It is a pity that this feature was not transferred to the Blu-ray edition, so I have to keep my DVD. Noticeable songs: Klendathu Drop.
	John Williams - Filmworks This CD gathers some of the most renowned work by John Williams, and makes you realize that he did produce several theme songs that can be recognized by everybody. Note that the theme from Star Wars is absent, but can be found on a separate CD (see below). Noticeable songs from: Jurassik Park, Always, Jaws, Schindler's List, E.T.
	John Williams - The Star Wars Trilogy CD There are probably many editions of the soundtrack of Georges Lucas' cult trilogy (and more definitive ones) but I found this one for cheap and liked the idea of having the main songs on one CD. This is exactly what it provides. Noticeable songs: Star Wars (Main Title), The Empire Strikes Back (The Imperial March), Return of the Jedi (Finale)
	Star Wars episode IV - A New Hope - Original Vinyl LP I am not particularly a collector of Star Wars items, but when I found this mint original LP on a flee market fifteen years ago for 10 francs (1.5 euros) I didn't hesitate, maybe one day it will be worth a fortune! It features several original songs from the movie and a nice packaging. Noticeable songs: Cantina.
	Halloween: Music from the films of John Carpenter. Carpenter is maybe my favorite director (I own the DVD or Blu-ray of all his movies) and he is known to have composed the soundtrack of most of his movies, especially the older ones. This compilation is the perfect showcase for his talent as composer. The theme songs are very simple rhythms but fit to the movie as only the director could have arranged. The one of Halloween still gives me shivers... Noticeable songs: Halloween,  The Fog, Big Trouble in Little China, Assault on Prescint 13, Daniel Caine - Christine (Main Title)
	Requiem for a Dream (2000) I went out of the cinema room traumatized after watching this movie on a morning of 2000, and the main theme was stuck in my head. I couldn't watch the movie or hear the songs for year after. Then I bought the soundtrack. It includes several versions around the traumatizing main theme, and many other songs filling the blanks. Noticeable songs: Fear.
	Pi (1998) Of course I wanted to watch the previous work form Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain, Black Swan) after watching Requiem for a Dream. Pi is a very strange but fascinating experimental black and white movie, and its soundtrack is 100% trip-hop, with some quoted and theorems from the movie. I have bought the Blu-ray of the movie, didn't watch it yet, but listening to the soundtrack makes me want to! Noticeable songs: Clint Mansel - πr², Massive Attack - Angel.
	Menace II Society (1993) I discovered about this movie by the Hughes Brothers after watching their Book of Eli, and I wanted the soundtrack CD just after watching the movie. It features many good rap and R&B songs that fit the atmosphere of the movie. Noticeable songs:  Spice 1 - Trigga Gots No Heart, Cuttroats - Stop Lookin' at Me
	Ghost Dog, the Way of the Samurai (1999) I may not be a huge fan of this movie or the work of Jim Jarmush in general, but one has to admit that the mix of oriental and occidental cultures is interesting, and Forrest Whitaker plays great. Many good rap songs on the soundtrack, interleaved with samurai quotes. Noticeable songs: Sunz of Man - Strange Eyes, Zip Code - The Black Nights, Mista Kills/Superb - The Man, RZA - Samurai Showdown
	Donnie Darko (2001) Music plays a great role in Donnie Darko, because it often pays very loud and with no other sound (dialog or effects) on top. the only song I currently own is the beautiful Mad World by Gary Jules, that I even find better than the original by Tears for Fears, and fitting perfectly the moment of the movie at which it is played.
	Maniac (1980) I have watched this classic horror/thriller by William Lustig before watching the remake with Elijah Wood. I did not notice particularly the soundtrack except for one song: Going to a showdown by Jay Chattaway. It is a disco piece with a great rhythm and amazing lyrics like "Put in something nice, just in case you die, you'll leave a pretty corpse behind" that I don't know if they were written on purpose for the movie...
	La soupe aux choux (1981) It looks weird to mention here this old dumb french comedy, but the music is engraved in my mind since I saw the movie many times in my youth. Recently I even found a kind of techno cover of it. I guess this song will never die...
	Sons of Anarchy (2008-) - Songs of Anarchy (2011) I do not watch many TV-series but among the few I do, the only one with a soundtrack worth mentioning is Sons of Anarchy. It is mostly composed of cover of classic (even old) rock songs that fit the atmosphere of the series. The double CD edition gathers songs from the first four seasons. The first song you hear when watching the series is the title song and it is already very good. I particularly noticed the quality of the soundtrack on the series when watching the last episode of season one that ends with no dialog but the sound of John the Revelator (that I already knew from the Blues Brothers). Then every season ends the same way with a different song but always very strong. Noticeable songs: This Life (theme song), John the Revelator, Hey Hey My My, Los Tiempos Van Cambiando, Son of a Preacher Man, The Passenger, Sympathy for the Devil, No Milk Today.
	Tron: Legacy (2010) Everybody was waiting for a new album by the French band Daft Punk, so what they did instead is the soundtrack to this sequel to the 1980 Disney movie with Jeff Bridges. When watching the otherwise average movie, I immediately noticed that the soundtrack was the best part of it, including the centerpiece Derezzed on which Daft Punk make a short appearance. They really did a great job with this soundtrack. Noticeable songs: Recognizer, The Game had Changed, Derezzed.
	Hanna (2011) I liked the storytelling in this movie, but what really helped making it original is the soundtrack. I noticed all along the movie that there was something special about it but couldn't identify the creators of the soundtrack until I saw their name in the end credits: The Chemical Brothers. Of course, not surprising at all. This is the last soundtrack I bought before the one of The Wicker Man that motivated me in writing this article. Noticeable songs: Hannas Theme, The Devil in the Beats, Car Chase, Escape Wavefront.