Top Gun (1986) must be counted one of the most influential movies of the 1980s. It propelled Tom Cruise to superstar status, and jetted director Tony (True Romance,... read more

Top Gun (1986) must be counted one of the most influential movies of the 1980s. It propelled Tom Cruise to superstar status, and jetted director Tony (True Romance, 1994; Enemy of the State, 1998) Scott's career into the stratosphere. It also allowed producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer to perfect their multiplex-friendly blockbuster formula of join-the-dots plot, MTV-inspired visuals and rapid-fire action. Not least, it all but invented the modern pop soundtrack. Certainly it was the success of Simon and Garfunkel's The Graduate (1967) which inspired many song soundtracks in the pre-Star Wars (1977) decade, but since Top Gun, soundtrack pop has been gunning for the top like never before. Two singles dominate the album, Berlin's massive hit, "Take My Breath Away", and Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone", both co-written by Giorgio Moroder, who also scored Midnight Express (1978) and penned Blondie's "Call Me" from American Gigolo (1980). Most of the remainder is up-beat, energetic American AOR stadium pop-rock by bands like Cheap Trick and Loverboy, huge names at the time of the film's release. Rounding out the collection is the electro-instrumental "Top Gun Anthem" by Harold Faltermeyer, the man behind "The Heat Is On" from Simpson and Bruckheimer's previous box-office bonanza, Beverly Hills Cop (1984). All in all, a landmark soundtrack. --Gary S. Dalkin (hide)

The movie is a 1970s take on 1950s musicals, providing all the kitsch anyone could hope for. It's John Travolta as Danny Zuko as Olivia Newton-John's pompadoured main... read more

The movie is a 1970s take on 1950s musicals, providing all the kitsch anyone could hope for. It's John Travolta as Danny Zuko as Olivia Newton-John's pompadoured main squeeze, and the kids go crazy. Fresh from his astronomical success with Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, Bee Gee Barry Gibb penned the title track (sung by Frankie Valli). Sha Na Na is over-represented, and actress Stockard Channing struts her, um, versatility, singing a couple of tracks. This has become a touchstone in American culture, and so isn't likely to improve our standing in the world's eyes. Maybe the point is that it's supposed to sound amateurish, but it does manage to eke out some fun, most notably on the hit "You're the One That I Want." --Scott Wilson (hide)

Import-only limited edition Sony/BMG 'Gold Award' pressing of this soundtrack album comes in unique packaging, which contains artwork that resembles a Gold Record Award presentation plaque. Features all... read more

Import-only limited edition Sony/BMG 'Gold Award' pressing of this soundtrack album comes in unique packaging, which contains artwork that resembles a Gold Record Award presentation plaque. Features all the same great tracks found on the original release including Celine Dion's original version of 'My Heart Will Go On'. 2006. (hide)

Writer and director Zach Braff does a masterful job matching the charming, heartfelt tone of films like The Graduate and Rushmore in his motion picture debut, Garden State,... read more

Writer and director Zach Braff does a masterful job matching the charming, heartfelt tone of films like The Graduate and Rushmore in his motion picture debut, Garden State, so it only makes sense that the music he personally compiled for the soundtrack plays just as of big a part here as it did in those films. Simon & Garfunkel's languorous "The Only Living Boy in New York" is an obvious thread, but aside from Nick Drake's "One of These Things First," Braff is able to carry the mood without getting tripped up in the past. Frou Frou's "Let Go" and Zero 7's "In the Waiting Line" supply soft techno touches, while Iron & Wine's "Such Great Heights" and former Men at Work singer Colin Hay's "I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You" offer understated angst. It's the pair of emotionally racked contributions from the Shins ("Caring Is Creepy," "New Slang"), however, that really make this compilation a must-have. --Aidin Vaziri (hide)

As fans of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy know, each film exists in two versions: the theatrical one and the extended one that appeared on DVD.... read more

As fans of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy know, each film exists in two versions: the theatrical one and the extended one that appeared on DVD. This luxurious box set--which also comes with a detailed essay on the movie's musical themes--features the full extended score, so many cues not on the CDs of the individual movies are included. Granted, the majority of listeners will be perfectly happy with the shorter versions of the scores--it's a safe bet that most people can live without hearing, say, Ian McKellen's 35-second-long ditty "The Road Goes Ever On" at the beginning of "Bag End," or Viggo Mortensen's performance of his own composition, "The Song of Lúthien," within the track "The Nazgûl." But if you're a completist and/or a devotee of Howard Shore's pounding tympani and overwhelming choral compositions (featured particularly prominently on disc 3, a large chunk of which is devoted to a battle scene), then this set is a dream come true. Audiophiles should note that the fourth disc, a DVD, offers the score in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Fire up those speakers so the whole shire can hear. --Elisabeth Vincentelli (hide)

Forrest Gump (1994) is one of the most successful films ever made, winning Tom Hanks his second successive Best Actor Oscar (he won the previous year for Philadelphia)... read more

Forrest Gump (1994) is one of the most successful films ever made, winning Tom Hanks his second successive Best Actor Oscar (he won the previous year for Philadelphia) as well as claiming the Best Picture Oscar and many other awards and nominations, including several for music. A unique fable of American life from the 1950s to the 80s, the film blends comedy, drama, war, romance and groundbreaking special effects into a social and political portrait of the passing years, all seen through the eyes of the intellectually challenged but immensely likeable Forrest Gump. The soundtrack is a double album featuring 31 classic pop tunes plus a suite from Alan Silvestri's rich orchestral music, represented more completely on the companion score album. Opening with Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog", this is a fine anthology of three decades of American music, taking in everything from Joan Baez's "Blowin' In The Wind" to Aretha Franklin's "Respect", The Mammas and The Papas' "California Dreamin'" and Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson". Here also is Scott McKenzie with "San Francisco", plus Jefferson Airplane, the Supremes, Lynyrd Skynrd and many more. Like American Graffiti (1973), this is one of the great pop soundtracks, happily at home in just about any music collection. --Gary S. Dalkin (hide)

Director Herbert Ross (The Turning Point) pulled a winning movie out of this almost self-consciously archetypal tale of teenage rock rebellion. Kevin Bacon stars as a hip city... read more

Director Herbert Ross (The Turning Point) pulled a winning movie out of this almost self-consciously archetypal tale of teenage rock rebellion. Kevin Bacon stars as a hip city kid who ends up in a Bible-belt town after his parents divorce. An ill fit for a conservative community where rock is frowned upon and dancing is forbidden, Bacon's character rallies the kids and takes on the establishment. Between a good cast really embracing the drama of Dean Pitchford's screenplay, and Ross's imaginative, highly charged way of shooting the dance numbers, you can get lost in this all-ages confection, and you won't even mind Kenny Loggins's bubbly pop. Bonuses include one of John Lithgow's best performances (a bit reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart), and Christopher Penn (who sure doesn't look the same anymore) as a good-natured hick who learns to boogie. --Tom Keogh (hide)

Dick Dale's surf-guitar provided the memorable title theme ("Misirlou"), for Quentin Tarantino's 1994 smash, and although that sound runs throughout the soundtrack (along with bits and pieces of... read more

Dick Dale's surf-guitar provided the memorable title theme ("Misirlou"), for Quentin Tarantino's 1994 smash, and although that sound runs throughout the soundtrack (along with bits and pieces of dialog from the movie), this is a pretty eclectic bunch of really terrific songs. I don't know how it all manages to hang together, but it does (you might say the same for the interwoven stories in the movie). Where else are you going to find Chuck Berry, Maria McKee, Al Green, The Statler Brothers, Kool & the Gang, Urge Overkill (singing a Neil Diamond ballad!), Ricky Nelson, Dusty Springfield, and the Tornadoes (among others) one album? McKee's beautiful "If Love is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)" is a standout, partly because it's less familiar. One of the few soundtracks of the '90s that went into the CD player and stayed there for weeks and months thereafter. --Jim Emerson (hide)

A splendid Seattle-scene overview featuring the likes of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney--everyone of note, in fact, save Nirvana Bonus: two songs from Minnesotan Paul Westerberg, his... read more

A splendid Seattle-scene overview featuring the likes of Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney--everyone of note, in fact, save Nirvana Bonus: two songs from Minnesotan Paul Westerberg, his first since folding the Replacements. --Jeff Bateman (hide)

All original music from the film, sequenced as it appears in the original movie! Also contains previously unreleased bonus track, "Gazebo Waltz." Includes new artwork from Lions Gate... read more

All original music from the film, sequenced as it appears in the original movie! Also contains previously unreleased bonus track, "Gazebo Waltz." Includes new artwork from Lions Gate 20th Anniversary DVD. 27 tracks on one CD! (hide)

Based on the hit comic book about a man who returns from the dead to avenge his killers, the film adaptation of The Crow suffered a cruel irony... read more

Based on the hit comic book about a man who returns from the dead to avenge his killers, the film adaptation of The Crow suffered a cruel irony when star Brandon Lee (son of martial arts superstar Bruce Lee) died during production after a bizarre onset accident. That event only deepened the film's aura of death and gothic unease, moods that are brilliantly underscored by this well-chosen collection of stark alt rock, dark metal, and industrial dirges.

The opener, the Cure's typically angst-ridden "Burn," is about as sentimental as this album gets, bookended by Jane Siberry's wistful "It Can't Rain All the Time." Sandwiched in between is a virtual primer on powerful mid-1990s alt and industrial rock, from Nine Inch Nails hammering Joy Division's "Dead Souls" into its own image to the blistering snarl of Helmet, Pantera, and the Rollins Band. So-called pop-song scores often have a cheap afterthought feel to them; this one, a refreshingly integral part of the film itself, stands as a great album in its own right. --Jerry McCulley (hide)

What fun! This soundtrack of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical overflows with glossy, ol' fashioned '60s-style pep. It won't win any awards for innovation, but it... read more

What fun! This soundtrack of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical overflows with glossy, ol' fashioned '60s-style pep. It won't win any awards for innovation, but it may well be one of the most feel-good releases of the year. While not quite as super-energetic as the original Broadway cast, the new crew ain't too shabby: Nikki Blonsky delivers as Tracy Turnblad and Zac Efron (High School Musical) makes for a devoted boyfriend, and the supporting cast gleefully embraces the show's silly-but-generous spirit. John Travolta (who gets to utter the particularly ironic line "it's been years since someone asked me to dance") goes drag as Tracy's mom, Edna, while Michelle Pfeiffer's slight stiffness is appropriate for her uptight character, especially on the cha-cha "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs." After Mama Morton in Chicago, Queen Latifah puts in another brassy turn as Motormouth Maybelle ("Big, Blonde and Beautiful," which is then reprised by Travolta and Pfeiffer). The show's authors, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, have written three new numbers for the movie: the rollicking (and first single) "Ladies' Choice," "New Girl in Town" and "Come So Far." In addition, the CD also includes two tracks that aren't in the film but were in the show: "Cooties," sung by Aimee Allen, and "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now," sung by all three Tracy Turnblads: Blonsky, Ricki Lake (from the source movie) and Marissa Jaret Winokur (from the original Broadway cast). --Elisabeth Vincentelli (hide)

For its fifth cinematic installment, the Harry Potter franchise gets a new composer as England's Nicholas Hooper (a usual collaborator of new director David Yates) succeeds Patrick Doyle... read more

For its fifth cinematic installment, the Harry Potter franchise gets a new composer as England's Nicholas Hooper (a usual collaborator of new director David Yates) succeeds Patrick Doyle and John Williams. The screeching electric guitar that suddenly irrupts on the very first track, "Fireworks," lets the listener know that all is not quiet on the Hogwarts front. The kiddies are growing up, evil is spreading: which is worse?! But actually this modern sonic touch is deceiving: Hooper works within an old-school format and mostly sticks to tried-and-true effects. His score is best when it goes for tension and unease, particularly in its use of low, rumbling tones: A choir starts by humming in a menacing manner in "Dementors in the Underpass"; the sound at the beginning of "The Death of Sirius" feels as if it's being belched out from some deep, dark, scary place, creating an effective atmosphere of dread. Elsewhere, the beginning of "Possession" feels as if it belongs in a J-horror movie, and then the track becomes deceptively calm before the storm hits again. Keen listeners will recognize Williams' "Hedwig's Theme" in "Another Story," but mostly Hooper is his own man. Just like the overall series, which gets darker and darker as it goes along, this CD makes for a rather brooding listening experience--the pizzicato violins on "Umbridge Spoils a Beautiful Morning" provide one of the few jaunty touches. --Elisabeth Vincentelli (hide)