The Best Soundtracks You've Never Heard

It's Oscar week, so starting today we're going to put together a bunch of posts that relate to the worlds of music and film, starting with the sometimes glorious and other times horrid world of Soundtracks. Putting together a great soundtrack is no easy feat. Ever since Scorsese decided to put a Stones song in Mean Streets, Hollywood has become increasingly reliant on incorporating popular music in films with drastically different results. The best soundtracks will find often unheard songs/artists that are culturally relevant but also make sense in the film.  However in the last couple of decades there have been some pretty bad movies whose Soundtracks are more memorable than the film itself.  You'll find both on the following list. What you won't find here are Saturday Night Fever, Singles, Footloose, Trainspotting or Garden State as everyone and their Grandparents have presumably heard those.  Nor will you see soundtracks from live concerts/musicals like Purple Rain, Ziggy Stardust, The Last Waltz, A Hard Days Night! or Moulin Rouge, because that's just not fair.  Instead we'll turn you on (hopefully) to ten records that you need to own strictly as a fan of good music.


Donnie Darko - Not only a great soundtrack, but a crazy good movie as well.  I still don't know what the f**k it was about, but when you combine a giant green Rabbit named Frank, crazy time/space bubbles, Patrick Swayze and classic underground 80s jams you get a cult movie.  Song highlights: Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon [MP3] / The Church - Under The Milyway [MP3] / YouTube Clip













Pump Up The Volume - The plot lends itself to being able to provide some pretty good underground music, and it doesn't disappoint.  Perhaps Christian Slater should have quit his acting career here and stuck with Radio. Song Highlights: The Pixies - Wave of Mutilation (Acoustic) [MP3] / Sonic Youth - Titanium Expose [MP3] / YouTube Clip














Vanilla Sky - Not a very good movie, but as usual Cameron Crowe picked a bunch of classic jams and mixed in some indie rock creating one hell of a soundtrack.  The only thing about the movie better than the music is of course Penelope Cruz. mmmm. Song Highlights: Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place [MP3] / Paul McCartney - Vanilla Sky [MP3] / YouTube Clip













Boogie Nights  - Probably the best "Soundtrack" on this list as the music was so integral to making the film work, and fit in so well with each scene.  Of course Heather Graham wearing nothing but a pair of Roller Skates doesn't really need music of any kind. Song Highlights: ELO - Livin' Thing [MP3] / Melanie - Brand New Key [MP3] / YouTube Clip













The Life Aquatic/Rushmore/The Royal Tenenbaums - A huge part of all of Wes Anderson's films are the soundtracks.  While people usually tout Rushmore as the best of the bunch, I prefer the understated Life Aquatic. While it's definitely not a better movie, it makes up for it with some amazing Bowie covers by Seu Jorge. Song Highlights: The Zombies - The Way I Feel Inside [MP3] / Seu Jorge - Rebel Rebel [MP3] / YouTube Clip












Pretty In Pink - A classic 80s flick with a timeless soundtrack.  If you don't know every song on this record you should be ashamed of yourself.  Then again if you were born post 1987 I could see how some of these jams might not be familiar.  Go watch the movie again and listen... Song Highlights: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - If You Leave [MP3] / The Smiths - Please Please Let Me Get What I Want [MP3] / YouTube Clip













Wicker Park - Without a doubt the worst movie on this list, but what a collection of songs! It's almost more indie than an episode of the OC! Actually the movie is kind of the OC meets Single White Female but without a real plot or any logical story.  Next time it pops up on cable turn the TV off and stereo up. Song Highlights: Aqualung - Strange And Beautiful [MP3] / Johnette Napolitano & Danny Lohner - The Scientist (Coldplay Cover) [MP3] / YouTube Clip













Grosse Point Blank - It's this movie and not High Fidelity that has the best soundtrack from a John Cusack movie.  Actually, anything that Cusack is in you can usually bet on having a pretty good soundtrack.  Except of course for Must Love Dogs, but I guess the man has got s to get paid sometimes! Song Highlights: Queen and David Bowie - Under Pressure [MP3] / The Jam - Absolute Beginners [MP3] / YouTube Clip













Velvet Goldmine - This is my favorite record on the list. Partly because of the genre from which the music comes from, but also due to some pretty awesome "Glam Rock" covers. Yeah the movie was a disappointment, but it did bring us the super group of Venus in Furs comprising of Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, David Gray, Bernard Butler and Andy Mackay. Song Highlights: Shudder To Think - Hot One [MP3] / Venus In Furs - 2hb [MP3] / YouTube Clip













Top Gun - You know you love it. Don't pretend you don't. How could you not? Maverick, Iceman, Kenny Loggins, Cheap Trick AND Loverboy. Plus some of the most memorable songs in the history of cinema. Two words: "Danger Zone." Song Highlights: Kenny Loggins - Dangerzone [MP3] / Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings [MP3] / YouTube Clip 













There are a lot of other soundtracks that almost made this list, but we'll keep it to 10. What's your favorite soundtrack? And what do you think doesn't belong in this list?