The Best Film/Movie Soundtracks

All film fans agree on one thing, there is no such thing as a great movie without a great movie soundtrack. For a film to be a true great the soundtrack is just as important as the movie. Can you imagine Forest Gump without the marvellous music that accompanied the film or Space Odyssey 2001 without its great score? Music and movies go together hand in hand to make a great experience for the viewers. The two combined can build or break tension, send shivers down our spine or even send us to a far away universe.  Below is a list of my top 5 movie sound tracks beyond that is the best selling movie soundtracks of all time. My top 5 may seem a little contemporary for some readers but they are the movies that I grew up with and therefore the ones that influenced me the most. Please feel free to comment on either of the two!

1)      Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump was originally adapted from a novel of the same name released in 1986. Tom Hanks does a great job as the simpleton who does so much despite his great mental disadvantage. The soundtrack features some great music of the era and is brilliantly incorporated into the movie. Artists featured include the Doobie Brothers, Bob Seger and Buffalo Springfield. The album sold 12 million copies in the US.

2)      Vanilla Sky

The movie was adapted from the original Spanish version with the title name “Abre los ojos” and stars Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz.  Cruise stars as a wealthy Manhattan resident whose life turns upside down after an almost fatal car accident. Penelope Cruz stars as the love interest. The sound track is an eclectic mix of groups including REM, Peter Gabriel and Sigur Ros.

3) Trainspotting

The movie was adapted from the Irvine Welsh novel of the same name and stars Ewan McGregor as the heroin addict desperate to kick his addiction and restart his life. The sound track features Iggy Pop, Blur, Pulp among others. Vanity Fare ranked the soundtrack as the 7^th best movie soundtrack of all time.

4) Pulp Fiction

The movie was directed by Quentin Tarantino and stars John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson and Uma Thurman. The movie is known for its weird humour, pop culture references and extreme violence. The soundtrack sold more than 2 million copies and features artists such as Kool and the Gang, Al Green and Dusty Springfield.

5) The Mission

The movie based around the lives of Jesuit priests in 18^th century South America was directed by Roland Joffe and stars Roberto DeNiro, Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson. The score was composed by legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone and is ranked number 23 by AFI’s top 100 film scores of all time. If you haven’t seen this movie it is differently worth checking out.

1) The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album by Whitney Houston

The movie starred Whitney Houston as the diva with Kevin Costner as the bodyguard assigned to protect her. The public loved and the film became an instant box office smash hit. The soundtrack sold over 42 million copies worldwide and features Houston on a number of tracks as well as Soul system also sold. Both the movie and the soundtrack were smash hits. Whitney Houston starred in the film alongside Kevin Costner and sung the title track “I will always love you”. Other artists that were features on the track included Lisa Stanfield and soul system.

2) Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track by Bee Gees

The second highest selling movie soundtrack of all time is none other than Saturday Night Fever. John Travolta stars as the youth who uses the local disco as his escape from the realities of 1970’s New York. The movie is a seminal piece and is now considered a classic, it also launched the career of John Travolta. The majority of the tracks on the soundtrack were sung and performed by the Bee Gees, other artists featured on the album include Kool and the Gang.

3) Music from the Motion Picture "Purple Rain" by Prince

The movie “Purple Rain” featured Prince as the kid from Minneapolis eager not to repeat the same mistakes as his alcoholic abusive father,he uses music as he outlet and tries desperately to keep his group together and make something of himself. The soundtrack featured three number 1 hits “Purple Rain” ,”When doves cry” and “Let’s go crazy”. It also won a number an Oscar for Best Original Score.

4) Dirty Dancing: Original Soundtrack From The Vestron Motion Picture by Dirty Dancing (Related Recordings)

I think just about everyone is familiar with Dirty Dancing. Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey star in the dance and musical classic. Swayze is the hunky dance instructor and Grey is the rebellious debutante. The album features Patrick Swayze singing on “she’s like the wind” and also Tom Johnson.It spent 18 weeks at number 1 in the Billboard 200 Album charts.

5) Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture by James Horner

The movie was the winner of 11 academy awards and is the highest grossing movie of all time. James Cameron spared no expenses when it came to recreating the sinking of the ship and Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslett did a great job depicting Jack and Rose the love struck couple.The soundtrack was composed by James Horner and features Celine Dion with the number 1 smash hit “My heart will go on”. The album spent 16 weeks at number 1 in the album charts. The album features numerous artists including Maire Brennan the sister of Enya.