7 Soundtrack Albums You Must Add to Your Collection

As always, these albums are in no particular order, but as I was preparing this I realized how far the soundtrack album has fallen in these times of digital music. I mean, you can download individual songs from those albums, so the album itself has fallen into disrepair. However, there are still some dynamic soundtrack producers who have put together wonderful albums throughout the years, and even now. Here are the 7 soundtrack albums you really must add to your collection:

1. A Lot Like Love

This movie was horrendously cliche, a romantic comedy at its worst, and yet someone did something right behind the scenes. I honestly think this is the worst movie with the best soundtrack. It has everything. From classic Chicago, to the Groove Armada, to Anna Nalick’s hit “Breathe (2AM),” this album is rocking in all the right places. Sometimes I just like to plug it in on my iPod and listen to it on random. It still works. Song that defines the soundtrack: Save Tonight, by Eagle Eye Cherry.

2. Boomerang

This remains one of my favorite Eddie Murphy films, and it was also one of the first soundtrack cassettes I ever bought. I wore that thing out, I listened to it so much. It began an ended for me with a pair of Toni Braxton songs (I’m a huge fan), one with Babyface (“Give U My Heart”), and one without (“Love Shoulda Brought You Home). But it also had amazing tracks from Boyz II Men and P.M.Dawn too, a perfect mix of tunes for a wonderful movie. Song that defines the soundtrack: I’d Die Without You, by P.M. Dawn.

3. Vanilla Sky

You can love or hate the movie, but the art house vibe of the soundtrack is undeniable. It is both experimental and familiar at the same time. A collection of musicians that are as different as night and day, crowded together on one disc, it should suck, right? But instead, it flows together, from both big names like R.E.M. and Peter Gabriel, to lesser known artists like Red House Painters and Josh Rouse. This soundtrack so inspired me that I have since bought albums from nearly every artist who makes an appearance. Song that defines the soundtrack: Last Goodbye, by Jeff Buckley.

4. The Crow

If you like it dark and moody, then The Crow is the soundtrack for you. Whatever you think about the dark and moody film, it doesn’t really matter when it comes to the album. It was put together masterfully, and it contains some of the moodiest songwriters and beats around. Including The Cure, Machines of Loving Grace, and Rage Against the Machine, it undulates like a dark snake throughout the movie, and finds a great home in the soundtrack. Song that defines the soundtrack: Dead Souls, by Nine Inch Nails.

5. Singles

If an album were to capture the angst of the Seattle grunge explosion (and similar movements during the same time period), it would be this one. Singles was an exploration that ultimately worked, at least when it came to the soundtrack. Grabbing some of the biggest up-and-comers from the scene made it work. Now it listens like a who’s who of grunge, but it does more than that. It highlights some of the best music that came from that time period, which transcends a mere soundtrack. Song that defines the soundtrack: Birth Ritual, by Soundgarden.

6. Rock of Ages

Okay, okay. You caught me. I’m a huge 80s rock fan, so why would I be so into an album that is exclusively cover songs by people who claim to be actors, not singers? Because they’re actually good, they’re mash-ups for the most part, and they bring back those memories of singing 80s karaoke in my room (okay, so the memories came from last week). I love the movie because of its homage, and the soundtrack because it reminds me that I could still make it big as a singer… in a karaoke club. Song that defines the soundtrack: Wanted Dead or Alive, by Tom Cruise & Julianne Hough.

7. Love Actually

If ever there was a soundtrack that was completely intertwined with the film from which it derives, it is this one. Every single time I listen to it, I cannot help but recall the scene from the film in which it appeared. That is the true beauty of soundtrack work, when it evokes the movie to perfection. The Love Actually soundtrack does this better than most other soundtracks I’ve heard, and I’ve heard pretty much all of them out there. Listen to it again today, for the first time. Song that defines the soundtrack: Both Sides Now, by Joni Mitchell.

Sam

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