Best Of... Movie Soundtracks

Right, now sorry it’s taken so long for me to write another blog post, it’s been far too long. I do have some valid excuses however. 1) I started a new job recently, so therefore don’t have much spare time. 2) The weather has been unbelievably hot here the last couple of weeks or so, so I would be a fool not to be out enjoying it after what felt like a six month winter. And thirdly, pure laziness and bone idleness.  

But I’ve finally found some motivation from somewhere and this theme is quite fun… and includes a couple of guilty pleasures, which I’ll leave you to guess at. Now I’m sure I’m not the only one, but I think if a film has a good soundtrack, it adds something extra. An extra dimension for you to enjoy. Now it’s only a small selection of films, but there’s a wide variety there and really wide variety of songs.

There’s a number of songs that I haven’t included for various reasons including ‘You Could Be Mine’ by Guns n Roses (Terminator 2) and AC/DC (Iron Man 2) amongst many others. However enjoy the list anyway… I think you will :)

About A Boy

Song featured: Badly Drawn Boy- Something To Talk About

Written especially for the film by singer songwriter Badly Drawn Boy, ‘Something To Talk About’ is the song most associated to the film. Released as a single in the summer of 2002, the song reached the heights of number 28 in the UK charts. It’s a song I’m really fond of. It’s both chilled and laid back whilst also being quite fun and catchy. It doesn’t take too many listen for you to start singing along.

Armageddon

Song Featured: Aerosmith- I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing: Released in 1998, ‘I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing’ became Aerosmith’s biggest hit, going straight to number one in America and staying there for 4 weeks. Even though it only peaked at number 4 in the UK, it topped the charts in Australia, Ireland and Germany amongst others. It was also the 17^th best-selling single of 1998 in the UK. Even though it is the band’s biggest hit, it was actually penned by Dianne Warren and was used as the theme for the film ‘Armageddon’, featuring Liv Tyler, daughter of vocalist Steve Tyler. It is a real fan favourite and still included in the set list for the band’s live performances.

 

James Bond

Featuring: Adele- Skyfall/Chris Cornell- You Know My Name: Now I haven’t included every bond theme here as the list would be enormous, so I picked a couple of my favourites, which happen to be two of the most recent. Chris Cornell’s ‘You Know My Name’ was the theme for Daniel Craig’s debut ‘Casino Royale’ in 2006, and Adele’s massive hit ‘Skyfall’ was the theme for the 2012 film of the same name.  Having Cornell do a Bond theme was a bold move, but after changing Bond’s image to a more rugged look, they arguably needed a voice that fitted. That’s where Cornell comes in with his distinctive gravelly voice. Then you have Adele, who had the task of singing the theme to the best Bond movie ever (I would say arguably, but there’s no argument to be had). She pulled it off in amazing style with awesome song that matched the movie perfectly; old fashioned yet firmly in the 21^st Century. Both great songs in great films.

 

Bourne

Featuring: Moby- Extreme Ways: This song doesn’t just appear in one film, it appears it the entire Bourne series. Released as the second single off Moby’s 2002 album ‘18’, new versions of ‘Extreme Ways’ were recorded for ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ and ‘The Bourne Legacy’. The distinctive intro remains the same throughout the set though, and in my opinion, helps complete the films. I’m a big fan of the Bourne movies and feel that having this song at the end is part of what makes them so good. Can’t really explain why, it sounds and feels right. Apart from anything it’s a fantastic song in its own right Chart wise it’s never set the world on fire, but who cares. It’s just one of those songs that, when you hear it, you can’t help but turn the volume up a tad.

 

Coyote Ugly

Featuring- LeAnn Rymes- Can’t Fight The Moonlight: This may be a bit surprising, but I really like this song; I think it’s fantastic. Featured in the hit movie Coyote Ugly, ‘Can’t Fight the Moonlight’ had huge success of its own hitting the number spot in 8 countries including the UK and Australia. In fact the song went triple platinum in Australia where it was the highest selling single of 2001. It’s not hard to see why to be frank. It’s super catchy and is easy to sing along to; perfect ingredients for a top selling pop song.

 

Drive

Featuring: College and Electric Youth- A Real Hero: The film ‘Drive’ was recommended to me by a friend and I’m glad I watched it as it includes this absolute gem of a song that sounds like it should have been released in 1981. If you like 80s/New Wave music you have to listen to this, as it’s a little piece of the 1980s made in the 21^st century and its absolutely brilliant. Give it a listen and I dare you not to love it.

 

Gone in 60 Seconds

Featuring: War-Low Rider/Apollo 440- Stop The Rock/Moby-Flower: One of my favourite car movies, Gone In 60 Seconds had a fantastic soundtrack. It starts off with Moby and the song ‘Flower’, a song from his album ‘Play- The B-Sides’. The song is played over the opening credits and is incredibly catchy. It’s also the song you think of when you hear think of the film. Other songs in the film include ‘Low Rider’ by one hit wonders War and ‘Stop the Rock’ by Apollo 440. Everybody knows ‘Low Rider’, even if you don’t realise it by name. ‘Stop the Rock’ is a brilliant song that was also on the soundtrack for Fifa 2000. It spent 6 weeks in the charts, managing to peak at number 10.

 

 

 

Ice Age

Featuring: Rusted Root- Send Me On My Way: I love Ice Age, and I think this song really does help with that. Being used to close the film is fitting as it is perfect for the final scene of the movie. Quite a few people may know this song from Matilda, the adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel, but being as I haven’t seen that film for a very long time, I had to choose Ice Age instead. It is Rusted Root’s most well- known, and to my knowledge, only hit, but if you’re going to have one, may as well make it a good one. Which is exactly what they did.

 

Johnny English

Featuring: Robbie Williams- A Man For All Seasons: Growing up with Robbie Williams as part of the soundtrack to my youth it’s not surprising that I quite like his music. Everyone knows ‘Angels’, ‘Millenium’, ‘Rock DJ’ et al.,, but I think this, alongside ‘It’s Only Us’ (the theme tune to the videogame Fifa 2000), are two of his best and most underrated songs. Written with acclaimed writer/composer Hans Zimmer especially for Johnny English, ‘A Man for All Seasons’ manages to fly under the radar. It fits the movie perfectly, something you realise when you listen to the lyrics. Even though the film is a spoof, with the theme song essentially the same, it manages to fit the film just as well as a Bond theme would. It’s a brilliant song, very catchy and very underrated.

 

Lock Stock and two smoking barrels- Zorba the Greek: This is without doubt one of my favourite pieces of music. It’s a fun piece of music to listen to and very catchy, although I think its use in the TV show Top Gear also aided my liking towards it. Orginally recorded in 1964, a new version was recorded by John Murphy and David Hughes for the film Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.  It’s a piece of music that every man and his dog will recognise and one that everyone should enjoy.

 

Love Actually

Featuring: The Beatles- All you need is love/ The Beach Boys-God Only Knows/ The Calling-Where Ever You Will Go:  Love Actually probably is a guilty pleasure of mine, but in its defence it is a fantastic film with an amazing soundtrack. I’ve picked three here, but the soundtrack as a whole really is awesome. First off you have The Beatles and ‘All You Need Is Love’ which is just a classic and a wonderful song. It may be an old song compared to some others on this list but who cares. One song that is around the same age is ‘God Only Knows’ by The Beach Boys, another all-time classic. It is impossible not to like The Beach Boys. To balance out it out, there’s a much younger song by the way of American outfit The Calling with their smash hit ‘Wherever You Will Go’. It’s another song that everybody knows, and its one I am a big fan of.

 

 

 

The Runaways

Featuring: The Runaways- Cherry Bomb/Joan Jett- I Love Rock n Roll: I know the film The Runaways is focussed on the band that Joan Jett had before she went solo, but it’s an excuse to include this song in the blog so here it is. The band was revolutionary; being an all-girl group in the very male dominated world of rock music in the mid 70’s was incredibly brave. Even more so given how young they were at the time. However if it wasn’t for The Runaways, then we might not have had the pleasure of Joan Jett releasing ‘I Love Rock n Roll’ which is a fantastic song, even if her version if a cover.

 

 

 

The World’s End

Featuring: Blur-There's No Other Way/The Soup Dragons- I'm Free/Happy Monday’s- Step On: It may have only been out a few weeks, but The World’s End has a fantastic soundtrack. With all the music being around the early to mid-90s Britpop, it is a very British soundtrack to a very British film. The music fits the film perfectly and I certainly enjoyed the film because of it. Featuring the likes of Pulp, Suede and Primal Scream, there is a real selection of classic 90s bands to listen for while you’re watching the film. I’ve picked three of the more widely recognisable songs, but the soundtrack is available on iTunes and other places if you want to have a look at the rest of the songs.

 

 

 

Toy Story- You’ve got a friend in me: Now this is a song right out the heart of my childhood. A classic song, from a classic trilogy of films. There’s not much more to be said than sit back and enjoy the music.

 

Wayne’s World

Featuring: Queen-Bohemian Rhapsody: Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the most famous songs ever written, arguably one of the best ever. So to use it as effectively in a movie as it was in Wayne’s World was an inspired idea. It’s an iconic image with all four guys singing then head banging along in the car to the song. The song itself had resurgence in popularity following the film, while it also helped make the film’s soundtrack a big success. Funnily enough, the film’s director Penelope Spheeris was hesitant to use to song at first before being convinced it would work by Mike Myers. Its success proved Myers right and it provided the world with an iconic cinema moment.

 

Well there you go, hope you enjoyed a quick run through of some the best soundtracks to films.

Thanks for reading, and I'll try not to leave such a big gap before the next one.

 

Until the next time :)

 

 

 

 

New Music: Best of 2013 so far #3

Right, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these and there’s quite a bit to catch up on. 2013 has been a good year for music so far, and after reading this hopefully you’ll agree there is some really good songs around at the moment. In fact there are a few songs I’ve dropped from this list and will include in the next one of these I do. New music from Ellie Goulding, Travis, Two Door Cinema Club, Paloma Faith and Franz Ferdinand will have to wait for a few weeks to appear.

Anyway there should be enough here to keep you going until then. From hard rock and heavy metal to indie, singer/songwriters and pop there has been a lot of interesting releases in the last few months. From debutants to veterans there are all sorts in here, so sit back, have a listen and enjoy J

Andrew Stockdale- Long Way to Go: Andrew Stockdale; not a name that you may immediately familiar with, but let me jog your memory. Remember the band Wolfmother? Remember a song called ‘Joker and the Thief’? You know the one with that fantastic, catchy riff? Well this is the lead guitarist and singer from said band. Wolfmother are no more, but Andrew Stockdale has used the ideas for the defunct band’s third album to create his debut solo record. Still taking influence from the great rock bands of the 1970s, Stockdale gives an injection of energy into the classic rock sound to bring it firmly into the 21^st century with his distinctive vocals laid over the top. There is a real swagger and confidence in the music that shows Stockdale is very confident and comfortable in the music he is making. This is modern classic rock of the highest quality.

 

Beware of Darkness- Howl: Beware of Darkness may sound the name of a generic, sub-genre teen rock band, but look past the name and you realise that could not be further from the truth. ‘Howl’ is a serious bluesy rock track with nods towards contemporaries Black Keys and White Stripes. There is however a youthful energy that gives the band an extra exciting edge. Given that this is only the lead single off their debut album ‘Orthodox’, the band has already opened the likes of Social Distortion, Stone Temple Pilots and Deftones as well as toured with indie band The Wombats. They are also accompanying Smashing Pumpkins on their current European tour. They are certainly making a name for themselves, and with songs like this the sky is the limit.

 

Black Sabbath- God Is Dead?: One of the big surprises of 2013 surely has to be the return of Black Sabbath and their first number one album in nearly 43 years. The last album of theirs to achieve that feat was ‘Paranoid’, released back in 1970. It’s good actually to see the godfather’s of heavy metal back at the top of the charts. The success of the album surprised even the band, with vocalist Ozzy Osbourne commenting, “I’m in shock. The success of this album has blown me off my feet.’ Lead single ‘God Is Dead?’ is classic Sabbath with the Brummie veterans creating a song that would fit seamlessly into any greatest hits compilation. Even though original drummer Bill Ward is missing from the album, the return of Ozzy on vocals and with legendary guitarist Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler on bass, the sound that helped shape the genre of heavy metal is still there burning strong.

 

Brian May and Kerry Ellis- The Kissing Me Song: It is best to make this clarification at the beginning.  Even though this features Brian May, don’t expect it to be like Queen. That way you won’t be disappointed. You may recognise the name Kerry Ellis as a contestant on the 2012 edition of The Voice UK, without much success. However her work with Brian May stretches back much further. Having seen her in another show, May encouraged Ellis to audition for ‘We Will Rock You’ where she landed the role of Meat in 2002. The two have remained close since, with May producing her debut solo album in 2010. They have now released this song together along with the live album ‘Acoustic by Candlelight’. It’s a great little song; really catchy with a fantastic video and sing along chorus. It’s a fun song which mixes the light hearted side of Queen with the West End theatre element of Ellis’ background as well as including a trademark Brian May guitar solo. Give it a go; it should at least put a smile on your face.

 

Caro Emerald- Liquid Lunch: The rise of Caro Emerald is quite astonishing. As debut albums go, she couldn’t have wished for better success, with ‘Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor’ spending 30 weeks at number one in her native Holland and selling over a million copies. This meant there was a bit of pressure with her release as she was no longer an unknown quantity. There was nothing to worry about however as her mix of jazz and pop proved to be very popular, with ‘The Shocking Miss Emerald’ debuting at number one in the UK charts, becoming her first UK number one album in the process. ‘Liquid Lunch’ is the second single from the album and has Emerald’s unique style all over it. It may sound like it’s from the 1950s, but it also manages to sound contemporary; an impressive feat. It is incredibly catchy and I’m looking forward to seeing her next year (having missed out on her upcoming tour).

 

Crystal Fighters- You and I: Looking for a great summer tune to enjoy at festivals this summer? Well look no further because Anglo/Spanish outfit Crystal Fighters have this covered. They describe themselves as a dance/Folktronica act, but this has more of an indie rock sound to it. That being said it’s more of an indie party type song, and the Spanish influences gives it a unique and interesting sound. Taken from their second album ‘Cave Rave’, their new material has received very positive reviews and I can’t see any reason not to continue that here. This is a really catchy song that will you definitely listen to on repeat at least once.

 

Deep Purple- Vincent Price: Turns out Black Sabbath aren’t the only rock legends making a return on 2013. ‘Smoke on the Water’ hit makers Deep Purple also return with this epic. It starts with the sound of a church organ before thundering into a crunching riff which would have stood out in the 1970s let alone in the 21^st century. If you didn’t know this was their most recent album, then you could be fooled into thinking it was a lot older than it actually is. With their album ‘Now What?!’ being their last release it was a chance for the band to go out on a bang and they do exactly that.

 

Editors- A Ton of Love: Taken from the Editors latest album, ‘A Ton of Love’ sees Editors return on top form. Having so far released two platinum albums and sold several million copies worldwide this isn’t surprising. This is the first single off the Birmingham based band’s fourth album ‘The Weight of Your Love’ and you can really tell their influences. There are hints of both U2 and Ian Curtis thrown in the mix but the song is so well done that you notice them but don’t really care. It’s a catchy and contemporary take on a sound that wouldn’t have been out of place in the 80s. It’s a real epic from a band showing how they have grown from their beginnings with ‘Munich’.

 

Eliza Doolittle- Big When I Was Little: 2013 sees the return of Eliza Doolittle, and I’m happy to report that she has returned on top form. It’s been three years since her self- titled debut album filled with light-hearted, feel-good, summery songs and judging by her new single it’s a formula she is looking to continue. I for one am not complaining; I was a big fan of her debut album and I’m glad she’s continuing to make music with her own unique style. ‘Big When I Was Little’ is brilliantly catchy and will no doubt be the soundtrack for quite a few people’s summer. They say that the second album from any artist is tough, but judging by this, I don’t think Eliza has anything to worry about.

 

Jake Bugg feat. Chad Smith- Broken: It appears that Jake Bugg can do no wrong. His self-titled debut album is fantastic, he is brilliant live and the singles he releases remind the world what a talent he is. ‘Broken’ is a re-recording of a song that appears on the album, but this time features Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums and was recorded with veteran producer Rick Rubin. The result is a beautiful acoustic number that emphasizes Bugg’s talent as both a singer and song writer. It’s a slower song than say ‘Two Fingers’ or ‘Seen It All’, but it shows he can mix it up a bit.  What cannot be denied is the brilliance of this song. This might well be my favourite off the album.

 

Josh Ritter- Hopeful: Now I must admit I had never heard of Josh Ritter until recently, but now I have, I wish I had done sooner. If you like your singer/songwriters there’s a good chance you like this too. Hailing from the American state of Idaho, Ritter already has a strong back catalogue of music. If it’s all as good as this, it’s all the more surprising that he isn’t more high profile. ‘Hopeful’ is a really catchy little song. It’s very well written and has a great hook and beat to it. From what I gather, his latest album ‘The Beast in its Tracks’, from which this taken, was written off the back off some big events in his life including a divorce and parenthood. Taking this into consideration, ‘Hopeful’ is upbeat with the lyrics brilliantly written and delivered. Hopefully this proves to be the launch pad that propels him into the wider public consciousness.

 

Madness- Misery: Question- How can you not like Madness? The Ska legends have been around for decades now and they are still making fantastic music. This song doesn’t prove that statement wrong. Taken from their latest album ‘Oui Oui Si Si Ja Ja Da Da’, ‘Misery’ is incredibly catchy. It had me hooked in about 3 seconds and if it doesn’t have the same effect on you then frankly you need your ears testing. That’s before you get to the lyrics. They are very simple yet brilliantly effective and will soon have you singing along (although the lyric video will help with that). Along with Suggs’ distinctive vocals it helps create a wonderfully catchy song that will no doubt be stuck in your head for ages after hearing it.

 

Passenger- Let Her Go: This is another track that may well turn out to be one of the songs of the summer. Weirdly though, it’s already been out for a year and racked up close to 60 million hits on YouTube. That’s because the local (I say local because Brighton, his hometown, is just down the road from me) singer/songwriter’s song was released over in the US in 2012 and has only recently made its way over to Europe and the UK. Saying that it’s been a success in pretty much every country it’s reached; either hitting top spot or being in the top 10 of the charts. It’s not hard to see why. It had me hooked as soon as I heard it on the radio. You’re bound to have heard it somewhere by now. If you haven’t, well now you have.

 

Phillip Phillips- Home: Ok, quick question for people who know this song already. Who, when they first heard it, was convinced it was Mumford and Sons? Yep, me too. In fact there are times when I hear it on the radio I still think its Mumford and Sons. It definitely isn’t though, it is very much Phillip Phillips, the 2012 winner of American Idol. I am not a fan of TV talent shows (as people who know will testify), but America seems to produce top notch winners. Kelly Clarkson and Daughtry immediately spring to mind, and now this guy. Even though this song has been around a while, it’s only just being released here in the UK along with his debut album. If the rest is as good as this, then it will be up there as a contender for album of the year.

 

Savages- City’s Full: Now this strictly might not be a new song, but it appears on Savages debut album that was released earlier this year, so that’s good enough reason to include it here. However Savages are a new name, and one that you should perhaps sit up and take notice of as they are going to be around for a while. All-girl rock bands are rare but not unheard of, and the rawness that Savages deliver helps makes them stand out from the crowd. Described as a post-punk, it’s easy for bands to be pigeon holed, but I find it easier to just listen to it and make my own mind up.  In a way there are similarities between Savages and Deap Vally. All in all this is a brilliant rock song. It has a strong bass line, fantastic riff and raw vocals which combined together make for exciting listening. A band to watch out for.

 

Sick Puppies- There’s No Going Back: 2013 sees Australian three-piece Sick Puppies return with new single ‘There’s No Going Back’. I was really looking forward to this as I’m a huge fan of their previous album ‘Tri-Polar’. It’s one of my favourites and, in my opinion, one of the best albums of the last ten years. So with expectation a little raised, I eagerly awaited their new material. It took a few listens but I’m happy to report good news. It wasn’t as heavy as I was expecting, but it soon grew on me and the catchy chorus was soon whizzing round my head. This softer sound did appear on Tri Polar, so hopefully they mix it up with harder songs on the rest of the album. Overall this is a very radio friendly song which will hopefully give them some decent exposure as they are an underrated band.

 

Stone Sour- The Uncanny Valley: Corey Taylor must be one of the busiest people in the world of rock/metal. Not only does he front alt. metal goliaths Slipknot, he also fronts his other band Stone Sour. Personally I prefer Stone Sour to Slipknot, and with this new song, that standing is maintained. ‘Uncanny Valley’ is actually the second single off the second instalment of the two part concept album ‘House of Gold & Bone’. There is also a comic series accompanying the album. The song itself is what you come to expect from Stone Sour. More along the lines of ‘Through Glass’ than say ‘30/30-150’ in terms of heaviness it still features a killer guitar solo. It is also a perfect example of Taylor’s imperious vocals. It’s the sound of a band bang in form.

 

The Pretty Reckless- Follow Me Down: It would have been so easy to pass The Pretty Reckless off as a generic teen pop band considering Taylor Momsen’s TV background. Their 2010 debut ‘Light Me Up’ however was anything but. It was fantastic and in ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ and ‘Miss Nothing’ there were some of my favourite rock songs of recent years. It is interesting then to hear what’s next for the band. Well with new song ‘Follow Me Down’ we can get an insight into what’s in store, and it looks like more of the same. The crunching guitars are still there and the dirty lyrics match the sleazy rock ‘n’ roll sound. There’s even a chorus which will sound great live with everyone clapping along. Will have to make sure I bag myself a ticket when they next hit UK shores.

 

The Silent Comedy- God Neon: ‘God Neon’ is the first track from The Silent Comedy’s latest EP named ‘Friends Divide EP’. Mixing Americana, Folk and Rock their sound is an interesting one. It’s certainly one that grabbed my attention and I have to say I love this song. It has a great hook and big chorus that really shows the songs quality. The sound is much bigger than indie rock and is more along the lines of Young the Giant although the two are not directly comparable. On first listen you think it’s a rock track, but listen a bit harder you’ll find folk undertones intertwined into the sound. With two albums to their name already and having recently played in the UK for the first time, with a great reception, hopefully this will prove to be breakthrough to a deserved wider audience.

 

White Lies- Getting Even: For whatever reason I have never got into White Lies. That might change however after hearing this. After putting it on out of curiosity more than anything else, I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. Even though this song isn’t a single (yet) off the album, it was released as a free download via SoundCloud. What I like about it is the 80s synth pop-esque sound which can be likened to Joy Division and their peers with the vocals in particular sounding similar to Ian Curtis. It would be wrong to call it retro, but it is a sound that wears its influences proudly on its sleeve. I for one am certainly not complaining.

 

 

Well there you go, just a small round up of some more of the best new music of 2013. Hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to comment and share as well as follow either via Google+ or BlogLovin’ which you can find on the right hand side.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Until next time :)

 

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