Right just as an addition to my previous posts for the top 10 favourite original film soundtracks I thought I would do a short list of the top 5 underrated original film soundtracks. These are scores from films that might be underrated themselves or they might just be from a film where the film itself is the main focus and the score seems to pale into the background.
Anyway its tough enough thinking up 5 and 10 would be even tougher! And with that in mind let's get a move on with the list and give it a look.....
5. The man with the golden gun (1974) - composer John Barry
Right at No.5 is what is by even the composer's own admission what is considered his worst ever score for a James Bond film and the score in question is The man with the golden gun.
And yeah ok let's start by saying the theme song itself is nothing special and in fact it is quite annoying even. However the score itself by Barry is actually pretty good and somewhat underrated and it has enough moments of atmosphere and intrigue in its that make worth a listen to in its own right.
And as for a few of the tracks that stand out in the score include "Scaramanga's fun house" where a mobster shows up to take on Scaramanga in one to one combat but he ends up getting killed off by the man with the 3rd nipple (Scaramanga of course!). Anyway this track is quite atmospheric and it builds up the suspense pretty well as the mobster tries to find Scaramanga. "Chew me in Grislyland" is another good track which has an Eastern theme to it and is used when Bond visit's Hai Fat's house. "Let's go get em" is another track which is good fun and used when Bond chases after Scaramanga in a car accompanied by the redneck sherrif, J.W. Pepper although it does feature the infuriating use of a penny whistle half way through it! But what it is does have also going for it is its nice use of the theme tune running through it and again it has that Eastern theme there aswell.
Then there is "In search of Scaramanga's fun house" which is a pretty good, suspenseful track that has a good build up when Bond searches for Scaramanga's secret island hideout. And lastly there is "Return to Scaramanga's fun house" where Bond and Scaramanga face off each other for the last time and its a pretty sinister track which is punctuated by some jarring moments of orchestral staccato aswell the use of that honky tonk piano. And it leads into a fine dramatic climax when Bond and Scaramanga are on the verge of finding each other.
Is it one of the best Bond scores??? In all honesty no, but it is a good one and it deserves a second listen despite some of its cheesier moments and not so great theme tune sung by Lulu, its still well worth checking out.
4. L.A. Confidential (1997) - composer Jerry Goldsmith
At No.4 is one of the late great Jerry Goldsmith's more underplayed scores, L.A. Confidential which is a pity given that it really is an excellent score that is dripping with mood and atmosphere and is strongly reminiscent of his score from the 1970s classic thriller, Chinatown.
And there are several standout tracks from the soundtrack album worth mentioning that include "Bloody Christmas" which features near the start when one of the corrupt cops, Stensland beats up some Mexicans. This is followed by the atmospheric track "Cafe" which is nice suspenseful and subtle track that builds on the tension of the scene where Lt Exley discovers the murder scene at the Nite Owl cafe.
"Out of the rain" is another fine example of Goldsmith's ability to create atmosphere and tension in his music and this track is well used in the scene where the loose canon police officer, Bud White (Russell Crowe) discovers a dead body underneath a house. "The Photos" is a great piece of music and one of the best in the score as it really does drip with atmosphere and it is well used in the film when the two cops, Exley (Guy Pearce) and Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) spy on Bud's activities and it is also cut into the scene where Bud later finds out about Exley's one night stand with his girlfriend, Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger).
"Good lad" is another excellent track where Exley and Bud get involved in a stand-off with numerous corrupt police officers near the end of the film and its another suspenseful piece that builds its way up. And last of all is "The Victor" which is a nice send off track for the film where all the loose ends have been tied up and the heroes (or one of them!) drives off into the sunset and it finishes on a great piano and orchestral section.
Its a very fine score from one of Hollywood's great composers and often one that is overlooked so it deserves a place on the list.
3. There will be blood (2007) - composer Johnny Greenwood
So at No.3 is a soundtrack which isn't necessarily very easy listening but its definitely worth putting on here simply as overall its pretty damn good score in its own right to one of the great films of the 2000s (or the noughties as 2000-2009 was known!).
Radiohead guitarist, Johnny Greenwood composed this wonderfully moody score which is intense, brooding, dramatic, morose and at times even beautiful. The score also even has moments in it that sound like the score from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, particularly the piece at the start of the film where we see the film's main character, Daniel Plainview (Daniel-Day Lewis) prospect a mine.
As for the 33 minute soundtrack album there certainly are some tracks that stand out such as the opening one "Open spaces" which is a terrific piece of music that is very atmospheric and it makes great use of its orchestral arrangements. "Future markets" is another great track which has a staccato pace to it at times and features some very jarring orchestral arrangements and is used when Plainview travels with his adopted son, HW in search of land they can drill. "Henry Plainview" is a chilling track with its horror-like sounding orchestral strings playing during the scene where Daniel challenges the man who claims to be his brother, Henry.
"Oil" is sombre, morose and pretty mournful sounding track but again its a fine example of Greenwood's ability to write downbeat music but in an elegant way. "Future Lands" is another highlight which is a pretty sinister sounding track where we Plainview travelling in search of prospective land. "Prospector's quartet" is which is the last track on the soundtrack is also another sombre orchestral track but it nicely rounds off the soundtrack itself as it leads into the film's last scenes where Daniel's adopted son, HW, as a grown man pays him a visit to tell him he is leaving to go to Mexico.
And last of all there is a track that does not feature on the album itself but does appear in the film, which is terrific and its the one where the accident at the oil derrick happens that deafens HW. Its a strange track that uses percussion and slowly builds itself up and it features some pretty unusual orchestral arrangements which are great and its a pity it doesn't appear on the album as its one of the score's best moments.
Anyway so there you go, its not a happy listening experience and it didn't win itself many awards but There will be blood's soundtrack is definitely worth of your attention and it compliments the film perfectly well.
2. Alien3 (1992) - Composer Elliot Goldenthal
At No.2 is Alien3 and frankly why the hell not??? Its a wonderfully dark and brooding score and it heralded the arrival of one of Hollywood's most talented composers in recent years, Elliot Goldenthal.
The score features quite a few highlights that include its opening main title which nicely uses the 20th century fox music theme and at the last moment it goes all very eerie and spooky and leads its the film's creepy opener.
"The wreckage" is a great track aswell as it has a quiet-loud dyanmic to it and again it oozes with atmosphere. "Morgue" is one of my favourites of the score personally and is used in the scene Ripley goes to look at the body of Newt in the morgue and she checks it for signs of the alien. Its a beautifully haunting track and the piano sequence in the middle really is very effective where Ripley checks Newt's body. "The Cremation" is an excellent track aswell and its opens with one of the film's main themed tracks and is used over the film's end credits too and the track also signals the arrival (or birth!) of the new alien.
"First attack" makes great use of Goldenthal's skills for building tension and atmosphere and aptly adopts the use of the "farty" sounding trumpet. "Appreciative of your affections" is a nice subtle track which underplays the romantic attachment between Ripley and the criminal facility's medical doctor, Clemens (played by Charles Dance) very well. "Droid rape" is another excellent track which remains one of the film's most distinctive and innovative tracks as it blends in orchestral and electronic guitar work to make it essentially a classicl/rock track used when Ripley discovers the remains of Bishop but she is attacked by some of the inmates. "Clemens dies" (SPOILER!!!) is another suspenseful track that makes great use of the "farty" trumpet and it signals the real arrival of the alien threat to the facility.
There are plenty of other tracks on the soundtrack album (which is very extensive!) but I will cut to the last two and one of which is "Hello I must be going" which is great and is used when (SPOILER!!!!!) the alien is finally dealt with at the hands of Ripley and the last surviving inmate, Morse.
And last of all "You can still have a life" where (ANOTHER SPOILER!!!!) the company arrive to take Ripley away but she makes her choice not to go with them. Its a great track and nicely deals with the emotional themes of Ripley's turmoil and also her last moments in general. And the moment where Ripley (SPOILER AGAIN!!) makes her moment of self-sacrifice is a memorable piece which is often been used in trailers for films ever since.
So again its not an entirely happy listening experience but its a by far and large an excellent score by one of Hollywood's most talented composers of 1990s and it heralded his arrival for sure. So for me it deserves the runner-up spot.
And at No.1 is...............................
1. Carlito's way - composer Patrick Doyle
Yep at No.1 is Carliiiiiiiiiiito's way! And no I'm not talking about its 1970's laiden disco fest soundtrack (which you can get on Amazon or anywhere else) I'm talking the wonderfully dramatic and suspenseful score by Scottish composer, Patrick Doyle.
And the crime of it all is the score is rare to get on CD and not readily available to download and while I could get some tracks of it from Youtube it would hard for me to list them all since there isn't a way for me to listen to them all. Damn!!
But anyway what I can do is mention some of the tracks from it such as its main theme called "Remember me" which is played at the start of the film and features near the end aswell. Its a nicely orchestrated piece which is quite emotional aswell and conveys Carlito's emotions in his last moments.
Then there is of course the standout track "Grand central station" which is the score's main showpiece and its great piece of music as it is very suspenseful throughout and it plays perfectly next to the film's action. This is of course where Carlito is being chased by the mob who are out to get him for his involvement in the assassination of one of their bosses, Tony T.
There are some other great tracks which I don't know the names of as I don't have the album as I said and its rare to get ahold of. But these are the ones where Carlito fights his way out of the bar where he is trapped in an ambush involving his younger cousin and he shoots his way out. Then there is the track where we see Kleinfield (Sean Penn) Carlito's friend and devious laywer, stride happily towards a prison barge to meet with the mob boss, Tony T, only to come out later in a state of fear and panic.
And lastly there is the track used where Carlito and Kleinfeld go on the boat to pick up Tony T and take him with them but instead Kleinfeld murders Tony and disposes of the boss's son (who was with them too). Its another good example of Doyle's great understanding on how to score suspense and drama and he builds it all up nicely.
Its a pity this score isn't more readily available and it is often overshadowed by the film's popular 1970s disco score that features heavily in it too. And because of its low availability and the fact that its also a great score in its own right is why it sits right at the top of the list of underrated original film soundtracks.
Sooooo that's it and I will be back with another post sometime soon. Plus I will be getting a PS4 soon so I might end up doing a couple of reviews of some games if I get a chance to buy them (or lend them even! ;-)).
Anyway until the next one its bye for now.
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