The greatest film soundtrack is...

[brownie]

This looks like a good example of the current state of culture in US magazines...

From Reuters today

"Purple Rain" greatest film soundtrack: Vanity Fair

If you've hummed along, tapped your feet, or even danced in your seat while watching "Purple Rain," "Saturday Night Fever" or "Trainspotting," you're not alone.

The soundtracks from those movies have been named among the 50 greatest by the editors of Vanity Fair magazine. The full list will be revealed next month in a one-time Conde Nast magazine, Movies Rock, for subscribers of its 14 titles.

"Purple Rain" topped the chart even though it was described as "perhaps the best badly acted film ever," editors at Vanity Fair said, while "Trainspotting" came in at No. 7 and "Saturday Night Fever" was eighth.

The Vanity Fair editors said the "Purple Rain" soundtrack was a flawless combination of "funk, R&B, pop, metal, and even psychedelia into a sound that defined the '80s."

"A Hard Day's Night" came in a No. 2, followed by "The Harder They Come," "Pulp Fiction," "The Graduate" and "Superfly." "American Graffiti" and "The Big Chill" rounded out the top 10.

"Saturday Night Fever's" soundtrack is "required listening for anyone looking to heat up the dance floor," the editors said. "The white suit? Not so much."

Movies Rock, which will feature stories and photos of the projects, stars, directors and musicians who created the selected movies, launches ahead of a two-hour CBS broadcast of the same title in December.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

No sign of "Sweet sweetback's Badassssss Song"?

Or "I'm gonna get you, suckah!"?

Or "Lialeh"?

Or "The dynamite Brothers"?

Or "In the heat of the night"?

Can't believe it!

MG

[7/4]

Naked Lunch.

[JSngry]

Looks like Gen-X done sold us out agin.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Looks like Gen-X done sold us out agin.

MG

[porcy62]

C'mon Brownie, you are too strict. To me "Vanity Fair" (The magazine) and "Culture" in the same sentence is an oxymoron.

[brownie]

Porcy, I was under the impression that 'Vanity Fair' was culture to the American masses!

If the film soundtracks list reflects fairly on their vanity, then I'll skip even the occasional glances at their issues

[Aggie87]

I like Trainspotting alot as a film, but I'd be hard-pressed to tell you a single song that's on the soundtrack. Was it really that great a set of songs? I don't remember it being a blockbuster music release, like Purple Rain, Saturday Night Fever, etc.

[brownie]

... and 'Grease' did not make it to the list so far!

[7/4]

Porcy, I was under the impression that 'Vanity Fair' was culture to the American masses!

If the film soundtracks list reflects fairly on their vanity, then I'll skip even the occasional glances at their issues

Last time I read it was when they had a listening test with Capt. Beefheart. '83, I think.

And that's about it.

[porcy62]

Porcy, I was under the impression that 'Vanity Fair' was culture to the American masses!

If the film soundtracks list reflects fairly on their vanity, then I'll skip even the occasional glances at their issues

Maybe I am wrong, but to me modern 'Vanity Fair' is a magazine based on sensational, though accurate and well written, interviews and stories about the Star System, occasionaly they had some investigative strong stuff. I couldn't see any 'culture' in it.

[ejp626]

No sign of "Sweet sweetback's Badassssss Song"?

MG

The others, ok. But this has some of the worst funk music I've ever heard in a movie. In addition, for me, it fails utterly as a film, though the backstory of how it was made is pretty interesting.

[Adam]

No sign of "Sweet sweetback's Badassssss Song"?

MG

The others, ok. But this has some of the worst funk music I've ever heard in a movie. In addition, for me, it fails utterly as a film, though the backstory of how it was made is pretty interesting.

I think it's a brilliant film, but I don't remember any of the soundtrack (which I believe was also composed by Melvin Van Peebles).

[brownie]

Porcy, I was under the impression that 'Vanity Fair' was culture to the American masses!

If the film soundtracks list reflects fairly on their vanity, then I'll skip even the occasional glances at their issues

Maybe I am wrong, but to me modern 'Vanity Fair' is a magazine based on sensational, though accurate and well written, interviews and stories about the Star System, occasionaly they had some investigative strong stuff. I couldn't see any 'culture' in it.

Vanity Fair did publish some interesting stories several years ago. I was mostly reading the magazine at the time (and still do occasionally) to have a look at the photos from Annie Leibovitz!

[BruceH]

Seems there's at least two types of soundtrack: One is the kind that uses original music composed specifically for the film (the North By Northwest soundtrack for instance.) The other and newer approach is basically a collection of previously released songs, some of which were used in the movie. Call it the "classic hits" or post-American Graffitti approach. (In this category, the Diner soundtrack has to be one of my favorites.) Purple Rain and A Hard Days Night were done by musical acts that essentially provided their own classic hits so they stand a bit between (original but still song-oriented) but most of the VF list seems to be very much in the second mode. While I love The Harder They Come as much as the next person (alt. title "Early Reggae's Greatest Hits"), when I hear the word "Soundtrack" I usually think of Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Joseph Kosma and the like.

[Kalo]

Naked Lunch.

[paul secor]

Jules et Jim

[Kalo]

Seems there's at least two types of soundtrack: One is the kind that uses original music composed specifically for the film (the North By Northwest soundtrack for instance.) The other and newer approach is basically a collection of previously released songs, some of which were used in the movie. Call it the "classic hits" or post-American Graffitti approach. (In this category, the Diner soundtrack has to be one of my favorites.) Purple Rain and A Hard Days Night were done by musical acts that essentially provided their own classic hits so they stand a bit between (original but still song-oriented) but most of the VF list seems to be very much in the second mode. While I love The Harder They Come as much as the next person (alt. title "Early Reggae's Greatest Hits"), when I hear the word "Soundtrack" I usually think of Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Joseph Kosma and the like.

Another type I can think of is what scholars call "diagetic," where the music emerges naturally from the reality of the scene, whether from performers, radios, etc. Of course, often all three of these types appear in the same film. Of course, I assume that Vanity Fair's article is a list of best soundtrack albums.

[Kalo]

Play Time

[porcy62]

Another type I can think of is what scholars call "diagetic," where the music emerges naturally from the reality of the scene, whether from performers, radios, etc. Of course, often all three of these types appear in the same film. Of course, I assume that Vanity Fair's article is a list of best soundtrack albums.

You read too much books of filmic semiology.

[Kalo]

Another type I can think of is what scholars call "diagetic," where the music emerges naturally from the reality of the scene, whether from performers, radios, etc. Of course, often all three of these types appear in the same film. Of course, I assume that Vanity Fair's article is a list of best soundtrack albums.

You read too much books of filmic semiology.

One was enough!

[Jim Alfredson]

[porcy62]

Another type I can think of is what scholars call "diagetic," where the music emerges naturally from the reality of the scene, whether from performers, radios, etc. Of course, often all three of these types appear in the same film. Of course, I assume that Vanity Fair's article is a list of best soundtrack albums.

You read too much books of filmic semiology.

One was enough!

I got you!

[GA Russell]

Seems there's at least two types of soundtrack: One is the kind that uses original music composed specifically for the film (the North By Northwest soundtrack for instance.)...when I hear the word "Soundtrack" I usually think of Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Joseph Kosma and the like.

Me too. Five years or so ago, I bought a book which listed hundreds or thousands of movie soundtrack albums and rated them, much as Leonard Maltin's books rate movies.

I noticed that an extremely high rating was given to John Barry's music for The Knack (and How to Get It), so I bought the CD. I enjoy it.

The problem with albums of this type is that the composers usually wrote three melodies for the movie (I guess you would call them motifs) and then played them over and over during the course of the film. So the albums consist of forty-five minutes of variations on only three themes.

[BruceH]

Seems there's at least two types of soundtrack: One is the kind that uses original music composed specifically for the film (the North By Northwest soundtrack for instance.) The other and newer approach is basically a collection of previously released songs, some of which were used in the movie. Call it the "classic hits" or post-American Graffitti approach. (In this category, the Diner soundtrack has to be one of my favorites.) Purple Rain and A Hard Days Night were done by musical acts that essentially provided their own classic hits so they stand a bit between (original but still song-oriented) but most of the VF list seems to be very much in the second mode. While I love The Harder They Come as much as the next person (alt. title "Early Reggae's Greatest Hits"), when I hear the word "Soundtrack" I usually think of Elmer Bernstein, Bernard Herrmann, Joseph Kosma and the like.

Another type I can think of is what scholars call "diagetic," where the music emerges naturally from the reality of the scene, whether from performers, radios, etc. Of course, often all three of these types appear in the same film. Of course, I assume that Vanity Fair's article is a list of best soundtrack albums.

Of course.

I call the diagetic the "sound" soundtrack. Just to confuse matters, most of the songs on the Diner soundtrack issued from jukeboxes, car radios, record players, and so on during the course of the film.

Play Time

What a surprise that you would mention that album. (And it is a classic!)