Underrated soundtracks - Sister Toldjah

(Before I get started, is it obvious how I’m trying to avoid talking much about politics today? It’s good to take a one day break from the contentiousness of politics sometimes. Don’t worry – political blogging here at the ST blog will return tomorrow

Xanadu soundtrack A friend and I are having a friendly debate about underrated soundtracks. I told him I thought the soundtrack to the movie “Xanadu” was so underrated. Ok, I know most of ya’ll are laughing, and yes – the movie was cheesy as heck. But the soundtrack … I have always liked it! ELO is awesome, and Olivia-Newton John was a heroine of mine from my younger years. The first album (yes, a vinyl one) I ever owned was “Making a Good Thing Better“. My parents bought it for me when I was 7 or 8 years old (can’t remember the exact year).

Anyway, is there a soundtrack out there you love but generally has gotten panned by the critics and/or perhaps didn’t sell very well? If not, how about a CD that didn’t do very well but that you happen to love? We’ve all got a few of those

ArizonaTeach says:

October 23, 2005 at 11:01 pm

Ooohh….soundtracks. I’m a huge fan of the Dark City soundtrack (and a HUGE fan of the movie), but for my money, the best underrated soundtrack for a totally crappy movie is Toys. You will never ever hear both Tori Amos and Grace Jones on the same CD again. Plus, it has one of my favorite Christmas songs, The Closing of the Year on it.

CedarFever says:

October 23, 2005 at 11:12 pm

Xanadu – wow, that brings back memories. I never saw the movie but remember hearing the music on the radio after it was in theaters – it’s “time machine” music for me and always transports me back whenever I hear it. For some reason, anything Top 40 from about ’77-’81 tends holds sway over me like that.

I’ve always been partial to the soundtrack from Better Off Dead . The movie is one of the all-time favorites from my teenage years. *Sigh* twenty years sure do go by quickly.

Lorica says:

October 24, 2005 at 12:13 am

LOL 🙂 I have been buying alot of the old 70’s music. I have been thinking I am missing some ELO. I too was a big fan. In fact I have been wanting to hear the song “Showdown” From “ON the third day” Album. That or the Album “Eldorado”. I have been buying alot of the early and mid 70’s Genesis, Jethro Tull and Supertramp.

I have never been one for soundtracks even tho I have always loved movies, and music. Just me I suppose.

Ok off to bed sleep well Sister, Night all – Lorica

camojack says:

October 24, 2005 at 7:04 am

Not only do I have the album, I’ve got the movie on tape. I always used to go see ELO when they came into Philly for a concert, and had a MAJOR crush on Olivia Newton-John. I’ve got some of those tracks as MP3 files; if you’d like, I can email ’em to ya… 😆

Sister Toldjah says:

October 24, 2005 at 10:10 am

Thanks for the interesting responses, everyone. Did I mention I also love the soundtrack to the Val Kilmer movie “The Saint”? 😀

Alamo Tim says:

October 24, 2005 at 7:09 pm

Howdy Sister – I’ve been reading your blog off and on for a while and have been very impressed. As someone who grew up in the DC area being groomed to be a good little liberal that has learned to think for himself over thee years en route to becoming a Texan transplant, I can definitely relate to your bio. Keep up the good work. 😎

As odd an assortment as you may ever find, I really like the “Lost Highway” soundtrack. It includes David Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, Lou Reed, and Antonio Carlos Jobim (smooth Brazilian jazz from the 60’s). In addition to being an interesting melange of artist to create a somewhat gothic feel, I think it flows real well with the excerpts from the movie on the soundtrack.

Here is the review from amazon.com which sums it up very nicely:

Spooky and cool–those two words pretty much sum up this soundtrack for David Lynch’s stranger-than-usual movie. It’s a mix of hard-edged techno-industrial, slightly spooky jazz, and orchestral compositions from Angelo Badalamenti. David Bowie’s “I’m Deranged” is a major highlight, proving once again that he is the coolest man on the planet. Badalamenti’s instrumental tracks are reminiscent of Elliot Goldenthal’s Interview with the Vampire soundtrack, although “Dub Driving” sounds like an accompaniment to Sam Spade. Sandwiched between a pair of tense city-thriller tracks by Barry Adamson, Lou Reed’s rendition of “This Magic Moment” acquires its own disturbing dimension, but the most entertaining track on this CD is, without a doubt, Marilyn Manson’s rendition of “I Put a Spell on You.” It’s not exactly party music, but it’s loaded with atmosphere.