While music can capture a moment in time, movies have the ability to place the music into a setting, giving the song a life it may not ever have had before. Like in Almost Famous: Cameron Crowe captures the time period and the atmosphere perfectly, and the music can hardly be separated from the scenes (can you listen to “Tiny Dancer” without thinking of the sing-along on the tour bus?). Here, we round up some of our favorites. What are we missing? Add your favorites below…A Tribute To Jack Johnson – Miles Davis’ original score to a 1970 documentary on boxer Jack Johnson has grown in to a landmark recording of the fusion era.
Rushmore – Wes Anderson’s soundtracks are all great, but this one should go over well with Relix readers. Standout tracks: Faces’ “Ooh La La,” Cat Stevens’ “Here Comes My Baby,” The Kinks “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ’Bout That Girl,” The Who’s “A Quick One While He’s Away,” John Lennon “Oh Yoko.” Purple Rain – A classic and one that really captures the historical moment as well. Pulp Fiction – Some of the standout tracks here include: Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell,” Urge Overkill’s cover of Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon,” and of course the song that opens the film, Dick Dale’s “Misirlou.” Into the Wild – Director Sean Penn asked Pearl Jam front man to write and perform for the film’s soundtrack, and Eddie Vedder rose to the occasion. Vedder created simple, acoustic songs that fit the personality of the character Alexander Supertramp
Five more favorites. Add your selections in the comments section below…Almost Famous – Cameron Crowe’s film Almost Famous is filled with wonderful music and the official soundtrack is only the tip of the iceberg. Crowe – who based the film off his experiences writing for Rolling Stone and going on tour with the Allman Brothers – included songs from The Who, The Beach Boys, Elton John (the beautiful sing-along scene is a highlight), and even secured hard-to-get tracks from Led Zeppelin ( “That’s the Way” and “Tangerine” ).
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – The soundtrack to the Coen Brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? was produced by T Bone Burnett and features pure country and bluegrass greats, like Dr. Ralph Stanley, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss and many others.
The Graduate – Director Mike Nichols was obsessed with Simon & Garfunkel, and he decided to use the duo for the soundtrack to his 1967 film The Graduate. “Mrs. Robinson,” the standout track of the soundtrack and a central character of the film, shot to the top of the charts that year thanks to the film.
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – Another Wes Anderson success, The Life Aquatic features solo acoustic covers of David Bowie songs by Seu Jorge.
Garden State – Zac Braff, writer, director and actor, personally chose the songs to be featured in the film and he did an incredible job at capturing the film’s vibe. Braff mixed up old favorites with new indie hits, from The Shins to Simon & Garfunkel (with a nod to The Graduate, above).