10 Best Film Soundtracks

Movie soundtracks can be a tricky business and one can easily find the ten worst film soundtracks and highlight the 10 best film soundtracks. Soundtracks are not just a random collection of songs just to make more money off a movie release. A soundtrack should compliment and hopefully amplify what's going on on-screen.

1. "The Sound of Music" This is one of the best film soundtracks because there are so many memorable songs from Rodgers & Hammerstein, Oh, and there's those adorable children and Julie Andrews singing those songs. The story about the Nazis is also a compelling backdrop for these stellar tunes.
2. "The Harder They Come" Few movies turn singers into international stars, but this one did. It also help popularize reggae music around the world. There are many fine songs contained within, but Cliff's contributions are the best.
3. "Help!" This film was just another avenue to present fresh, new Beatles music. And the soundtrack is great, just like most all of the band's early tunes are.
4. "Tommy" When it comes to creating soundtrack music, that's a man's job. Er... a band's job. And some of Pete Townshend's best songs were included on this one. The songs were probably better than the movie itself, especially with the help of Elton John.
5. "The Big Chill" Okay, it's not hard to go wrong with a bunch of Motown tunes, but this soundtrack helped revive interest in that Sound Of Young America, which was not a bad thing at all.
6. "West Side Story" When you're a Jet--or not--this collaboration between Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim is amazing. Its story, about gang life, also includes many eternal truths about human nature. And these songs put these truths to melody.
7. "Once Upon a Time in the West" It's nearly impossible to separate Ennio Morricone from the Western film genre; his music for this film--and many others--are so good. When you hear a Morricone score, you immediately think the Old West.
8. "American Graffiti" This two-record set did for '50s music what The Big Chill did for '60s music many years later. Some folks discovered the joys of '50s music for the first dime after hearing this soundtrack.
9. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" "Moon River" is a fantastic song. And Henry Mancini's instrumental score perfectly fits the mood of this Audrey Hepburn vehicle. If you like Hepburn's version of the song, chances are good you'll enjoy Morrossey's take on it even more.
10. "Midnight Cowboy" Much like "Breakfast at Tiffany's," this film combines a great score (by John Barry) and an excellent song, "Everybody's Talkin' at Me." These songs help underscore the darker side of New York City.