Best Sound Track Ever Vote for One

Here’s an unheralded gem: 1970’s “Performance.”

Jack Nitzsche, Randy Newman, Merry Clayton, Ry Cooder, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Russ Titelman, Lowell George, Gene Parsons, Bobby West and Milt Holland.

In various incarnations, this “band” created a really cool, unique soundtrack for the film. It’s produced by Jack Nitzsche but he is also probably the primary creative force, with Randy Newman, Merry Clayton, and Ry Cooder in tow.  Randy Newman plays on several tracks, sings a couple, and is even credited as the band’s “conductor.” You throw in Buffy Sainte-Marie getting in there, and then all these excellent players from The Byrds, Little Feat, and Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band, Bernard Krause using a Moog synthesizer prototype (it being 1970 they weren’t on the market yet) and some really interesting, unique music, this is an unheralded gem.

It even has The Last Poets with their 1970 classic, “Wake Up, N*****s”

Great nomination @tylermunns!

A favorite use of music in film of mine is that in Blue Velvet. The score by Angelo Badalamenti is great, but what kills me is how David Lynch uses the music and voice of Roy Orbison is a couple of scenes.

One really creative film score is Ry Cooder’s entirely-improvised guitar playing in Paris, Texas. Neil Young tried the same in Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man, but Neil is no Ry Cooder.

@bdp24 I’ve been meaning to watch “Paris, Texas.”

I love Harry Dean Stanton.  I just recently watched the hilarious David Lynch short, The Cowboy and the Frenchman starring the great Mr. Stanton on YouTube.  Jeez, what a great and a hilarious short.  My girlfriend and I were howling.

I play the theme from Twin Peaks, either the main theme or Laura Palmer’s love theme (or both) at this regular piano gig I picked up recently. Angelo is just brilliant in anything I’ve heard of his. David is as good as anyone in filmmaking in the use of music in film; not only with the original music in his films but in the use of popular music.

I had to pick up the Mulholland Drive soundtrack on CD online because it’s not available on iTunes and I couldn’t live without what may be my favorite vocal of all time; the Spanish, a cappella version of “Crying” by Orbison by Rebekah Del Rio.  The scene with that performance in the film is a stunner cinematically, as well.

I really enjoyed both Neil’s soundtrack and the Jarmusch film, Dead Man.  I know my girlfriend is a fan, we should give that a go soon also.

Too many damn movies to see.

@tylermunns:

David Lynch is one of the few genuine genius (a very overused adjective imo) of our lifetimes. Criterion was having their annual catalog sale a few weeks ago, and I picked up copies of their DVD (I haven’t yet made the move to Blue Ray) issues of Eraserhead (THE most disturbing film I’ve ever seen, and my favorite surrealistic picture.), Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Dr. to replace my "standard" copies. I also got their Crumb (fantastic movie!) and Don’t Look Back issues. I’m not as critical of visual quality as I am of sonic, but I’ll spend the extra $ for movies I really, really love.

Yeah, Badalamenti’s music is haunting, and very romantic. The scene in Mulholland Dr. you refer to never fails to bring me to tears. David Lynch obviously loves Roy Orbison. ;-)

@bdp24 Criterion looks great.  Streaming films can be an exercise in frustration for those who want good visuals.  I’ve sat there and spent 10+ dollars to watch one movie, bailing on multiple rentals in quick succession only to find the subsequent platforms look as bad as the previous.  Then the best looking one keeps freezing/buffering so I have to go back and settle for a bad looking stream…

No Blue Ray here yet, either, one of those things I keep saying I’m going to get.

I’ve been meaning to show my girlfriend Crumb for a while.  Thanks for the reminder!  
ANOTHER movie we gotta watch…