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Thursday 2 December 2010

GUEST POST: The Soundtracks of My Life

This is a cool thing. One of the good folks I follow on Twitter mentioned something about good soundtracks recently that I responded to, and after a bit of a chat, I convinced her to write a post for me on her favourite soundtracks. And she did. And it's ace. And it's below. So let me introduce you to Rebecca. If you want to follow her on Twitter you can find her at @waltandperry - she's a great Tweeter and living as she does in Washington DC, this could be the first of many posts from the ihrtmusique DC correspondent. So take it away Rebecca...


I grew up in an era when the internet was still in its infancy.
Listening to a new jam was not as easy as just clicking a button on the iTunes site.
If a song wasn’t in heavy rotation on the radio, or wasn’t featured in an MTV video, odds are slim I would’ve heard it.
Were it not for film soundtracks, my teen years in the 90’s might have been spent listening EXCLUSIVELY to Britney Spears, NSYNC, & The Backstreet Boys. (Not that those artists didn’t have a place in my listening library.)It was the soundtracks that afforded me the opportunity to listen to a wide variety of artists from all different genres of music, and who had achieved varying degrees of notoriety, from household names like Cobain, to the up-and-coming, and the never to be heard from again.
I thought I’d share a few of the soundtracks that really helped to shape my formative years.


1) Reality Bites 1994.
Although it’s the first thing you might think of when you hear the title, this album is not defined exclusively by Lisa Loeb’s #1 hit single Stay.
This eclectic soundtrack also featured classic songs like My Sharona (The Knack), fresh hip-hop beats courtesy of Me Phi Me, U2’s CLASSIC All I Want Is You and a reggae inspired reworking of Framton’s Baby I Love Your Way by Big Mountain.
A classic album that should be present in any self respecting Gen-Xers album collection!



2) Pump Up The Volume 1990
Since this entire movie revolved around Hard Harry, a pirate radio DJ, it is no surprise that new and ‘forbidden’ music figured heavily into the plot.
Were it not for this album, I would have never discovered indie artists like The Pixies, whose song Wave of Mutilation still makes my heart twitter.
This album also introduced me to artists like Sonic Youth & Soundgarden, that had yet to go mainstream. Add some old school hip hop, courtesy of Above The Law, as well as Concrete Blonde’s fab cover of Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows, and you’ve got yourself one Hell of an album.



3) Great Expectations 1998
Okay. It’s another album filled with classic 90’s angst! But,it’s a goodie. Scout’s honor! Among the lovely tracks is the haunting piece Life in Mono, by British pop duo Mono; some ‘Girl Power’ anthems courtesy of Tori Amos & Poe, as well as solo tracks from Chris Cornell, & Scott Weiland. Pulp’s Like a Friend is also featured on this album. A song I listen to every time I feel jilted by a man!!
In fact this soundtrack is how I came to know Mr. Jarvis Cocker.
For that reason ALONE, this album will always hold a special place in my heart.



4) Cruel Intentions 1999
The songs for this soundtrack were so carefully selected that simply listening to the album from start to finish will inform one of the plot of the film. (Hint: Think Ryan Phillipe pre-manwhoredom.)
One of the most beautiful pieces on the album, is Colorblind by Counting Crows. The lyrics “I am ready,I am ready,I am fine” could not have been more perfectly suited to a scene where a girl loses her virginity. Contributions by Blur, Aimee Mann, & Fatboy Slim, add to this solid soundtrack.
And The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony, which is played at the revealing conclusion of the movie, rounds off this killer soundtrack.
A MUST OWN for any man or woman who has ever loved and/or lost!



5) Dazed and Confused 1993
This album showcases the best of 70’s rock & roll. With jams by Kiss, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Foghat, & Lynyrd Skynyrd…I mean everyone who was ANYONE in the 70’s Rock scene was featured on this album.
With the great beats and the generally upbeat tone of the songs, this record is an ESSENTIAL for any road trip.


If you should find yourself perusing the shelves at the record store, maybe take a second to glance through the soundtracks. Just don’t judge the album by the movie it’s attached to. Some of the lamest films produced the finest compilations of music. Inspect the soundtrack to Julia Roberts’ latest crapfest. Her ginormous smile may be the cover of your new favorite record!

By: Rebecca Sellitti

4 comments:

Rebecca Woodhead said...

You have GREAT taste. Awesome blog debut, BeckSTAR! x

Jyoti Mishra said...

Lovely post! Makes me think of what my list would be...

smernicki said...

You'd have to add the soundtrack to Singles to this list, but Pump Up The Volume & Reality Bites are GREAT and I will be in the loft this weekend looking for my copies of both.

Becks said...

@smernicki I really was struggling with leaving Singles out of the list.
The best of the best of grunge made it onto that album.
P.S: If I guy neglects to say 'God Bless You',I show his butt to the door:)