A few rockin' soundtracks from 1984. Tons of others could have been included, feel free to mention your own rockin' soundtrack.

Please base your votes on the actual music as it was used in the film and not just the soundtrack release if you can.

(Oops ... I think I skipped the year ... sorry!)

I would say that PURPLE RAIN is probably one of the best of the rocking soundtracks, as the music itself is a part of the story, and the performances are outstanding. I am not exactly a Prince fan, but one has to admit that how the music is used in the film is spectacular and the film is really well done.

Few films know how to use music, instead of just a filler and an idea.

Another one is ONCE where the music used is actually Marketa Irglova's material and it is really well done, despite the story being somewhat against the thread of the work itself, but it works. Both of the main characters have a life of their own to be able to get together other than musically. Not exactly a "rocker" but a really good soundtrack and film.

Tempted to mention a lot of Ken Russell's work as he is one of the few directors that is really good at using music, and giving it a visual that helps us live with the classical music. A lot of special moments, despite the crazy antics here and there. But we could easily stretch this to the original BLADE RUNNER soundtrack that was one of the best film music ever used, even with CHARIOTS OF FIRE having already blown away how Vangelis added visual moments to the film itself. Beautifully directed to make sure the music lived even more.

This one is about classical music, but UN COEUR EN HIVER, is amazing and tries to connect the actual musical feeling to the ability to play it with enough emotion to show the music. It's a tough film in this area.

TOUS LES MATINS DU MONDE is a really wonderful at making sure that the music hits you right. With some wonderful performances.

A rarely seen film BITTER SUGAR, is a Cuban film that escaped and it has a rock soundtrack all through it that is magnificent, and I wish there was an album of that music.

Other than that, for me, one of the favorite music composers in film is how Krzysztof Kieslowski blended Zbigniew Preisner's music in several films, and the one that stands out the most for me, is LA DOUBLE VIE THE VERONIQUE. 

There are some other films about music and their composers that are also really good and rock, as we like to say, but I'm not sure that this is what is wanted or expected in this thread.

Hope I got it right!

PS. Nicolas Roeg is likely to have been the person that woke up the idea of MTV. His work in doing "Memo from Turner" with Mick Jagger, gave us a video that was amazing, and many think that it was the idea of it that helped define Mick from that day on. The filming is spectacular as is the whole film, and specially how a lot of music in it is used, which is amazing to say the least, even if the film itself is very tough to get and understand and pulls off a twist ending that throws us all for a loop, but in many ways it is one of the most literary films ever made. Nicolas Roeg also used a lot of music in many films and it always hit the spot ... and even his use of The Who, in BAD TIMING/A SENSUAL OBSESSION is ... wow ... I don't think that any of The Who's music was ever that well shown and appreciated!

I purposefully left Spinal Tap off as I figured it had an unfair advantage.

And as I noted in the OP 1984. Not best of all time.