Interactive Poll Ate: Movie Soundtracks

   Rolling out the red carpet for this. It's sad and strange timing. I am something of a soundtrack collector and my most beloved soundtrack composer, one I have many soundtracks by (more than twenty), and is indeed one of the people that I have the most music by in my collection, is the maestro, Ennio Morricone who I just learnt passed away as I came to create this topic. I dedicate this poll to Ennio Morricone.

Welcome to the weekly Interactive Poll Awards, which this week is a star studded tribute to various of our favourite soundtracks and soundtrack composers/ artists.

Here are the guidelines for the nominations process, and I am amenable to changes and suggestions.

1. For your nomination, please type the composer/s./artists, name of the track/ piece of music/ song from the soundtrack to go with a video (preferably a youtube embed if possible), and the name of the film. This helps me to add it to the poll and for others to easily see the name when searching the thread (say when using topic search). With much discussion, and out of competition entries, they can be a little difficult to find.

Please note that TV show soundtracks are NOT applicable, nor is the sound of a train on tracks unless that is part of a cinematic soundtrack. I would like to focus on cinematic musical expression.

2. Feel free to list two alternate choices in your nomination post, and until I add them to the poll you can of course change your mind on what you want to mention. You can also mention others along the way. I won't list your choices in the poll until Thursday, or perhaps Friday. Please do make sure that that post lists your final nomination.

3. I did decide to limit this to soundtracks not included in PA, so no Vangelis, Goblin, Mike Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, Fabio Frizzi, Alain Goraguer etc; however, if others think that should not be a rule, we can reconsider that. I am open to suggestions, well, at least for a few days.

4. I planned for this to be original soundtrack music. In other words, if this was not composed or at least adapted for the soundtrack, then I wouldn't consider it (unless perhaps I am convinced to adapt the expectations). At first I was wondering, if for instance, I should allow Wendy Carlos adaptations, such as the Beethoven adaptation in A Clockwork Orange or her variations in The Shining, but then I thought, yeah, I don't want such music not to be included. I love, say, Cat Steven's “Trouble” from the Harold & Maude soundtrack and that was used for the film before being on his album, so I think that could count? I want to leave things to people's discretion as much as makes sense, and be open to amending the expectations.

5. If you decide to change your nomination in your initial nomination post, please edit that post to indicate your actual choice – make it clear in that post what your decision is, and again, please not just a video but also type out, or copy-paste, the composer, name of the track, and the film name.

6. For this round, while it is up to each person's discretion, I would suggest not discounting a musical piece just because you feel you already knew it too well. An interesting thing with much soundtrack music is that much of that pleasure can relate to how much we enjoyed the film. I expect that some of the choices will make people feel nostalgic. Vote with you heart, your mind, your body or with whatever parts of your anatomy you would incorporate in the process.

7. I don't think that we should be disallowed from discounting a composer/ artist for our our nomination just because some other music by that composer was already suggested, For instance, just because I nominate a Morricone track does not mean that another should not nominate a different Morricone track,

8. If someone mentioned something as an alternate and decides against it, I would like it if another can feel comfortable using that choice for their nomination if they want to (still, nice to ask). I don't think there was ever a rule against that in the series, and maybe this seems all too obvious.

I expect that some people may change their minds about what they want to nominate after re-thinking things and due to other people's comments.

For the voting process:

After listening to at least all of the official nominations, then vote for and mention your three finalists in a post. Please don't vote for your own nomination, just by nominating it you've already given it a vote in a sense.

I will not add your choices to the poll until Thursday evening, I think, Pacific Standard Time, so you're free to Vaseline and vacillate at least until then. Once they are up feel free to start voting for your three, and there is no hurry. You don't have to be done by the time the next poll goes up.

If I've omitted important info, please point it out, if you have suggestions or questions, then please do mention/ask them. I hope that's clear as mud.

I'll be editing this first post later, and if changes in rules apply.

Have fun, enjoy, and avoid munching your popcorn loudly while the movie music plays.

And the nominees for outstanding soundtrack work are?


The selections:

Logan: Paul Giovanni & Magnet - "Willow's Song" - The Wicker Man (1973)

Psychedelic Paul: Hans Zimmer f. Lisa Gerrard - "Now We Are Free" - Gladiator (2000)

Gentle and Giant: John Murphy - "In the House, In a Heartbeat" - 28 Days Later (2002)

Snicolette: Nino Rota - "Romeo and Juliet" theme - Romeo and Juliet (1968)

Grumpyprogfan: Spinal Tap - "Big Bottom" - This is Spinal Tap (1984)

I prophesy disaster: Ennio Morricone - "Magic and Ecstasy" - Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)

rushfan4: John Williams - "The Imperial March" - Star Wars (1977)

TCat: Annie Lennox - "Love Theme for a Vampire" - Interview with a Vampire (1994)

Shadowyzard: Tan Dun - "Farewell" - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Lewian: Wim Mertens - "Struggling for Pleasure" - The Belly of an Architect (1987)

Meltdowner: Aaron Copland - "Our Town Suite" - Our Town (1940)

jamesbaldwin: Zbigniew Preisner - "Van den Budenmayer Concerto en mi mineur (SBI 152) Version de (1798) - La Double Vie de Véronique (1991)

mathman0806: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - "Technically, Missing" - Gone Girl (2014)

Raff: Howard Shore - "Foundations of Stone" - The Two Towers (2002)

micky: Maurice Jarre - "Lara's Theme" - Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Tiberiu Olah - "Osanda" (main theme) - Osanda (1976)

dr wu23: Bernard Herrmann - "Vertigo Theme" - Vertigo (1958)

BrufordFreak: Clint Mansell - "Pi R Squared"- Pi (1998)

I could not fit all of the full titles into the poll list, and removed dates to make space. Vote for three that you like, thanks.

My nomination:

Paul Giovanni & Magnet - "Willow's Song" - The Wicker Man



My alternates not chosen for the poll:

Ennio Morricone - "L'arena" - Il Mercenario OST

Was also used in Kill Bill Vol. 2



Jean Pierre Mirouze - "Sexopolis" - Le Mariage Collectif OST



Edited by Logan - July 09 2020 at 10:19

"Now We Are Free", performed by Lisa Gerrard (of Dead Can Dance), from the Gladiator soundtrack with music composed by Hans Zimmer.

Composed and conducted by Nino Rota, theme from "Romeo and Juliet," 1968, film directed by Franco Zefferelli. Probably familiar to most, at least of my age or thereabouts, but a gorgeous piece of music, nonetheless.

Edited by Snicolette - July 06 2020 at 12:58

@ Logan, that was the first news item I saw this morning and thought what a strange and sad coincidence.  

Who can forget the Zardoz avatar! Once seen, never forgotten. 

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - July 06 2020 at 08:57

Edited by Lewian - July 06 2020 at 09:27

I don't really have any interest in soundtracks so I am going to go with what is easily my favorite, although it is one everyone has heard so therefore nobody will vote for.

I'll start out with one of my favorite film composers Mark Isham.  This one has a beautiful melody that appears throughout the film, but is featured quite well in this track which is named "Pittsburgh 1901".  The introduction is quite atmospheric, so be patient for the piano theme to come in.  The  name of the film is "Mrs. Soffel" (from 1984) which is based on the story of Ed and Jack Biddle's escape from prison which was aided by a prison warden's wife played by Diane Keaton.

Edited by TCat - July 06 2020 at 09:47

Edited by Lewian - July 07 2020 at 15:47