Movie soundtracks: The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week
Welcome back to Far Out’s weekly vinyl corner feature, where we look to bring you a tempting selection of records from some of our favourite artists, bargain vinyl deals to look out for, and unmissable limited-edition releases. Today, we’re picking out the best film soundtrack compilations and score albums available on Amazon.
Vinyl sales grew for the 15th consecutive year in 2022, rising to 5.5million units, the highest level since 1990, when …But Seriously by Phil Collins was the year’s biggest-selling studio album. The return to plastic has steadily climbed since the invasion of streaming services in the late 2000s. While the weightless, highly accessible and practical format is great for discovering and consuming swathes of new music while you’re out and about, there’s nothing like coming home to a bit of vinyl.
Fellow collectors will agree that if there’s an artist or album you love, there’s always a good reason to have the turntable at the ready and a 12″ slot reserved on the shelf for inevitable expansion. The sound quality of vinyl brings something more hearty and vibrant with its analogue warmth and crisp definition that there really isn’t a substitute for.
So if, like me, you have a soft spot for these groovy discs of plastic, allow me to walk you through ten hot picks for this week. The list includes a selection of hit soundtracks from Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction and some salient scores from Thom Yorke to Hans Zimmer.
The following selections have been handpicked by Far Out Magazine, and as a result, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
The 10 best vinyl deals available on Amazon this week:
Thom Yorke – Suspiria
While his Radiohead bandmate Jonny Greenwood made his film scoring debut in 2003 with Bodysong, Thom Yorke embraced his first cinematic project in 2018. In the mid-2010s, the Radiohead frontman was approached by director Luca Guadagnino to create the soundtrack to his remake of the classic horror movie Suspiria.
Initially, Yorke declined Guadagnino’s offer but ultimately yielded to the Italian filmmaker’s admirable persistence. This deftly crafted soundtrack includes instrumental tracks, interludes, and songs created by Yorke. The album’s most memorable moment ‘Suspirium’, was nominated for ‘Best Song Written for Visual Media’ at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Available for purchase here for £27.50.
Clint Mansell – Requiem for a Dream
Requiem for a Dream, the 2000 movie directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly, has to go down as one of the greatest novel adaptions of all time. While the cinematography and acting did Hubert Selby Jr.’s novel a fine service, something must be said of Clint Mansell’s arresting score.
The haunting musical accompaniment was mostly conceived by Mansell, with the string quartet arrangements written by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and performed by the Kronos Quartet. The most memorable moment is ‘Lux Aeterna’, the movie’s leitmotif.
Available for purchase here for £34.92.
Hans Zimmer – Gladiator
In 2000, Ridley Scott released his epic historical drama, Gladiator. The movie, starring Russell Crowe in his Academy Award-winning role, was written by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson and was a resounding commercial and critical sensation upon its release.
The Oscar-nominated soundtrack score for the movie was composed by the one and only legend of the game, Hans Zimmer, in cooperation with singer Lisa Gerrard. Zimmer initially planned to use Israeli vocalist Ofra Haza for the score, following their previous collaboration on The Prince of Egypt. However, Haza died in late February 2000 before she could record, so Gerrard was chosen instead.
Available for purchase here for £37.29.
Various Artists – Pulp Fiction
Could you think of any other contemporary filmmaker that picks better soundtracks than the legendary Quentin Tarantino? Instead of commissioning a heavyweight like Hans Zimmer to orchestrate his soundtracks, Tarantino likes to impress his brilliant music tastes unto his loyal audiences.
While all of Tarantino’s movies are well catered in the sound department, 1994’s Pulp Fiction just about noses ahead as one of the most enjoyable and best-selling movie soundtracks of all time. The album includes hits by Al Green, Dusty Springfield, Kool & the Gang, Ricky Nelson and more.
Available for purchase here for £22.99.
Various Artists – Trainspotting
The soundtrack scraped together by Danny Boyle for his gritty 1996 masterpiece Trainspotting is not far short of perfect. As a film of harrowing reality, dark comedy and rave scene nightlife, he had a lot of emotions to cover in the soundtrack, and he certainly did it proud.
The album teems with Britpop, electro, rock and ambient from such eminent artists as Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, Pulp, Blur, Lou Reed, Elastica, Underworld, Leftfield, New Order, Sleeper, Primal Scream and more.
Available for purchase here for £38.84.
Various Artists – Forrest Gump
This Oscar-winning classic of 1994 was directed by Robert Zemeckis and featured Tom Hanks as the titular character. The film follows Gump’s rollercoaster life from childhood through to the 1960s when he finds himself fighting in Vietnam. Subsequently, he finds himself at major historical events as he swoons after his childhood sweetheart and dreams of running a shrimp farm. Accompanying us on the journey are some of the greatest hits from the ’60s and ’70s.
The 32-track collection includes all of the soundtrack highlights, including Elvis Presley’s ‘Hound Dog’, ‘California Dreamin” by The Mamas & The Papas, ‘Respect’ by Aretha Franklin, ‘Mrs. Robinson’ by Simon & Garfunkel, ‘Rainy Day Women #12 & 35’ by Bob Dylan ‘For What It’s Worth’ by Buffalo Springfield and many more.
Available for purchase here for £24.45.
Bob Dylan – Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid
In 1973, Bob Dylan released his 12th studio album, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, an album the master songwriter pieced together for Sam Peckinpah’s movie of the same name. Dylan was intensely invested in the project and even appeared as the character Alias in the film.
The soundtrack consists mainly of illustrative instrumental music inspired by the movie but is also home to Dylan’s all-time classic hit single, ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’. Certified gold by RIAA, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid reached number 16 in the US and 29 in the UK.
Available for purchase here for £9.70.
Various Artists – The Exorcist
In 1973, William Friedkin released his masterpiece horror, The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s original novel of two years prior. The movie scared the living bejesus out of anyone who dared to watch, leaving them with the ominous piano melody of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ trickling through their minds.
Alongside Oldfield’s magnum opus of prog-rock, the soundtrack excerpts include a delightful selection of creepy classical pieces, including Hans Werner Henze’s ‘Fantasia for Strings’ and ambience passages recorded by Jack Nitzsche.
Available for purchase here from £50.00.
Various Artists – 8 Mile
In 2002, Marshall Mather, or Eminem as he’s more commonly known, released 8 Mile, a semi-fictionalised biopic following the rapper’s rise to success, written by Scott Silver and directed by Curtis Hanson. Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy and Kim Basinger joined Eminem in the cast.
The movie’s soundtrack included tracks by Eminem, Obie Trice, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Xzibit, Macy Gray, Nas, Boomkat, Rakim, Young Zee and Gang Starr. Most notably, Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ won the Academy Award for ‘Best Original Song’ at the 75th Academy Awards.
Available for purchase here from £29.77.
Various Artists – Good Will Hunting [Original]
In 1997, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck released their co-written, Oscar-winning masterpiece, Good Will Hunting. The pair starred alongside castmates Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, Stellan Skarsgård and Casey Affleck. Damon began writing the script for his final assignment for a playwriting class at Harvard University. Instead of writing a one-act play, Damon submitted a 40-page script, which he eventually moulded into the final movie with help from his childhood friend, Affleck.
The movie received a shower of well-deserved acclaim, including an Oscar nomination for Elliott Smith’s song ‘Miss Misery’, which sadly lost to ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from Titanic. The late Elliott Smith shines throughout the soundtrack but is joined by Gerry Rafferty, The Dandy Warhols, Al Green, The Waterboys and more.
Available for purchase here from £53.82.
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