Investigation

Bob Dylan, fire-breathing dragons and a certain bespectacled wizard... Ken Kessler spotlights 20 recent stage and screen soundtrack albums available on vinyl and SACD

Who can explain the raft of ultra-desirable, super-luxurious soundtracks released this past year or two? If anyone thought the genre – once a dependable source of demo LPs and tapes for audiophiles – was past its best, this batch is so on trend that one can only imagine an invasion of Gen Zers taking control. Soundtrack albums have made a comeback and I for one am not complaining.

Gaming-inspired films, CGI spectaculars, science fiction and horror movies, heavy metal parodies and Oscar-nominated biopics populate this roundup, but vintage stage and cinema sensations haven’t been ignored. For those who love lavishly packaged LPs, there are standout editions for Serenity, The Matrix, Doom, and the Harry Potter franchise, which – along with the Quentin Tarantino films – prove that the soundtrack genre in particular has been tapped for a new audience.

For an older demographic, there are hoary stalwarts present, including an anthology of vintage Broadway shows and even the re-recorded (arguably better than the original) score for Gone With The Wind.

Mood music

A couple of the titles here document rock concert tours and recording sessions. Another set, which will be unmissable for hardcore cineastes, provides a smorgasbord of incidental music from a British studio that existed to create onscreen moods. And if that triggers memories of the old BBC Sound Effects Library, then you’re probably as old as I am.

David Newman
Serenity
(Varèse Sarabande VSD00714, 2LP blue vinyl)

Joss Whedon’s cult-classic space-western TV series Firefly, about a band of interstellar rogues, was cancelled unresolved. Serenity is the ‘closure’ film addressing fan clamour, and this is the first vinyl release, 53 David Newman-composed tracks expanding on the CD’s 22. An evocative mix of genres – science fiction meets Sergio Leone – it should come with a warning. This is an audiophile spectacular, so watch the levels the first time you put it on your turntable. A gorgeous translucent blue release includes a poster, plus there’s a Vinyl Club limited edition in ‘Browncoat’ vinyl.

Max Steiner
Gone With The Wind
(Vocalion CDLK4652 SACD)

While re-recordings of classic film scores usually raise an eyebrow, much works in favour of this 1973 session featuring Charles Gerhardt conducting the National Philharmonic Orchestra at Kingsway Hall. Most important is that the project was authorised by Gone With The Wind’s composer Max Steiner, while the original mono soundtrack from 1939 doesn’t exactly challenge one’s sound system. Another element to boost fan appeal is that it included material never before recorded. This SACD replicates the liner notes and photos from the 1974 RCA vinyl.

John Williams
Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone
(Rhino/Warner Bros R1 93086, 2LPs)

In the wake of the now-circa-£500(!) 16LP box set issued in 2024, Rhino has made four of the Harry Potter soundtracks available for individual purchase. That said, I can’t imagine hardcore fans wanting anything other than the entire set, but they can start with this, from the first film. Uniform with this double LP and in gorgeous gatefold sleeves are the next three titles in the franchise, The Chamber Of Secrets, The Prisoner Of Azkaban and The Goblet Of Fire, while I suspect the rest will follow. And soon there’ll be the HBO TV version with which to contend. Reality check: is it really 24 years since the series commenced?

Neil Young
Coastal: The Soundtrack
(Reprise 093624830085 CD)

I’ve stopped counting Neil Young releases, but this is around his 75th. Despite a surfeit of Young, this is a nice surprise, 11 tracks from the behind-the-scenes film of his 2023 US tour, shot and directed by his wife Daryl Hannah. A Blu-ray release of the film would be appreciated, but for the time being you can revel in Young’s fresh interpretations of ‘Expecting To Fly’, ‘I Am A Child’ and nine less-often-heard tunes from his catalogue.

Paul Lewis, John Hyde, et al
Dream A Dream With Studio G...
(Jazz Dispensary/Craft CR00910, red vinyl)

Something not to be missed by soundtrack devotees, this superb compilation – subtitled Cratedigger’s Archive (1970-2009) – contains 25 mood-making cues from UK music library Studio G. It’s a mix of genres, with titles such as ‘Wastelands’ and ‘Sweet Dreams’, while all is annotated by musician/producer/DJ Ryan Jebavy and Saint Etienne co-founder Bob Stanley. Sonically excellent, with handsome sleeve art from Ivan Minsloff.

Combustible Edison, et al
Four Rooms
(Modern Harmonic MH-8282, 2LPs)

What a joy! I’d forgotten this cult, Tim Roth-starring, 1995 ‘anthology’ set in a fictional L.A. hotel on New Year’s Eve. Notable for contributions from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, the film featured a fabulous soundtrack, now enjoying its first vinyl release. Inspired by 1950s/’60s TV themes and loungecore, it delivers reference-grade sound and even name-checks that genre’s maestro, Martin Denny.

Willie Colón & Héctor Lavoe
Vigilante
(Craft Recordings CR00647, 180g vinyl)

Salsa pioneer Willie Colón’s last recording with the late singer Héctor Lavoe was this soundtrack to a 1982 cult fave about a vigilante group taking on a violent street gang. Having seen the film, starring Fred Williamson (From Dusk Till Dawn), Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and Carol Lynley (The Poseidon Adventure), I can attest to its effectiveness for enhancing the action. But even without visuals, it stands up as a superb, lush-sounding album.

Paul McCartney & Wings
One Hand Clapping
(MPL/Capitol/UM 602465081640, 2CDs)

It’s too late to acquire the limited edition 2LP set with its bonus EP [HFN Dec ’24], but this double CD release contains the complete song selection of the Paul McCartney & Wings ‘rockumentary’ – 26 tracks of Wings, Beatles, solo Macca and covers, performed live in the studio in 1974 after the recording of Band On The Run. Having now had a cinema release, and with the box set with DVD long out-of-print, can we also expect a fresh Blu-ray release? Here’s hoping.

Timothée Chalamet, et al
A Complete Unknown
(Columbia 19802884292 CD)

Inevitable by-products of biopics which don’t use the subjects’ original recordings are collections of cover versions. While most of the 23 numbers in this retelling of Bob Dylan’s early years are his compositions, other singers from the era are included, eg, Ed Norton as Pete Seeger handling ‘Wimoweh (Mbube)’. Timothée Chalamet does a credible impression of Dylan on 17 of the tracks, and his four duets with Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez are terrific.

Various
Death Proof
(A Band Apart/Warner RCV1 106172)

Tarantino’s 2007 tribute to ‘grindhouse’ B-movies could take place at any time between the mid-1960s and the early 1980s. A slasher flick of sorts, with car chases and Kurt Russell as the lead villain, the film – with authentic graininess and film ‘scratches’ – is proof of Tarantino’s impeccable taste. How many American filmmakers would mix tracks from T. Rex and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich with Eddie Floyd and Willy DeVille? This is as much fun as the movie itself.

Original Cast Recording
Folk City – The Greenwich Village Musical
(Jay Productions/Cherry Red CD2JAY21473, 2CDs)

If you loved A Mighty Wind, the spoof of the 1960s US folk scene, you’ll cherish this ode to Greenwich Village and the bohemians who made it a breeding ground for folksingers. Performed in 2018, the play takes place at the legendary Gerdes Folk City club, across the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. The 30 songs here are pastiches, but do read the liner notes: The Smithereens’ Pat DiNizio contributed to this, one of his final projects.

Original Cast Recording
Hair
(Vocalion CDSML 8586 SACD Stereo/Quad)

I wouldn’t consider myself a Hair devotee, but do have a preference for this original stage version over the film release soundtrack [HFN Aug ’25]. Although the hippie schtick is so dated as to be comical (and Hair was truly uncool when released in 1968), this ‘American Tribal Love-Rock Musical’ does feature songs enshrined in Boomer consciousness, such as ‘Aquarius’, ‘Good Morning Starshine’, and the title track. Sonically? A knock-out.

Clint Mansell
Doom
(Varèse Sarabande 00888072576704, 2LPs 180g coloured vinyl)

Another film score gets the deluxe treatment from Varèse Sarabande with new artwork and coloured vinyl, this time semi-transparent ‘black ice’ in green and orange. Gamers know Doom as the 2005 cinematic spin-off from one of the most successful of the early first-person 3D shooters, a monster-killfest demanding a noisy, gory soundtrack. The pounding, militaristic orchestration from Clint Mansell (formerly of British alt-rockers Pop Will Eat Itself) is bass-rich and full of surprises, and includes a guest spot from Nine Inch Nails. The Dwayne Johnson-starring action flick didn’t set the world alight, but at least it gave us this.

Badfinger
Magic Christian Music
(Apple SAPCOR12, blue marble vinyl)

Not a soundtrack per se, this was Badfinger’s debut after a stint as the Iveys, but three of its tracks – ‘Rock Of All Ages’, ‘Carry On Till Tomorrow’ and the McCartney-penned ‘Come And Get It’ – were used in the 1969 Peter Sellers/Ringo Starr film The Magic Christian. What the soundtrack LP also included was Ken Thorne’s score and Thunderclap Newman’s ‘Something In the Air’, but as you’ll have to pay £100 for a copy, this is a fine alternative.

Don Davis
The Matrix
(Varèse Sarabande 00888072630185, coloured vinyl)

A quarter-century on, and The Matrix franchise remains one of the most dazzling of science-fiction film series, notable for advancing CGI combat motion as much as Jurassic Park did for recreating dinosaurs. Don Davis’ score is ominous and powerful, and sounds spectacular on this ‘25th Anniversary’ LP, available in red or blue vinyl according to one’s preferred ‘pill’, or ‘Cyber Swirl Green’. Expanded to include 18 tracks from the score, this is the orchestral soundtrack, not the selection of rock songs from the likes of Rammstein and The Prodigy. The new artwork is a kicker, too.

Dave Grusin
Murder By Death
(Varèse Sarabande/Craft 00888072532410)

Fans of Netflix’s Wednesday will note the Charles Addams cover, and its mix of murder mystery and parody is perfectly captured by Dave Grusin’s score to Robert Moore’s 1976 film. This is the vinyl debut for the 22-cut soundtrack, while the liner notes have me pondering a purchase of the Blu-ray. David Niven, Alec Guinness, Peter Falk, Maggie Smith and Peter Sellers spoofing Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Sam Spade, Charlie Chan and more? Irresistible.

Ramin Djawadi
House Of The Dragon: S1
(Watertower WTM41072, 2CDs)

If you found this prequel to Game Of Thrones a qualitative match for that sublime saga – maybe even better – then you’ll cherish this 44-track reminder of its grandeur and drama. The score comes from Emmy Award-winning composer Ramin Djawadi, also responsible for Game Of Thrones’ memorable music. This is a wonderful, old-school soundtrack evoking the biblical epics of the 1950s/1960s, worth shelf-space alongside Rózsa, Nascimbene, and North.

Various
Inglourious Basterds
(A Band Apart/Warner Records RCV1 52037)

Luckily, fans of Tarantino don’t care about anachronisms. The music to his Oscar-nominated 2009 re-imagining of Hitler’s fate in WWII contains songs from Billy Preston and David Bowie, in addition to themes from films composed by Lalo Schifrin, Ennio Morricone and other soundtrack legends. As with every QT movie, eclecticism rules, so it feels as if you’re in a film studies course. This limited edition reissue comes in ‘blood-red’ translucent vinyl.

Spinal Tap
Spinal Tap: The End Continues
(Interscope Records 00602478558221 CD)

Since the vinyl release earned our Album Choice [HFN Jan ’26], I’ve now seen the film and have a much better appreciation for the new versions of songs which appeared in the original This Is Spinal Tap, especially ‘Stonehenge’. For those who prefer CDs, the track listing is identical and the sound more ‘crisp’, but the LP has more weight. As for the film, ignore any snide reviews. It’s simply hilarious and may even have you holding back a few sobs.

BBC Concert Orchestra And Singers
State Fair &The 20th Century-Fox Songbook
(Dutton Epoch 2CDLX7408, 2xSACDs stereo/5.1)

For those needing a course in musicals, this is as good as any, 20th Century-Fox up there with MGM for putting Broadway smashes on screen. In addition to the Rodgers and Hammerstein title work, this has 40 selections from Centennial Summer, April Love and more from 1943-1957. The BBC Concert Orchestra and Singers are joined by Michael Feinstein as a guest performer – the seal of approval when it comes to US show tunes.