It’s no secret that movie soundtracks are an integral part of a film. The right song can make a plain scene memorable and a classic scene legendary.

There are certain moments in film history that are defined by their choice of song. The opening moments of Saturday Night Fever and Easy Rider might have been ignored if it wasn’t for the perfect song choice.

Soundtracks also serve as a tasting platter of the musical variety. A more recent example is the excellent Garden State soundtrack that without a doubt turned a legion of melancholy twenty-somethings into Shins fans.

We have spent hours going through our record collection to compile a list of our favourite movie soundtracks.

10. The Virgin Suicides - Air
Sophia Coppola's misunderstood directorial debut was made even more memorable thanks to the use of Air’s moody electronica. The beautiful score serves as the perfect backdrop for a rainy day and turned many a filmgoer into a fan of their music.





9. Almost Famous – Various Artists
This has a superb tracklist of the best that '70s rock had to offer including Led Zepplin, The Who and Elton John. The soundtrack presented the glory of Reginald Dwight to a new generation of fans and made 'Tiny Dancer' popular again.




8. Trainspotting - Various Artists
A brilliant mix of late '90s darker Britpop and the use of Lour Reed’s 'Perfect Day' makes this one of the greatest soundtracks of the decade.
 




7. Garden State - Various Artists
One of the more memorable soundtracks of late made perfect use of The Shins and the underappreciated Nick Drake. It has the intimate feel of someone making the ultimate mix tape.





6. Singles - Various Artists
It was the way many of us were introduced to the grunge movements of the early '90s. Although the film hasn’t aged well the songs are still incredibly powerful. Highlight is the Smashing Pumpkins with an early track that was performed during their recent Festival Hall shows in '08.





5. Easy Rider - Various Artists
Possibly one of the greatest soundtracks of the '60s with an incredible list of artists including Jimi Hendrix and The Byrds. Of course the Steppenwolf track alone is worthy of your time.





4. Grease - Various Artists
One of the most popular soundtracks of all time, which everyone knows the lyrics to at least one song. Admit it.





3. Pulp Fiction - Various Artists
The eclectic choices of songs were used to perfection throughout the film. This was the soundtrack to have in the mid '90s.
 




2. Purple Rain - Prince
Love him or hate him this is Prince at his absolute best with not a dud to be found on this soundtrack. Prince has an absolute ban on his music being used in Youtube, we have an homage of sorts to the soundtrack from Jay and Silent Bob.




1. A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles
One second into this classic soundtrack you know it’s the Beatles. The definitive movie soundtrack in which every song is an absolute classic and is used brilliantly in the film. Although close to its 50th anniversary, it still holds up quite well.




- Story by Sebastian Cordoba