Soundtracks in rotation on my iPod:[ul][li]The Last of the Mohicans[/li][li]Battlestar Galactica - Season 2[/li][li]Firefly[/li][li]Dr. Horribles Sing-Along-Blog[/li][li]How the West Was Lost[/li][/ul]
I have three collected CDs of soundtracks - Jerry Goldsmith’s, and the 25th and 30th anniversary collection of Varese Sarabande.
Watching an old movie the other night, The Apartment, reminded me that I had an album of movie themes from maybe late 50s to early 60s. Besides the theme from The Apartment, I remember Exodus, and I think, The Horse Soldiers, and others I don’t recall. I need to see if I still have that album because I remember enjoying it as a teenager, many, many years ago.
Other standouts from that era were More, the theme from Mondo Cane, Moon River from Breakfast At Tiffany’s, and The Magnificent Seven.
From another era of course, Gone With The Wind.
From Dusk Till Dawn has a kickass Tex/Mex soundtrack.
I just ordered Thomas Newman’s score for Revolutionary Road from Amazon, I meant to do it a while ago but it’s always been one of those “oh I’ll buy it another time” purchases.
My favorite soundtrack. The album is called Passion.
So much good stuff listed in this thread already!
I’ve been collecting Thomas Newman scores since I was young (Little Women came out and had what I thought was the most wonderful music ever). I love a good score, this includes music in games.
If you liked The Adjustment Bureau see if you can find Mad City, also by Newman.
I like the music to the game Machinarium, by Tomáš Dvořák. He also has a CD out under the name Floex with similar music.
Jeff Beal’s score for the show Carnivàle is excellent.
Also, Rachel Portman.
The one issue with discovering movie soundtracks is that there’s a chance you’ll go see a movie like, say, Avatar and spending moments thinking, “Good God man, let that poor four note melody GO already!” (I have a love/hate relationship with James Horner’s music)
If you really want to study the craft, get your hands on DVDs that offer a “Score only” track. I know A Bug’s Life (the 2-disc Collector’s Edition) has it, and it’s amazing to listen to Randy Newman’s score and see how it fits the action without all that pesky dialogue getting in the way. 
This is bad, OP. Very grave.
First off, I’m assuming you’re male because you work sound. You see, soundtracks are a gateway drug. They lead to…showtunes.
A few of these have already been mentioned, but it doesn’t hurt to second them!
Gladiator (Hanz Zimmer + Lisa Gerrard)
The Power of One (Hanz Zimmer)
The Fountain (Clint Mansell + Kronos Quartet)
Requiem for a Dream (Clint Mansell)
Moon (Clint Mansell)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Tan Dun + Yo-Yo Ma)
Labyrinth (David Bowie + Trevor Jones)
The Last Temptation of Christ (Peter Gabriel)
Any and all soundtracks written by Yoko Kanno (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Cowboy Bebop)
How has this thread gotten this far without mention of either John Barry or Lalo Schifrin, two of the most memorable film score composers? If there is anybody in the industrial world who can’t hum “The James Bond Theme” or “Mission: Impossible – Main Title” then they are probably deaf.
Stranger
Conan the Barbarian has a well-known and appreciated soundtrack. Basic Instinct is very good too.
Two of my favorites are the Vangelis soundtrack for Blade Runner (the one he performed, not the NAO one) and Cliff Martinez’s soundtrack for Solaris.
I really like Out of Africa and Henry V (the Branagh) version. And ditto on Gladiator and add, anything by Lisa Gerrard…soundtrack or not.
Maurice Jarre needs a mention in this thread. His credits include greats like Lawrence of Arabia and Grand Prix.
And Giorgio Moroder. He totally fuckin’ rocks. ( Midnight Express, American Gigolo, Flashdance, The Never Ending Story, Thief of Hearts, Electric Dreams, Cat People, Over the Top, Scarface)*
*thanks wikipedia!
Some fairly obscure movies have outstanding soundtracks.
Red Cliff
Restoration
Children of Dune
Proof
K-19
Lady in the Water
And of course, Bear McCreary on Battlestar Galactica and Caprica
Surprised there’s only one mention of John Williams who is the king IMO. Other greats (depending upon which movie we’re talking) include the usual suspects Howard Shore, Danny Elfman, Ennio Morricone, Bernard Hermann, Jerry Goldsmith, Hans Zimmer, Thomas Newman, James Newton Howard, etc.
Lesser known ones (whether because they focus on TV or just not very well known movies) like Michael Giacchino, Jon Brion, Don Davis, John Ottman, Tan Dun, Klaus Badelt, etc.
I want to make special mention though of a couple
Bill Conti’s epic soundtrack for Rocky
David Julyan’s haunting simple score for Memento
Alan Silvestri’s fanfare theme for The Abyss
Soundtracks, just like all other music, is a matter of taste. Bought three of the James Bond soundtracks because the theme songs were hits. (Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, & On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) And some of the other music was pretty good, too.
I particularly enjoyed the tracks in Clint Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns, but the actual soundtracks are nearly impossible to find. Back then, they just never thought people would want them years later, and the masters have been lost. You can find imports that include a lot of the various music on them, but that’s the closest you’ll get. Get 'em while you can, if you’re interested.
Before CD’s, soundtracks had extremely limited runs. As soon as they were released on CD, I grabbed them while they’re available, such as Escape From NY, Phantasm, Cat People, Midnight Express. Varese Saraband was the major label, and they told me if they didn’t have guaranteed sales of at least 100,000, it wasn’t enough to even print them. Another one I rushed to get while I could was the soundtrack to the first From Dusk Til Dawn movie. The track to Salma Hayak’s dance was pretty good. And they included Chet’s Rap (Cheech Marin in the parking lot, but don’t play it while impressionable kids are around).