The hills are alive with the sound of music, and I happen to be a big fan of musicals. I don’t understand what the big deal is anyway, in some ways showtunes are just the anti-hardcore; concise and understandable lyrics to beautiful music. Showtunes’ very structure is what makes them perfect for soundtracks, they’re music that furthers the story and entertains.
“Beauty & the Beast (Soundtrack to the Disney Motion Picture)” Composed by Alan Menken
Besides being just about the best animated Disney movie ever - obviously I’m quite a fan! - the music is also just amazing! In the style of the best Broadway shows, the music enchants while the lyrics entertain and all is made perfectly easy to understand so you can sing along, if you wish. The ensemble tunes are some of the best, while of course, Angela Lansbury outdoes herself with the big love-story number “Beauty & the Beast.” Personally, I enjoy Angela Lansbury’s version of the title-track much more than Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson’s, but at the end of the soundtrack even that unneeded cover is added on for good measure.
“RENT (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” Composed by Jonathan Larson
I went to see this movie last year around Christmas time, and at first I thought ‘Wow, this is different.” For the next few weeks until Christmas I found myself humming the songs, even breaking into full-out vocals at times. I finally got the soundtrack and couldn’t get it out of my CD player for months, in fact I just started listening to it again after a month-long hiatus and the music is still amazing. The best thing about this musical is that the sentiment of the songs does not become dated, even if the constant references to AIDS get a little over the top. Also, the score is one of those rock scores that holds up. The music is layered and well-played and doesn’t sound like something out of a bad ‘80s movie, and the vocals never fail to bring tears to my eyes. It’s funny how you can fail to notice great music when it’s right under your ears.
“Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” Composed by Howard Shore
The best of the three movies, if only because of its emotionally cathartic ending, “The Return of the King” also has the best score. I’m assuming that it was Peter Jackson’s decision to leave the overlong “battle songs” that plagued Tolkien’s books out of the movies, but I applaud Howard Shore for backing up his decision. These soundtracks could have gone very wrong if we suddenly had Legolas and Gimli breaking into songs about slaying Orcs, but instead we have a very insidious and subtle score. The music really creeps up on you when you listen, sometimes everything sounds peachy and the heroes will save the day, and then slowly that doubt creeps in and you remember Golem and Sauron. Howard Shore had to really understand the feeling of the movie and have the ability to translate that feeling into a coherent score to create this beautiful music, and I think he pulled it off extremely well.
“Fiddler on the Roof” Composed by Jerry Bock with Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
One of my favorite musicals because of its exceptional use of the emotional bond between parents and their children. Tevye is a truly good man trying to care for his family in a time of extreme change. Out of this story line we get such gems as “Tradition”, “Sunrise, Sunset”, “Anatevka”, and my personal favorite “Far From the Home I Love.” It is an underrated masterpiece with amazing music.
“The Sound of Music” Composed by Rodgers & Hammerstein
Julie Andrews’ voice is amazing and anything she sings is beautiful, but this musical is really perfect for her voice. The story line is most definitely Rodgers & Hammerstein, a fairy tale worthy of Disney, but a musical or movie for that matter does not need an unhappy ending to be worth viewing. Sometimes it’s all right to like something because the music is good and the story is entertaining. I’m not endorsing the new Paris Hilton album, but I do think it’s a shame that more people can’t enjoy a good musical just because it’s fun. The story isn’t all rainbows and waterfalls anyway, I mean the Nazis are involved, and some of the music strikes a deeper chord. This isn’t a shallow musical, but it is a very good fairy tale.
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