Smash soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis. Contains classics like Urge Overkill's cover of 'Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon', Dusty Springfield 'Son of a Preacher Man' and many more.

American composer Bernard Herrmann's last film score was for director Martin Scorsese's (and writer Paul Schrader's) deeply unsettling, Dostoyevskian film noir, Taxi Driver–a portrait of urban alienation that's never been matched. In the slow-motion images of New York City as Dante's Inferno (steam rising into the air to suggest the hellfire below), the orchestral music is ominous and dissonant, a rumble and crash that rises up from the underworld. But Herrmann's other major motif is a slinky, smoldering sax theme that suggests the forbidden pleasures of big-city nightlife–bars and clubs, prostitutes and porno palaces–things Travis Bickle (Robert DeNiro) may himself indulge in, but that give him no pleasure. (In fact, they disgust him.) The soundtrack features a track in which Herrmann's music is played behind bits and pieces of narration from Travis's "diary": "Some day a real rain will come along and sweep all the scum off the streets." Unforgettable music, unforgettable movie. –Jim Emerson

Even within the unpredictable Neil Young discography, this qualifies as one of his most unpredictable efforts. This soundtrack to the Jim Jarmusch film Dead Man is entirely instrumental, with the exception of some poetry read by Johnny Depp (who stars in the film) and a bit of dialogue. What's more, these untitled instrumental passages are dominated by subterranean guitar rumbles that manage to sound both grungy and subdued. Young also takes care to vary his approach a bit, switching occaionally to pump organ, detuned piano, and acoustic guitar. The results not only evoke the hostile, desolate landscapes of the film's Old West, but work on their own terms as ambient mood music for the non-new age crowd, creating an atmosphere of restless disturbance with subtlety and grace. It's not necessarily for the typical Neil Young fan (whoever that might be), but it's certainly one of his most successful experimental efforts.

The soundtrack to Planes, Trains & Automobiles features a mix of rock and roll, country and pop. The frenetic musical score by Ira Newborn makes extensive use of the folk song "Red River Valley," including a cover of Johnny and the Hurricanes' rock and roll version, "Red River Rock," performed by the British group Silicon Teens. Among other tracks is a cover version of "Back in Baby's Arms". The song, popularized by Patsy Cline, is performed by Emmylou Harris. Another popular song used in the movie is "Mess Around" written by Ahmet Ertegun and performed by Ray Charles.

Ennio Morricone's score for Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight marks the 87-year-old legend's first work on a Western-themed film in over 30 years. His melodies are still simple, relying on a few notes to form a backbone from which he never strays far. Morricone still trusts that a few strong musical ideas can supply lots of atmosphere and emotion throughout an epic-length film.

Of all of Frank Zappa's discography, Thing-Fish must be his most controversial, misunderstood, overlooked album. Obviously, it is not a masterpiece, but reducing it to a compilation album with a racist plot distorts the reality…

To view Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece Apocalypse Now is to investigate the dark side of human nature, to probe Heart of Darkness. Listening to the soundtrack is to experience the film again in another, no less mind-bending light. Arranged by Coppola and his father Carmine, the music, dialogue and narration match the film's chilling descent into madness. The score, heavy on electronics and synthetic noise, dangles the listener in front of an abyss akin to the frightful mood evoked by the film's terrifying visceral psychedelics. Keeping with the sequence of the film's action, the soundtrack traces Captain Willard's trip up the river to meet Colonel Kurtz. From the opening helicopters' muffled whirls to the echoes of the unforgiving Vietnamese jungle, the sounds of Apocalypse Now amount to poundings and shrieks of synthesized paranoia, accurately capturing the confusion and discord depicted in the film.

Just three years into their recording career, the Mothers of Invention released their second double album, Uncle Meat, which began life as the largely instrumental soundtrack to an unfinished film. It's essentially a transitional work, but it's a fascinating one, showcasing Frank Zappa's ever-increasing compositional dexterity and the Mothers' emerging instrumental prowess…

Quentin Tarantino soundtracks are often as deliriously exciting as the films themselves and Death Proof is no exception to the rule. His half of the exploitation double-bill Grindhouse concerns a serial killer called Stuntman Mike who offs girls with his indestructible car – a blend of no less than three B-movie staples that provides a perfect vehicle for a perfect soundtrack, which Death Proof comes pretty close to being. Given the inspirations behind this stylized exploitation flick, it should come as no surprise that this soundtrack also borrows heavily from the '60s and '70s, digging up a bunch of forgotten soul, pop, rock, surf, and soundtrack songs that aren't commonly heard. There are some familiar names here – whether it's composers Jack Nitzsche and Ennio Morricone or soul singers Joe Tex and Eddie Floyd – but the closest this comes to familiar territory is T. Rex's glam staple "Jeepster" and maybe Smith's one-shot wonder "Baby It's You." But the pleasure of this soundtrack is precisely how all these little-known songs create their own fantastical spin on the late '60s and '70s, just like how Tarantino does it within the film itself. According to this, it was a time when the Coasters turned "Down in Mexico" into spacey, funky doo wop, when Dave Dee, Dozy, Bich & Tich turned out fizzy pop pleasures like "Hold Tight" and when Pacific Gas & Electric turned "Staggolee" into a psychedelic pimp. Thow in a down-n-dirty Willy DeVille number and the girl power of April March's "Chick Habit," and this is turns into an addictive record – one that's perfect for long, dark drives or just about any other kind of good time you could name.

Disney's 1997 and 2006 reissues of the Mary Poppins soundtrack augmented the classic original release with a handful of demos and interviews, which is enough bonus material to attract collectors, but not enough to overshadow the wonderful qualities of the music. Mary Poppins contained some of the best-known (and best-loved) songs from any Disney film, including "Chim-Chimeree," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "A Spoonful of Sugar," and "Let's Go Fly a Kite." The music has lost none of its charm over the years, and it stands as some of the finest music from a movie musical in the last half of the 20th century.