Pop Culture from an Alternate Dimension

       Soundtracks filled with popular music didn't start until the 1950s and rock 'n' roll. Before that, it was either musicals (where people sang their thoughts) or something like The Big Sleep , which had a score by Max Steiner and Lauren Bacall singing a song to patrons at a club. What if it was done the modern way but with songs from 1945/1946? For the opening credits I would have "Dreams" from the Pied Pipers. When Carmen Sternwood comes down the stairs and tries to sit on Philip Marlowe's lap while he is standing, I chose "Temptation". After Marlowe talks to General Sternwood and before he talks to Vivian Rutledge I have "Warm Mood". The scene with Dorothy Malone in the bookstore across from Geiger's would end with Stan Kenton's rendition of "Cocktails for Two". About 28 minutes into the film Marlowe returns to Geiger's house to look for clues which I have underscored with "Mysterioso". Bogart sitting ...

       Last week I talked about the television series ED . I mentioned one of the reasons it wasn't available on home video was music rights, which means we also never got a soundtrack. A lot of great songs from the late 90s/2000 and some classics were featured in the show, including "Next Year" by the Foo Fighters, which was used as the theme song. The Stuckey Bowl logo on the back I found online was made by Adrian Olivia. Listen to the songs from the past here: ED soundtrack season 1 - YouTube

       Back in April I posted a soundtrack of the tv series Moonlighting for seasons one and two. I had been disappointed that the official soundtrack was missing certain songs. In choosing songs for the previous volume and this volume I realized how hard it is to choose what should be included considering the depth of great music used on the show. The original soundtrack had "Since I Fell for You" which, I believe, was recorded for the series and is used in a pivotal scene. However, I was surprised that Billy Joel's "Big Man on Mulberry Street" wasn't included since it was not only used as a centerpiece in an episode, but the episode was even named after it. I also wanted to include Sam the Sham and Pharaohs' "Wooly Bully" which was humorously used in the last scene of the final episode of season four. Moonlighting music from seasons 3 & 4 - YouTube

            A popular post I did last October was from an idea my friend Stefan had of what if Stars Wars used popular music from the time on the soundtrack. Since this weekend is May the Fourth AND Stefan's birthday, I present his choices for an alternate soundtrack to The Empire Strikes Back . Empire Strikes Back soundtrack - YouTube and for his birthday, why don't you check out the first book he put out on Kindle: Amazon.com: My Own Personal Chamber of Horrors eBook : Boales, Stefan: Kindle Store

             The show Moonlighting  had some great music. MCA Records put out a soundtrack with some expected songs: the theme, a couple of songs from star Cybill Shepherd, one a cover of song from 1948 and "Blue Moon", (she had released an album in 1974 that was covers of Cole Porter tunes) and a cover The Rascal's song "Good Lovin'" from star Bruce Willis,  (which would have fit right in with the other songs on his 1987 album "Return of Bruno"). The soundtrack had a lot of great songs heard in the show, but I was still hoping for some others. How was Mitch Ryder's "Devil with a Blue Dress On" not included considering how it was featured in the last episode of season two.       So, what if they had a slightly more thorough soundtrack? I concentrated on only the first two seasons. This is not all the songs, but I think it is a better representation of what was heard on the show. Moonlighting music from season 1 & 2 - YouTub...

       On a forum some years ago, I asked if anyone would have wanted period appropriate music for the movie The Sting  instead of Ragtime music. Someone responded that since the music won an Academy Award for best score, it was ridiculous to consider anything else. I presume they were someone that had agreed with all of the Academy's choices but that's not me. I love the soundtrack to The Sting  but, you know me, I can't leave well enough alone.       Since the movie takes place in the 1930s, I tried to find a musician/composer who could fill the appropriate moods needed for the scenes. For the opening credits, instead of Joplin's "The Entertainer" I chose Django's "Are You in the Mood?", I substituted "Tears" for the track "Luther" where Hooker finds his partner had been murdered and the original end credits had the jaunty "Ragtime Dance" over which I replaced with Django's equally jaunty rendition of "Ava...