Gangland Continued

So lets jump right into this shall we. I am in the process of listing my top 5 youth gang films and soundtracks and numbers 5 and 4 were The Wanderers and The Warriors and really this "list" is more of a circle of my Top with these films and soundtracks all residing within the circle comfortably. So on we go.

3. COLORS

Now this was an interesting film, made in 1988 and directed by Dennis Hopper it for sure tries to be a serious film about the dangers of street life as well as a look at the L A PD and the relationships that form between the gangs and the policemen as well as the relationships within the groups. I like it but it has not aged well at all and Sean Penns performance can be kind of odd at times I thought. But it does boast this great song by Ice T back when he used to be a rapper.

As far as rap in the mid to late 80's go, that is a great song and there are some just plain good good songs on the entire soundtrack itself.

2. Boyz N The Hood

This was another hard hitting portrayal of gang life and also set in LA. It was made in 1991 and there is for sure a substantial difference in the look of the film as well as the realness of the dialogue. I think part and maybe all of it is that John Singleton wrote it he also directed it and the message that he was trying get across was very important to him. He also put together a really nice soundtrack that he used to highlight the passing of time. I am going to give you a couple of examples.

The Five Stairsteps - Oooh Child

This is just a lovely song and shows how good some of the music was in the 70's. Then Singleton decided to contrast it with this

Ice Cube - How To Survive in South Central

As you can hear, there are some very stark differences between these two songs. Very stark.

I will see you tomorrow for film #1!

Gangland Tuesday

I grew up pretty much slightly lower middle class I think. We were certainly not a fancy family but we also were not dirt poor either. I am not sure why but growing up I always had a fascination with the idea of street gangs and hoodlums. I think that may be because as a child, Salem just did not have much of a problem with that. I am sure that had I been forced or chosen to join a gang then my fascination with them would have faded. That being said while I am not condoning gang lifestyle or violence there is a certain fascination with this idea and several of my favorite films deal with this issue. Some seemingly glorifying it and others realistically showing how horrible that kind of life can be. But one thing that theses 5 films have in common along with being films about street gangs they are also films with soundtracks that I love. So without further adieu I present to you.

MY TOP 5 GANG FILMS & SOUNDTRACKS 

5. The Wanderers 

This film could be the number 1 film as well and while I have broken this list up into my top 5 in all honesty I love everyone of these films and the soundtracks as well. This film has a classic early sixties soundtrack But for me the song that really stands out among the many great songs on the sound track is Dion's "The Wanderer" 

Such a good song. 

4. The Warriors

Can you dig it? Interestingly enough both this film and the previous one were made in 1979 and both took place in New York City. Though The Wanderers was set in 1963 and I think a little more realistic then the stylized gangland of NYC in The Warriors. I really do enjoy both films equally. There are some excellent songs on this soundtrack but I really just like the musical score itself and I have noticed that some modern films and bands are for sure using this soundtrack for inspiration, like "Drive" and the Tron remake as well as the latest album by Daft Punk

I hate to leave you hanging but that is all you are going to get today. I can already tell that this blog post will be to big to be just one. So tomorrow you will get to see 3 and 4. 

Oh Brother...

One of my favorite films of all times is the Cohen bro's "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" there is just something about it that I find so uplifting and special. A large part of that is the amazing soundtrack and the soundtrack for this film is truly an amazing one. I find that often for me, a great soundtrack can made a poor film a far more enjoyable one for me. I am sure that it isn't the same for other people.  But for me the use of really good and effective music just transcends anything else in the film. If I had to pick my top three film and soundtrack experiences and believe me that the experiences go together, sure you can listen to a soundtrack without watching the film, but just try to watch a film without a soundtrack attached to it. I think you will not enjoy the experience at all. But anyway my top three in no particular order "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou", "Almost Famous", and "The Royal Tenenbaums."  They are all so good. It is no coincidence that the directors of these films also have other films that have amazing music in them as well. Though to be fair the Cohen bro's are not known for it as much as Camron Crowe is and Wes Anderson are.

 There are times that just hearing a certain song or even part of a song from these soundtracks will drive me to tears and I do not mean that in a bad way at all.  I love the effect that these songs have on me. I love that about film and music in general that the impact can last beyond the initial viewing experience, which maybe why I love books and film and music so much.

Now, this wouldn't be my blog if I didn't throw up some videos for your viewing and listening entertainment. So here we go.

From "Oh Brother, Art Thou"

Big Rock Candy Mountain

Down To The River To Pray

I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow

Oh Death

Music from "Almost Famous"

I've Seen All Good People

Every Picture Tells A Story

That's The Way

I'm Waiting For The Man

Songs from "The Royal Tenenbaums"  A lot of what makes this soundtrack so effective is the score by Mark Mothersbaugh, I think that he is amazingly talented.

These Days

Police and Thieves

Needle in the hay - This is a song that I will never be able to listen to the same way I again. But I love the song.

Thanks for reading and listening folks.