TV soundtracks

the age of really respectable TV soundtracks was brought about more or less by Lost -- it wasn't the first, but it was the first huge, mainstream hit show (since, i don't know, the simpsons?) to feature a soundtrack with depth, character and strong compositional flair. composer michael giacchino has gone on to bigger and better things since his work on Lost, which saw him transition from JJ abrams's secret weapon to an internationally acclaimed, in-demand multi award winner -- but his unique work on Lost, using unusual soundscapes and weird instruments (including percussion made from bits of plane fuselage), was nothing more than revolutionary.

now, great TV soundtracks are plentiful. what are some of yours?

here are my favourites:

BSG
30 rock
community (i wish the season 2 soundtrack would come out!)
arrested development

what are yours? what are shows with great music that you wish would be released on record?

This is a bit before most all of your all's time but do yourself a favor and find a place to snag a copy of the Northern Exposure soundtrack - one of the best TV shows soundtracks ever.

There is a collection of some of them on YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...8&feature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4bISyBHDBY

I really, really loved the soundtrack to The OC. Almost none of the music was original but I loved the songs they used in the show. I have the soundtracks to all 4 seasons.

As far as original music, Dexter really sticks out to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W2iemo3gY8

also, The Walking Dead's score is pretty great, but that's to be expected as its composer is the very interesting and original Bear McCreary (BSG).

(the DP is david boyd, who did stunning work on Firefly, so the show has much better creatives on it than it probably deserves)

KT, i really liked that little bit of soundtrack. interesting compositional style and traces of some composers i really like. i looked up the composer (daniel licht) but he's done nothing else famous or noteworthy.

The age of respectable TV soundtracks was brought about by Twin Peaks, that's a basic pop culture fact.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db5ZhxM8VZQ
I mean it's Angelo Badalamenti for Christ's sake. One of the greatest film/TV composers ever.

I seem to remember The X Files had good music too but it's been a million years since I've watched an episode so I could be way off.

The soundtrack for Daria was always awesome, too. The alt/grunge song choices really captured the spirit of the show.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rick Scarf

This is a bit before most all of your all's time but do yourself a favor and find a place to snag a copy of the Northern Exposure soundtrack - one of the best TV shows soundtracks ever.

There is a collection of some of them on YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...8&feature=plcp

northern exposure(full song) - YouTube

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Holy crap, I had completely forgotten about this show. I used to love it when It was on TV. I know about 5-6 years back they started airing episodes in HD on one of the HD-is-a-gimmick channels and I made an effort to record them on my DVR.

It's all commercial music, and rarely used, but when HIMYM decides to use music... they capture the feeling spot on.