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06:51

Even Bad Movies Can Produce Great Soundtracks

Rock critic Ken Tucker reviews the music featured in Days of Thunder, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, and Dick Tracy. Whatever you may think of the movies, each soundtrack album has at least a few gems.

Review
06:33

A Reissue of a Broadway Collector's Item

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says the one downside of the current crop of Broadway CDs is that few releases feature excellent singers. A reissue of the once-rare Mary Martin Sings, Richard Rodgers Plays is a noteworthy exception.

Review
22:44

Musician and Composer Mark Knopfler.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler (NOFFler). He's the guiding force behind the British band, Dire Straits. He's recently joined an informal group of musicians, The Notting Hillbillies. Their new album, "Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time," blends rock 'n' roll, blues, gospel, jazz-boogie and country & western. Knopfler has also written soundtracks for "Local Hero," "Cal," "Comfort and Joy," and "The Princess Bride."

Interview
06:59

A Composer With a Foot in Two Worlds.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews three reissues of music by composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Korngold was a success at both serious composition and writing music for the movies...among his film scores are the classics "The Sea Hawk," and "The Adventures of Robin Hood."

Review
06:54

Funk Rock and the Caped Crusader

The new Batman film has spawned two soundtrack albums -- one of Danny Elfman's orchestral score, and the latter a collection of songs written and performed by Prince. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the artist doesn't quite succeed in crafting the rock opera he strove for, but it's refreshing to hear hear him loosen up and let it all hang out.

Review
09:46

Composer and Film Family Patriarch Carmine Coppola

Coppola has written the music for several films of his son, Francis Ford Coppola, including the Godfather I and II. He has written a new score for the silent film Napoleon; he'll soon conduct a live performance of that music during a screening at Radio City Music Hall.

Interview
08:51

A New Soundtrack for the Caped Crusader

Part II of the Fresh Air interview with Danny Elfman. He talks about writing the score for Tim Burton's new Batman movie. He sees his film composing as entirely distinct from his work in the rock band Oingo Boingo. The different approaches, he says, serve both efforts.

Interview
09:55

Film Composer Danny Elfman

Part one of the Fresh Air interview. Elfman is a rock musician who fronts the band Oingo Boingo. When Tim Burton hired him to write score for Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Elfman had to teach himself to read music -- a skill he never needed in the past.

Interview
06:41

Can Movie Music Be Good Music?

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says that some composers elevate film scores, including Bernard Hermann, who wrote the music for several Alfred Hitchcock movies. A new collection of those compositions is now out on CD.

Review
06:31

A Review of Three New Soundtrack Albums

Rock critic Ken Tucker says that sales of movie soundtracks have become inextricably tied to the films they come from. He takes a look at three recent CDs featuring songs from Twins, Beaches, and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka.

Review
09:54

Film Director Taylor Hackford

Hackford produced the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba. He recently produced and directed Everybody's All American, about the life a college football hero. Hackford joins Fresh Air to talk about his early successes and failures, and the role songs play in his films.

Interview
09:40

Bridging Art and Popular Music

Rather than features songs from the 1970s in the recent Patty Hearst biopic, the filmmakers recruited composer Scott Johnson to write the soundtrack. His dense score combines synthesizers with heavy percussion, but retains the accessibility of pop music.

Interview

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