Best 70/80’s Sci-Fi/Horror Film Soundtracks?!

Anyone have some good suggestions for works in the style of:
John Carpenter, Vangelis and generally just good music from the sci-fi & horror films of the 70’s and 80’s?

Much obliged!

Can’t go wrong with about any Williams/Goldsmith/Horner/Silvestri from that time.

Ya got yer Jaws, Alien/Aliens, Back to the Future, Predator, Star Wars/Star Trek, Total Recall, Twighlight Zone, Krull, Close Encounters, ET, just a ton. I mean Jumping Jehosephat, one of the most fertile times/genre mixes ever…..

Jerry Goldsmith – definitively. Outland, Alien, Star Trek, Poltergeist, The Omen … he died 21. Juli 2004 🙁

Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells Part I from The Exorcist – the piece still gives me chills to this day.

John Carpenter’s films with his themes:

Dark Star. I only mention this ‘cos it’s a very funny film. Can’t remember the music though!

The original Assault on Precinct 13. Ok, so it’s an ‘urban horror’.

Halloween – though it always seemed a bit of a rip-off of The Exorcist theme, but still good.

Starman. Awesome theme.

Big Trouble in Little China also had a good soundtrack.

They are loads of them that can be found in stereoelf’s thread HERE (Thread 119586). 🙂

Put me down for The Omega Man !

@ cjdanger

If you are after an electronic/orchestral style like Vangelis & John Carpenter, I would suggest the following…

(click composer for discography)

* Goblin (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=2175)
* Bruno Nicolai (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=802)
* Tangerine Dream (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=2041)
* Claudio Gizzi (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=2174)
* Fred Mollin (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=2084)
* Ennio Morricone (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=51)
* Fabio Frizzi (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=2638)
* Dennis Michael Tenney (http://tenneybrothers.com/)
* Nicola Piovani (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=114)
* Fred Myrow (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=1961)
* Stelvio Cipriani (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=41)
* Riz Ortolani (http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/composerdiscography.php?composerid=776)

Anyone have some good suggestions for works in the style of:
John Carpenter, Vangelis and generally just good music from the sci-fi & horror films of the 70’s and 80’s?

Much obliged!

i’m sure you are already familiar with these but:

as zoran already mentioned, the film scores of fabio frizzi and goblin are very much in the carpenter style. also, jan hammer’s music for miami vice. side two of bowie’s albums Low and Heroes have a synthy minimalism not unlike carpenter’s music. also, brian eno’s ambient albums are a good bet. wendy/walter carlos’ film scores are similar to carpenter, but with a more classical/baroque feel.

i would recommend listening to pandora internet radio. it’s free, although you have to suffer through brief ads every few songs, but you could try the john carpenter station and it will play similar music.

you might also try Music-Map – The tourist map of music (http://www.music-map.com/) for recommendations.

All of the above.
Riz Ortolani is always a wild ride. And so is Goblin.

OH! Definitely get your hands on the Paul McCollough score for the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oimCinH-jNs).
The movie is fun to watch for numerous reasons. It doesn’t outdo the original ’68 version but still worth it.

I have no idea, but Twilight Times might be sold out for a Bluray remaster with the isolated score. Might.
It’s not easy trying to find a full blu-ray remux or copy anywhere. Also don’t know anyone who has the blu-ray to do a copy. 🙁

———- Post added at 09:55 PM ———- Previous post was at 09:54 PM ———-

I can’t like my own post. 🙁

OH! Definitely get your hands on the Paul McCollough score for the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oimCinH-jNs).
The movie is fun to watch for numerous reasons. It doesn’t outdo the original ’68 version but still worth it.

that reminds me:

the scores of john harrison are great. especially day of the dead. i’m sure that one is floating around somewhere in the film score threads, probably in the stereoelf thread.

1972 – Bruno Nicolai: Il tuo vizio e una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave 😀

1972 – Bruno Nicolai: Il tuo vizio e una stanza chiusa e solo io ne ho la chiave 😀

Translation:
1972 – Bruno Nicolai: Your habit is a locked room and i alone have the key

Terminator
Thief – Tangerine Dream
Sorcerer – Tangerine Dream
Something more recent would be the soundtrack to Far Cry 3 – Blood Dragon.

I’d say anything by Goblin, John Carpenter and Alan Howarth.

Wow the response to this thread has been amazing, thanks for the great recommendations!!!

The Goblin score for Romero’s original Dawn of the Dead is a high point of 70s horror soundtracks.

Normally I would recommend a good John Carpenter score, but you seem fully aware of those.

In this case, Dario Argento’s "Suspiria" is by far one of the best horror scores I have ever heard. The theme to "Phantasm" is quite good as well. But "Suspiria" is quite unique and VERY haunting.

cjdanger, i would also suggest Stephen king’s – Children of the corn. 1 – Main Title. – YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOXZbvF1UUk).

It has a minimalist style in the same vein of Carpenter synth scores, it’s from the 80’s and also a horror movie. I guess it must meet all the criteria you asked 🙂

I feel the need to add another vote for fantastic composers such as Bruno Nicolai and Goblin. These are very talented musicians who play their compositions very well indeed. I can not praise them any higher than suggest you get their LP albums as soon as possible and listen to these master recordings very closely.