A truly great album can achieve that greatness in various ways. Superior songs and music are obviously a must, but to lodge a place inside your head and heart, an album needs something beyond those.
And for me, that something is simple: the album tells me (sings me? plays me?) a story as it progresses through the tracks. Even better, when it’s done, I’ve just watched a fantastic movie… by listening to it.
With that in mind, here are five great albums that also function as great movie soundtracks for movies that only exist in your head.
These five albums would also make great soundtracks
Robbie Robertson - Robbie Robertson (1987)
At the top of my list is Robbie Robertson’s self-titled album. Robertson, who had an extraordinary career no matter which way you look at it, was coming out of a period where he was filmmaker Martin Scorcese’s musical muse, working on Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, and The Color of Money. So when he stepped into the studio to record this gem, he was in full storyteller mode.
“American Roulette,” “Somewhere Down the Crazy River,” “Broken Arrow,” and “Showdown at Big Sky” and the rest combine to tell a tale of Southwestern malaise and horror that you can see so clearly in your head that you feel like you’re there. Across his storied career, Robertson was rarely better than he was here.
Del Amitri - Waking Hours (1989)
Speaking of malaise and horror, small towns tend to produce those in large amounts - I ought to know, I grew up in a town of 625 people. So when Scottish alt-band Del Amitri dropped Waking Hours in 1989, I was floored to hear an album that I recognized so much of my life in. Weaving a cinematic story about those trapped in small-town existences and the existential crises they face, the footage passed before my eyes the first time I listened to it, populated by those I had grown up with.
Fantastic songs like “Kiss This Thing Goodbye,” “Move Away Jimmy Blue,” “Hatful of Rain,” and “Nothing Ever Happens” enhance and strengthen the album’s narrative tremendously. I can still listen to this one end to end today and find it fascinating and comforting.
Roger Waters - Amused to Death (1992)
The great Roger Waters tells you up front precisely what his album/movie is all about: there’s a monkey sitting and watching television, all the while learning about humanity’s foibles and troubles. Amused to Death is a powerful journey through human stupidity and frailty.
At one point, Waters has sportscaster Marv Albert reporting live from a war zone, doing play-by-play on a submarine battle. And the terrifying thing is that it makes “Perfect Sense,” the name of the song in which that happens. “What God Wants” leads us through the various lies and obfuscations that religious and political institutions spew as excuses for their behaviors.
And capping the whole thing off, the title track (“Amused to Death”) lays out the grim lack of a future we all face on some of our current paths. An album for the ages.
Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire (2007)
I-Empire from Tom DeLonge’s Angels & Airwaves stands out to me primarily because the story/movie it delivers is one wrapped in hope and even moments of joy. Yes, there are songs about pain, but ultimately, the material is about being resilient, fighting for what is right, and overcoming obstacles.
The phrase “Spread Hope Like Fire” jumps out of “Secret Crowds,” grabs you by the heart, and demands you work for what is good in order to make things better. The movie plays in your head like a call to overthrow a corrupt political regime and the way it feels to win that battle successfully. Other pieces like “Everything’s Magic” and “Jumping Rooftops” lay in as perfect background to the imagery being inspired by your imagination.
Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile to the Surface (2017)
Manchester Orchestra deliberately went into the studio to tell a story with A Black Mile to the Surface, and the results are darkly powerful and moving. Coming off of having actually created a movie soundtrack for Swiss Army Man, singer Andy Hull and Robert McDowell too that momentum to put together this beauty.
A rumination on a South Dakota mining town and on Hull’s young daughter, this darkly-lit sonic path burrows into your head with amazing songs like “The Maze,” “The Silence,” and “The Moth.” This entire project represented an already terrific band suddenly leveling up again, expanding upon their already amazing potential for greatness. Both the movie in your head and the album that projects it are huge winners.