Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of films and musical genres. Click “Next Soundtrack” below to explore each soundtrack in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & soundtrack index here.
Magical Mystery Tour
Parlophone/Capitol (1967)
Selected by Andy Healy
This one might squeak in on a technicality, but hey I’ll take it. As a soundtrack for a television film, Magical Mystery Tour finds The Beatles at their most experimental and intriguing. Whilst the movie with its narrative of a coach tour that goes awry thanks to the meddling of magicians wasn’t high cinema, the music is some of The Fab Four's best.
As a standalone soundtrack, who can pass up the heraldry of “Magical Mystery Tour,” the sentimentality and melodic beauty of “Fool On A Hill” or the acid trip meets stream of consciousness that is “I Am The Walrus.” Throw in the trancelike “Blue Jay Way,” the nostalgia of “Your Mother Should Know” and the cool groove of “Flying,” and you have a diverse yet fulfilling album.
Initially released as a double EP soundtrack, Magical Mystery Tour was extended into an LP format for the US by adding the non-album singles of the era including “Hello, Goodbye,” “Penny Lane,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Baby You’re a Rich Man,” and the seminal “All You Need Is Love.”
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