Having supervised the use of music on such diverse films as 28 Days, School of Rock, The Squid and the Whale, and Velvet Goldmine, Randall Poster has played a huge role in setting the perfect mood for contemporary American cinema. Most satisfying of all, however, is his longtime sonic collaboration with director Wes Anderson. Their latest project, The Darjeerling Limited, has yielded yet another gorgeous soundtrack; one that both bolsters and illuminates the meaning of the film, and sounds great as a stand-alone recording, too.

Hear Randall Poster describe how he met Anderson, and the process behind creating their soundtracks (audio production by David Goren).

1. Martin Scorsese sets the bar for those of us who live to use songs well in movies. Let me just say that the music in Mean Streets made me possible.
2. American Grafitti—saw the movie and ran to buy the album. Have never stopped playing it. Del Shannon's "Runaway" kills me every time.
3. Bette Midler sings "You Belong to Me" to Nick Nolte in Paul Mazursky's Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
4. The songs in Hal Ashby's Shampoo: Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass; "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"; and "Wouldn't it Be Nice" by the Beach Boys. My favorite movie of all time.
5. Jack Nitzsche is a hero of mine. I got to work with him on Sean Penn's film The Crossing Guard, which was the last film score he composed before he died. His score for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is perfect. Milos Foreman tells a great story about working with Nitzsche on the film in Turnaround, his memoir.
6. Speaking of Milos Foreman: Hair, Amadeus, Taking Off.
7. Jerry Goldsmith's score for L.A. Confidential managed to evoke the period while maintaining a contemporary pulse of suspense. Nobody did it better, as they say. You can't imagine the movie without his music. Look up his film credits and get back to work.
8. George Gershwin: Woody Allen, Manhattan. Fireworks over the East River. Hail the hometown.
9. The Count Basie Orchestra as they play and then miraculously appear in Blazing Saddles.
10. Have you watched Bottlerocket lately? "Alone Again or" by Love, led by the late Arthur Lee. It doesn't get better than that.