Could pick only a few

virumandi
mouna raagam
aboorva sagotharargal
pithamagan
uthiri pookkal
alaigal oivathillai
metti
madhu
netrikkan

-Ashok

I found
Apporva sagodharargal - the theme music
Udhiri pookkal
Johnny
on first hearing.

Virumaandi->Guna->Mouna Ragam->Pithamagan->SingaraVelan->Aboorva Sagotharargal->Sethu->Pithamagan->Uthiripookal->Panneer Pushpangal?->????->Alaigal Oiyvathillai->Madhu->Netrikkan->????->Cheeni Kum->Kadhaluku Mariyaathai->Sathi Leelavathy

Excellent post!!!!!!!!!

virumandi
Mahanadhi
punnagai mannan
Mouna Raagam
Pithamagan
Apoorva sagodarargal
Sethu
Udhiri pookal
Johnny
Mullum malarum
Bharati
Kadhalukku mariyadhai
Netri kann
Cheeni kum
Aan paavam

1. Pithamagan
2. Mouna Ragam (Karthick Chasing)
3. Pithamagan
4. Singara velan
5. Aboorva Sagotharargal
6.
7.
9. Udhiri Pookal
10. Jhoni
11. Chinna Goundar
12.
13. Azhagi
14. Netrikan
15. Kadhalkku Mariyadhai
16.
17. Kadhalkku Mariyadhai
18. ??

This is Virumandi

1) is it pithamagan/sethu?
2) mounaraagam?
3) pithamagan again?
4) singaravelan
5) apporva sagothargal
6) sethu
7) pithamagan
8) -
9) johnny
10) -
11) rajapaarvai
12) madhu
13) netrikann
14) kadhalukku mariyadhai
15) -
16) kadhalukku mariyadhai
17) sathileelavathi
18)

Congrats on your 100!Very good going. Here are my (wild) guesses.

1.Pithamagan Climax?
2.Sedhu-Climax
3.Mouna Raagam - Karthik dying scene
4.Pithamagan
5.?
6.Apoorva Sagotharargal - Sad Theme
7.Manasellam?
8.?
9.?
10.Johnny - Rajni Sridevi Theme
11.?
12.Rettai Vaal Kuruvi?
13.Kasthoorimaan?
14.Netri Kann - Rajini theme
15.Kadhalukku Mariyadhai - When shalini gives coffee to everyone
16.Cheeni Kum
17.Kadhalukku Mariyadhai - Shalini thanking her mom in climax
18.?

to_ash: Good attempt. But there is no piece from Metti

Vijaykumar - Try others too. All are popular ones. You will get it.

Saraks - You are the one who has got most of them right so far...

Anon - Good try. Some of the answers I can understand why it is guessed so. No pieces from aan paavam or Bharathi

KM - Good attempt. got some right, but you have missed the second piece...

Vijay - I think you haven't heard the track completely. There are 18 pieces. Ofcourse, the answer for the starting piece is right.

Ramesh - I am surprised to see that most of them have given same wrong answer for the first piece.. But you have got most of them right

Karthik - Some are correcrt. Answers for 15 and 17th pieces are bang on....

OK, the last one is from Sathi Leelavathi. I remember having heard it in your blog itself. Now went thru' all the entries and figured out. :)

Good one! Seeing that this blog is about background scores and your interest in all music directors. I have a question. Have you listened to John Powell's work in the Bourne series of movies (Bourne identity, Bourne supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum)? I see a lot of Ilaiyaraaja in him. As someone knowledgeable in music do you see this similarity or do you think that this seeming similarity is because both IR and JP draw inspiration from the same genre?

[Got to listen again to find out the missing ones. Some of them is so near yet so far.]

Virumaandi
Guna
Mouna Raagam
?
Singaravelan
Aboorva Sagodharargal
Sethu
Pithamagan
Udhiri Pookkal
Johnny
Chinna Kounder?
Alaigal Oyvadhillai?
?
Netrikkann
?
Cheeni Kum
?
Sathi Leelavathi

1.virumandi
2.guna
3.mounaragam
4.pitha magan
5.singaravelan
6.aboorva sagotharargal
7.sethu
8.pithamagan
9.uthiri pookal
10.johny
11.dont know
12.dont know
13.madhu
14.netri kann
15.kadhalukku mariyadhai
16.cheeni kum
17.kadhalukku mariyadhai.
18.sathi leelavathy

virumandi,pithamagan,mouna ragam,singaravelan,aboorva sagodharargal,johnny,sethu,pithamagan,uthiri pookal,madhu,netrikan,cheenikum,kadhalukku mariyadhai,sathi leelavathi

1)Virumaandi
2)Mouna Raagam
3)Sethu
4)Singara Velan
5)Aboorva Sagodharargal
6)Mayakkannadi/Madhu
7)Pithamagan
8)
9)Johnny
10)Yejaman
11)Alaigal Oyvadhillai
12)Madhu
13)Netrikann
14)Kadhalakku Mariyadhai
15)Lajja
16)Kannukkul Nilavu
17)Sathi Leelavathi

I only hear 17 pieces

arvindh - Have heard a lot aobut John Powell's scores, but haven't heard his scores and I haven't seen any of the films in bourne series... will definitely do so... and it is interesting to know that JP's scoreis similar to IR...

If possible, write on Herrman, and how he has influenced different generations. For example his score for "Psycho" (and hitchcock in general), has influenced, and inspired composers world over (and for generations), I remember you posting that video on John Willians' "Jaws", you could expand your version to it, and move to other masters, say Ilayaraja's in "Moodu pani"/"Sigappu Rojakkal", and James newton Howard for "Signs", etc.

These masters made the film eerie, and haunting with their works. Moreover, write generally on the skill of the composer in accentuating the horror (for example how suicidal it would get if the timing goes wrong).

Virumandi,pithamagan,mounaragam,singaravelan,aboorva sagodharargal,sethu,pithamagan,uthiri pookal,johnny,madhu,netrikan,kadhalikku mariyadhai,sathi leelavathi

1. Virumaandi ???
2. Guna ??
3. Unknown........Superb !!!
4.
5. SingaraVelan
6. Apoorva Sahodarargal............(soulful....)
7. Kadhal Kavithai ??
8.
9. Uthiri Pookkal
10.Johnny.................(climax : "music-the life saver !")
11.Chinna Gounder (angry Vijaykanth changes mind after seeing Villain's daughter's function)
12.Alaigal Oyvathillai..........(what an orchestration !!)
13.Kanna Unnai Thedukiren
14.Netrikkann...........(aahaa !!)
15.
16.Cheeni Kam
17.Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai (the climax BGM)
18.Sathi Leelavathi

To Arvindh & Suresh :
I found similarities between IR's Rajini theme for "Maappillai" and the them of "Ocean's Eleven". Strange co-incidence ?

Similarly, to me, the theme of "Titanic" also sounded much south-Indian - much Raaja-like.

My answers (revised) :
1. Virumaandi ???
2. Guna ??
3. Mouna Ragam (found out - Karthik chase.......Superb violins !!! )
4. Sethu (heroine visiting Sethu at Paandi Madam ??)
5. SingaraVelan
6. Apoorva Sahodarargal............(soulful....)
7. Kadhal Kavithai ??
8. Kasi ??
9. Uthiri Pookkal
10.Johnny.................(climax : "music-the life saver !")
11.Chinna Gounder (angry Vijaykanth changes mind after seeing his niece's function at the Villain's house)
12.Alaigal Oyvathillai..........(what an orchestration !!)
13.Kanna Unnai Thedukiren
14.Netrikkann...........(aahaa !!)
15. (at the back of my mind....)
16.Cheeni Kam
17.Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai (the climax BGM)
18.Sathi Leelavathi

Venky - Don't remember both.. Will check it out...

About Titanic, may be it is because it has too many notes sliding over one another like that of Asian music and it is unlike pure western scores where notes are mostly orphaned (as Raaja would put it)... James Horner cleverly reworked his own Zorro theme for Titanic and it worked so well for Titanic and its theme

[My answers have stopped reaching the comments box again?]

Virumaandi
Guna
Mouna Raagam
Pithamagan? (I know, there's one more piece from the film, but this one really does sould like that for me)
Singaravelan
Aboorva Sagodharargal
Sethu
Pithamagan
Udhiri Pookkal
Johnny
Chinna Kounder? (Ejamaan also crossed my mind...)
Alaigal Oyvadhillai? (I think it is, quite sure that it's a Bharathiraja film even otherwise)
Azhagi
Netrikkann
?
Cheeni Kum
(This is the piece that freaked the hell out of me even the first time... The heroine breaks down in happiness towards the end of the film... Aana, strike aagamaattengudhu. Cha!)
Sathi Leelavathi

Thilak - Nice idea. Will try it. Yes, horror is a genre for which background score plays a vital role. IR has done a lot in this genre too. I am thinking of writing about 'Nooraavadhu Naal', the score of which i remember well than a Moodu pani or Sigappy rojaakkal...

btw, I felt James Newton Howard's score for 'The Village' is far better than that of in 'Signs'... actually I have been searching for the OST of 'The Village'

Zero - I got your first reply. The two pieces which you are not getting are from the same movie... infact you have got the situation right...