The legendary icon rockers Cheap Trick have released the official music video for their latest single "The Best Thing", taken from the band 21st studio album "All Washed Up" out now. The album was produced by Cheap trick with longtime associate Julian Raymond and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge.
Bowie performed "Absolute Beginners" live on his 1987 Glass Spider Tour, his 2000 "Mini" Tour, and his 2002 Heathen Tour. Since then, the song has been included on a number of Bowie's compilation and "Best-of" releases, and was included as a bonus track on the 1995 re-release of Tonight (1984).
Back in 1984, director Julien Temple who was a Bowie friend and who worked first for him in the Jazzin' For Blue Jean" short film, agreed to Temple's request to write music for the film if he could also play the part of Vendice Partners.
The song was recorded at Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley's Westside Studios in Shepherd's Bush, London, in the summer of 1985. One of the musicians, Kevin Armstrong, said that after only twenty minutes of trying various things, they had a structure and shape that seemed to please Bowie. He took a pen and paper and started jotting down lyrics.
Back in 2016, Entertainment Weekly chose it as one of Bowie's 20 best music videos. They stated the video "does a far better job of expressing the noirish romanticism" of MacInnes' novel than the film did and also praised the "great dance-fighting scene at the end".
Critics described "Absolute Beginners" as "the gem of his post-Let's Dance '80s output, a big, breathtaking ballad allowing him to indulge the [Frank] Sinatra croon that's driven many of his best performances". It was also considered as "Bowie's last great composition of the 1980s", while rock critic Chris O'Leary described it as "gorgeous and valedictory," with "one of the great Bowie melodies" in its refrain. Don Weller's saxophone solo has been described as perhaps the best saxophone solo in a Bowie song. They characterised it as "the sound of one man trying to violently expel his innards through the bell of his instrument" and "one of the most heartbreaking things put to record".
12-inch: EMI America SPRO 9623 (US)
Metallica's 1983 debut Kill 'Em All laid the foundation for thrash metal with its aggressive musicianship and vitriolic lyrics. The album revitalized the US underground scene, and inspired similar records by contemporaries. The band's second album Ride the Lightning extended the limits of the genre with its more sophisticated songwriting and improved production. The album caught the attention of Elektra Records representative Michael Alago, who signed the group to an eight-album deal in the fall of 1984. Elektra reissued Ride the Lightning on November 19, and the band began touring larger venues and festivals throughout 1985. After parting with manager Jon Zazula, Metallica began working with Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch of Q Prime.
Metallica was motivated to make an album that would impress critics and fans, and began writing new material in mid-1985. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich were the main songwriters on the album, already titled Master of Puppets. The two developed ideas at a garage in El Cerrito, California, before inviting bassist Cliff Burton and guitarist Kirk Hammett for rehearsals. Hetfield and Ulrich described the songwriting process as starting with "guitar riffs, assembled and reassembled until they start to sound like a song". After that, the band came up with a song title and topic, and Hetfield wrote lyrics to match the title. Master of Puppets is Metallica's first album not to feature songwriting contributions from former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine.
The band was not satisfied with the acoustics of the American studios they considered, and decided to record in Ulrich's native Denmark. Ulrich took drum lessons, and Hammett worked with Joe Satriani to learn how to record more efficiently. Ulrich was in talks with Rush's bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee to produce the album, but the collaboration never materialized because of uncoordinated schedules. Metallica recorded the album with producer Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, from September 1 to December 27, 1985. The writing of all the songs except "Orion" and "The Thing That Should Not Be" was completed before the band's arrival in Copenhagen. Rasmussen stated that the band brought well-prepared demos of the songs, and only slight changes were made to the compositions in the studio. The recording took longer than the previous album because Metallica had developed a sense of perfectionism and had higher ambitions.
Rasmussen and Metallica did not manage to complete the mixtapes as planned. Instead, the multitrack recordings were sent in January 1986 to Michael Wagener, who finished the album's mixing. The cover was designed by Metallica and Peter Mensch and painted by Don Brautigam. It depicts a cemetery field of white crosses tethered to strings, manipulated by a pair of hands in a blood-red sky. Ulrich explained that the artwork summarized the lyrical content of the album—people being subconsciously manipulated.
Master of Puppets featured dynamic music and thick arrangements. Metallica delivered a more refined approach and performance compared to the previous two albums, with multilayered songs and technical dexterity. This album and its predecessor Ride the Lightning followed a similar track sequencing: both open with an up-tempo song with an acoustic intro, followed by a lengthy title track, and a fourth track with ballad qualities. Although both albums are similarly structured, the musicianship on Master of Puppets is more powerful and epic in scope, with tight rhythms and delicate guitar solos.
The songs explored themes such as control and the abuse of power. The lyrics describe the consequences of alienation, oppression, and feelings of powerlessness. Author Ryan Moore thought the lyrics depicted "ominous yet unnamed forces of power wielding total control over helpless human subjects". The lyrics were considered perceptive and harrowing, and were praised for being honest and socially conscious by writer Brock Helander. The compositions and arrangements benefited from Burton's classical training and understanding of harmony.
The album opened with "Battery" a track that refered to angry violence, as in the term "assault and battery". Some critics contended that the title actually refers to an artillery battery, and interpreted it as "Hetfield singing of a war tactic as the aggressor" personifying destruction. The song began with bass-heavy classical guitars that build upon multitracked layers until they are joined by a sonic wall of distorted electric guitars, "Master Of Puppets" the iconical single featured lyrics from the point of a voice of a personification of addiction and it was about cocaine addiction. The song consisted of several riffs with odd meters and a cleanly picked middle section with melodic solo. The song shared a similar structure with "The Four Horsemen" from the band's first album: two verse-chorus sets lead to a lengthy interlude to another verse-chorus set, the song closes with a fade-out of sinister laughter
"The Thing That Should Not Be" was inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos created by famed horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, with notable direct references to The Shadow over Innsmouth and to Cthulhu himself, who is the subject matter of the song's chorus. It is considered the heaviest track on the album, with the main riff emulating a beast dragging itself into the sea. The Black Sabbath-influenced guitars are down-tuned, creating slow and moody ambience. "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" the song's subject matter was about madness and served as a metaphor for honesty and truth, and it was based on Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and conveyed the thoughts of a patient unjustly caged in a mental institution. "Disposable Heroes" is an anti-war song about a young soldier whose fate is controlled by his superiors. With sections performed at 220 beats per minute, it is one of the most intense tracks on the record.
The syncopated riffing of "Leper Messiah" challenged the hypocrisy of the televangelism that emerged in the 1980s. The song describes how people are willingly turned into blind religious followers who mindlessly do whatever they are told. The 136 beats per minute mid-tempo riffing of the verses culminates in a descending chromatic riff in the chorus; it increases to a galloping 184 beats per minute for the middle section that climaxes in a distorted scream of "Lie!". "Orion" was a multipart instrumental highlighting Burton's bass playing. It opens with a fade-in bass section, heavily processed to resemble an orchestra. It continues with mid-tempo riffing, followed by a bass riff at half-tempo. The tempo accelerates during the latter part, and ends with music fading out. Burton arranged the middle section, which features its moody bass line and multipart guitar harmonies.
And finally "Damage, Inc." ranted about senseless violence and reprisal at an unspecified target. It starts with a series of reversed bass chords based on the chorale prelude of Bach's "Come, Sweet Death". The song then jumped into a rapid rhythm with a pedal-point riff in E that Hammett says was influenced by Deep Purple.
Master of Puppets was hailed as a masterpiece by critics outside of the thrash metal audience and cited by some as the genre's greatest album. The band had redefined heavy metal with the technical skill and subtlety showcased on the album, which he described as "the sound of global paranoia". The album was the one that finally put Metallica into the big leagues where they belong". The album became thrash metal's first platinum album and by the early 1990s thrash metal successfully challenged and redefined the mainstream of heavy metal, until now, the album is widely accepted as the genre's most accomplished album, and paved the way for subsequent development.
The film also includes Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness", to which Duckie lip-synchs in the film, the Association's "Cherish" and Talk Back's "Rudy". These three tracks do not appear on the official soundtrack album.
Another Hughes film cracker and according to certain stories, the idea came from Molly Ringwald herself. She reached out to John Hughes, urging him to create a film inspired by her favourite tune at the time—The Psychedelic Fur' "Pretty in Pink" at the time of its released it was nothing quite like the soundtrack that Hughes assembled for Pretty in Pink, the third film he'd written to star Molly Ringwald in a lead role, following 1984’s Sixteen Candles and 1985’s The Breakfast Club.
The film made almost $7.5M in its opening week – In Ringwald’s own words: I made three movies with John Hughes; when they were released, they made enough of a cultural impact to land me on the cover of Time magazine and to get Hughes hailed as a genius. There was music in Hughes’s previous film, The Breakfast Club, and it even featured a #1, era-defining single in Simple Minds’s “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” – but as many people said, there was not much else on that soundtrack that was particularly memorable.
Pretty in Pink, however, was different cause the album had a number of now-iconic UK college rock artists (back then) on it, none of whom had come anywhere near the tops of the US pops in 1986: New Order had a trio of songs featured in the film, though only "Shell-Shock" appeared on its soundtrack, Echo and the Bunnymen, the Smiths, Psychedelic Furs and the British synthpop stars Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, a/k/a OMD, whose "If You Leave" soundtracked the film's climactic prom scene.
Suzanne Vega, then hot off her self-titled 1985 album, also appears on the soundtrack, with Joe Jackson on piano, INXS, former Time member Jesse Johnson, former Three Dog Night singer Danny Hutton and UK synthpopper Belouis Some, who had notched a pair of top 10 US dance hits in ‘85.
Released in February 1981 "Stray Cats" was the first studio album by US rockabilly band Stray Cats, first released in the United Kingdom by Arista Records in February 1981. It was produced by the band and Dave Edmunds. The album was successful in Britain, peaking at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart, and produced the UK Singles Chart top 40 hits "Runaway Boys" (No. 9), "Rock This Town" (No. 9) and "Stray Cat Strut" (No. 11).
Formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island hamlet of Massapequa, New York and then moved to the UK. The year was 1981 and the band released their self-titled album using rockabilly as their main sound early in the 80s in a time in which synth music and new wave was the king. Stray Cats was a near-perfect revival of rockabilly spirit with punk-era urgency. From the first slap of the upright bass to the last twangy riff, the trio delivered a debut that felt raw, stylish, and unmistakably cool back then and even today.
Tracks like Runaway Boys, Rock This Town, and Stray Cat Strut were instant classics — lean, fast, and full of swagger. Not just cause Edmunds production but alo Brian Setzer’s guitar work was flashy without being indulgent, the rhythm section snapped like a switchblade. In conclusion there was no filler just 30 minutes of pure energy and attitude as a way in which they didn't honor the memory — they made it sound alive again.
Courtney Barnett announced her new album "Creature Of Habit" and month ago, now she's back with two more tracks: "Mantis" and "Sugar Plum. 'Mantis' is the centerpiece of this album, it embodies the message and meaning of every track. It’s a song about searching, and it helped me find my way through Creature Of Habit," Barnett explained, continuing: I was feeling particularly lost while I was working on this song. One day, I was standing in the kitchen, making a coffee, when I noticed a little green praying mantis sitting on top of the doorframe. I had never seen one there in the desert house, so I took it as an important sign from the universe. I texted a photo to Stella and she said it’s good luck, look it up! I did a quick search and found it to also represent patience, perseverance and a guide for those who needed direction. I stood and spoke to the mantis for a while, it was a strange and enlightening moment that I’ll never forget. Eventually, I got back to writing, and finally I had the chorus to this song.
"It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away. In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon [of] light to everyone around him," the statement said. "We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder.
We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion."
The youngest of a prolific Hollywood family, Carradine's siblings include actors David and Keith and architect Christopher, of Walt Disney Imagineering. David Carradine died in 2009 at age 72. Their brother Bruce, who died in 2016, was also an actor.
Keith Carradine told that his family wanted everyone to know about Robert's struggle with bipolar disorder.
"We want people to know it, and there is no shame in it," he told the outlet. "It is an illness that got the best of him, and I want to celebrate him for his struggle with it, and celebrate his beautiful soul. He was profoundly gifted, and we will miss him every day. We will take solace in how funny he could be, how wise and utterly accepting and tolerant he was. That’s who my baby brother was."
The L.A.-born actor enjoyed a prolific 50-plus-year career in film and television. To prepare for his role on the 1984 comedy "Revenge of the Nerds," Robert Carradine spent two weeks wearing "nerd clothes," a wig and glasses everywhere he went.This included heading to fraternity row at the University of Arizona during rush week while in character with a fellow actor. They asked the head of a fraternity if they could join.
"The guy took one look at us and said, "No way," ' Carradine recalled in 1990. By the time the first day of shooting rolled around, I was in full flight as a nerd.
The youngest son of prolific character actor John Carradine, Robert Carradine was born on March 24, 1954, in Los Angeles. Known for both his film and television work, Carradine made his debut in a 1971 episode of the long-running western “Bonanza. His first film appearance was in the 1972 John Wayne western “The Cowboys.”
During his 50-year Hollywood career, he appeared alongside his brother David in a 1972 episode of "Kung Fu" and the 1973 Martin Scorsese film "Mean Streets." David, Keith and Robert joined other sets of acting siblings to portray sets of real-life siblings in the 1980 Western "The Long Riders." Carradine also landed roles in Hal Ashby's 1978 Vietman War drama "Coming Home" and Samuel Fuller's 1980 World War II epic "The Big Red One."
While Carradine found success in the family business, he also had a love for racing. "There are certain people who are supposed to be race car drivers," Carradine told The Times in 1991. "And I've got that. I've got that thing that makes me have to race. I have to do it."
At the time he was balancing both careers, racing at the Grand Prix level in a Lotus Esprit Turbo SE. But it was clear he would have chosen racing over acting if he could.
In the 2000s, Carradine charmed a new generation of fans as lovable TV dad Sam in "Lizzie McGuire."
"There was so much warmth in the McGuire family and I always felt so cared for by my on-screen parents," the show's star Hilary Duff wrote in her Instagram tribute to her on-screen dad. "I'll be forever grateful for that. I'm deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family, and everyone who loved him."
Carradine is survived by his three children — actor Ever Carradine, Marika Reed Carradine and Ian Alexander Carradine — as well as his brothers, nieces including actor Martha Plimpton, nephews and grandchildren.
By the late seventies Rick Springfield was in a state of desperation. At this point he's released 3 studio albums with middling success and is maybe a teen idol past his prime. Even though music is his passion, bills have to be paid, so he auditions for an acting role on General Hospital, the soap of the time and got the job.
Meanwhile he signed with RCA and started making another record in earnest, newly inspired by the power pop guitar crunch that prevailed the LA clubs at the time, so by 1981, the guy is starring a top show "General Hospital" and at the very same time, nis new album came out and his latest single "Jessie's Girl" began to earn radio play and support from a newly channel called MTV. The song ultimately hits #1 on the Billboard chart.
The album proved to be a good choice, one of their most consistent and powered of his career, across its 10 song, there were no waste, all of them were good, with a killer hook and potentially single, of course every song talked about girls (business as usual for Rick). and the sound since the 1970s, bands overtly influenced by that early Beatles sound and song construction were filed directly into the category that came to be known as power pop indeed there was something about this particular sound that struck a chord with hardcore music nerds. It was pop, but self-referential and smart and clever, with guitars all over it.The result was romantic music for boys, so, practically this sort of sound covered Rick's lyrics and that was it, Rick wrote nine of the whole ten pack. The one track he didn’t write was a Sammy Hagar tune dated from 1978, "I've Done Everything For You" which Rick took on it's own.
A sort of mid-romantic album to enjoyed it while driving in your car between 7-11 late at night, or cruising the road somehow shomewhere, the first 8 tracks were hook laden pocket anthems and each one to the last features an impossibly infectious chorus. "Jessie's Girl" was a truly rockin' piece of ear candy off the album has begun picking up steam on the radio, and it’s corresponding video is soon all over MTV. The song ultimately hits #1 on the Billboard chart, then the hardest "Love Is Alright Tonite" a merely intense and fascinating succesful tune, "Daddy's Pearl" a clever and weird tune at the same time, the lusty ballad "Inside Silvia", full of metaphors indeed, and of the experimental "Red Hot And Blue Love" to mention the most interesting tunes from the pack.
Britpop giants and Beatles devotees Oasis split in 2009 after brothers Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher finally could not stand each other. Vocalist Liam Gallagher went on to form Beady Eye with the remnants of Oasis; guitarist Gem Archer, Oasis bassist-now guitarist, Andy Bell and drummer Chris Sharrock, while Noel seems to be content without releasing anything.
Befitting a band derived from the heavily 60s pop influenced Oasis Different Gear, Still Speeding sounded like Liam and co. truly wish it was 1966 all over again. Oasis were always criticized for being a Beatles rip-off but without Noel's songwriting Beady Eye sounds closer to The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Pretty Things in the harder rocking songs, while the ballads sounded akin to Liam's John Lennon-ish "I'm Outta Time" from Oasis' last album Dig Out Your Soul.
Different Gear, Still Speeding was very much a case of what-you-see-is-what-you-get; it is a heavily 60s inspired rock album by former members of Oasis. The main question before the release of the album was not how it would sound, but rather how strong the songs would be since Noel Gallagher was always the main songwriter of Oasis and consistently wrote far stronger songs than the other band members, although Oasis's last album Dig Out Your Soul included Liam’s best songs to date.
Building on that promise, Different Gear, Still Speeding resulted to be better than feared. There was not a single bad song on the album, but there were very few really good ones and nothing that could compete with Oasis's stronger work. In the end this was made for a solid album, without any of the missteps that were expected, but only two songs would hold up against a typical Oasis album or have a chance of earning repeat play after the initial interest wears off; the fierce album opener "Four Letter Word" and the ballad "The Roller." were the most remarkable tracks.
The album's main fault is that the band seemingly only had two gears; it's either 60s-inspired rock or Lennon-styled ballads, and when the songs weren't exceptionally strong a 52 minute album of this is tiring for the listener. What was worse is that this could have been avoided since "World Outside My Room," was a bonus track on some versions, is a great little Village Green-era Kinks-ish track that would have been among the strongest songs if it would have been included on the regular album, and it would have brought a much needed respite from the standard Beady Eye sound.
Ultimately the album remained as a better first post-Oasis release from Liam Gallagher than expected, with much more consistency in the songwriting than feared, but at the same time it is exactly what you would expect – just better, and the expectations were not high. Different Gear, Still Speeding showed that the band is comfortable with themselves and their follow-up had every chance to be a stronger album – especially if they are brave enough to include more styles
Reviews for the album were regular and accused the band attempts to be just ike the Stones but ened with a "Be Here Now" styled guitar sound, althought other reviews were slightly better by saying the album was the strongest record Liam' ever made since (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
The Academy Is... have released a new single "Miracle," the second from their long-awaited new album, Almost There, arriving via I Surrender Records on March 27, 2026. The song sways between intense, driving guitars and reflective moments underlined by glimmering tones. The band throws themselves into the iridescence headfirst, as William Beckett sings, "I need to love again/Turn me on my head/I need to feel the warmth/Tell me I'm not dead." "With this track, we were chasing the feeling of when you discovered your new favorite song..." guitarist Mike Carden explains. "'Miracle' reminds us of LimeWire era vibes; finally finding that song that takes you by surprise, a very distinct feeling. We wanted it to hit and pull you straight in. We feel like...mission accomplished."
The EP featured the band more heavily utilising samplers, which allowed them to play back sounds on keyboard. Sampled sounds include guitar feedback, vocals, and a BBC stock sound effects recording used to create a low-end effect on "To Here Knows When", and a Turkish belly dancing track ripped from cassette on the track "Swallow". The title is a reference to the band's heavy usage of guitar tremolo and vibrato to create blurred, dreamlike tones.
Tremolo was the second of two extended-plays released during the prolonged recording sessions of My Bloody Valentine’s shoegaze masterpiece Loveless. In contrast to its sister – the heavier Glider – Tremolo forsakes indie/alternative stylings for abstract composites of sound produced by instruments that just so happen to also make rock music. The title refered to lead guitarist/vocalist Kevin Shield’s “glide guitar method” of strumming while applying tremolo/vibrato pedal effects, which gave the band its signature surreal sound.
Leading off with Loveless's most ethereal cut and first cut "To Here Knows When," this EP had little of the Isn’t Anything structured noise pop. "Swallow" featured the hyper-processed flute-loop sound that prominently featured in "What You Want" from Loveless. It was a bit lighter than anything on that album, with a much softer mix and a lack of heavy guitar reverb. "Honey Power" was the closest track to anything that was on Glider, featuring backwards-sampled guitar loops and a less abstruse song structure. The closer "Moon Song" was the only track on Tremolo to feature Shields' voice with no processing or after-effect; it’s easily the most surreal track on the album, featuring kaleidoscopic guitar samples and a curious jungle beat that hints at the group’s interest in dance music toward the end of Loveless and prior to their 1997 break-up.
Tremolo was interesting caused the addition of certain elements such as three codas to the end of each track but "Moon Song," all of which highlight the druggy, intimate atmosphere therein. Of particular note is the one on "To Here Knows When," which was different and maybe better than the final mix released on Loveless. These were not mere not sloppy interludes tacked onto the end; they underscored the phantasmagorical experience commonly listening to My Bloody Valentine's nineties work, and their short length provides the illusion that the listener is transitioning between dreams.
Videos were filmed for the songs "Swallow" and "To Here Knows When" under the direction of Angus Cameron. The single "To Here Knows When" reached number 29 on the UK Singles Chart and were described it as the most strangest single ever to chart.
The original soundtrack prompted the release of a second soundtrack on 21 October 1997. This second album included songs from the film that did not make the cut for the first album, as well as songs that did not appear in the final film but were involved at earlier stages or were used as inspiration by the filmmakers, and one duplicate song. The popularity of the first volume led EMI to reissue it and continue to press it since 16 June 2003.
The film's sex, violence and copious drug-taking sparked controversy over whether it glamorised, or condemned, heroin use. But it also inspired a crucially banging soundtrack. Featuring an expertly curated cross-section of '70s rock iconoclasts (Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Brian Eno), on-trend Britpop (Blur, Pulp, Elastica) and intoxicating electronica (Leftfield, Underworld, Primal Scream), the soundtrack — released 30 years ago today — was a significant part of Trainspotting's cultural impact all over the globe. Representing a golden era of '90s compilation tie-ins, it provided overseas audiences with a Cool Britannia cheat sheet.
The music followed throught the film arrived in the arresting opening sequence, where the pounding drums of Iggy Pop's Lust For Life match the pace of protagonist Mark Renton, tearing down Edinburgh's cobblestone streets away from pursuing security guards. The 1977 song takes on a heightened energy accompanying the now-infamous "choose life" monologue as the shoplifting sequence turns into a soccer-match-and-smacked-out montage that introduces us to our main cast of misfits.
Then there's the soothing ambience of Brian Eno's Deep Blue Day scoring a visit to "The Worst Toilet In Scotland". Or how about Lou Reed's elegant Perfect Day given a fresh, harrowing take soundtracking a heroin overdose?. A nightclub sequence that morphs from battle of the sexes comedy to a meet cute and subsequent one night stand is set to Heaven 17's Temptation, Sleeper's stellar Blondie cover, and New Order wafting in the background of the morning after.
In each case mentioned, the songs "matched and amplified key scenes, especially when they seemed incongruous", no doubt why the soundtrack remained as one of the 50 Most Memorable Movie Soundtracks. Few soundtracks from the '90s have aged as well.
The film loosely begins in the "mid-to-late '80s … But by the time you reach the end of the film, [the characters] move through the house [music] scene and rave scene. And then we end up with Britpop".
Trainspotting snagged many of the UK musical movement's reigning favourites: Pulp, who'd gone supernova with era-defining anthem Common People; the female-fronted Elastica and Sleeper, and Britpop titans Blur, who were engaged in a media-charged charts battle with Oasis. The latter were a glaring omission from Trainspotting's track list, kept off because Noel Gallagher thought the film was literally about people watching trains.
David Bowie — whose music is referenced frequently in Welsh's original book — also turned down all licensing requests. (His track Golden Years was the first choice for the "worst toilet in Scotland"). However, Boyle says Bowie still provided a "big turning point" in helping access Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, whose solo material Bowie had produced.
Beyond Britpop, Trainspotting presaged the mid-nineties ascent of dance, electronic and big beat music, where the likes of The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx came for Britpop's crown.
Trainspotting's signature tune is Underworld's Born Slippy (.NUXX): the thumping, euphoric shout-along that closes the film, and Renton's narrative arc. The now-iconic Born Slippy almost didn't make the cut. Boyle was already editing the film when he discovered the 1995 B-side while browsing HMV in London's Oxford Street. "I didn't know they'd released it as a single. [But] I took it home … heard the second mix and thought 'that's the end of the film'!" He reached out to Underworld's Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, who were initially reluctant.
Boyle convinced Underworld after screening them a sequence, and the duo sanctioned not only Born Slippy, but also Dark & Long for Renton's disturbing detox sequence, featuring a baby crawling on the roof.
Another influential electronic group that gave Trainspotting their blessing was Leftfield, who had released their seminal 1995 album Leftism before the film's arrival. The duo of Paul Daley and Neil Barnes had also supplied music for the title sequence of Boyle's first film, Shallow Grave.
The energy and vitality of the film chimed with the Zeitgeist and mid-to-late '90s youth culture: Britpop, YBA [Young British Artists], New Labour," as Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie put it. "There was some kind of hopefulness in the air back then, a post–acid house rush of possibilities, both chemically and politically pronounced. "Trainspotting rode in on that wave and stands as a testament to those times."
Primal Scream recorded a spy-rock instrumental titled Trainspotting, featured in yet another quotable sequence in which Renton's frenemy Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller) is educating him on a cultural phenomenon.
