Lights, camera, action… music!
THE BEATLES
Help! (PARLOPHONE, 1965)
Everything about the Fabs’ follow-up to A Hard Day’s Night was iconic, from the semaphore sleeve to the introduction of stone-cold classics like Ticket To Ride, Yesterday and John Lennon’s genuine cry for help on the stirring title track.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Easy Rider (DUNHILL, 1969)
If Easy Rider was the defining statement of the 60s counterculture, its score (director Dennis Hopper corralled hairy-rock staples from Jimi Hendrix, The Electric Prunes, The Byrds and, most famously, Steppenwolf) was so successful, it outsold the movie.
SLADE
Slade In Flame (POLYDOR, 1974)
The soundtrack to the gritty, often bleak tale of a fictional 60s band afforded Slade the chance to break free of their terrace-chant formula. Thus they peppered the album with moody acoustic pieces and a hitherto untapped sense of sophistication.
SEX PISTOLS
_The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle _(VIRGIN, 1979)
An orchestral God Save The Queen, numerous Pistols studio out-takes, a bizarre disco medley, a French Anarchy, Malcolm McLaren singing Max Bygraves’ You Need Hands, the brilliantly dumb Silly Thing, Ed Tudor Pole’s glorious Who Killed Bambi… Swindle was where punk rock went royally bonkers.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Rock’n’Roll High School (SIRE, 1979)
Roger Corman’s musical comedy didn’t always hit the right notes, but it did boast a killer soundtrack. The Ramones, who featured in the movie, served up the title song and I Want You Around, alongside cuts by Devo, Brian Eno, Todd Rundgren and others.
**SPINAL TAP **
This Is Spinal Tap (POLYDOR, 1984)
It’s hard to imagine This Is Spinal Tap achieving its legendary status without its soundtrack of great but preposterous songs like Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight and Big Bottom. It’s just a shame that the original Smell The Glove artwork never made the cut, isn’t it?
PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION
Purple Rain (WARNER BROS, 1984)
The record that established Prince as the 80s’ brightest new phenomenon. Fired by mega-selling singles When Doves Cry and Let’s Go Crazy, Purple Rain went on to shift over 20 million copies and opened a new dialogue between, funk, R&B and metal.
**VARIOUS ARTISTS **
Pump Up The Volume (MCA, 1990)
Christian Slater didn’t quite convince as the high school teen with his own pirate station, though at least he had great taste in music. Cue Sonic Youth, Pixies and Soundgarden. Plus Henry Rollins and Bad Brains laying waste MC5’s Kick Out The Jams.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Singles (EPIC, 1992)
The soundtrack that brought grunge to the mainstream and paid tribute to Seattle as its seat of origin. Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and Mudhoney all feature, as do veteran Seattlites Jimi Hendrix and Heart side-project The Lovemongers.
**VARIOUS ARTISTS **
Dazed And Confused (GIANT/MEDICINE, 1993)
Richard Linklater’s end-of-term slacker movie, set in high school Texas in 1976, offered a perfect opportunity to revisit denim-coated gems from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rick Derringer, The Runaways, Black Oak Arkansas and, naturally, Ted Nugent.
