Music is what makes movies.

Some would argue it is the other way around. Without words and actors to act out the words, there would be no place to inject the sounds of musical artists and their compositions. A painting requires a canvas.

Film and music have a long relationship. The most memorable images embedded on film have been equally matched by unforgettable soundtracks.

Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpieces would not be the same without Bernard Hermann‘s musical score. Watch The Birds, Psycho and especially Vertigo. Hermann had an uncanny ability to create ebbs and flows, climatic and anti-climatic incantations which properly paralyzed the emotions of Jimmy Stewart, Tippi Hedren and Janet Leigh. The funny thing? No one remembers the music let alone the name of the composer of the thematic tunes.

Therein lies the beauty of such a wonderful marriage. Like a hockey coach explaining his defenceman’s elite play; ‘ If I did not notice him – he’s doing his job!’ The less the ears are bothered – the better a film is …

Perhaps the greatest soundtrack of all time arrives directly from 1996. When music is able to captivate the psyche of a director as well as the silent and not so silent musings taking place within a character, it is an indication of such an intense concentration of the written script –  blood, sweat and tears leave an indelible blood splatter on the audience’s soul ..

The soundtrack from the movie Trainspotting does just that.

1.	Lust For Life – Iggy Pop
2.	Deep Blue Day – Brian Eno
3.	Trainspotting – Primal Scream
4.	Atomic – Sleeper
5.	Temptation – New Order
6.	Nightclubbing – Iggy Pop
7.	Sing – Blur
8.	Perfect Day – Lou Reed
9.	Mile End – Pulp
10.	For What You Dream Of – Bedrock Featuring KYO
11.	2:1 – Elastica
12.	A Final Hit – Elastica
13.	Born Slippy – Underworld
14.	Closet Romantic – Damon Albarn

First – the film …

In 1999, Trainspotting was ranked in the 10th spot by the British Film Institute (BFI) in its list of Top 100 British films of all time^, while in 2004 the magazine Total Film named it the fourth greatest British film of all time. Several filmmakers and film critics voted it the best British film in the last 25 years.

In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time by the public in a poll for The List magazine.It has also been recognized as an important piece of culture and film during the 1990s British cultural tour de force known as Cool Britannia.

Now – take away the music …

Same film? Lucky if the movie reaches the top 1000!

Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life introduces the viewer to the antics of heroin addicted friends whose lives spiral into a decadent rabbit hole. The song, with it’s upbeat drums and potentially satanic words are sung by a man who has rightly been in the same predicament as the film’s stars. The ironic happiness completely balances the depressing nature of the plot and allows a complete turning of the senses. A flip-flop of unbearable ugliness framed with a rosy virtuoso performance by Mr. Pop. Art does not imitate the song – or does it? David Bowie co- wrote the song. Life imitates art …

Brian Eno promptly takes the drug – induced baton and runs with it. Slowly and surely. The song; ‘ Deep Blue Sea, is an insightful look into the recesses of minds which are affected by not only the heroin – the reality of the boy’s lives. Their existence interwoven with madness brought on by their sheer introspective views of a society riddled with politics which has left the spirit of a generation downtrodden with despair. An ocean is deep – Eno’s rendition; profound …

Primal Scream are a band from Glasgow, Scotland who loved the drug-induced lifestyle for many years. Primal Scream are responsible for the song Trainspotting. It is a melody penned and performed by a bunch of musicians who could identify with the torment the characters in the film are enduring. Many moods strive when listening to the song and anyone who has dipped into the genetic pool of LSD or any type of mind  altering drug can attest to – rather quickly. It tempts the listener with hope then disturbingly removes that hope as a child may displace a chair as a practical joke for an adult about to sit. Funny if no one is hurt – not so funny if paralysis takes place. A perfect analogy for a film which leaves the viewer wondering if crying or laughing is appropriate.

‘Atomic’ by the group Sleeper sounds like the theme for a television show where surfers provide fodder for a criminal investigation. Initially – the song seems out of a place on a soundtrack captivated by sadness. Akin to Pop and Bowie ‘s lust – ‘ Atomic’ allows a vehicle of hope to ride the rails of a roller coaster. On drugs – life is great yet something follows with a sense of doom. The guitar riff is the doom while the golden voice provided by singer Louise Wener is the rainbow underneath the pot of gold. ‘Atomic’ is an original song penned by Blondie. Deborah Harry refused the original to be used so Sleeper recorded their own version. Beautiful like Wener herself ..

Temptation is tempting throughout the movie. It is the demons wrapped within the demons. New Order, the English Band which developed from Joy Division, are responsible for the song which introduces sanity to a film. The band members influenced heavily by David Bowie so their appearance in the shower scene – no coincidence. Originally released in 1982 – this song has become the band’s most popular song and the one they perform most often live. Thanks to the movies …

Iggy Pop and David Bowie reunite once more for the song ‘Nightclubbing’.

The beauty of this song is the music. Lyrically shallow yet immense in it’s ability to place the most casual pedestrian into the wonderful world of hitting the clubs and all the characters which inherit the booze.

“Nightclubbing’ has been recorded numerous times over the years. Grace Jones performs one of the better – known versions which keeps along the same porous path that Bowie and Pop initially created. A lane carved by …?

The great thing about the soundtrack for the film Trainspotting is the underlying theme. Every track contains a virus. A sickness acting like an umbrella filled with holes. Sad songs contain happiness and happy songs – filled with sadness. It is as if every song is performed by the same artist. As if every tune has been written by the same person. The songs all derive from a generation fixated on melancholy.

Track seven; ‘Sing’ – is performed by the band Blur. A piano pushes this boat into a sea of uncertainty. Once more with that feeling of gloom as the motor. The pain evolves into a caged animal waiting to be released. Captivity is not conducive to happiness and Blur are able to recreate the feeling easily. Every time freedom seems imminent – a rising drum beat is subdued like a dog owner pulling back on a leash. A reflective pause once more. An ingredient to a thinking man’s film.

Melancholia  may be Lou Reed’s middle name.

Just a perfect day
you made me forget myself
I thought I was
someone else, someone good

“Perfect Day’ is the perfect song for a perfect drug related movie. Lou Reed is the perfect choice to sing it. A haunting melody provides the backdrop for a poem which could have been written by a college freshman in a first time love affair. A piano provides sunshine. The lyrics put and end to that! Reap what you sow as Reed has done in a song released post- Velvet Underground on Reed’s second solo offering. Once more – the movie recreated a song into a mammoth person, place and thing …

Even drug users enjoy an outing to a circus. The Ferris Wheels that go round and round in their heads cannot copy a real time wheel a couple of hundred feet in the air.

Pulp creates the feeling in the song; ‘Mile End’.

It is all bells and whistles. Cotton Candy replaces heroin if – for only a brief moment. Pulp, a band whose lead singer – Jarvis Cocker, once interrupted Micheal Jackson’s performance at the Brit Awards in protest, also became more popular via film thanks to the song ‘Mile End’. Propelling the band to a higher echelon. The tune provides the film with a fresh breath of air not containing anything remotely concurrent with dope. Although Jarvis may disagree.

‘For What You Dream Of’ , performed by Bedrock feat. KYO is the most interesting track on the Trainspotting album. It is uniquely a ride. A trip. A journey through so many levels – passports may be required. Highs so high and lows so low. The type of arrangement which defies a label. It is both a techno – track and  a disco track in one. The primal drum beats are straight out of a tribe’s repertoire and the singing … so divine …! Makes heroin seem unnecessary …

The band Elastika are responsible for the next two tracks. ‘2:1’ and ‘A Final Hit.’ Much like the movie characters, this band was filled with controversy. Mainly accused of plagiarism in their career by the band Wire. The song ‘2:1’ contains an indication of rock in the forum of a great guitar riff followed closely by Justine Frischmann’s sweet vocals. Yes – the malaise continues to keep within the schematics of the underground feel of the film. Yes – the happiness attempts to escape the brooding. ‘A Final Hit’ is an instrumental funeral march and one of the final ‘hits’ of a band whose story  was completed in 1999.

Underworld, a techno – drum filled duo, add their biggest hit; ‘Born Slippy’ into the mix. It is a song which relies heavily on beats. If Ecstasy was on the menu – these guys probably devoured it along with a copy of the ‘How to’ guide. ‘ Born Slippy’ is the perfect rave song. Imagine the lights, the noise, the people and the craziness that ensues in a dance club. On heroin – this takes place in the head. Underworld just lets a little oxygen in once in a while …

Damon Albarn, lead singer of the band Blur, finalizes the soundtrack of trainspotting. What a finale it is …

How can a definition define definition? How can the song be classified?

‘Closet Romantic’ is a whimsical farce. Once again dipping into the circus gene pool. The song has parts Beatles – parts The Beach Boys integrated into a walk in panic / needle park. Apparently – the lads fighting the heroin addiction within the film always manage to discover the theme park within their conscience. A voice – over narrates a tale complete with the clown from the Stephen King novel IT.

Movies are what make music …

Trainspotting can be rented at Pointe Claire Video …(See Link on top of the home page )

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