The 20 best Classic Rock soundtrack albums

30 November 2024, 13:00

Sometimes the music on the soundtrack can make or break a movie: Radio X Classic Rock looks at some of the greatest film soundtracks ever released.

By Radio X

@RadioX

1. Easy Rider: released August 1969

   Perhaps the best movie to come out of the counterculture in the late 1960s, Dennis Hooper and Peter Fonda star as two bikers out to lose themselves in the back roads of America. Along the way, they pick up Jack Nicholson and drive up and down on their "hogs" to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, The Band, The Who, The Byrds and the iconic Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf.

   

   Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild (Easy Rider) (1969)

2. Woodstock: release date 11th May 1970

   The movie documentary of the groundbreaking rock festival was a huge hit on its release in March 1970, so it was only natural that a soundtrack album should follow. A luxurious triple LP, the record collected most of the key performances from the weekend, including Canned Heat's Going Up The Country, Country Joe McDonald's I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag, Joe Cocker's cover of With A Little Help From My Friends and tracks from Ten Years After, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby Stills Nash & Young and Sly And The Family Stone. Proceedings close, as the festival did, with Jimi Hendrix, whose searing version of the Star Spangled Banner sums up the mood of the era.

   

   Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze - Live Woodstock - 4K Remaster - (Colour Corrected) - [UHD]

3. Dazed And Confused: release date 28th September 1993

   Richard Linklater's 1993 coming of age comedy is set on the last day of school in summer 1976, so the period soundtrack has some gems included: Cherry Bomb by The Runaways, Fox On The Run by glam rock Brits Sweet, Paranoid by Black Sabbath, School's Out by Alice Cooper (of course) and the impeccable Tush by ZZ Top. Throw in some Kiss, Foghat, Deep Purple, Black Oak Arkansas and Nazareth and you have the perfect 70s rock mixtape.

   

   Tush (2006 Remaster)

4. Zabriskie Point: released March 1970

   Michelangelo Antonioni's tale of counterculture weirdness may have left some viewers scratching their heads, but you could always kick back and soak up the sounds. Chief among these were some original Pink Floyd tracks, which included a re-worked version of Careful With That Axe Eugene, which appears on the soundtrack as a house and its contents are pictured exploding in super-slow motion. Also featured are The Grateful Dead, LA psych rockers Kaleidoscope and The Youngbloods.

   

   Pink Floyd Soundtrack from the film Zabriskie Point 1970

5. Guardians Of The Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1: release date 29th July 2014

   The unique Marvel comedy was a runaway success due to its fresh take on the superhero genre, it’s dark humour and its amazing music. The soundtrack is based on a mixtape in the film called, Awesome Mix Vol 1, and includes power-pop heroes The Raspberries, The Runaways, Norman Green baum's original Spirit In The Sky, Bowie's Moonage Daydream and Mancunian legends 10cc and their finest moment, I'm Not In Love.

   

   Guardians of the Galaxy | Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum

6. Queen - Flash Gordon: release date 8th December 1980

   This good-natured reboot of the 1930s comic strip character was compared unfavourably to the then-dominant Star Wars franchise, but caught in the right mood (ie stuffed full of Christmas chocolates), it has its camp charms. One of which is the rollicking soundtrack by Queen, which mixes bombastic moods, operatic aspirations and full-on grimy synth textures to compete with the outrageous visuals - none more so than on the legendary title song. Altogether now: "What do you mean, 'Flash Gordon approaching'?"

   

   Queen - Flash (Official Video)

7. Christane F: released April 1981

   Subtitled Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (We children of Zoo Station), Christane F is a grim but brilliantly made story of young heroin addicts in Wall-era Berlin. The title character is a big Bowie fan, so the soundtrack album serves as a perfect digest of the man's mid-70s period thanks to the numerous clubbing scenes. Bowie even turns up in the film to perform Station To Station, when a messed-up Christane goes to see her hero play the local arena.

   

   David Bowie - Station To Station (Christiane F ) 1980 - new edit, remastered HD

8. Tommy: release date 19th March 1975

   Ken Russell's film version of The Who's rock opera features a once in a lifetime soundtrack: there's Eric Clapton doing Eyesight To The Blind, Tina Turner is the Acid Queen, Paul Nicholas is Cousin Kevin and, of course, the show-stopper is Elton John's unforgettable take on Pinball Wizard.

   

   Elton John - "The Pinball Wizard" The Who (Tommy: Rock Opera Movie_1975)

9. AC/DC - Who Made Who: release date 26th May 1986

   Acca Dacca recorded some new songs for the trucks-on-the-loose Stephen King movie Maximum Overdrive, including the raucous title track; the soundtrack also included the classic You Shook Me All Night Long, Hell's Bells and For Those About To Rock (We Salute You).

   

   AC/DC - Who Made Who (Official HD Video)

10. Almost Famous: release date 12th September 2000

    Cameron Crowe's tale of a music journalist in the mid-1970s is peppered with brilliant songs. The soundtrack features Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells A Story, Led Zeppein's That's The Way, Elton's Tiny Dancer, a live version of The Velvet Underground's I'm Waiting For The Man by Bowie and tracks by Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, The Who, Yes and Cat Stevens.

    

    Almost Famous - Tiny Dancer

11. Wayne's World: Music from the Motion Picture: release date 18th February 1992

    Mike Myers and Dana Carvey's affectionate spoof of suburban rock fans naturally had a superb soundtrack, including the obligatory Bohemian Rhapdsody. Also included was Hot And Bothered by Cinderella, Time Machine by Black Sabbath, plus tracks by Alice Cooper, Eric Clapton, Soundgarden and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

    

    Bohemian Rhapsody Wayne's World HD

12. Rock 'N' Roll High School: released 1979

    Riff Randell (PJ Soles) lives for the Ramones, but that nasty Principal has confiscated her tickets for the Brudders upcoming show. This musical comedy is packed with Ramones tunes, but also includes Nick Lowe, Brian Eno, Eddie And The Hot Rods, Alice Cooper (guess which song) and Todd Rundgren on the soundtrack.

    

    Rock 'N' Roll High School: The Ramones - Do You Wanna Dance? [clip]

13. Fast Times At Ridgemont High: release date 13th August 1982

    This coming-of-age comedy had a fantastic set of songs on the soundtrack, led off by Somebody's Baby by Jackson Browne. Also included were tracks by Don Henley, Joe Walsh, Graham Nash, Sammy Hagar, Quaterflash and Stevie Nicks.

    

    Jackson Browne - Somebody's Baby (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) (1982)

14. Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid: release date 13th July 1973

    Old Bob appears as "Alias" in Sam Peckinpah's modern western, which followed on from the director's similar cowboy bloodbath The Wild Bunch. Studio interference messed with Dylan's accompanying soundtrack, but it gave the world the classic Knockin' On Heaven's Door.

    

    Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Official Audio)

15. Magical Mystery Tour: release date 8th December 1967 (US album release)

    The Beatles' self-directed TV movie special baffled the nation when it went out on Boxing Day 1967, but the songs included on the soundtrack were strong: I Am The Walrus was the highlight, with the title track, Your Mother Should Know and The Fool On The Hill bringing up the rear. Issued as a double 7" EP in Britain, the American record company Capitol decided to compile an album of the show songs with the rest of the Fab Four's 1967 singles, which meant you also got Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane and All You Need Is Love.

    

    The Beatles - I Am The Walrus (Official Video)

16. Rushmore: release date 2nd February 1999

    Wes Anderson originally planned for his 1998 comedy to feature nothing but The Kinks on the soundtrack, but he expanded the playlist to include Ooh La La by The Faces, John Lennon's Oh! Yoko and A Quick One While He's Away by The Who. The only Kinks song on there in the end is the 1965 banger Nothin' In The World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl.

    

    Rushmore - Pool Scene (with Bill Murray)

17. Head: release date 1st December 1968

    The Monkees' 1968 fature film was designed to alienate/offend/baffle their teeny bop fanbase with its druggy overtones and strong political messages, and the accompanying soundtrack album is pretty weird, too. The album innovatively featured snippets of chopped-up film dialogue in amongst its seven new cuts, which included the gorgeous Porpoise Song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and Harry Nilsson's barmstorming Daddy's Song. And remember: "Nobody ever lends money to a man with a sense of humour."

    

    The Porpoise Song - The Monkees

18. School Of Rock: release date 30th September 2003

    Jack Black plays a washed-up rock guitarist who lands a job as a substitute teacher and teaches his class how to Rock (with a capital R). The soundtrack is filled with classics, including The Who's Substitute (geddit?), Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin, Edge Of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks, Touch Me by The Doors and the always-dependable Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream.

    

    "The School of Rock" - Immigrant Song

19. The Graduate: release date 21st January 1968

    Mike Nichols' 1967 satire was taken to another level by the brilliant soundtrack score by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, which beautifully complements the actin onscreen. The wistful Sound Of Silence and Scarborough Fair are in stark contrast to the choppy chords of the hit single Mrs Robinson, while jazz musician David Grusin adds some instrumental interludes.

    

    Mrs. Robinson (Version 2)

20. Purple Rain: release date 25th June 1984

    Prince officially went from cult figure to pop superstar on the release of this semi-biographical movie. P plays "The Kid" and the film details his troubles with his band, his parents and his woman. All of this is soundtracked by classics like Let's Go Crazy, When Doves Cry, I Would Die For U and the title track.

    

    Prince - Purple Rain (Official Video)