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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than the movie...?, April 10, 2004
When I started listening to this, it had been a year or so since I had seen the movie (which I liked), and I couldn't remember which scenes correponded to which tracks. Therefore I enjoyed it as a completley seperate work of art. When I re-watched the movie recently, I was almost dissapointed; the music actually seemed weakened in the context of the scenes. Don't get me wrong, Trainspotting is excellent, but the soundtrack stands indepedently and possibly even above it as a pop-culture watermark. It's been observed that there's a lot of variance in the music, but I do think it's held together by a certain theme, a depiction of a way of life - squalor (Mile End, 2:1), desperatley sincere attempts to find some happiness or amusement (Lust For Life, Atomic, For What You Dream Of), an underlying and understandable sense of desperation (Sing and Perfect Day, the only songs which I thought perfectly matched their respective scenes in the movie), made bearable by the occasional glimpse of real, innocent sweetness (Temptation). Taken seperatley, the songs are again very strong; there are great commerical hits like 'Temptation' and 'Born Slippy,' and more obscure but excellent tracks like 'Sing,' which I don't think can be found on any other album, but which I think is one of Blur's best songs, ever. The instrumental tracks are also good, particularly 'Trainspotting' itself.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Soundtrack Fits the Movie, October 2, 2000
While most of the songs on this soundtrack can stand alone, they do form a cohesive and convincing ensemble of songs to create the ambience needed to build the world of Mark Renton and his misfit gang of heroin junkie and crime addicted friends. The movie is an interesting collection of character sketches, if not a disgusting look at the life of heroin addicts, and the soundtrack serves as a perfect backdrop to this narration. "Lust for Life" is a perfect lead-off anthem (although, I am disappointed to report that "Lust for Life" is now being used in a series of inane American t.v. commercials for a cruise ship company...) Primal Scream's "Trainspotting" fits the bill (as a lot of their music would) because it just floats along with no real end in sight, no real climax, and the lifestyle of the characters seems to have this low-key element to it. Nothing matters to them but the "next hit". Based on the strength of Sleeper's remake of Blondie's "Atomic" I ran out and bought an entire Sleeper album but was disappointed by an album of sameness... but "Atomic" is a great addition to this soundtrack and reminds me of the scene in the film in which the song is played (which is a pretty good scene!) Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" and Pulp's "Mile End" are both fantastic additions here, fitting the subject matter nicely. And Underworld's LONG but infinitely satisfying dance track "Born Slippy" seals it up for me. A great album! The entire work sails smoothly along, hitting no significant snags along the way... making a solid product and overall listening enjoyment.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best soundtracks in modern music, November 6, 2001
I consider the soundtrack to the movie "Trainspotting" one of the most definitive soundtrack in modern music. There is an eclectic mix of artists and bands that ranges from alternative to techno, mixing old songs with new songs. This soundtrack couldn't have started off on a better note than with Iggy Pop's classic "Lust For Life", both a film and commercial favorite. The thunderous beats and Iggy's raw vocals mixes nicely together and makes the listener get up and dance. "Nightclubbing", another Iggy Pop song, is excellent. A bit monotonous at times but I just love how deep Iggy's voice gets on this song. It has a trip hop influence in the song, long before the term trip hop was defined. Sleeper's cover of the Blondie classic "Atomic" is excellent without a doubt. Catchy and darn right fun to listen to. I almost love this version more than the original and I love Blondie's music to death. I think my very personal favorite track off the soundtrack has to be New Order's "Temptation". Elastica's "2:1" is awesome. That is probably my all time favorite Elastica song. It's short and sweet. The timing of the beats in the song and Justine Frischman's vocals is what blows my mind away. And of course there is Underworld's "Born Slippy", the song that put this soundtrack on the map as well as for the band. That song and Leftfield's "A Final Hit" are just classic techno music. What I love most about this cd is how it eclectic it is and that the artists and bands put on the album are/were both established and new. You don't see established artists and new artists on the same album very often. The film industry should use the "Trainspotting" soundtrack as an architect to how soundtracks should be, as art and not another form of crass commercialism.
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