The mid-to-late 1990s were a time of greatness for both film and music. It was the era that brought us the “Seattle” sound from bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and of course Nirvana. It was also the era that gave us films like “American Beauty” and “Swingers.” The independent film and alternative music were a match made in heaven.
When the dust settled on the decade, what we were left with is quite a collection of both films and music to influence a generation, and when the two joined forces, we were given some pretty incredible soundtracks. Here now are five of the best from that era.
“Swingers” – What sets this movie’s soundtrack apart is that it’s made up almost entirely of songs from before the 1990s from iconic artists like Dean Martin and Bobby Darin. However, the tracks from the contemporary band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy like “You and Me and the Bottle Make Three” and “Go Daddy-O” scintillate with swing. The soundtrack serves as a reminder of the brief but well-loved swing music revival of the 1990s, and it suits the film to a tee.
“Singles” – Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this film about life in Seattle in the mid 1990s. So of course the soundtrack would be chock full of bands from the area. Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell (and Soundgarden) all make appearances, as does Jimi Hendrix. It’s a really great encapsulation of the music of the times.
“Empire Records” – It was a film that made working at a music retail store seem like a dream job. The soundtrack features songs that were very evocative of the film’s independent spirit, and the album probably fared better among music listeners than it did with movie-goers. The big smash hit on the album of course was The Gin Blossom’s “Until I Hear it From You.”
“High Fidelity” – Okay, I admit that I’m using a little journalistic license to include this 2000 soundtrack album on this list, but since shooting on the film was done in 1999, I feel like it’s allowable. Besides, with tracks from Elvis Costello, The Kinks and Stevie Wonder has got to at least make a dent on the list. As if that wasn’t enough, Jack Black does a pretty incredible version of Marvin Gaye’s classic tune “Let’s Get It On” which makes it worth listening to the whole album.
“The Big Lebowski” – This 1998 Coen brothers film has become a cult classic, and the soundtrack is very much a part of the allure. With songs from Eagles, Bob Dylan, and Kenny Rogers, it’s an album full of Americana rock. Oh, and if a Spanish version of “Hotel California” by The Gypsy Kings is your thing (and it really should be), then this is a great pick for you too.