HBO’s Vinyl is hands down one of the coolest shows about the music industry that I’ve ever seen. Having recently wrapped its first season, the show, created by legendary names including Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter and Mick Jagger, weaved a tumultuous, confronting and wonderfully entertaining tale of the inner workings of a major record label in the 1970s. There’s sex, there’s drugs, and there’s a tonne of amazing rock ‘n roll, including in-show cameos from Lou Reed, David Bowie and more.
Of course, the plot, the characters, the drama and so on are the focus of each episode, but at Vinyl’s core is a stunning soundtrack, featuring covers and never-before-head music from the likes of Iggy Pop, Royal Blood, Julian Casablancas, The Arcs, Elvis Costello, Charlie Wilson, Chris Cornell and more. My personal favourite moment is Trey Songz‘s spine-tingling cover of David Bowie‘s Life on Mars, a pivotal moment featured in an episode which aired shortly after Bowie’s death, and was subsequently dedicated to the late legend.
The soundtrack is now out for all to enjoy. You can purchase it here, or stream below via Spotify.
Vinyl: Music From The HBO® Original Series – The Essentials: Season 1 Tracklist
- Kill The Lights – Jess Glynne, Alex Newell, DJ Cassidy with Nile Rodgers
- Alright Lady (Let’s Make A Baby) – Charlie Wilson
- Back Stabbers – Elvis Costello
- Life On Mars? – Trey Songz
- I Dig Your Mind – Iggy Pop
- No Fun – Charli XCX
- Strychnine – John Doe
- Where Are You Now? – Royal Blood
- Watch Your Step – The Arcs
- Stay With Me Baby – Chris Cornell
- I’ve Been Wrong So Long – Ty Taylor
- Woman Like You – Nasty Bits
- Sugar Daddy (Theme from Vinyl) – Sturgill Simpson
- Venus in Furs – Julian Casablancas
- Love, I Want You Back – Charlie Wilson
- Black Coffee – Humble Pie
- I Wanna Be With You – Nate Ruess
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