1996 - the year Britpop and the second British invasion exploded around the globe. What had been brewing in the UK for most of the early 90's while grunge was King in America, it would not be until Danny Boyle released his second film and first major smash - Trainspotting where Britpop and British music would take over in full force. It had been brewing for a while with Stone Roses perfect debut, Oasis releasing two stellar albums, Blur's release of Modern Life is Rubbish and Parklife, Pulp's Common People and releases from Suede, Elastica, The Verve, Chemical Brothers and many more. All of these influential records and artists all led to the culmination and crossover into film when Boyle adapted Irvine Welsh's book, Trainspotting for film. While the film became a cult and box office sensation and made a star of Ewan McGregor, Trainspotting was much more than a great film and book it then became a great soundtrack. The soundtrack to Trainspotting was much more than music from the film it became the soundtrack of a scene and era. With the thumping drums of Iggy Pop's classic "Lust for Life," and Lou Reed's "Perfect Day," Trainspotting blended classic American punk and art rock and fused it with Madchester's dance scene and Britpop. Featuring original music from Damon Albarn, Primal Scream and Brian Eno to classic sounds of New Order, Underworld, Leftfield and many others, Trainspotting was a massive package of British indulgence for fans around the world to digest. With the soundtrack getting so much praise; Boyle, the films producers and EMI decided to release a second volume of music from and inspired by the film which also boasted many of the same artists as volume one and classic British bands like Joy Division, David Bowie, Heaven 17, Fun Boy Three, Goldie and more. Two brilliant soundtracks from one brilliant film, this combination is a rarity but found a great way to capture a moment in time.
