The Trainspotting soundtracks were two best-selling albums of music based on the film. The first is a collection of songs featured in the film, while the second includes those left out from the first soundtrack and extra songs that inspired the filmmakers during production.
The soundtrack for Trainspotting has gone on to become a pop culture phenomenon.[29] Nearly all of the score is pre-recorded music from existing artists.[30][31][32] This score is divided into three distinct groups, all representing a different eras and styles: The first being pop music from the 1970s, by artists such as Lou Reed and Iggy Pop; who are all musicians closely associated with drug use and are referred to throughout the original novel.[30][31][32][33] The second group is the music from the Britpop era in the 1990s, with bands Blur and Pulp. Finally, there is the techno-dance music from the 1990s, including Underworld, Bedrock and Ice MC.[30][31][32] Danny Boyle approached Oasis about contributing a song to the soundtrack but Noel Gallagher turned down the opportunity, believing it would be a film about actual trainspotters.[34]
Through the years, acclaim for the soundtrack has been sustained. In 2007, Vanity Fair ranked the Trainspotting original soundtrack at number 7 for best motion picture soundtrack in history. Additionally, Entertainment Weekly ranked the Trainspotting soundtrack as 17th on their 100 best movie soundtracks list.[35] In 2013, Rolling Stone listed it as the 13th best soundtrack in their 25 best soundtracks.[36] In 2015, New Musical Express praised it as a "perfect snapshot of 1996 music."[37]
1996 saw a drastic change in British music with the rise of popularity for Britpop, although old-fashioned pop was still firmly rooted in British culture. With Oasis dominating the singles chart and the Spice Girls on the rise, the face of pop shifted from guitars to digitised beats.[37] The Trainspotting soundtrack aimed to champion the alternative music legacy of 1996 Britain with a focus on presenting electronic music on equal footing with rock music in a way that had never been done before.[38]
