V/A: The Big Lebowski (soundtrack) [HIP-O RECORDS]

Why you'll love it

T Bone Burnett and the Coens built a soundtrack as unpredictable as the film, from Henry Mancini and Moondog to the Gipsy Kings' flamenco "Hotel California." Far Out called pairing each song with its moment a truly astounding feat.

This edition

• Soundtrack compilation

About the album

The Coen brothers had songs in mind before they'd finished writing: Kenny Rogers' "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" for the Dude's dream sequence and the Gipsy Kings' "Hotel California" for Jesus Quintana. They handed the rest to T Bone Burnett, who asked to be credited as "Music Archivist" because he couldn't bear being called a supervisor.

Burnett went digging in every direction. Captain Beefheart's "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles" sits next to Elvis Costello's "My Mood Swings," Yma Sumac's "Ataypura," Nina Simone's "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" and Moondog's "Stamping Ground." Henry Mancini's "Lujon" plays for Jackie Treehorn, Meredith Monk's "Walking Song" floats by, and the German nihilists get "Wie Glauben" by their in-film band Autobahn, a nod to Kraftwerk. Townes Van Zandt's version of "Dead Flowers" plays over the credits, and getting it took a screening for Allen Klein, who agreed once he reached the Dude's views on the Eagles.

AllMusic found enough good songs and quirky humour for it to stand on its own. It also really ties the room together, though we'd keep it away from the rug.

Also at Kops: more The Big Lebowski on vinyl · browse Soundtracks

Tracklist

Listen

On Mercury (cat# B0023785-01), a reissue of the 1998 soundtrack.