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- Jon Dolan
- ‘Head’ (1968) The Monkees' psychedelic fantasy bombed at the box office, and nobody on earth has ever figured out the plot. Yet it remains a trippy cult classic, with cameos from Frank Zappa and co-writer Jack Nicholson.
- ‘Rock and Roll High School’ (1979) This set from the Ramones' star turn strips the punk irony from a clutch of their best songs and reframes them as pure anthems of suburban-teen disaffection.
- ‘Juice’ (1992) Juice starred Tupac Shakur and featured Samuel L. Jackson, and its soundtrack (produced by the Bomb Squad's Hank Shocklee) was loaded with real hip-hop at a time when movies of its kind were still going with safer R&B.
- ‘Lost in Translation’ (2003) Director Sofia Coppola has a thing for the French – see Air's lovely soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides, as well as her post-punk Marie Antoinette.
- 'Almost Famous' (2000) The No. 1 entry in the Top 10 Rock Soundtracks plants a big, sloppy wet one on the music of the late ’60s and early ’70s. In ‘Almost Famous,’ writer-director Cameron Crowe is telling his story and, as a former journalist for Rolling Stone magazine, much of that story is about music.
- 'Dazed and Confused' (1993) If ‘Easy Rider’ is a postcard from 1968, ‘Dazed and Confused’ is a love letter to 1976 – and the key to Richard Linklater’s tribute is the era’s music.
- 'Easy Rider' (1969) When film fans discuss the pictures that led to the freedom and excitement of ’70s moviemaking, they often discuss movies in which rock music played a prominent role: ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ ‘The Graduate’ and ‘Easy Rider.’
- 'Rushmore' (1999) Like Scorsese, director Wes Anderson has often used Stones tracks in his films and 1999’s ‘Rushmore’ was no exception, as it played Max Fischer’s (Jason Schwartzman) isolation against ‘I Am Waiting.’
- "I Love Rock 'N Roll" (1981) — Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. So what if it's a cover? Joan Jett & the Blackhearts own this song with every ounce of their being.
- "Born to Run" (1975) — Bruce Springsteen. If "At night, we ride through the mansions of glory/In suicide machines" doesn't sound like a typical rock lyric, it's because this ode to love, cars, and unfulfilled American dreams is anything but typical.
- "Starman" (1972) — David Bowie. David Bowie's "Starman" is a soaring wonder, a sparkly tale about an alien communicating with Earth's children via radio (and phone!).
- "Once in a Lifetime" (1980) — Talking Heads. An ode to disassociation, the Talking Heads' signature song is carried by Tina Weymouth's hypnotic rubber-band bassline and (her husband) Chris Frantz's shuddery beats.
- Van Halen: Van Halen. Close to 40 years on, Van Halen’s debut album has lost none of its shine, nor any of its importance. Before it, hard rock was in serious danger of becoming staid and lifeless.
- Nirvana: Nevermind. Nevermind isn’t just a huge-selling record; there have been far bigger. It’s not even just an iconic set of songs. With the 12 songs on the album, Nirvana defined a generation, and in doing so came as close as anyone could possibly expect in the 90s to revolutionising the concept of rock’n’roll.
- The Who: Quadrophenia. Arriving hard-at-heel after Pete Townshend’s aborted Lifehouse project, was supposed to be his defining moment of the 70s, a rock opera to out-Tommy anything that had gone before.
- The Who: Who's Next. Another classic band whose albums never score as highly in polls like this as you might think, The Who are possibly best loved for their extraordinary run of 60s singles than for their long-players.
- Georgia May
- Almost Famous (2000) In Almost Famous, we get an exploration into an off-branch of the music industry: music journalism. The journalist at its center is a 15-year-old kid from San Diego, played by Patrick Fugit.
- Easy Rider (1969) We've mentioned the 1960s often throughout this list, and that's because the decade was such a pivotal time for rock n' roll! Attitudes were changing, minds were expanding, and young people preferred to ride around on motorcycles while smoking weed than to be married and settled down by 20.
- Quadrophenia (1979) Quadrophenia is based on The Who's 1973 rock opera. That description alone is enough to get us seated with popcorn at the ready, but don't crunch so loudly that you miss The Kingsman singing "Louie Louie."
- Elvis (2022) Here we have the King of Rock himself, Elvis Presley. Despite his stint as an actor, Elvis Presley was always better suited to the musical stage.
May 15, 2024 · These movies are not just about music, they're experiences filled with power-packed performances, iconic soundtracks, and rich narratives. Aided by top-notch direction, and raw, relatable portrayals, these rock and roll movies truly incite that invincible, edgy, rock n roll spirit within you.
May 22, 2024 · The greatest rock songs of all time: brilliant rock tracks through the ages. We have narrowed down the best rock songs ever made - vote for your fave!
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