Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver Soundtrack is an eclectic journey through music genres

If you haven’t seen the film yet then I would advise you go to the cinema. Right now. Stop whatever you are doing and get a ticket for Baby Driver, because it is fucking awesome. However, if you have seen the film, you will appreciate how solid the films soundtrack is (I HAD to purchase this on vinyl as soon as I got out of the cinema). In this brief review I may refer to some vague spoilers, so this is your last chance to sod off if you don’t want anything ruined…

This gorgeous double vinyl set features some fan-pleasing artwork inside and outside the main sleeve, compiling the majority of songs used in the film in chronological order. This is the first time I have felt a film soundtrack to be a listening experience that both enhances your love of the film and tells the story through music, even more so than Tarantino's filmography (this is of course excluding all traditional musical films, like La La Land, another amazing piece of cinema this year). As you are listening to it you can even feel the tone of the movie, from the action-packed sequences to the romantic narrative, you can hear it all on the album.

Even if you don’t care for the film itself, this is an awesome soundtrack to have in your collection, with an eclectic mix of groovy music. The likes of The Commodores, Sam & Dave, and Carla Thomas feature as smooth soul at its finest, with Barry White’s dulcet tones getting a well-earned spot too. This album balances the sexy with the head banger thanks to a tasty injection of rock, from classic bands like Queen and T. Rex. What Edgar Wright has done with this soundtrack is show off his wonderfully diverse taste in music, without picking all of the most obvious tracks. Baby Driver presents some music from loved artists that people may not know, so it is educational to the casual music fan. ‘Brighton Rock’ by Queen is an obscure tune from their discography but is used so well in the final action scene from the movie.

If there is one weak point with the Baby Driver soundtrack, it’s the made-for-film song ‘Chase Me’ by Run The Jewels, Danger Mouse, and Big Boi. I can’t help but feel that the song was shoehorned in for money making purposes, as it was only used for the credits and seems very out of place on this soundtrack. However, ‘Chase Me’ is the last song on the album and is omitted from the vinyl release, so it doesn’t really matter (tracks like ‘Debra’ by Beck more than make up for the one naff track anyway). The Baby Driver soundtrack presents a mixture of classic soul, obscure rock, and funky filmic instrumentals. Wright’s record is a fun exploration of music for the entire journey, and thankfully the album doesn’t whizz past with its impressive collection of 30 excellent song choices.