VARIOUS ARTISTS Trainspotting (EMI Premier)

The double album of the soundtrack of the film of the play of the book of the subculture...if you haven’t encountered "Trainspotting" in one of its many forms yet, why not? (Clue: ‘because it glamorises drug abuse’ is not the right answer.) Especially as, unusually, the soundtrack is rather good: mirroring the unspecified timeframe of the film, it contains certified rock classics in the form of Iggy’s mighty (and mightily appropriate) "Lust For Life", New Order’s peerless "Temptation" and Lou Reed’s "Perfect Day", worthy new tunes from Primal Scream (the shuffly ten-minute instrumental title track, which sees them reunited with Andrew Weatherall) and Pulp, an acceptable slice of ambience from Eno, and Underworld’s magnificent "Born Slippy" single from last year, easily better than anything off their miserable "Second Toughest In The Infants" album. The only black marks concern the presence of Sleeper (a pointless carbon copy of Blondie’s wonderful "Atomic"), Elastica and Leftfield. The odd snatch of dialogue would’ve been a thoughtful inclusion as well. No matter, "Trainspotting" is still the most worthwhile soundtrack to pass this way in years.