Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of films and musical genres. Click “Next Soundtrack” below to explore each soundtrack in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & soundtrack index here.
24 Hour Party People
FFRR (2002)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
For those of us old enough to remember the music emanating from the UK throughout the 1980s, 24 Hour Party People is certainly a welcome trip down nostalgia lane that reinvigorates our affection for exalted bands like Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays.
But the film—predicated upon the rise and fall of Factory Records co-founder Tony Wilson—primarily draws its strength from documenting the marked contrasts that characterized the trajectory of the Manchester music scene. There’s the innocence and tragedy of Joy Division. The dancefloor hedonism and drug-fueled gang warfare of the famed Hacienda nightclub. The musical “genius” and rapscallion persona of Shaun Ryder. The passion and buffoonery of the aforementioned Wilson. And of course, the ascension and subsequent implosion of the ephemeral Factory Records.
The stabilizing factor amidst all of these contradictions, however, is the music. Primarily comprised of familiar, beloved fare from the three aforementioned bands, the expansive collection also features memorable material from punk rock heroes (Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Clash) and dance music pioneers (A Guy Called Gerald, 808 State, Marshall Jefferson).
LISTEN & WATCH: