Music Rewind's Stephen Epley on Discovering Soul Music via the Soundtrack to The Commitments (1991)

Stephen Epley, host of Music Rewind, joins Nicole and Ryan to talk about Alan Parker's 1991 film, The Commitments. The film deserverdly racked up nominations at the BAFTAS, Golden Globes and the Oscars, but it's soundtrack is what really took off in the US and around the world. It went 2x Platinum in the US, 3x Platinum in the UK, and it was a huge hit in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden. It was so successful that they released a 2nd soundtrack, The Commitments Vol. 2.

The film follows a band of Irish teens that are put together to sing covers of American soul songs, "songs of the working class" claims manager, Jimmy Rabbit. This soundtrack was Stephen's gateway to soul music since in 1991, discovering music was not as simple as it is in 2024. 

We Discuss:
Alan Parker's other rock and roll projects that made him the perfect director for this film
How this movie launched Glen Hansard's journey of writing music for films
How authentic the music feels in the movie and why that is
The film's legacy even though there weren't any "breakout" stars from the film

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