Almost Famous soundtrack to be released as massive 102-track box set

Almost Famous box set
(Image credit: UMusic)

The soundtrack to the much-loved music film Almost Famous is to be rereleased to mark the movie's 20th anniversary. 

Almost Famous, directed by Cameron Crowe, was a semi-autobiographical tale of a young journalist's first assignment for Rolling Stone, an on-the-road piece with the imaginary band Stillwater. Based on Crowe's own experiences as a writer, the film featured a soundtrack that included Led Zeppelin, The Who, Yes, Elton John, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more. 

Now the soundtrack is receiving a substantial makeover, with the results available via a number of different packages.  

As well as a basic 2CD edition, there's two double vinyl variants (one with a 70s-style tip-on sleeve), a 5CD package, two deluxe 6LP packages (one on coloured vinyl) and, for the deep of pocket, a super-deluxe edition featuring five CDs, seven 180-gram black vinyl discs, and a 7-inch of Stillwater’s "hit single" Fever Dog.          

The super-deluxe edition will also include a 40-page photo book featuring writing by Cameron Crowe and Heart's Nancy Wilson (who was married to Crowe at the time, and scored the film's soundtrack), along with cast and crew members; the cover story on Stillwater as a 1973 Rolling Stone replica; and two replica ticket stubs from Stillwater’s San Diego and Cleveland concerts. 

There's more: a Stillwater tour poster; a Stillwater Cleveland concert poster and a backstage poster; six film-prop-replica backstage passes; three film-prop-replica business cards for Dick Roswell (Stillwater's road manager), Lester Bangs (Creem magazine) and Ben Fong-Torres (Rolling Stone magazine); and three photo prints of cast members. 

All of this comes wrapped in a chrome-coloured lift-top box, and features a number of unreleased recordings, including Elton John's Tiny Dancer (Almost Famous Version), a unique mix and edit of The Who’s Amazing Journey / Sparks, a newly mixed live acoustic performance of Neil Young's Cortez The Killer, and 32 more unreleased recordings. 

Extra bonus audio tracks include film dialogue, six Stillwater songs, seven demos for the Stillwater songs performed by Nancy Wilson and Peter Frampton, three backstage jams by Stillwater members, and twenty-one of Nancy Wilson’s soundtrack score selections – fourteen of which weren’t in the film and have not been released before. Complete tracklist below.

The various Almost Famous (20th Anniversary Edition) packages are available to pre-order now. 

Almost Famous - Super Deluxe Edition tracklist

CD 1
1. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – Alvin & The Chipmunks
2. The Oogum Boogum Song – Brenton Wood
3. America – Simon & Garfunkel
4. “One Day You’ll Be Cool”
5. Amazing Journey / Sparks (Almost Famous Version) – The Who*
6. Search And Destroy – Iggy & The Stooges
7. “Rock N’ Roll It’s Over”
8. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference – Todd Rundgren
9. “Don’t Take Drugs”
10. Teacher (U.S. Version) – Jethro Tull
11. “We Are Band Aids”
12. Roundabout – Yes
13. “Incendiary”
14. I’ve Seen All Good People: a. Your Move, b. All Good People – Yes
15. Feel Flows – The Beach Boys
16. “This Is Penny Lane”
17. River – Joni Mitchell
18. “Piggyback Ride”
19. Fever Dog – Stillwater

CD 2
1. Every Picture Tells A Story – Rod Stewart
2. Small Time Blues (Acoustic) – The Hyatt Singers
3. Something In The Air – Stillwater & Cast*
4. Easy To Slip – Little Feat
5. “Rolling Stone Magazine”
6. Go All The Way – The Raspberries
7. Mr. Farmer – The Seeds
8. One Way Out (Live) – The Allman Brothers Band
9. “Don’t Forget The Rules”
10. Albert Flasher (Live) – The Guess Who
11. Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd
12. “Just Make Us Look Cool”
13. Love Thing – Stillwater
14. That’s The Way – Led Zeppelin
15. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere – Neil Young & Crazy Horse
16. Future Games – Fleetwood Mac
17. Burn – Deep Purple
18. You Had To Be There – Stillwater
19. “I Am A Golden God”
20. Dear Jill – Blodwyn Pig
21. Tiny Dancer (Almost Famous Version) – Elton John and Cast*

CD 3
1. Looking At You – MC5
2. Reeling In The Years (Live) – Steely Dan*
3. Lucky Trumble – Nancy Wilson
4. Untitled – Jeff Bebe*
5. I’m Waiting For The Man (Live) – David Bowie
6. “Your Mom Kind Of Freaked Me Out”
7. “Please Welcome Stillwater!”
8. Love Comes And Goes – Stillwater
9. “You Gotta Take What You Can, When You Can”
10. The Wind – Cat Stevens
11. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
12. Slip Away – Clarence Carter
13. Misty Mountain Hop – Led Zeppelin
14. Wishing Well – Free
15. “Cover Of The Rolling Stone”
16. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters – Elton John
17. Colour My World – Jefferson High School Band
18. My Cherie Amour – Stevie Wonder
19. Cortez The Killer (Live) – Neil Young*
20. “You Made Friends With Them”
21. The Rain Song – Led Zeppelin
22. "We All Know What You Did To Him”
23. Bron-Yr-Aur – Led Zeppelin
24. What Do You Love About Music?”
25. Tangerine – Led Zeppelin

CD 4
Stillwater
1. Fever Dog
2. Love Thing
3. You Had To Be There
4. Hour Of Need
4. Chance Upon You
6. Love Comes And Goes

Stillwater Demos
7. Love Comes And Goes (Early Version)*
8. Fever Dog*
9. Love Thing*
10. Chance Upon You*
11. Love Comes And Goes*
12. Hour Of Need* - Peter Frampton, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Gordon Kennedy
13. You Had To Be There* - Peter Frampton, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Gordon Kennedy

Stillwater Backstage Jams*
14. That's The Way (Acoustic) - Larry Fellows and Ed Vallencourt
15. Down By The River (Acoustic) - Larry Fellows and Ed Vallencourt
16. Fever Dog (Acoustic) - Stillwater

CD 5
Original Motion Picture Score by Nancy Wilson
1. Prefunction*
2. Cabin By The River*
3. Lucky Trumble
4. Dapple Tree*
5. Cabin In The Air*
6. Dear Peggy*
7. Bye Bye Now*

Original Motion Picture Score Outtakes* by Nancy Wilson
8. Cabin (Outtake 1)
9. Moody
10. Morocco
11. Aurora
12. Mood Swing
13. The Teenager
14. Borealis
15. Strummy
16. Tiny Dancer Intro
17. Mando Swagger
18. Cabin (Outtake 2)
19. Love Stomp
20. Function
21. Aaron's Real Room

LP 1
A1. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late) – Alvin & The Chipmunks
A2. The Oogum Boogum Song – Brenton Wood
A3. America – Simon & Garfunkel
A4. “One Day You’ll Be Cool”
A5. Amazing Journey / Sparks (Almost Famous Version) – The Who*
A6. Search And Destroy – Iggy & The Stooges
B1. “Rock N’ Roll It’s Over”
B2. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference – Todd Rundgren
B3. “Don’t Take Drugs”
B4. Teacher (U.S. Version) – Jethro Tull
B5. "We Are Band Aids”
B6. Roundabout – Yes

LP 2
C1. “Incendiary”
C2. I’ve Seen All Good People: a. Your Move, b. All Good People – Yes
C3. Feel Flows – The Beach Boys
C4. “This Is Penny Lane”
C5. River – Joni Mitchell
D1. “Piggyback Ride (San Diego)”
D2. Fever Dog – Stillwater
D3. Every Picture Tells A Story – Rod Stewart
D4. Small Time Blues (Acoustic) – The Hyatt Singers
D5. Something In The Air – Stillwater & Cast*

LP 3
E1. Easy To Slip – Little Feat
E2. “Rolling Stone Magazine”
E3. Go All The Way – The Raspberries
E4. Mr. Farmer – The Seeds
E5. One Way Out (Live) – The Allman Brothers Band
E6. “Don’t Forget The Rules”
E7. Albert Flasher (Live) – The Guess Who
F1. Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd
F2. “Just Make Us Look Cool”
F3. Love Thing – Stillwater
F4. That’s The Way – Led Zeppelin

LP 4
G1. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere – Neil Young & Crazy Horse
G2. Future Games – Fleetwood Mac
G3. Burn – Deep Purple
G4. You Had To Be There – Stillwater
H1. “I Am A Golden God”
H2. Dear Jill – Blodwyn Pig
H3. Tiny Dancer (Almost Famous Version) – Elton John and Cast*
H4. Looking At You – MC5
H5. Reeling In The Years (Live) – Steely Dan*

LP 5
I1. Lucky Trumble – Nancy Wilson
I2. Untitled – Jeff Bebe*
I3. I’m Waiting For The Man (Live) – David Bowie
I4. “Your Mom Kind Of Freaked Me Out”
I5. “Please Welcome Stillwater!”
I6. Love Comes And Goes – Stillwater
J1. “You Gotta Take What You Can, When You Can”
J2. The Wind – Cat Stevens
J3. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – The Jimi Hendrix Experience
J4. Slip Away – Clarence Carter
J5. Misty Mountain Hop – Led Zeppelin
J6. Wishing Well – Free
J7. “Cover Of The Rolling Stone”

LP 6
K1. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters – Elton John
K2. Colour My World – Jefferson High School Band
K3. My Cherie Amour – Stevie Wonder
K4. Cortez The Killer (Live) – Neil Young*
L1. “You Made Friends With Them”
L2. The Rain Song – Led Zeppelin
L3. “We All Know What You Did To Him”
L4. Bron-Yr-Aur – Led Zeppelin
L5. “What Do You Love About Music?”
L6. Tangerine – Led Zeppelin

LP 7 - Stillwater EP*
A1. Fever Dog
A2. Love Thing
A3. You Had To Be There
B1. Hour Of Need
B2. Chance Upon You
B3. Love Comes And Goes

Fever Dog 7-Inch
A1. Fever Dog
B1. Piggyback Ride (Cleveland)*
B2. Fever Dog (Acoustic)

* = previously unreleased

Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.