Almost Famous: all the albums that appear in the film

Almost Famousclassic road movie Cameron Crowe, turned 23 this week. Released on September 13, 2000, the film tells the semi-biographical story of the director himself, during his time working at the Rolling Stone American in the 1970s.

In the plot, the young writer William Miller (Patrick Fugit) gets the magazine’s mission to accompany the fictional band Stillwater on their tour of the United States. Along the way, he ends up learning the reality about rock and himself.

In addition to the scenic band – who recorded five tracks especially for the film -, the film is obviously full of references to real musical talents, particularly the effervescent American and British rock scene of the 1960s and 1970s. And, based on the analogue era of the plot, the LPs are a guaranteed presence in several scenes.

This is the case, for example, at the beginning of the film, in which William’s mother, Elaine Miller (Frances McDormand), confronts his other daughter, Anita (Zooey Deschanel) upon discovering a rock album in his house. The album in question was Bookends (1968), from Simon & Garfunkel. In the hilarious scene, Elaine makes a point of showing her children how rock was synonymous with degradation, pointing to the eyes of the duo on the album cover and saying that they were high.

Afterwards, Anita leaves her mother’s house, leaving her enviable record collection to her younger brother, with classics such as Pet Sounds (1966), from Pet Shop Boys, Led Zeppelin II (1969), from Led Zeppelin It is Axis: Bold as Love (1967), from The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Below we list all the albums displayed in Almost Famousin order of appearance or mention – some are only shown glimpses in Lester Bangs’ house (Philip Seymour Hoffman) or in its radio scene, others have a more important role in the plot, such as the classic Tommy (1969), from The Who:

Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends (1968)

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (1966)

James Taylor – Sweet Baby James (1970)

The Rolling Stones- Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) (1966) [Compilation]

The Rolling Stones – ‘Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!’: The Rolling Stones in Concert (1970)

Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II (1969)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Axis: Bold as Love (1967)

Cream – Wheels of Fire (1968)

Joni Mitchell – Blue (1971)

Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde (1966)

The Who – Tommy (1969)

Neil Young – After the Goldrush (1970)

Yes – Fragile (1971)

The Doors – Morrison Hotel (1970)

The Velvet Underground – White Light / White Heat (1968)

Iggy and The Stooges – Raw Power (1973)

The Velvet Underground – Loaded (1970)

Lou Reed – Lou Reed (1972)

John Coltrane – Giant Steps (1960)

The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East (1971)

Watch the trailer for Almost Famous below: