And on that bombshell...

March 8, 2009 6:38 PM

Where can I find a comprehensive list of music featured on episodes of BBC's Top Gear?

Clarification: I know that you can purchase CD's which are "approved" by Top Gear, i.e. Top Gear Top Anthems etc. However, I usually find myself watching Top Gear and thinking that I love the music that they feature during the show (during the car reviews and challenge bits) but I can never remember the names of the songs so I can download them later.

Is there any place where I can find a list of the music featured in every episode in the similar way that a feature film lists all the music in the end credits? I can't view the credits at the end of episodes because BBC America usually cuts them off.

posted by QUHZK to media & arts (7 comments total)

The Final Gear Forums compile song lists by episode and by season.
posted by quickasfoxes at 6:42 PM on March 8

Google works surprisingly well:

http://forums.finalgear.com/top-gear-episode-songs/
posted by Brockles at 6:44 PM on March 8

By the way, I used the search term Songs used on Top Gear.
posted by Brockles at 6:45 PM on March 8

Just buy a bunch of Amon Tobin albums.
posted by fleacircus at 8:27 PM on March 8

Thanks for the comments so far. I was hoping for something more complete/official. Most of the forum threads end in "I couldn't figure it out any of the songs." - hence the summoning of askme instead of ye olde google.
posted by QUHZK at 9:03 PM on March 8

And whatever latest movie soundtracks are out. Last season, they used the Dark Knight soundtrack extensively. They also seem to like the Inside Man soundtrack quite a bit.

And QUHZK -- there's been times where I've had that too. One thing to note is that they changed the music in the older seasons due to licensing issues, so if you're watching the original BBC airings, it's going to be a lot tougher. If you're watching Dave reruns, I think those are torrented, and so forum goers can identify them easier.
posted by spiderskull at 12:51 AM on March 9

The show's producer is Andy Wilman. He has a blog here through which you might be able to contact him.

From what I can understand the BBC have licensing agreements which allow them to use pretty much any music they like without adding significantly to a program's production budget when it comes to paying royalties or negotiating use. Shows like Top Gear use, IMHO, an amazingly large quantity of such music. If you watch the credits of a film then each track will normally have to be listed. But for TV shows this does not seem to be a requirement/custom.

Somebody in the production department will have made a list of all the music used however - and it would be a trivial step to publish this list on the program's website. This is why I suggest you lobby the producer.
posted by rongorongo at 4:13 AM on March 9