Reservoir Dogs Soundtrack on “Mr. Blonde” colored vinyl. Today is the 25th anniversary of the film and soundtrack’s release, October 13th, 1992. Film soundtracks always provide background and atmosphere for movies but Quentin Tarantino was a bloody genius on Reservoir Dogs, his first film and soundtrack. Choosing pretty much the least obvious songs for pivotal scenes, he managed to make those film moments unforgettable and iconic, burning the songs and images forever into the viewer’s consciousness. The George Baker Selection’s “Little Green Bag” introduces the movie: the gang and their slow-motion swagger and made me love the song, which I don’t know I ever noticed before. And of course the most disturbing and amazing scene in Reservoir Dogs is during the “Dylan-esque pop bubblegum favorite” by Stealers Wheel, “Stuck in the Middle With You,” when Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) dances while brutally torturing Marvin (Kirk Baltz). Other standout selections are “I Gotcha” by Joe Tex and “Hooked on a Feeling” by Blue Suede. I even like “Coconut” (Harry Nilsson). I love “Magic Carpet Ride” but not Bedlam’s soundtrack version (Bedlam was the only group who recorded original songs for Reservoir Dogs), I’m far more partial to the original by Steppenwolf. Interspersed between the songs are Steven Wright’s KBLY announcements (my favorite is “the Bohemiath”) and choice film dialogue, the Madonna speech spoken mainly by Tarantino is enduringly hysterical (“this cat is like Charles Bronson in The Great Escape: he’s digging tunnels”).

I didn’t actually see Reservoir Dogs until 1993; I was in my senior year at UW-Madison with very little extra cash for the theater. So I waited until it came out on VHS – my roommate had one of those little TV’s with a built-in VCR – and rented it, inviting my friend John over who had seen it already and was obsessed, and my friend Kim, who hadn’t seen it either. I was instantly enthralled and immediately bought the soundtrack (though on CD – it wasn’t released on vinyl until 2012).