I’ve recently been watching “Vintage Top Gear” as SBS are calling it in an attempt to dull the pain of not showing the bloody new episodes. In the earlier episodes, the music was pretty crap. They used the same pieces over and over again and it didn’t really suit any of the scenes particularly well. But today as I plonked on the couch to enjoy more Top Gear repeats, I was thrust forward into Series 8, Episode 4 and served a nice reminder of why I keep coming back for more.

The newer episodes have simply blown me away with their perfect choices in music. The song you can hear at the start of the video is Hybrid’s “Just for Today” which I’ve previously blogged about. I always get a bit emotional whenever a Hybrid song is played on Top Gear. Another Hybrid song “Blackout” was played later in that episode. But it’s not just Hybrid. They have used heaps of other artists I like, such as Leftfield, Amon Tobin, Massive Attack, Harry Gregson-Williams, Underworld and The Chemical Brothers to name a few. For the epic scenes, the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings soundtracks get a workout. What I find most impressive, though is the huge variety of music and the way different tracks are seamlessly cut together and timed perfectly with the action. Combined with the stunning top-notch visuals, Top Gear’s music helps to create a show verging on being a truly cinematic experience.

I’m stating the obvious here but if Top Gear Australia expects to see any kind of success, they’ll need to realise that the original has set the bar pretty high. Not only in terms of host dynamics and humour, but also in production values.

Related Links:
List of music in Top Gear episodes
Top Gear Oresund Bridge video