In our most recent review, we had a blast talking about Cowboy Bebop…even though we weren’t very fond of the live-action update. But there is one thing we can never get enough of: the music. You can hear Rob, Pete and I bounce back and forth between both versions of the show here, but one final note about the series (if we didn’t already talk about it enough in that episode) is that the free-flowing, toe-tapping, otherworldly sound Yoko Kanno & Seatbelts brought to this universe is just brilliant.
Each note, riff and all-out jam session amplifies the anime’s narrative beats helping to make the series so endearing and enjoyable. It also deftly underscores the wandering, introspection and full-throttle action – sometimes all in the same episode – without missing a beat. Yes, pun very much intended.
For your listening pleasure, I’m dusting off an archived playlist of essential tracks pulled from the various and long out-of-print CD releases from the show and feature-length film. I’ve been holding on this for about as long as the show has been around (curated over several months while I was in college), and think it best represents what Cowboy Bebop is.
And, heads up, I purposely left out Tank! and some other expected fan-favorites to put more focus on other gems as well as equally impactful, fun or under-appreciated tracks. One of my very favorite tracks is from probably my all-time favorite episode (Too Good Too Bad from Ep 19 “Wild Horses”) and yet it didn’t make the list. No matter how you pick your tracks, the series has something for everyone. Here is the full playlist of what we call the Cowboy Bebop Perfect Selections:
1. Space Lion (0:00-7:11)
2. Call Me Call Me (7:11-11:56)
3. The Real Folk Blues (11:56-18:15)
4. Slipper Sleaze (18:15-21:50)
5. Time to know ~ Be waltz (21:50-25:40)
6. No Reply (25:40-31:37)
7. 7 Minutes (31:37-38:25)
8. Clutch (38:25-43:41)
9. Yo’ Pumpkin Head (43:41-47:47)
10. What Planet Is This?! (47:47-52:19)
11. Butterfly (52:19-57:14)
12. Goodnight Julia (57:14-59:14)
13. Gotta Knock A Little Harder (59:14-1:04:38)
Now grab your best headphones, sit back and enjoy!!
Feel free to list your favorite tracks in the comments below…
