Guardians of the Galaxy has its flaws, but its one of the few films of 2014 where my mind kept drifting back to it and all the scenes I loved. It's easily one of the most enjoyable films of the year, and part of the enjoyment comes from its delightful soundtrack. It's not that all of the songs are great ("The Pina Colada Song" plays on a loop in Hell), but they gave the movie its own vibe and atmosphere.
However, what we got in the film wasn't the original, uncut "Awesome Mix: Vol. 1". Director and co-writer James Gunn has revealed the full set-list, which includes some fun songs that didn't end up in the movie such as Cheap Trick's "Surrender" and Three Dog Night's "Never Been to Spain". Hit the jump for the full setlist and to learn how Gunn settled on the final soundtrack.
Here's the "Entire Awesome Mix: Vol. 1" [via James Gunn]:
In honor of this new Facebook like page, I thought I'd give you what many of you have been asking for for so long. When Chris Pratt and I started working together on Guardians of the Galaxy, I gave him a mixed tape (okay, I admit, a mixed CD) of Awesome Mix Volume 1, that he could listen to endlessly, so he'd know it backwards and forwards, just as Quill knew the tape his mom gave him. As I've mentioned in the past, it contained a few songs that were not on the eventual soundtrack. Here is that original list - the newer songs have a * -
I’m Not in Love - 10cc
Come and Get Your Love – Redbone
Go All the Way – Raspberries (band)
*Never Been to Spain – Three Dog Night
Hooked on a Feeling – Blue Swede
*Magic - Pilot (band)
The Pina Colada Song – Rupert Holmes
*Livin’ Thing – Electric Light Orchestra
Moonage Daydream - David Bowie (Official)
Fooled Around and Fell in Love – Elvin Bishop
*Fox on the Run - The Sweet
Cherry Bomb – The Runaways
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
O-O-H Child – Five Stairsteps
*Surrender – Cheap Trick
Gunn explains his thought process on choosing the right tracks for the film:
Some of these songs were in the first cut of the movie - the mean blue guard danced through the prison listening to Magic on Quill's headphones, and Livin Thing featured in a montage in the Milano after the gang left the prison. We shot Quill singing "Never Been to Spain" at the Nova guards in an aggressive manner when he was having his mug shot taken, but the winding-up-the-finger gag worked better, so it never made the cut. The rest were never really in, but I thought this would give you a good idea of the complete Awesome Mix to which young Peter Quill might have lived his life.
Also, in all honesty, Moonage Daydream wasn't on the original tape - I added it in post-production - but I thought I'd leave it on the list to keep things simple.
Gunn also notes that the reason "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "I Want You Back" aren't on this list is that they're "Vol. 2" tracks, and he didn't want Pratt listening to them because Star-Lord wouldn't have heard those songs yet.
Here are the songs that didn't make the final "Awesome Mix: Vol. 1":