10 Best Nostalgic Mixtape Movie Soundtracks

Choice cuts: The Chakachas - "Jungle Fever", Eric Burdon & War - "Spill The Wine", Night Ranger - "Sister Christian"

Paul Thomas Anderson's sophomore feature, a story of sex, drugs and disco in the late-70s and early-80s "Golden Age of Porn", established the director's signature style of long meandering tales, a sprawling dysfunctional surrogate family cast, and ambitiously bold interlocking audiovisual imagery. Anderson's diverse soundtrack choices play a big part in that.

As Anderson charts the rise and fall of well-endowed dishwasher turned porn star Dirk Diggler through the groovy 70s and decadent excess of the early 80s, the music is every bit as brash and in your face as the neon-lit visuals, whether it's 70s disco or the heavy rock driving anthems of the 80s.

While the first half of the movie is all rollergirl sex scenes and pool parties the soundtrack is full of lively 70s jams, whether it's Marvin Gaye or the Commodores. But, as the years pass and things turn sour the soundtrack darkens too.

The soundtrack is probably best remembered, though, for the mixtape created in-universe by Alfred Molina's drug dealer which plays out the power ballads of Night Ranger while the deal goes horribly wrong. "I don't like to be told what to listen to and when to listen to it," Molina's Rahad tells our heroes, but when it's Anderson on mixtape duty maybe it's OK.