(Note: I’ve curated playlists for both KINGS OF THE WYLD and BLOODY ROSE on Spotify. The links are below!)
KINGS OF THE WYLD on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7rcKByoNlqnz7GcRVsxdGJ?si=TjE4I2etSPqF5IU5ZXOWMg
BLOODY ROSE on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6RbWZvffxlICKN39YeqtZ5?si=kShRPicdR8eND12XrOztRQ
Well hi there!
If you’re reading this, you’ve either read KINGS OF THE WYLD or BLOODY ROSE, or else you’re currently reading KINGS OF THE WYLD or BLOODY ROSE, or are deciding whether or not to read KINGS OF THE WYLD or BLOODY ROSE, or else have never heard of KINGS OF THE WYLD or BLOODY ROSE and are hopelessly lost down an internet rabbit-hole. Whichever the case…welcome.
I’ll be brief here, so you can get to the good stuff. In fact, I won’t even be mad if you just stop reading now and have a look below. Seriously, go for it.
Still here? Fine, I’ll explain what this is: it’s a list of the music that directly inspired certain scenes or characters in KINGS OF THE WYLD. Now, it’s important to keep in mind that these songs are not the only songs that fit. In fact, you could probably throw on any ‘classic rock’ playlist while reading and have a pretty unique experience. The songs below are simply recommendations, but they are the ones most responsible for the story as it unfolded. Often, these songs (or the album on which they can be found) went on repeat while I was writing, and if I managed to capture even the barest hint of their essence, then I have no doubt the book is richer for it. You’ll see one of these ‘*’ if the song is absolutely imperative to the scene, but I’ll try and use it sparingly.
Imaginary Opening Credits
- Baba O’Riley, The Who
Chapter One – A Ghost on the Road
- Simple Man, Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Heart of Gold, Neil Young (Clay’s theme song)
Chapter Two – Rose
- Beast of Burden, The Rolling Stones
Chapter Three – A Good Man
- Wild Horses, The Rolling Stones*
Chapter Four – Hitting The Road
- Ramble On, Led Zeppelin
Chapter Five – Rocks, Socks, and Sandwiches
- Kozmic Blues, Janis Joplin
Chapter Six – The Monster Parade
- Immigrant Song, Led Zeppelin
Chapter Nine – The Heathen’s Touch
- The Wizard, Uriah Heep
Chapter Thirteen – The Duke Of Endland
- Station to Station, David Bowie
Chapter Fourteen – Farewell to the King
- Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pink Floyd
Chapter Seventeen – Fivecourt
- The Boys Are Back in Town, Thin Lizzy
Chapter Nineteen – Guests of the Gorgon
- Subterraneans, David Bowie
Chapter Twenty – The Soul in the Stone
- Little Wing (Solo), Jimi Hendrix
Chapter Twenty-one – The Riot House
- Back In Black, AC-DC*
Chapter Twenty-two – The Maxithon
- Kashmir, Led Zeppelin*
Chapter Twenty-three – Born to Kill
- If You Want Blood, AC-DC*
Chapter Twenty-Five – Treasures of Varying Usefulness
- When the Levee Breaks, Led Zeppelin*
Chapter Twenty-seven – Bounty
- Supertzar, Black Sabbath (Also Larkspur’s theme song)*
Chapter Thirty – The Dark Star
- Thunderstruck, AC-DC
Chapter Thirty-one – A Walk in the Wyld
- Planet Caravan, Black Sabbath*
Chapter Thirty-two – Drums and Drugs and Dreams
- Redemption Song, Bob Marley
Chapter Thirty-four – Hope in Flames
- Gimme Shelter, The Rolling Stones
Chapter Thirty-five – The Cannibal Court
- Midnight Rider, Allman Brothers Band
Chapter Thirty-six – Rambling On
- Sympathy For The Devil, The Rolling Stones
Chapter Thirty-eight – Tamarat
- Us and Them, Pink Floyd
Chapter Forty-two – Broken Bowls
- Helpless, Neil Young*
Chapter Forty-four – A Grave in the Clouds
- One Winged Angel (Advent Children), Nobuo Uematsu*
Chapter Forty-five – A Song for the Dreamer
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Bob Dylan*
Chapter Forty-six – Deliverence
- Moby Dick, Led Zeppelin*
Chapter Forty-seven – New Hands, Old Friends
- Up Around the Bend, Creedance Clearwater Revival*
Chapter Forty-eight – The Maze of Stone and Fire
- La Grange, ZZ-Top*
Chapter Forty-nine – Immortality
- Echoes (16:22 mark until about 18:46), Pink Floyd*
Chapter Fifty – Battle of the Bands
- Freebird (Guitar Solo), Lynyrd Skynyrd*
Chapter Fifty-one – The Autumn Son
- Still Freebird
Chapter Fifty-two – Sheer Dumb Luck
- Green Grass and High Tides (Guitar Solo), The Outlaws
Chapter Fifty-three – One Last Time
- Love Reign O’er Me, The Who*
Epilogue – Home
- And You And I (6:08 mark), Yes*
- Over The Hills and Far Away, Led Zeppelin
- Shelter From the Storm, Bob Dylan (1st draft ended with these lyrics)*
Alternative End Credit Songs
- Maggie May, Rod Stewart
- Stay With Me, The Faces
So there it is. The unofficial soundtrack to The Band, book one. I hope this is of interest to some. Do let me know if you find a song that fits better than any of these! There isn’t a chapter-by-chapter playlist for BLOODY ROSE, since the music was more of an inspiration to its characters rather than the plot, but the playlist is generally in chronological order. So long as you start with Van Halen and hit the climax somewhere around Meatloaf’s “For Crying Out Loud” you’ll be fine.
Lastly, a very talented artist named Alex Nitsu has taken the ever-so-welcome liberty of creating an amazing theme for Kings of the Wyld, complete with specific sub-themes for each of the main characters. I’ll post the link to that below.
The Heartwyld 