Published: August 27, 2026 · 2:41 AM EDT
The 1995 cult-film soundtrack returns on a new 2LP edition featuring “Til I Hear It From You,” The Cranberries’ “Liar,” Edwyn Collins, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Better Than Ezra and other ’90s alternative tracks
The soundtrack to Empire Records is back on vinyl in a new 2LP standard black edition, bringing together one of the most recognizable collections of alternative rock and pop associated with a 1990s cult movie.
The Sound of Vinyl and Universal are presenting the 2026 release as the soundtrack’s first appearance on standard black vinyl. The 2LP edition is currently available for $32.99 USD.
That distinction is important: Empire Records has appeared on vinyl before, including limited colored editions. An Interscope pressing, for example, used translucent emerald and lemonade vinyl. The new release is specifically notable for bringing the soundtrack to conventional black vinyl for the first time, according to Universal.
Released alongside the 1995 film, the soundtrack opens with Gin Blossoms’ “Til I Hear It From You,” written by Robin Wilson, Jesse Valenzuela and Marshall Crenshaw. The song became one of the soundtrack’s biggest successes, reaching No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The collection also includes The Cranberries’ “Liar,” Edwyn Collins’ “A Girl Like You,” Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “Crazy Life,” Better Than Ezra’s “Circle of Friends” and tracks by Cracker, The Innocence Mission, Drill and others.
Another interesting archival detail comes near the end of the record: Evan Dando’s version of Big Star’s “The Ballad of El Goodo” features Empire Records star Liv Tyler on backing vocals. The soundtrack was curated by film music supervisor Mitchell Leib.
Released in 1995, Empire Records follows a group of young employees working at an independent record store while trying to prevent the business from being taken over by a larger chain.
The cast included Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry and Johnny Whitworth. Music was central to the film’s identity, and the soundtrack became one of the clearest physical documents of its mid-1990s alternative-rock setting.
EMPIRE RECORDS - 2LP TRACKLIST
LP1 - SIDE ONE
1. Gin Blossoms - “Til I Hear It From You”
2. The Cranberries - “Liar”
3. Edwyn Collins - “A Girl Like You”
4. The Martinis - “Free”
LP1 - SIDE TWO
1. Toad the Wet Sprocket - “Crazy Life”
2. The Innocence Mission - “Bright As Yellow”
3. Better Than Ezra - “Circle of Friends”
4. Ape Hangers - “I Don’t Want To Live Today”
LP2 - SIDE ONE
1. Cracker - “Whole Lotta Trouble”
2. The Meices - “Ready, Steady, Go”
3. Drill - “What You Are”
4. Lustre - “Nice Overalls”
LP2 - SIDE TWO
1. Please - “Here It Comes Again”
2. Evan Dando - “The Ballad of El Goodo”
3. Coyote Shivers - “Sugarhigh”
The new edition does not add unreleased material or reconstruct the soundtrack with additional songs from the film. Its appeal is simpler: the original 15-track soundtrack is now available as a standard black 2LP, placing Gin Blossoms, The Cranberries, Edwyn Collins, Better Than Ezra and the rest of the collection back into the physical record-store format that sits at the center of Empire Records itself.
For a movie built around people working in an independent record store, there is something appropriately circular about that.
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
IMAGE CREDIT: Courtesy of Universal Music
Watch Gin Blossoms’ official “Til I Hear It From You” music video below:
