Music plays a large part in the Rebus novels. In the first several novels, Rebus is a jazz enthusiast, listening to the likes of Miles Davis. However, by the publication of the 1997 Gold Dagger Award-winning "Black and Blue", Rebus's musical taste has shifted towards classic and progressive rock. Musical groups and tracks are often directly mentioned in Rankin’s novels, whether playing on Rebus’s Hi-Fi, or in his car, or passed between characters on mix tapes or borrowed albums. Music also weaves throughout the narrative, setting the scene, or making a pun - such as ‘Born to Be Wild’ by Steppenwolf in "Tooth and Nail", or a scene in "The Hanging Garden" where ‘Psycho Killer’ by the Talking Heads plays in Rebus’s car. Several bands appear in Rankin’s works multiple times, such The Rolling Stones, Joy Division, Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallagher, The Cure, The Velvet Underground, and many more.