Customer Reviews

Brokeback Mountain [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

5 star:		(148)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A fine collection of C&W songs performed by some great artists, with some evocative instrumental interludes from the film. The highlights are the moving A Love That Will Never Grow Old (next year's Oscar-winning song?) and I Don't Want to Say Goodbye, songs written by Gustavo Santaolalla and Bernie Taupin and performed by, respectively, the reknowned Emmylou Harris and Teddy Thompson, a talented young artist (check out his excellent self-entitled debut on Virgin Records). These songs do a great job of conveying the love of the two main characters in the film, but can be enjoyed by anyone. They are wonderful country ballads. Santaolalla's other songs are excellent too. No One's Going to Love You Like Me is a nice twangy Patsy Cline-y piece, while I Will Never Let You Go is a strong, more fast-tempo song. These songs are performed by more talented up-and-comers, Mary McBride and Jackie Greene. Rufus Wainwright's own The Maker Makes is tremendously desolate and moving. Wainwright and Thompson also team for an immensely enjoyable cover of King of the Road, their voices alternately blending and contrasting quite pleasingly. I think the Willie Nelson cover of "He Was a Friend of Mine" is fine. It is more uptempo, but Willie's vocal treatment is very touching. There's a nice, frantic fiddle piece too, "An Angel Went Up in Flames."

I stumbled upon this soundtrack at a record store recently & decided to give it a shot, as the roster of artists impressed me. I'm glad I made my purchase. This soundtrack is easily one of the year's best.

There are a number of distinguished country artists performing new tracks, some written specifically for the film. Willie Nelson is first up with a gorgeous cover of Bob Dylan's "He Was A Friend Of Mine." Emmylou Harris also turns in a poignant performance on "A Love That Will Never Grow Old," a beautiful song written specifically for the film by Argentinian musician Gustavo Santaolalla (who provides the film's score-- more on that later) & lyricist Bernie Taupin. I hope this gets some Oscar consideration!

Mary McBride, Teddy Thompson & Jackie Greene give nice performances in ballads also written for the film by Santaolalla/Taupin. The strength of these songs are impressive, especially considering the fact that they come from an Argentinian guitarist & a pop/rock lyricist. These songs sound like they belong in any classical country canon.

The only tracks that weigh down the album are Steve Earle's "The Devil's Right Hand," & Linda Ronstandt's Buddy Holly cover, "It's So Easy," both recycled hits for the artists in 1987 & 1977, respectively. They break the mood of the album & just sound out of place here.

Also somewhat out of place, but just simply delightful, is Rufus Wainwright & Teddy Thompson's cover of Roger Miller's "King Of The Road." The track doesn't even appear in the film, but it's inspired & downright fun.

But it's Rufus Wainwight's solo track, "The Maker Makes," that is the highlight of the album for me. It's a beautiful, twangy, heartwrenching little ballad that's performed on the piano. I get the chills each time I hear it! I'm a big fan of Rufus & Teddy Thompson, so I may be biased, but they too succeed in creating country songs that transcend their singer/songwriter limitations.

The tracks from Santaolalla's score start to sound kind of similar-- stark guitar instrumental interludes-- but they no doubt capture the essence & emotion of the film. I'm only familiar with his work from the Motorcycle Diaries (which was right up his alley), but he seems to segueway into American westerns seemlessly & with much grace.

Just about all the songs and instrumental cues on this album are huge achievements in conveying the emotional themes of the film: love, loss & longing. It's a soundtrack full of passion that transends musical genres. These aren't just country & western songs-- they're love songs.

So often film scores that utilize songs from a period of time during which the cinema story happened are dismissed as 'non-original' or 'uncreative' or, worse yet, 'plagiarized''! But the charge of a composer assigned to provide music for a film is to support the mood, enhance the plot, identify certain motifs, and in general make the film more powerful without drawing attention to itself. Some film scores are so immediately accessible and beautiful that the audience stops thinking about the story to appreciate the beauty of the music. Yes, that is fine, to a degree, but more credit should go to the score master whose work is so subtle that you simply don't notice it.

The score for BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is an example of writing music that is noticed in the right moments and unnoticed in others. Gustavo Santaolalla has written some very subtle, almost minimalist music such as 'Opening', 'Snow', 'Brokeback Mountain 1, 2 and 3', 'Riding Horses' and 'The Wings', scored for acoustic guitar, guitar, and strings which underline the loneliness of the Wyoming cowboy and the isolation of the characters longing for each other. The music is lovely and evocative. But Santaolalla also selects well known country western music from the period to use in the bars and festivities, adding some of his own ballads such as 'A Love That Will Never Grow Old', 'No One's Gonna Love You Like Me', 'I Don't Want to Say Goodbye', 'I Will Never Let You Go', and 'An Angel Went Up in Flames' - all with the help from librettists of stature. But he also chose songs like 'He Was A Friend of Mine' by Bob Dylan sung by Willie Nelson and by the time this song happens along in the score the audience is married to the story and it is gentle, quiet moment of tenderness and melancholy greatly enhanced.

All of the vocals included so appropriately on this CD soundtrack are beautifully rendered by some of our best CW talent. But it must be remembered that were it not for Gustavo Santaolalla they would not be included and be as memorably placed as they are in the final cut of the film. Santaolalla is a master composer who puts the story first, and his music in the background, where it grows into our memories of fine films such as this long after the closing credits. Grady Harp, April 06

"Brokeback Mountain" is without a doubt one of the best films I've ever had the chance to experience. Not only does the film stay with me in my head and in my heart, its soundtrack does as well. I've never purchased a soundtrack and I really only bought it for 2 songs - "He Was A Friend of Mine" by the great Willie Nelson & "The Maker Makes" by Rufus Wainwright. As these songs played over the end credits, I couldn't help getting all choked up. These 2 songs were a beautiful coda to an amazing film that will always have a special place in my heart.

I wholeheartedly recommend this CD!!

The film was impeccable, and so was the soundtrack. When I saw the film, the amazing music score really got my attention. It was so remarkable & so moving that you couldn't even overlook, and it really captured the essence & emotion of the film flawlessly. If you liked the film, then I'm certain that you will also like the soundtrack because the music is one of the best things about the film. I've cried so many times after watching the beautiful Brokeback Mountain, and I couldn't help it but wept after listening to this inspiring soundtrack. It was so beautiful, heartbreaking and haunting that I was moved & touched so profoundly & deeply.

Gustavo Santaolalla's sparse, romantic score perfectly sets the tone for the film's panoramic countryside, while Willie Nelson's haunting, spoken narrative on "He Was a Friend of Mine" creates a mood as captivating as the one on Emmylou Harris' version of "A Love That Will Never Grow Old." Santaolalla's music for movies has involved a certain amount of experimentation, his work here is just subdued. The film had song usage in mind from the start, and Santaolalla also wrote multiple classically-inclined country ballads that have both been very well received by Country music collectors.

I would also recommend this soundtrack to all of you who haven't seen the film. I've shared this soundtrack with six of my friends (they haven't seen the film back then), and ALL OF THEM told me they got chills after listening to it. Now, five of them have bought both the DVD & soundtrack because they simply loved it.

The entire soundtrack from beginning to end is just like the movie: BEAUTIFUL, MAGICAL, MELANCHOLIC, AND VERY POETIC!

The scores from the movie are absolutely beautiful. Listening to "Brokeback Mountain 1" reminds me of Ennis and Twist working together for the first time, getting to know each other. Listening to "Brokeback Mountain 2" reminds me of the second night they were together after the made love for the first time and tried to deny their feelings for each other; but it was impossible. Gustavo Santaolalla received a much-deserved Oscar for his hard work.

The other tracks on the CD are also fantastic. I especially enjoyed "He Was A Friend Of Mine" by Mr. Willie Nelson. It's such a powerful song, that fits in perfectly with the movie's theme. And I love "The Devil's Right Hand Man" by Steve Earle, this song reminds me of all the rage and hostility that Ennis had pent up inside; he was only able to get it on in very small trickles when Jack Twist could look deep inside him (where no one else could see).

If you enjoyed the soundtrack but have not seen the movie yet, please go see it; you'll be very glad you did. "Brokeback Mountain" has restored my faith in modern American pictures because it is reminiscent of the romantic films made in the 30's where two lovers always stayed together despite all odds. The only difference is these two lovers are homosexual men.

I am one of those who cringed, learning Brokeback Mountain--Annie Proulx's stark and understated, lean and heart-searing 30 page short story--was being exploded into a movie.

The soundtrack arrived this afternoon and I listened to it in the dark. I'm feeling a lot better. <g> Gustavo Santaolalla's original score is easily the equal of his work for The Motorcycle Diaries. The vocal choices included range from clever to inspired. A Variety review this morning claims there wasn't a dry eye in the house at Telluride.

Listening to the tunes and underscoring, a great deal of imagination, art and craft are in evidence. It definitely pulls from the same place within writer Proulx mined. There will be plenty of people who will refuse to see the movie, largely because of the manufactured promotional controversy over the next month that it is about gay cowboys. Read Proulx's short story--the last offered in Close Range, now in paperback. It is about heart, heat and lost opportunity. You only have to be human to be touched by that. I look forward to the film's opening Dec. 9. Until then, this aching, funny and wry sentimental soundtrack touches every correct chord.

It's a keeper.

"Lean on me, let our hearts beat in time,
Feel strength from the hands that have held you so long.
Who cares where we go on this rugged old road
In a world that may say that we're wrong."
lyrics from 'A Love That Will Never Grow Old' Gustavo Santaollalla's score

The movie's original tunes are composed by Gustavo Santaolalla. Parts of his instrumental score are intertwined with vocals tracks performed by Willie Nelson, Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Mary McBride, Teddy Thompson's and others. Santaolalla was born in Argentina and has been called the "guru of alternative Latin musical production". He previously wrote the scores for "21 Grams", "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "The Insider".

Gustavo Santaolalla score is an emotionally powerful one. The original song, "A Love That Will Never Grow Old" was written by Santaolalla and Bernie Taupin and is performed by Emmylou Harris. It is a perfect place for Harris' lovely, ethereal voice, and it won a Golden Globe. He also wrote "No One's Gonna Love You Like Me," performed by Mary McBride, and they rank among the best songs. "No One's Gonna Love You Like Me" is the song that I think belongs in the winner's circle.

"Santaolalla explains that he was pushed to a new creative level to write music about a love affair between two cowboys. His unique approach to scoring music was very appealing to director Ang Lee. "Usually the way this business works is that they do a first cut, then they send you the cut and then you start scoring," Santaolalla said. "The way I did [my] last three films is that I read the script, I had a meeting with the director, we talked about it, and then I started composing, writing and recording stuff. And it has been great because it has been very useful for the creative relationship with the director." from TIME magazine.

Other tracks selected for the album are The Gas Band's up tempo instrumental take on "Angel Went Up in Flames," - a little like "The Devil Went Down To Georgia".

Rufus Wainwright's tender ballad, "Maker Makes," is my favorite and that is partly because I am such a Rufus Wainwright fan, the lyrics are:

"Oh Lord, how I know, Oh Lord, how I see,
that only you can the maker make a happy man of me
Get along little doggie, Get along little doggie" are highly evocative of his slow, mesmerizing voice.

"I Don't Want to Say Goodbye" by Teddy Thompson is a lovely western ballad. This is a singer of note and wonder. How have I missed him?

"The Devil's Right Hand" by Steve Earle is earthy and winning.

"King of the Road" by Rufus Wainwright & Teddy Thompson is a swing back to the older version.

"It's So Easy" by Linda Ronstadt is an oldie that somehow found its way to this score.

"He Was a Friend of Mine" by Willie Nelson, seems oddly right in this scene.

"I Will Never Let You Go" by Jackie Greene is lovely and particular.

"The Wings" by Gustavo Santaolalla is the theme of the movie and brings the majesty of the Wyoming mountains to the screen, the love story of two people who happen to be men. The score plays an important role in creating the movie's atmosphere and works well in that situation.

A highly satisfying CD that allows us insight into the emotions of "Brokeback Mountain". Highly recommended. prisrob January 2006

A soundtrack should really bring back the "feel" of a movie when you listen to it and this one does in spades. From Gus Santaolalla's spare, evocative, guitar scoring to Willie Nelson's He Was a Friend of Mine and Rufus Wainright's mournful The Maker Makes over the final credits, this cd will transport you back into the movie. (I couldnt get the movie out of my head for days). I'm not a big country music fan, but I liked (or loved) everything on here and its made me more interested in exploring some of the performers like Teddy Thompson (who has a great duet with Rufus on King of the Road, which alone is worth the price of the CD!) About the only song cut that doesnt fit is Ronstadt's It's So Easy (heard briefly in a bar in the movie). A better choice would have been Ronstadt's version of Hank Williams', I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You. There is a lot on here that didnt make it into the film (at least that I remember) and you dont have to have seen the film to enjoy the music. But what are you waiting for? See it!

The moment I arrived home after seeing "Brokeback Mountain" (on the day of its premeire in my city) I went online to find at least a sample of the soundtrack. I ordered the soundtrack from Amazon right away and received it in a very small amount of time.

I couldn't be more pleased with what the soundtrack had in store for me.

The CD provides a beautiful balance between the hauntingly inspiring sounds of Gustavo Santaolalla's guitar and the wonderfully classic western melodies.

Santaolalla's music arouses emotional transcendance, yet inforces the pain of a hastey departure, both of which are fully explored in the movie.

I urge all who are reading this to order this soundtrack if they're looking for pure musical satisfaction. I suggest, however, to experience the film before listening to the music. It will have much more of an impact, I believe.