The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection [Soundtrack]

Various Artists (Composer), Bruce Broughton (Composer), Elmer Bernstein (Composer), Ennio Morricone (Composer), Jerry Fielding (Composer), John Barry (Composer), Lee Holdridge (Composer), Randy Newman (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 21, 1999)
• Original Release Date: September 21, 1999
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Silva America
• ASIN: B00000K2DU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,547 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #32 in Music > Indie Music > Soundtracks > Movie Soundtracks
  • #67 in Music > Indie Music > Soundtracks > General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This grandly conceived two-disc collection of Hollywood and television Western themes showcases the City of Prague Philharmonic's indefatigable passion for rehashing great works from composers like Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, and John Williams. But listeners less prone to swoon over highbrow symphonic grandeur may respond with a yawn. Yes, the collection is a wonderful reference source, with a sweeping chronology from John Ford's Stagecoach to Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp. And the pieces are competently executed, with John Barry's contribution among the highlights. But the concert-hall acoustics--with little to no studio artifice--have a dulling effect. Those with access to the Dolby Surround may detect a rewarding nuance or two, but for others with fewer audiophile idiosyncrasies, the mood may be stuffy and uninspired. --Joseph Lanza

Product Description

38 Western Themes Including: Alamo, Fistful of Dollars, How the West was Won, Magnificent 7, Wild Bunch, etc. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots fo Music but Missing Some Bounce, August 26, 2004

By 

James (DUBLIN, TX, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection (Audio CD)

All the music on this CD is performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. They do a good job overall although some cuts lack the syncopated verve and bounce of the originals. But, hey . . . that's SOP for anthologies. Their version of Silverado is great. So is The Cowboys. Their rendition of The Alamo is lackluster, even if technically well played. The Searchers has all the Civil War tunes from the film interwoven into it, as it's supposed to. Glory woefully misses the Harlem Boy's Choir--a chorus of adult Czechs are just no substitute--and they don't even play the film's main theme, so skip that one. How the West Was Won is too controlled. The theme from Gettysburg is marred by a lead trumpet that is too loud--bad mixing job, guys. They do Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven theme well. WARNING: these CDs are painted to look like marshal stars, and they wouldn't play on my car's CD player. They would play on my computer, however. I had to re-record them onto blanks to listen in my car.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "saddle up Pilgrim, we're hitting the dusty trail", June 16, 2000

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection (Audio CD)

This has to be the ultimate in Western-Folk-Lore score compilations, and I should know, this has been my thing as long as I can remember. Who can forget our western heroes - John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Clint Eastwood, Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck and Gregory Peck. The City of Prague Philharmonic conducted by Paul Bateman, Nic Raine and Derek Wadsworth have done an outstanding job re-creating the old west with prairies and openess you feel when watching your favorite western film.

Some stand outs - "THE BIG COUNTRY" (Moross) - "GETTYSBURG" (Edelman) - "GLORY" (Horner) - "THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS" (Trevor Jones) - "THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN" (ELMER BERNSTEIN) - "ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST" (Ennio Morricone) - "THE SEARCHERS" (Steiner) - "TRUE GRIT" (Elmer Bernstein) and "WILD ROVERS" (Jerry Goldsmith), composed by some hard riding, dust filled scores to ever hit the trails to Dodge City.

Silva Screen Records has brought film music to another level in soundtracks, flawless from the very first note to the last, pure perfection. There is no other label I know of today that could come close to what they have done in film score/soundtrack albums.

All in all, this outstanding, fantastic and moving CD with awesome material will have film music collectors crying for more!

Total Time: Disc One 72:00 on 19 Tracks/Disc Two 73:35 on 19 Tracks/Silva Screen Records - SSD 1099 (1999)

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Terrific collection of western film themes, December 18, 2002

By 

Ironmike (California) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection (Audio CD)

If you enjoy classic western films, you'll really enjoy this collection of soundtracks. Although the music isn't with the orginal composers, it still smacks of quality work and skill.
An excellent pick of some great westerns and a few Civil War themes tossed in, but for a rousing and galloping ride down memory lane, this isn't a bad buy at all.
If you are a super techno about high end sound quality and a fanatic symphonic type, you may find some faults. But for the average joe film buff, it's a great deal and a lot of fun to listen to.