It must have been a hard job enlisting someone to write to music for Young Guns II. There simply aren't many great songwriters capable of overblown rock ballads which keep a straight face long enough to move you. Jon Bon Jovi, though, is not without a certain pedigree in this department: "Livin' On A Prayer", "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" and "Wanted Dead Or Alive" are masterpieces of the genre that deserve far more respect than received wisdom would have you believe. And the good news is that--on Young Guns II--there is plenty more where that came from. You may be familiar with the hit single "Blaze Of Glory"; it sounds positively restrained next to "Blood Money" and "Never Say Die". There is something tremendously likeable about Jon Bon Jovi at the best of times. Like his New Jersey(tm) role model Bruce Springsteen, the blue collar sensibility has weathered the ascension to superstardom. Unlike Bruce though, Jon Bon Jovi is more than happy to dash off unabashed epics for post-brat pack celluloid homages to John Ford, boasting titles such as "Justice In The Barrel" and "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Livin'". In a profession already bursting with people who take themselves too seriously, this is undoubtedly a good thing. --Peter Paphides

Pure Class!!, 23 May 2008
I really don't know why it's taken me so long to buy this album, this is without doubt Jon Bon Jovi's best solo CD.
I don't think that I can add anything new that the other reviewers havn't already said because this really is a brilliant album.
My favorite tracks are "Blaze Of Glory", "Billy Get Your Guns", "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Living" and "Never Say Die".
Don't wait for as long as I did, buy this incrediable rock gem today!

woohoo, i'll make ya famous, 16 Jun 2007
truely great album which does the film justice. i don't think anyone could have done this better than bonjovi. though dialogue from the film is very low, this couldn't take anything away from this being 5 star quality. great lyrics in every song -

"Blood money. That's what I call it 'Cause money for blood ain't no fair exchange
Blood money Bought and then sold you But your conscience is all you can take to your grave"

I'm A Cowboy..., 30 Nov 2005
Bon Jovi's fascination with the Western continues with this soundtrack to the largely unmemorable film Young Guns II. However, this soundtrack is anything but unmemorable, with plenty of great tunes and wonderful lyrics.

Named after the classic song Blaze of Glory, that is indeed a stand out track, but don't expect the rest of the album to not live up to the legendary status of that song.

The album ranges from quieter laid back songs like Miracle, catchy anthem like songs like Bang A Drum, to full on rock songs like Never Say Die. You even get a short instrumental song, Guano City, that was used in the film.

Bon Jovi's husky tones suit this kind of cowboy album perfectly, and coupled with lyrics that really do make you feel like you are listening to a musical take on a Western movie. Memorable and easily relistenable many times, Blaze of Glory makes you want to jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

bon jovi at his best, 03 May 2004
heard this album for the first time about 7 years ago and have been listening to it since.
the lyrics are in my opinion some of the finest ever written by anyone.
miracle and santa fe being my favourites,on an album that you wont tire of listening to.
buy it,you wont regret it!!

Santa Fe. Nuff said., 02 Aug 2002
Blaze of Glory rises above the trappings of a soundtrack to a rather lame movie, and ends up being one of the most consistent albums with which Mr Giovi's been involved.

It's not 100% fantastic (there are a couple of things that don't work, such as "Justice in a Barrel", and "You Really Got Me Now", but I defy any Bon Jovi fan not to be bowled over by the sheer brilliance of "Bang a Drum" and the title track.

And then there's "Santa Fe". Words alone can not do it justice. Just buy this CD, slam on Track 5, and everything will become clear.

Pure Class!!, 23 May 2008
I really don't know why it's taken me so long to buy this album, this is without doubt Jon Bon Jovi's best solo CD.
I don't think that I can add anything new that the other reviewers havn't already said because this really is a brilliant album.
My favorite tracks are "Blaze Of Glory", "Billy Get Your Guns", "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Living" and "Never Say Die".
Don't wait for as long as I did, buy this incrediable rock gem today!

woohoo, i'll make ya famous, 16 Jun 2007
truely great album which does the film justice. i don't think anyone could have done this better than bonjovi. though dialogue from the film is very low, this couldn't take anything away from this being 5 star quality. great lyrics in every song -

"Blood money. That's what I call it 'Cause money for blood ain't no fair exchange
Blood money Bought and then sold you But your conscience is all you can take to your grave"

I'm A Cowboy..., 30 Nov 2005
Bon Jovi's fascination with the Western continues with this soundtrack to the largely unmemorable film Young Guns II. However, this soundtrack is anything but unmemorable, with plenty of great tunes and wonderful lyrics.

Named after the classic song Blaze of Glory, that is indeed a stand out track, but don't expect the rest of the album to not live up to the legendary status of that song.

The album ranges from quieter laid back songs like Miracle, catchy anthem like songs like Bang A Drum, to full on rock songs like Never Say Die. You even get a short instrumental song, Guano City, that was used in the film.

Bon Jovi's husky tones suit this kind of cowboy album perfectly, and coupled with lyrics that really do make you feel like you are listening to a musical take on a Western movie. Memorable and easily relistenable many times, Blaze of Glory makes you want to jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

bon jovi at his best, 03 May 2004
heard this album for the first time about 7 years ago and have been listening to it since.
the lyrics are in my opinion some of the finest ever written by anyone.
miracle and santa fe being my favourites,on an album that you wont tire of listening to.
buy it,you wont regret it!!

Santa Fe. Nuff said., 02 Aug 2002
Blaze of Glory rises above the trappings of a soundtrack to a rather lame movie, and ends up being one of the most consistent albums with which Mr Giovi's been involved.

It's not 100% fantastic (there are a couple of things that don't work, such as "Justice in a Barrel", and "You Really Got Me Now", but I defy any Bon Jovi fan not to be bowled over by the sheer brilliance of "Bang a Drum" and the title track.

And then there's "Santa Fe". Words alone can not do it justice. Just buy this CD, slam on Track 5, and everything will become clear.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

Pure Class!!, 23 May 2008
I really don't know why it's taken me so long to buy this album, this is without doubt Jon Bon Jovi's best solo CD.
I don't think that I can add anything new that the other reviewers havn't already said because this really is a brilliant album.
My favorite tracks are "Blaze Of Glory", "Billy Get Your Guns", "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Living" and "Never Say Die".
Don't wait for as long as I did, buy this incrediable rock gem today!

woohoo, i'll make ya famous, 16 Jun 2007
truely great album which does the film justice. i don't think anyone could have done this better than bonjovi. though dialogue from the film is very low, this couldn't take anything away from this being 5 star quality. great lyrics in every song -

"Blood money. That's what I call it 'Cause money for blood ain't no fair exchange
Blood money Bought and then sold you But your conscience is all you can take to your grave"

I'm A Cowboy..., 30 Nov 2005
Bon Jovi's fascination with the Western continues with this soundtrack to the largely unmemorable film Young Guns II. However, this soundtrack is anything but unmemorable, with plenty of great tunes and wonderful lyrics.

Named after the classic song Blaze of Glory, that is indeed a stand out track, but don't expect the rest of the album to not live up to the legendary status of that song.

The album ranges from quieter laid back songs like Miracle, catchy anthem like songs like Bang A Drum, to full on rock songs like Never Say Die. You even get a short instrumental song, Guano City, that was used in the film.

Bon Jovi's husky tones suit this kind of cowboy album perfectly, and coupled with lyrics that really do make you feel like you are listening to a musical take on a Western movie. Memorable and easily relistenable many times, Blaze of Glory makes you want to jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

bon jovi at his best, 03 May 2004
heard this album for the first time about 7 years ago and have been listening to it since.
the lyrics are in my opinion some of the finest ever written by anyone.
miracle and santa fe being my favourites,on an album that you wont tire of listening to.
buy it,you wont regret it!!

Santa Fe. Nuff said., 02 Aug 2002
Blaze of Glory rises above the trappings of a soundtrack to a rather lame movie, and ends up being one of the most consistent albums with which Mr Giovi's been involved.

It's not 100% fantastic (there are a couple of things that don't work, such as "Justice in a Barrel", and "You Really Got Me Now", but I defy any Bon Jovi fan not to be bowled over by the sheer brilliance of "Bang a Drum" and the title track.

And then there's "Santa Fe". Words alone can not do it justice. Just buy this CD, slam on Track 5, and everything will become clear.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

A soundtrack - but so good, 15 Dec 2004
Having come to this album through the film, I never cease to be amazed at how Bob Dylan got this so right. Usually, soundtracks are bitty and without the film action to guide them, seem spare. This is not the case of PAT GARRETT..., which is so convincing an album in its own right. I guess the style fitted in well with his own country blues leanings of BLONDE ON BLONDE and the later BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, (which must have been his reward from the Byrds and their having used so many of his songs in the past).

Dylan threads his themes very well, and there is a touch of repetition that might have been borrowed from classical sources (to the great benefit of the album). While most songs are country folk, I like "Turkey Chase" which is heading into Bluegrass, with I guess Roger McGuinn on banjo. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is also well-positioned on the album, and pops up almost as a surprise due to the size of its popularity.

I have only one slight, slight quibble (oh, here it comes...); the two versions of "Billy" at the end do have the feeling that Dylan pre-empted the modern practice of bonus tracks without ever having gone through the re-issue phase. These two versions do seem a little bit tagged on at the end, but memory fails me, and I cannot say for sure if they are used in the film or not (last seen in 1995 by myself). That said, it is interesting to see Dylan playing with the lyrics, his voice, and choice of instrumental styles - all three versions of "Billy" are both different and sit well enough to make it difficult to say which is best (which is probably why all were included). Also Dylan's playful humour comes out more in these versions.

To be honest, it may be sacrilegious to say, but I would have to say that this is my favourite Dylan album, which is almost embarrassing to admit BECAUSE it is a soundtrack.

A great easy listening album, 05 Nov 2000
When Rudy Wurlitzer, the writer of the screenplay for the Sam Peckinpah movie 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid', approached his friend Bob Dylan, he originally intended for him to write the soundtrack. He wrote 'Billy', a fine example of Dylans ability to master the ballad. Dylan had been lying low since his motorcycle accident, so this was his first work for some time, and there is a beautifully easy nature to the music. It is light and soothing with many a raw journey into a mexican dusty night on a tequilla stained veranda. The listener is lulled into the scene as the story is told until we are brought back to home with the masterpiece of Dylans simple yet masterful 'Knocking on Heavans Door'. I originally bought this album a couple of years ago on Vinyl for a fiver, at that time for this track alone, which I never saw on another album. 'Heavans door' is short, with only two verses, and my only fault with this album is that Dylan did not provide more verses. The listener is left eager for more.

I highly reccomend this album to anybody who enjoys a cosy candlelit evening by a fire, stare into the flames and imagine your there.

Pure Class!!, 23 May 2008
I really don't know why it's taken me so long to buy this album, this is without doubt Jon Bon Jovi's best solo CD.
I don't think that I can add anything new that the other reviewers havn't already said because this really is a brilliant album.
My favorite tracks are "Blaze Of Glory", "Billy Get Your Guns", "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Living" and "Never Say Die".
Don't wait for as long as I did, buy this incrediable rock gem today!

woohoo, i'll make ya famous, 16 Jun 2007
truely great album which does the film justice. i don't think anyone could have done this better than bonjovi. though dialogue from the film is very low, this couldn't take anything away from this being 5 star quality. great lyrics in every song -

"Blood money. That's what I call it 'Cause money for blood ain't no fair exchange
Blood money Bought and then sold you But your conscience is all you can take to your grave"

I'm A Cowboy..., 30 Nov 2005
Bon Jovi's fascination with the Western continues with this soundtrack to the largely unmemorable film Young Guns II. However, this soundtrack is anything but unmemorable, with plenty of great tunes and wonderful lyrics.

Named after the classic song Blaze of Glory, that is indeed a stand out track, but don't expect the rest of the album to not live up to the legendary status of that song.

The album ranges from quieter laid back songs like Miracle, catchy anthem like songs like Bang A Drum, to full on rock songs like Never Say Die. You even get a short instrumental song, Guano City, that was used in the film.

Bon Jovi's husky tones suit this kind of cowboy album perfectly, and coupled with lyrics that really do make you feel like you are listening to a musical take on a Western movie. Memorable and easily relistenable many times, Blaze of Glory makes you want to jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

bon jovi at his best, 03 May 2004
heard this album for the first time about 7 years ago and have been listening to it since.
the lyrics are in my opinion some of the finest ever written by anyone.
miracle and santa fe being my favourites,on an album that you wont tire of listening to.
buy it,you wont regret it!!

Santa Fe. Nuff said., 02 Aug 2002
Blaze of Glory rises above the trappings of a soundtrack to a rather lame movie, and ends up being one of the most consistent albums with which Mr Giovi's been involved.

It's not 100% fantastic (there are a couple of things that don't work, such as "Justice in a Barrel", and "You Really Got Me Now", but I defy any Bon Jovi fan not to be bowled over by the sheer brilliance of "Bang a Drum" and the title track.

And then there's "Santa Fe". Words alone can not do it justice. Just buy this CD, slam on Track 5, and everything will become clear.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

A soundtrack - but so good, 15 Dec 2004
Having come to this album through the film, I never cease to be amazed at how Bob Dylan got this so right. Usually, soundtracks are bitty and without the film action to guide them, seem spare. This is not the case of PAT GARRETT..., which is so convincing an album in its own right. I guess the style fitted in well with his own country blues leanings of BLONDE ON BLONDE and the later BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, (which must have been his reward from the Byrds and their having used so many of his songs in the past).

Dylan threads his themes very well, and there is a touch of repetition that might have been borrowed from classical sources (to the great benefit of the album). While most songs are country folk, I like "Turkey Chase" which is heading into Bluegrass, with I guess Roger McGuinn on banjo. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is also well-positioned on the album, and pops up almost as a surprise due to the size of its popularity.

I have only one slight, slight quibble (oh, here it comes...); the two versions of "Billy" at the end do have the feeling that Dylan pre-empted the modern practice of bonus tracks without ever having gone through the re-issue phase. These two versions do seem a little bit tagged on at the end, but memory fails me, and I cannot say for sure if they are used in the film or not (last seen in 1995 by myself). That said, it is interesting to see Dylan playing with the lyrics, his voice, and choice of instrumental styles - all three versions of "Billy" are both different and sit well enough to make it difficult to say which is best (which is probably why all were included). Also Dylan's playful humour comes out more in these versions.

To be honest, it may be sacrilegious to say, but I would have to say that this is my favourite Dylan album, which is almost embarrassing to admit BECAUSE it is a soundtrack.

A great easy listening album, 05 Nov 2000
When Rudy Wurlitzer, the writer of the screenplay for the Sam Peckinpah movie 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid', approached his friend Bob Dylan, he originally intended for him to write the soundtrack. He wrote 'Billy', a fine example of Dylans ability to master the ballad. Dylan had been lying low since his motorcycle accident, so this was his first work for some time, and there is a beautifully easy nature to the music. It is light and soothing with many a raw journey into a mexican dusty night on a tequilla stained veranda. The listener is lulled into the scene as the story is told until we are brought back to home with the masterpiece of Dylans simple yet masterful 'Knocking on Heavans Door'. I originally bought this album a couple of years ago on Vinyl for a fiver, at that time for this track alone, which I never saw on another album. 'Heavans door' is short, with only two verses, and my only fault with this album is that Dylan did not provide more verses. The listener is left eager for more.

I highly reccomend this album to anybody who enjoys a cosy candlelit evening by a fire, stare into the flames and imagine your there.

Wonderful music, wonderful sound., 19 Nov 2004
This is a disc full of great music. It won't be long before you find yourself singing along to one song or another; my favourite is 'The Farmer and the Cowman'- actually a very clever piece of music. Rodgers and Hammerstein were masters of their art and Oklahoma is, arguably, their very best.

The recording was made, amazingly, in 1954. You would never guess it. This is one of the very best soundtracks I have ever heard. It has warmth, clarity and a wide frequency range that bely its age. There is none of the distortion that some soundtrack recordings have. The remastering engineers should be proud of their work.

The presentation is excellent too. Lavish sleeve notes, technical information for those interested in such things, and best of all some great photographs. One photo is taken from the actors' viewpoint and shows no less than three huge cameras manned by a crew who look as though they should be in the film!

Absolutely superb.

"Oh, What a Beautiful Recording!", 14 May 2001
At last a complete recording of the music from this classic film. It's been a long time coming but it was well worth the wait. Included on this disk is not only all the dance music, the reprise songs, but also the original overture, the overture as recorded for the original album and the entr'acte to Act 2. (presumably the film was originally made with an interval.) As with the re-issue of the West Side Story film soundtrack by Sony, the new material has been taken directly from the magnetic soundtrack of the film and therefore contains some dialogue and sound effects. For example: train noises in Kansas City and thunder in the Out of my Dreams Ballet. Even though these effects are not too obtrusive, I could see that to some people this might be a distraction and spoil the music. This CD has obviously been lovingly re-mastered and compiled and I congratulate the team involved. Up until the release of this CD the National Theatre, Original Cast recording would have been my choice as the best recording of this show, but now I'm not so sure!! I hope that many more re-issues of classic film soundtracks of this quality will become available - Soon.

Pure Class!!, 23 May 2008
I really don't know why it's taken me so long to buy this album, this is without doubt Jon Bon Jovi's best solo CD.
I don't think that I can add anything new that the other reviewers havn't already said because this really is a brilliant album.
My favorite tracks are "Blaze Of Glory", "Billy Get Your Guns", "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Living" and "Never Say Die".
Don't wait for as long as I did, buy this incrediable rock gem today!

woohoo, i'll make ya famous, 16 Jun 2007
truely great album which does the film justice. i don't think anyone could have done this better than bonjovi. though dialogue from the film is very low, this couldn't take anything away from this being 5 star quality. great lyrics in every song -

"Blood money. That's what I call it 'Cause money for blood ain't no fair exchange
Blood money Bought and then sold you But your conscience is all you can take to your grave"

I'm A Cowboy..., 30 Nov 2005
Bon Jovi's fascination with the Western continues with this soundtrack to the largely unmemorable film Young Guns II. However, this soundtrack is anything but unmemorable, with plenty of great tunes and wonderful lyrics.

Named after the classic song Blaze of Glory, that is indeed a stand out track, but don't expect the rest of the album to not live up to the legendary status of that song.

The album ranges from quieter laid back songs like Miracle, catchy anthem like songs like Bang A Drum, to full on rock songs like Never Say Die. You even get a short instrumental song, Guano City, that was used in the film.

Bon Jovi's husky tones suit this kind of cowboy album perfectly, and coupled with lyrics that really do make you feel like you are listening to a musical take on a Western movie. Memorable and easily relistenable many times, Blaze of Glory makes you want to jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

bon jovi at his best, 03 May 2004
heard this album for the first time about 7 years ago and have been listening to it since.
the lyrics are in my opinion some of the finest ever written by anyone.
miracle and santa fe being my favourites,on an album that you wont tire of listening to.
buy it,you wont regret it!!

Santa Fe. Nuff said., 02 Aug 2002
Blaze of Glory rises above the trappings of a soundtrack to a rather lame movie, and ends up being one of the most consistent albums with which Mr Giovi's been involved.

It's not 100% fantastic (there are a couple of things that don't work, such as "Justice in a Barrel", and "You Really Got Me Now", but I defy any Bon Jovi fan not to be bowled over by the sheer brilliance of "Bang a Drum" and the title track.

And then there's "Santa Fe". Words alone can not do it justice. Just buy this CD, slam on Track 5, and everything will become clear.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

A soundtrack - but so good, 15 Dec 2004
Having come to this album through the film, I never cease to be amazed at how Bob Dylan got this so right. Usually, soundtracks are bitty and without the film action to guide them, seem spare. This is not the case of PAT GARRETT..., which is so convincing an album in its own right. I guess the style fitted in well with his own country blues leanings of BLONDE ON BLONDE and the later BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, (which must have been his reward from the Byrds and their having used so many of his songs in the past).

Dylan threads his themes very well, and there is a touch of repetition that might have been borrowed from classical sources (to the great benefit of the album). While most songs are country folk, I like "Turkey Chase" which is heading into Bluegrass, with I guess Roger McGuinn on banjo. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is also well-positioned on the album, and pops up almost as a surprise due to the size of its popularity.

I have only one slight, slight quibble (oh, here it comes...); the two versions of "Billy" at the end do have the feeling that Dylan pre-empted the modern practice of bonus tracks without ever having gone through the re-issue phase. These two versions do seem a little bit tagged on at the end, but memory fails me, and I cannot say for sure if they are used in the film or not (last seen in 1995 by myself). That said, it is interesting to see Dylan playing with the lyrics, his voice, and choice of instrumental styles - all three versions of "Billy" are both different and sit well enough to make it difficult to say which is best (which is probably why all were included). Also Dylan's playful humour comes out more in these versions.

To be honest, it may be sacrilegious to say, but I would have to say that this is my favourite Dylan album, which is almost embarrassing to admit BECAUSE it is a soundtrack.

A great easy listening album, 05 Nov 2000
When Rudy Wurlitzer, the writer of the screenplay for the Sam Peckinpah movie 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid', approached his friend Bob Dylan, he originally intended for him to write the soundtrack. He wrote 'Billy', a fine example of Dylans ability to master the ballad. Dylan had been lying low since his motorcycle accident, so this was his first work for some time, and there is a beautifully easy nature to the music. It is light and soothing with many a raw journey into a mexican dusty night on a tequilla stained veranda. The listener is lulled into the scene as the story is told until we are brought back to home with the masterpiece of Dylans simple yet masterful 'Knocking on Heavans Door'. I originally bought this album a couple of years ago on Vinyl for a fiver, at that time for this track alone, which I never saw on another album. 'Heavans door' is short, with only two verses, and my only fault with this album is that Dylan did not provide more verses. The listener is left eager for more.

I highly reccomend this album to anybody who enjoys a cosy candlelit evening by a fire, stare into the flames and imagine your there.

Wonderful music, wonderful sound., 19 Nov 2004
This is a disc full of great music. It won't be long before you find yourself singing along to one song or another; my favourite is 'The Farmer and the Cowman'- actually a very clever piece of music. Rodgers and Hammerstein were masters of their art and Oklahoma is, arguably, their very best.

The recording was made, amazingly, in 1954. You would never guess it. This is one of the very best soundtracks I have ever heard. It has warmth, clarity and a wide frequency range that bely its age. There is none of the distortion that some soundtrack recordings have. The remastering engineers should be proud of their work.

The presentation is excellent too. Lavish sleeve notes, technical information for those interested in such things, and best of all some great photographs. One photo is taken from the actors' viewpoint and shows no less than three huge cameras manned by a crew who look as though they should be in the film!

Absolutely superb.

"Oh, What a Beautiful Recording!", 14 May 2001
At last a complete recording of the music from this classic film. It's been a long time coming but it was well worth the wait. Included on this disk is not only all the dance music, the reprise songs, but also the original overture, the overture as recorded for the original album and the entr'acte to Act 2. (presumably the film was originally made with an interval.) As with the re-issue of the West Side Story film soundtrack by Sony, the new material has been taken directly from the magnetic soundtrack of the film and therefore contains some dialogue and sound effects. For example: train noises in Kansas City and thunder in the Out of my Dreams Ballet. Even though these effects are not too obtrusive, I could see that to some people this might be a distraction and spoil the music. This CD has obviously been lovingly re-mastered and compiled and I congratulate the team involved. Up until the release of this CD the National Theatre, Original Cast recording would have been my choice as the best recording of this show, but now I'm not so sure!! I hope that many more re-issues of classic film soundtracks of this quality will become available - Soon.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

Pure Class!!, 23 May 2008
I really don't know why it's taken me so long to buy this album, this is without doubt Jon Bon Jovi's best solo CD.
I don't think that I can add anything new that the other reviewers havn't already said because this really is a brilliant album.
My favorite tracks are "Blaze Of Glory", "Billy Get Your Guns", "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Living" and "Never Say Die".
Don't wait for as long as I did, buy this incrediable rock gem today!

woohoo, i'll make ya famous, 16 Jun 2007
truely great album which does the film justice. i don't think anyone could have done this better than bonjovi. though dialogue from the film is very low, this couldn't take anything away from this being 5 star quality. great lyrics in every song -

"Blood money. That's what I call it 'Cause money for blood ain't no fair exchange
Blood money Bought and then sold you But your conscience is all you can take to your grave"

I'm A Cowboy..., 30 Nov 2005
Bon Jovi's fascination with the Western continues with this soundtrack to the largely unmemorable film Young Guns II. However, this soundtrack is anything but unmemorable, with plenty of great tunes and wonderful lyrics.

Named after the classic song Blaze of Glory, that is indeed a stand out track, but don't expect the rest of the album to not live up to the legendary status of that song.

The album ranges from quieter laid back songs like Miracle, catchy anthem like songs like Bang A Drum, to full on rock songs like Never Say Die. You even get a short instrumental song, Guano City, that was used in the film.

Bon Jovi's husky tones suit this kind of cowboy album perfectly, and coupled with lyrics that really do make you feel like you are listening to a musical take on a Western movie. Memorable and easily relistenable many times, Blaze of Glory makes you want to jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

bon jovi at his best, 03 May 2004
heard this album for the first time about 7 years ago and have been listening to it since.
the lyrics are in my opinion some of the finest ever written by anyone.
miracle and santa fe being my favourites,on an album that you wont tire of listening to.
buy it,you wont regret it!!

Santa Fe. Nuff said., 02 Aug 2002
Blaze of Glory rises above the trappings of a soundtrack to a rather lame movie, and ends up being one of the most consistent albums with which Mr Giovi's been involved.

It's not 100% fantastic (there are a couple of things that don't work, such as "Justice in a Barrel", and "You Really Got Me Now", but I defy any Bon Jovi fan not to be bowled over by the sheer brilliance of "Bang a Drum" and the title track.

And then there's "Santa Fe". Words alone can not do it justice. Just buy this CD, slam on Track 5, and everything will become clear.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

A soundtrack - but so good, 15 Dec 2004
Having come to this album through the film, I never cease to be amazed at how Bob Dylan got this so right. Usually, soundtracks are bitty and without the film action to guide them, seem spare. This is not the case of PAT GARRETT..., which is so convincing an album in its own right. I guess the style fitted in well with his own country blues leanings of BLONDE ON BLONDE and the later BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, (which must have been his reward from the Byrds and their having used so many of his songs in the past).

Dylan threads his themes very well, and there is a touch of repetition that might have been borrowed from classical sources (to the great benefit of the album). While most songs are country folk, I like "Turkey Chase" which is heading into Bluegrass, with I guess Roger McGuinn on banjo. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is also well-positioned on the album, and pops up almost as a surprise due to the size of its popularity.

I have only one slight, slight quibble (oh, here it comes...); the two versions of "Billy" at the end do have the feeling that Dylan pre-empted the modern practice of bonus tracks without ever having gone through the re-issue phase. These two versions do seem a little bit tagged on at the end, but memory fails me, and I cannot say for sure if they are used in the film or not (last seen in 1995 by myself). That said, it is interesting to see Dylan playing with the lyrics, his voice, and choice of instrumental styles - all three versions of "Billy" are both different and sit well enough to make it difficult to say which is best (which is probably why all were included). Also Dylan's playful humour comes out more in these versions.

To be honest, it may be sacrilegious to say, but I would have to say that this is my favourite Dylan album, which is almost embarrassing to admit BECAUSE it is a soundtrack.

A great easy listening album, 05 Nov 2000
When Rudy Wurlitzer, the writer of the screenplay for the Sam Peckinpah movie 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid', approached his friend Bob Dylan, he originally intended for him to write the soundtrack. He wrote 'Billy', a fine example of Dylans ability to master the ballad. Dylan had been lying low since his motorcycle accident, so this was his first work for some time, and there is a beautifully easy nature to the music. It is light and soothing with many a raw journey into a mexican dusty night on a tequilla stained veranda. The listener is lulled into the scene as the story is told until we are brought back to home with the masterpiece of Dylans simple yet masterful 'Knocking on Heavans Door'. I originally bought this album a couple of years ago on Vinyl for a fiver, at that time for this track alone, which I never saw on another album. 'Heavans door' is short, with only two verses, and my only fault with this album is that Dylan did not provide more verses. The listener is left eager for more.

I highly reccomend this album to anybody who enjoys a cosy candlelit evening by a fire, stare into the flames and imagine your there.

Wonderful music, wonderful sound., 19 Nov 2004
This is a disc full of great music. It won't be long before you find yourself singing along to one song or another; my favourite is 'The Farmer and the Cowman'- actually a very clever piece of music. Rodgers and Hammerstein were masters of their art and Oklahoma is, arguably, their very best.

The recording was made, amazingly, in 1954. You would never guess it. This is one of the very best soundtracks I have ever heard. It has warmth, clarity and a wide frequency range that bely its age. There is none of the distortion that some soundtrack recordings have. The remastering engineers should be proud of their work.

The presentation is excellent too. Lavish sleeve notes, technical information for those interested in such things, and best of all some great photographs. One photo is taken from the actors' viewpoint and shows no less than three huge cameras manned by a crew who look as though they should be in the film!

Absolutely superb.

"Oh, What a Beautiful Recording!", 14 May 2001
At last a complete recording of the music from this classic film. It's been a long time coming but it was well worth the wait. Included on this disk is not only all the dance music, the reprise songs, but also the original overture, the overture as recorded for the original album and the entr'acte to Act 2. (presumably the film was originally made with an interval.) As with the re-issue of the West Side Story film soundtrack by Sony, the new material has been taken directly from the magnetic soundtrack of the film and therefore contains some dialogue and sound effects. For example: train noises in Kansas City and thunder in the Out of my Dreams Ballet. Even though these effects are not too obtrusive, I could see that to some people this might be a distraction and spoil the music. This CD has obviously been lovingly re-mastered and compiled and I congratulate the team involved. Up until the release of this CD the National Theatre, Original Cast recording would have been my choice as the best recording of this show, but now I'm not so sure!! I hope that many more re-issues of classic film soundtracks of this quality will become available - Soon.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

Legends., 02 Nov 2008
How do you ensure somebody's legacy as a hero? In the good old days, you wrote a book. Nowadays, you make a movie - and if you're lucky and it's really, really successful, you can retrospectively even make legends out of dangerous criminals. Not that that always works, of course. But with two great actors with instant chemistry (Paul Newman and Robert Redford), a script (by William Goldman) bursting with one-liners making the audience bowl over laughing every other minute, without once derailing into slapstick, a director's (George Roy Hill's) ingenious use of the occasion to turn a whole genre on its head, and some of the world's most beautiful locations, filmed by an exceptional cinematographer (Conrad Hall) ... you just may pull it off. Case in point: "Butch and Sundance."

While Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) was known as the Old West's Robin Hood for his charm, masterly planning, avoidance of bloodshed - he really did claim he'd never shot anyone - and his stance for settlers' rights vis-a-vis the wealthy cattle barons, Sundance (Henry Longbaugh) had the reputation of a loner; a fast draw repeatedly in and out of prison before even turning twenty-one. After several of their Wild Bunch/Hole in the Wall Gang associates had seen the short end of the stick in various encounters with the law, Butch and Sundance determined things were getting too hot in the West and, unlike the outlaws who not much earlier had stood it out until the end (Billy the Kid, the James Gang and the O.K. Corral gunfighters), decided to head for South America. With a woman named Etta Place, possibly a teacher as portrayed here or, perhaps more likely, a prostitute, they first spent several years farming in Argentina - both had done cattle work before turning to robbery, although in the form of rustling (stealing unbranded cattle) - but eventually reverted to their more profitable, preferred occupation. Most sources believe they died in a 1909 shootout with the Bolivian military in a town named San Vicente; others, however, claim either or both escaped alive, returned to the States under assumed names and died there (Sundance in Casper, WY in 1957 and Cassidy, according to his sister, in Spokane, WA, in 1937).

While their decision to leave the West instead of duking it out with the law and the mystery surrounding their deaths would already have made for a great movie, director Hill cleverly used the material for a 180-degree-turn on the Western genre. The opening credits roll next to sepia-tinged silent shots depicting a Hole in the Wall Gang train robbery, followed by the bold claim that "most of what follows is true" - which in itself couldn't be further from the truth. What does follow is a wild ride from the Outlaw Trail to Bolivia ... during which our heroes aren't getting rid of their pursuers, no Western music with guitars and harmonicas accompanies them but Burt Bacharach's multiple-award-winning, deliberately anachronistic, upbeat score (plus "Raindrops Are Falling on My Head" during the most romantic scene - raindrops???), a knife fight is settled by a kick in the groin, and a marshal trying to assemble a posse first meets with a lackluster population, neither willing to bring their own horses and guns nor clamoring to be supplied with such by him, and in short order sees his meeting usurped by a bicycle salesman. Add to that Oscar-winning cinematography, repeatedly using black-and-white lighting techniques even after the film's switch to color (e.g. in Sundance's first visit with Etta), reverse lighting to make daytime shots look like nighttime (during several scenes of the pursuit) and sepia-tinted shots for period feeling (besides the opening, also to sum up the trio's stay in New York), a Bolivian bank robbery with a crib sheet containing "specialized vocabulary" that Butch, contrary to initial claims, doesn't know in Spanish, and an immortalizing freeze-frame ending - and you have one heck of an entertaining movie, shot in some of the West's most spectacular settings and in Mexico (as Bolivia's stand-in).

"Butch and Sundance" turned Redford into a megastar - Hill lobbied hard for the then-perceived "playboy"'s casting, and his instincts proved so dead-on that Newman's entourage became worried the movie's expected primary star would be sidelined (a feeling never shared by Newman himself, though, who has been friends with Redford ever since). In a twist worthy of Goldman's Oscar-winning screenplay, fearsome loner Sundance became one of Redford's most popular roles, and his independent film festival's namesake. The movie renewed popular interest in the Outlaw Trail, which Redford himself traveled later, too (chronicled in a fascinating, alas out-of-print book). Its script is littered with memorable one-liners; from both heroes' "Who *are* those guys??" to Butch's comments on the small price to pay for beauty, on Sundance's gun-prowess ("like I've been telling you - over the hill"), on vision, bifocals and Bolivia, on Sundance's asking Etta (Katherine Ross) to accompany them, although if she'll ever "whine or make a nuisance," he'll be "dumping her flat" ("Don't sugarcoat it like that, Kid ... tell her straight!") and his downplaying the final shootout because their archenemy LaForce isn't there; Sundance's "You just keep thinking, Butch," his comments on the secret of his gambling success (prayer), on not being picky about women (followed by a litany of required attributes), on the excessive use of dynamite, and his one weakness ("I can't swim!!"); and finally Strother Martin/mine-owner Percy Garris's deadpan delivery of the Shanghai Rooster song, of "Morons ... I've got morons on my team" and his assertion not to be crazy but merely colorful. The famous freeze-frame ending has repeatedly been cited, both cinematographically (e.g. "Thelma and Louise") and in dialogue (e.g. 1998's "Negotiator"). And although initially almost uniformly panned by critics, the movie won quadruple Oscars and multiple other awards. In true Hollywood fashion, it has made two fearsome outlaws legends forever ... and in the process, also won legendary status itself.

"Raindrops" is definitely not the only reason, 27 Jul 2001
Come Touch The Sun (and Not Goin' Home Anymore -- same song, different arrangement) and South American Getaway are gems. The Sundance Kid (song #1) was responsible for a cousin of mine falling in love with Bacharach's music (a 30 year-old affair), and it isn't even in the movie.

Compare South American Getaway, Raindrops, and Come Touch The Sun. Any similarities? Only one: they are the work of a an exceedingly versatile musical genius.

Classic, 04 Sep 2000
This recently became fashionable again, popping up in a BBC link thing, and Alexander McQueen's runway show, over the last couple of years. Of course, I dug it out before that because I'm so cool. It's very cool, with its very 60s tum tee tum thing. The most famous tracks are the South American getaway and Raindrops. It's a pretty essential soundtrack, if soundtracks are your bag, and it's soft and easily listenable, and innovative and you'll probably like it.

One of the most lyrical western movie scores from one of the all-time greatest movie westerns. Unlike the slightly more cartoonish music (in the Raymond Scott sense) for Sergio Leone's earlier "Man With No Name" westerns starring Clint Eastwood (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly), Once Upon A Time in the West is epic in scope and elegiac in tone. Composer Ennio Morricone uses a haunting, wordless female vocal on the main theme (and in the equally beautiful soundtrack for Leone's companion gangster epic, Once Upon A Time in America, many years later) that sends chills down your spine and may even bring tears to your eyes. --Jim Emerson

Pure Class!!, 23 May 2008
I really don't know why it's taken me so long to buy this album, this is without doubt Jon Bon Jovi's best solo CD.
I don't think that I can add anything new that the other reviewers havn't already said because this really is a brilliant album.
My favorite tracks are "Blaze Of Glory", "Billy Get Your Guns", "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Living" and "Never Say Die".
Don't wait for as long as I did, buy this incrediable rock gem today!

woohoo, i'll make ya famous, 16 Jun 2007
truely great album which does the film justice. i don't think anyone could have done this better than bonjovi. though dialogue from the film is very low, this couldn't take anything away from this being 5 star quality. great lyrics in every song -

"Blood money. That's what I call it 'Cause money for blood ain't no fair exchange
Blood money Bought and then sold you But your conscience is all you can take to your grave"

I'm A Cowboy..., 30 Nov 2005
Bon Jovi's fascination with the Western continues with this soundtrack to the largely unmemorable film Young Guns II. However, this soundtrack is anything but unmemorable, with plenty of great tunes and wonderful lyrics.

Named after the classic song Blaze of Glory, that is indeed a stand out track, but don't expect the rest of the album to not live up to the legendary status of that song.

The album ranges from quieter laid back songs like Miracle, catchy anthem like songs like Bang A Drum, to full on rock songs like Never Say Die. You even get a short instrumental song, Guano City, that was used in the film.

Bon Jovi's husky tones suit this kind of cowboy album perfectly, and coupled with lyrics that really do make you feel like you are listening to a musical take on a Western movie. Memorable and easily relistenable many times, Blaze of Glory makes you want to jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

bon jovi at his best, 03 May 2004
heard this album for the first time about 7 years ago and have been listening to it since.
the lyrics are in my opinion some of the finest ever written by anyone.
miracle and santa fe being my favourites,on an album that you wont tire of listening to.
buy it,you wont regret it!!

Santa Fe. Nuff said., 02 Aug 2002
Blaze of Glory rises above the trappings of a soundtrack to a rather lame movie, and ends up being one of the most consistent albums with which Mr Giovi's been involved.

It's not 100% fantastic (there are a couple of things that don't work, such as "Justice in a Barrel", and "You Really Got Me Now", but I defy any Bon Jovi fan not to be bowled over by the sheer brilliance of "Bang a Drum" and the title track.

And then there's "Santa Fe". Words alone can not do it justice. Just buy this CD, slam on Track 5, and everything will become clear.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

A soundtrack - but so good, 15 Dec 2004
Having come to this album through the film, I never cease to be amazed at how Bob Dylan got this so right. Usually, soundtracks are bitty and without the film action to guide them, seem spare. This is not the case of PAT GARRETT..., which is so convincing an album in its own right. I guess the style fitted in well with his own country blues leanings of BLONDE ON BLONDE and the later BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, (which must have been his reward from the Byrds and their having used so many of his songs in the past).

Dylan threads his themes very well, and there is a touch of repetition that might have been borrowed from classical sources (to the great benefit of the album). While most songs are country folk, I like "Turkey Chase" which is heading into Bluegrass, with I guess Roger McGuinn on banjo. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is also well-positioned on the album, and pops up almost as a surprise due to the size of its popularity.

I have only one slight, slight quibble (oh, here it comes...); the two versions of "Billy" at the end do have the feeling that Dylan pre-empted the modern practice of bonus tracks without ever having gone through the re-issue phase. These two versions do seem a little bit tagged on at the end, but memory fails me, and I cannot say for sure if they are used in the film or not (last seen in 1995 by myself). That said, it is interesting to see Dylan playing with the lyrics, his voice, and choice of instrumental styles - all three versions of "Billy" are both different and sit well enough to make it difficult to say which is best (which is probably why all were included). Also Dylan's playful humour comes out more in these versions.

To be honest, it may be sacrilegious to say, but I would have to say that this is my favourite Dylan album, which is almost embarrassing to admit BECAUSE it is a soundtrack.

A great easy listening album, 05 Nov 2000
When Rudy Wurlitzer, the writer of the screenplay for the Sam Peckinpah movie 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid', approached his friend Bob Dylan, he originally intended for him to write the soundtrack. He wrote 'Billy', a fine example of Dylans ability to master the ballad. Dylan had been lying low since his motorcycle accident, so this was his first work for some time, and there is a beautifully easy nature to the music. It is light and soothing with many a raw journey into a mexican dusty night on a tequilla stained veranda. The listener is lulled into the scene as the story is told until we are brought back to home with the masterpiece of Dylans simple yet masterful 'Knocking on Heavans Door'. I originally bought this album a couple of years ago on Vinyl for a fiver, at that time for this track alone, which I never saw on another album. 'Heavans door' is short, with only two verses, and my only fault with this album is that Dylan did not provide more verses. The listener is left eager for more.

I highly reccomend this album to anybody who enjoys a cosy candlelit evening by a fire, stare into the flames and imagine your there.

Wonderful music, wonderful sound., 19 Nov 2004
This is a disc full of great music. It won't be long before you find yourself singing along to one song or another; my favourite is 'The Farmer and the Cowman'- actually a very clever piece of music. Rodgers and Hammerstein were masters of their art and Oklahoma is, arguably, their very best.

The recording was made, amazingly, in 1954. You would never guess it. This is one of the very best soundtracks I have ever heard. It has warmth, clarity and a wide frequency range that bely its age. There is none of the distortion that some soundtrack recordings have. The remastering engineers should be proud of their work.

The presentation is excellent too. Lavish sleeve notes, technical information for those interested in such things, and best of all some great photographs. One photo is taken from the actors' viewpoint and shows no less than three huge cameras manned by a crew who look as though they should be in the film!

Absolutely superb.

"Oh, What a Beautiful Recording!", 14 May 2001
At last a complete recording of the music from this classic film. It's been a long time coming but it was well worth the wait. Included on this disk is not only all the dance music, the reprise songs, but also the original overture, the overture as recorded for the original album and the entr'acte to Act 2. (presumably the film was originally made with an interval.) As with the re-issue of the West Side Story film soundtrack by Sony, the new material has been taken directly from the magnetic soundtrack of the film and therefore contains some dialogue and sound effects. For example: train noises in Kansas City and thunder in the Out of my Dreams Ballet. Even though these effects are not too obtrusive, I could see that to some people this might be a distraction and spoil the music. This CD has obviously been lovingly re-mastered and compiled and I congratulate the team involved. Up until the release of this CD the National Theatre, Original Cast recording would have been my choice as the best recording of this show, but now I'm not so sure!! I hope that many more re-issues of classic film soundtracks of this quality will become available - Soon.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

Legends., 02 Nov 2008
How do you ensure somebody's legacy as a hero? In the good old days, you wrote a book. Nowadays, you make a movie - and if you're lucky and it's really, really successful, you can retrospectively even make legends out of dangerous criminals. Not that that always works, of course. But with two great actors with instant chemistry (Paul Newman and Robert Redford), a script (by William Goldman) bursting with one-liners making the audience bowl over laughing every other minute, without once derailing into slapstick, a director's (George Roy Hill's) ingenious use of the occasion to turn a whole genre on its head, and some of the world's most beautiful locations, filmed by an exceptional cinematographer (Conrad Hall) ... you just may pull it off. Case in point: "Butch and Sundance."

While Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) was known as the Old West's Robin Hood for his charm, masterly planning, avoidance of bloodshed - he really did claim he'd never shot anyone - and his stance for settlers' rights vis-a-vis the wealthy cattle barons, Sundance (Henry Longbaugh) had the reputation of a loner; a fast draw repeatedly in and out of prison before even turning twenty-one. After several of their Wild Bunch/Hole in the Wall Gang associates had seen the short end of the stick in various encounters with the law, Butch and Sundance determined things were getting too hot in the West and, unlike the outlaws who not much earlier had stood it out until the end (Billy the Kid, the James Gang and the O.K. Corral gunfighters), decided to head for South America. With a woman named Etta Place, possibly a teacher as portrayed here or, perhaps more likely, a prostitute, they first spent several years farming in Argentina - both had done cattle work before turning to robbery, although in the form of rustling (stealing unbranded cattle) - but eventually reverted to their more profitable, preferred occupation. Most sources believe they died in a 1909 shootout with the Bolivian military in a town named San Vicente; others, however, claim either or both escaped alive, returned to the States under assumed names and died there (Sundance in Casper, WY in 1957 and Cassidy, according to his sister, in Spokane, WA, in 1937).

While their decision to leave the West instead of duking it out with the law and the mystery surrounding their deaths would already have made for a great movie, director Hill cleverly used the material for a 180-degree-turn on the Western genre. The opening credits roll next to sepia-tinged silent shots depicting a Hole in the Wall Gang train robbery, followed by the bold claim that "most of what follows is true" - which in itself couldn't be further from the truth. What does follow is a wild ride from the Outlaw Trail to Bolivia ... during which our heroes aren't getting rid of their pursuers, no Western music with guitars and harmonicas accompanies them but Burt Bacharach's multiple-award-winning, deliberately anachronistic, upbeat score (plus "Raindrops Are Falling on My Head" during the most romantic scene - raindrops???), a knife fight is settled by a kick in the groin, and a marshal trying to assemble a posse first meets with a lackluster population, neither willing to bring their own horses and guns nor clamoring to be supplied with such by him, and in short order sees his meeting usurped by a bicycle salesman. Add to that Oscar-winning cinematography, repeatedly using black-and-white lighting techniques even after the film's switch to color (e.g. in Sundance's first visit with Etta), reverse lighting to make daytime shots look like nighttime (during several scenes of the pursuit) and sepia-tinted shots for period feeling (besides the opening, also to sum up the trio's stay in New York), a Bolivian bank robbery with a crib sheet containing "specialized vocabulary" that Butch, contrary to initial claims, doesn't know in Spanish, and an immortalizing freeze-frame ending - and you have one heck of an entertaining movie, shot in some of the West's most spectacular settings and in Mexico (as Bolivia's stand-in).

"Butch and Sundance" turned Redford into a megastar - Hill lobbied hard for the then-perceived "playboy"'s casting, and his instincts proved so dead-on that Newman's entourage became worried the movie's expected primary star would be sidelined (a feeling never shared by Newman himself, though, who has been friends with Redford ever since). In a twist worthy of Goldman's Oscar-winning screenplay, fearsome loner Sundance became one of Redford's most popular roles, and his independent film festival's namesake. The movie renewed popular interest in the Outlaw Trail, which Redford himself traveled later, too (chronicled in a fascinating, alas out-of-print book). Its script is littered with memorable one-liners; from both heroes' "Who *are* those guys??" to Butch's comments on the small price to pay for beauty, on Sundance's gun-prowess ("like I've been telling you - over the hill"), on vision, bifocals and Bolivia, on Sundance's asking Etta (Katherine Ross) to accompany them, although if she'll ever "whine or make a nuisance," he'll be "dumping her flat" ("Don't sugarcoat it like that, Kid ... tell her straight!") and his downplaying the final shootout because their archenemy LaForce isn't there; Sundance's "You just keep thinking, Butch," his comments on the secret of his gambling success (prayer), on not being picky about women (followed by a litany of required attributes), on the excessive use of dynamite, and his one weakness ("I can't swim!!"); and finally Strother Martin/mine-owner Percy Garris's deadpan delivery of the Shanghai Rooster song, of "Morons ... I've got morons on my team" and his assertion not to be crazy but merely colorful. The famous freeze-frame ending has repeatedly been cited, both cinematographically (e.g. "Thelma and Louise") and in dialogue (e.g. 1998's "Negotiator"). And although initially almost uniformly panned by critics, the movie won quadruple Oscars and multiple other awards. In true Hollywood fashion, it has made two fearsome outlaws legends forever ... and in the process, also won legendary status itself.

"Raindrops" is definitely not the only reason, 27 Jul 2001
Come Touch The Sun (and Not Goin' Home Anymore -- same song, different arrangement) and South American Getaway are gems. The Sundance Kid (song #1) was responsible for a cousin of mine falling in love with Bacharach's music (a 30 year-old affair), and it isn't even in the movie.

Compare South American Getaway, Raindrops, and Come Touch The Sun. Any similarities? Only one: they are the work of a an exceedingly versatile musical genius.

Classic, 04 Sep 2000
This recently became fashionable again, popping up in a BBC link thing, and Alexander McQueen's runway show, over the last couple of years. Of course, I dug it out before that because I'm so cool. It's very cool, with its very 60s tum tee tum thing. The most famous tracks are the South American getaway and Raindrops. It's a pretty essential soundtrack, if soundtracks are your bag, and it's soft and easily listenable, and innovative and you'll probably like it.

Magnificent, haunting, enthralling and beautiful, 31 Jul 2000
I have never bought a Western soundtrack before and I am not a particulary big fan of the genre but this score is one of my all time favourites. It is quite simply absolutely gorgeous.

Pure Class!!, 23 May 2008
I really don't know why it's taken me so long to buy this album, this is without doubt Jon Bon Jovi's best solo CD.
I don't think that I can add anything new that the other reviewers havn't already said because this really is a brilliant album.
My favorite tracks are "Blaze Of Glory", "Billy Get Your Guns", "Dyin' Ain't Much Of A Living" and "Never Say Die".
Don't wait for as long as I did, buy this incrediable rock gem today!

woohoo, i'll make ya famous, 16 Jun 2007
truely great album which does the film justice. i don't think anyone could have done this better than bonjovi. though dialogue from the film is very low, this couldn't take anything away from this being 5 star quality. great lyrics in every song -

"Blood money. That's what I call it 'Cause money for blood ain't no fair exchange
Blood money Bought and then sold you But your conscience is all you can take to your grave"

I'm A Cowboy..., 30 Nov 2005
Bon Jovi's fascination with the Western continues with this soundtrack to the largely unmemorable film Young Guns II. However, this soundtrack is anything but unmemorable, with plenty of great tunes and wonderful lyrics.

Named after the classic song Blaze of Glory, that is indeed a stand out track, but don't expect the rest of the album to not live up to the legendary status of that song.

The album ranges from quieter laid back songs like Miracle, catchy anthem like songs like Bang A Drum, to full on rock songs like Never Say Die. You even get a short instrumental song, Guano City, that was used in the film.

Bon Jovi's husky tones suit this kind of cowboy album perfectly, and coupled with lyrics that really do make you feel like you are listening to a musical take on a Western movie. Memorable and easily relistenable many times, Blaze of Glory makes you want to jump on your horse and ride off into the sunset...

bon jovi at his best, 03 May 2004
heard this album for the first time about 7 years ago and have been listening to it since.
the lyrics are in my opinion some of the finest ever written by anyone.
miracle and santa fe being my favourites,on an album that you wont tire of listening to.
buy it,you wont regret it!!

Santa Fe. Nuff said., 02 Aug 2002
Blaze of Glory rises above the trappings of a soundtrack to a rather lame movie, and ends up being one of the most consistent albums with which Mr Giovi's been involved.

It's not 100% fantastic (there are a couple of things that don't work, such as "Justice in a Barrel", and "You Really Got Me Now", but I defy any Bon Jovi fan not to be bowled over by the sheer brilliance of "Bang a Drum" and the title track.

And then there's "Santa Fe". Words alone can not do it justice. Just buy this CD, slam on Track 5, and everything will become clear.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

A soundtrack - but so good, 15 Dec 2004
Having come to this album through the film, I never cease to be amazed at how Bob Dylan got this so right. Usually, soundtracks are bitty and without the film action to guide them, seem spare. This is not the case of PAT GARRETT..., which is so convincing an album in its own right. I guess the style fitted in well with his own country blues leanings of BLONDE ON BLONDE and the later BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, (which must have been his reward from the Byrds and their having used so many of his songs in the past).

Dylan threads his themes very well, and there is a touch of repetition that might have been borrowed from classical sources (to the great benefit of the album). While most songs are country folk, I like "Turkey Chase" which is heading into Bluegrass, with I guess Roger McGuinn on banjo. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is also well-positioned on the album, and pops up almost as a surprise due to the size of its popularity.

I have only one slight, slight quibble (oh, here it comes...); the two versions of "Billy" at the end do have the feeling that Dylan pre-empted the modern practice of bonus tracks without ever having gone through the re-issue phase. These two versions do seem a little bit tagged on at the end, but memory fails me, and I cannot say for sure if they are used in the film or not (last seen in 1995 by myself). That said, it is interesting to see Dylan playing with the lyrics, his voice, and choice of instrumental styles - all three versions of "Billy" are both different and sit well enough to make it difficult to say which is best (which is probably why all were included). Also Dylan's playful humour comes out more in these versions.

To be honest, it may be sacrilegious to say, but I would have to say that this is my favourite Dylan album, which is almost embarrassing to admit BECAUSE it is a soundtrack.

A great easy listening album, 05 Nov 2000
When Rudy Wurlitzer, the writer of the screenplay for the Sam Peckinpah movie 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid', approached his friend Bob Dylan, he originally intended for him to write the soundtrack. He wrote 'Billy', a fine example of Dylans ability to master the ballad. Dylan had been lying low since his motorcycle accident, so this was his first work for some time, and there is a beautifully easy nature to the music. It is light and soothing with many a raw journey into a mexican dusty night on a tequilla stained veranda. The listener is lulled into the scene as the story is told until we are brought back to home with the masterpiece of Dylans simple yet masterful 'Knocking on Heavans Door'. I originally bought this album a couple of years ago on Vinyl for a fiver, at that time for this track alone, which I never saw on another album. 'Heavans door' is short, with only two verses, and my only fault with this album is that Dylan did not provide more verses. The listener is left eager for more.

I highly reccomend this album to anybody who enjoys a cosy candlelit evening by a fire, stare into the flames and imagine your there.

Wonderful music, wonderful sound., 19 Nov 2004
This is a disc full of great music. It won't be long before you find yourself singing along to one song or another; my favourite is 'The Farmer and the Cowman'- actually a very clever piece of music. Rodgers and Hammerstein were masters of their art and Oklahoma is, arguably, their very best.

The recording was made, amazingly, in 1954. You would never guess it. This is one of the very best soundtracks I have ever heard. It has warmth, clarity and a wide frequency range that bely its age. There is none of the distortion that some soundtrack recordings have. The remastering engineers should be proud of their work.

The presentation is excellent too. Lavish sleeve notes, technical information for those interested in such things, and best of all some great photographs. One photo is taken from the actors' viewpoint and shows no less than three huge cameras manned by a crew who look as though they should be in the film!

Absolutely superb.

"Oh, What a Beautiful Recording!", 14 May 2001
At last a complete recording of the music from this classic film. It's been a long time coming but it was well worth the wait. Included on this disk is not only all the dance music, the reprise songs, but also the original overture, the overture as recorded for the original album and the entr'acte to Act 2. (presumably the film was originally made with an interval.) As with the re-issue of the West Side Story film soundtrack by Sony, the new material has been taken directly from the magnetic soundtrack of the film and therefore contains some dialogue and sound effects. For example: train noises in Kansas City and thunder in the Out of my Dreams Ballet. Even though these effects are not too obtrusive, I could see that to some people this might be a distraction and spoil the music. This CD has obviously been lovingly re-mastered and compiled and I congratulate the team involved. Up until the release of this CD the National Theatre, Original Cast recording would have been my choice as the best recording of this show, but now I'm not so sure!! I hope that many more re-issues of classic film soundtracks of this quality will become available - Soon.

Incorrect listings, 05 Jun 2007
Although tis is an excelent collection from Johnny Cash, there are two songs missing from the CD than is advertised on the album listings as advertised on the Amazon website.
Track 1/ Big Foot and Track 9/ Old Apache Squaw are missing.
Review by Richard Warrender

Bitter Tears, 04 Jan 2007
I bought the original L.P. in 1965 and loved it so much that I wanted all of my friends to hear it. Unfortunatly one of them loved it as much as I did that they kept it. I tried for years to get a copy, even contacting the record company in America only to be told that it was no longer available. How excited was I when my son sent us the new C.D. This is my all time favourite album. I think that anyone who has seen the new film Flags Of Our Fathers will be interested in the story of Ira Hayes which Johnny Cash explains so well in this album. Buy it even if you're not interested in the history of the American Indians...you soon will be after listening to this album.

Legends., 02 Nov 2008
How do you ensure somebody's legacy as a hero? In the good old days, you wrote a book. Nowadays, you make a movie - and if you're lucky and it's really, really successful, you can retrospectively even make legends out of dangerous criminals. Not that that always works, of course. But with two great actors with instant chemistry (Paul Newman and Robert Redford), a script (by William Goldman) bursting with one-liners making the audience bowl over laughing every other minute, without once derailing into slapstick, a director's (George Roy Hill's) ingenious use of the occasion to turn a whole genre on its head, and some of the world's most beautiful locations, filmed by an exceptional cinematographer (Conrad Hall) ... you just may pull it off. Case in point: "Butch and Sundance."

While Butch Cassidy (Robert LeRoy Parker) was known as the Old West's Robin Hood for his charm, masterly planning, avoidance of bloodshed - he really did claim he'd never shot anyone - and his stance for settlers' rights vis-a-vis the wealthy cattle barons, Sundance (Henry Longbaugh) had the reputation of a loner; a fast draw repeatedly in and out of prison before even turning twenty-one. After several of their Wild Bunch/Hole in the Wall Gang associates had seen the short end of the stick in various encounters with the law, Butch and Sundance determined things were getting too hot in the West and, unlike the outlaws who not much earlier had stood it out until the end (Billy the Kid, the James Gang and the O.K. Corral gunfighters), decided to head for South America. With a woman named Etta Place, possibly a teacher as portrayed here or, perhaps more likely, a prostitute, they first spent several years farming in Argentina - both had done cattle work before turning to robbery, although in the form of rustling (stealing unbranded cattle) - but eventually reverted to their more profitable, preferred occupation. Most sources believe they died in a 1909 shootout with the Bolivian military in a town named San Vicente; others, however, claim either or both escaped alive, returned to the States under assumed names and died there (Sundance in Casper, WY in 1957 and Cassidy, according to his sister, in Spokane, WA, in 1937).

While their decision to leave the West instead of duking it out with the law and the mystery surrounding their deaths would already have made for a great movie, director Hill cleverly used the material for a 180-degree-turn on the Western genre. The opening credits roll next to sepia-tinged silent shots depicting a Hole in the Wall Gang train robbery, followed by the bold claim that "most of what follows is true" - which in itself couldn't be further from the truth. What does follow is a wild ride from the Outlaw Trail to Bolivia ... during which our heroes aren't getting rid of their pursuers, no Western music with guitars and harmonicas accompanies them but Burt Bacharach's multiple-award-winning, deliberately anachronistic, upbeat score (plus "Raindrops Are Falling on My Head" during the most romantic scene - raindrops???), a knife fight is settled by a kick in the groin, and a marshal trying to assemble a posse first meets with a lackluster population, neither willing to bring their own horses and guns nor clamoring to be supplied with such by him, and in short order sees his meeting usurped by a bicycle salesman. Add to that Oscar-winning cinematography, repeatedly using black-and-white lighting techniques even after the film's switch to color (e.g. in Sundance's first visit with Etta), reverse lighting to make daytime shots look like nighttime (during several scenes of the pursuit) and sepia-tinted shots for period feeling (besides the opening, also to sum up the trio's stay in New York), a Bolivian bank robbery with a crib sheet containing "specialized vocabulary" that Butch, contrary to initial claims, doesn't know in Spanish, and an immortalizing freeze-frame ending - and you have one heck of an entertaining movie, shot in some of the West's most spectacular settings and in Mexico (as Bolivia's stand-in).

"Butch and Sundance" turned Redford into a megastar - Hill lobbied hard for the then-perceived "playboy"'s casting, and his instincts proved so dead-on that Newman's entourage became worried the movie's expected primary star would be sidelined (a feeling never shared by Newman himself, though, who has been friends with Redford ever since). In a twist worthy of Goldman's Oscar-winning screenplay, fearsome loner Sundance became one of Redford's most popular roles, and his independent film festival's namesake. The movie renewed popular interest in the Outlaw Trail, which Redford himself traveled later, too (chronicled in a fascinating, alas out-of-print book). Its script is littered with memorable one-liners; from both heroes' "Who *are* those guys??" to Butch's comments on the small price to pay for beauty, on Sundance's gun-prowess ("like I've been telling you - over the hill"), on vision, bifocals and Bolivia, on Sundance's asking Etta (Katherine Ross) to accompany them, although if she'll ever "whine or make a nuisance," he'll be "dumping her flat" ("Don't sugarcoat it like that, Kid ... tell her straight!") and his downplaying the final shootout because their archenemy LaForce isn't there; Sundance's "You just keep thinking, Butch," his comments on the secret of his gambling success (prayer), on not being picky about women (followed by a litany of required attributes), on the excessive use of dynamite, and his one weakness ("I can't swim!!"); and finally Strother Martin/mine-owner Percy Garris's deadpan delivery of the Shanghai Rooster song, of "Morons ... I've got morons on my team" and his assertion not to be crazy but merely colorful. The famous freeze-frame ending has repeatedly been cited, both cinematographically (e.g. "Thelma and Louise") and in dialogue (e.g. 1998's "Negotiator"). And although initially almost uniformly panned by critics, the movie won quadruple Oscars and multiple other awards. In true Hollywood fashion, it has made two fearsome outlaws legends forever ... and in the process, also won legendary status itself.

"Raindrops" is definitely not the only reason, 27 Jul 2001
Come Touch The Sun (and Not Goin' Home Anymore -- same song, different arrangement) and South American Getaway are gems. The Sundance Kid (song #1) was responsible for a cousin of mine falling in love with Bacharach's music (a 30 year-old affair), and it isn't even in the movie.

Compare South American Getaway, Raindrops, and Come Touch The Sun. Any similarities? Only one: they are the work of a an exceedingly versatile musical genius.

Classic, 04 Sep 2000
This recently became fashionable again, popping up in a BBC link thing, and Alexander McQueen's runway show, over the last couple of years. Of course, I dug it out before that because I'm so cool. It's very cool, with its very 60s tum tee tum thing. The most famous tracks are the South American getaway and Raindrops. It's a pretty essential soundtrack, if soundtracks are your bag, and it's soft and easily listenable, and innovative and you'll probably like it.

Magnificent, haunting, enthralling and beautiful, 31 Jul 2000
I have never bought a Western soundtrack before and I am not a particulary big fan of the genre but this score is one of my all time favourites. It is quite simply absolutely gorgeous.

Superb quality from Cooder, 16 Dec 1999
Brilliant stuff produced by Ry Cooder with consummate skill using musicians of the highest calibre. Their understanding of the music and it's era has produced a remarkable, emotive and hugely entertaining period piece that evokes great feeling.