Western Film Score Recommendations: The Fallout!

If you're curious as to what sort of responses from our readers we at Film Score Monthly love to see, you need look no further than this thoughtful volley we received from Mark Bagby, which I will rebut point by point if I am able:

"Arrrgh! How can anyone worth his salt compile a list of Western scores and not include Alfred Newman's How the West Was Won and Nevada Smith? And Basil Poledouris' Lonesome Dove and Quigley Down Under? And Franz Waxman's Cimmarron and The Furies? And, and...."

Mark, the clear implication here is that I am not worth my salt, but the compiled list could only represent my tastes and my own limited knowledge (I have never seen Nevada Smith, to my shame...). I was forthright in opening the article with my own petty bigotries vis pre-Moross and Bernstein westerns, and I maintain that the ones I listed will probably be the most accessible to modern ears. That having been said, I acknowledge that Newman's How the West Was Won is an important, memorable effort and holds up quite well today; Newman was no slouch. But since the score in question was written in 1962 I would maintain that it was already a little dated- sounding by that point given the other scores written that year (Freud, To Kill a Mockingbird, and yes, even Lawrence of Arabia). Basil Poledouris's Lonesome Dove is also incredibly catchy and is certainly a landmark television score (which should be clear simply by view of how many times it's been copied in the past few years).

"Seriously, the list was well thought out and I understand it was to be a list of recordings available to aid a fan. But really, the exclusion of these scores seems to me to be, well, nearly a crime. Particularly when anything by Maurice Jarre is included, whose score for Witness is about the only thing worth listening to in his whole execrable output (and he has three Oscars, compared to one for Herrmann, one for Goldsmith and none for Alex North?! What's wrong with this picture?)"

This, of course, is a subject for another article, and I will say that in general I hold Jarre in very little regard. But his theme for The Professionals (and the TV series Cimmarron Strip) is perfect, rousing western fare.

"Anyway, Newman's later western scores are excellent meldings of the Coplandesque sound and his own style. Particularly noteworthy (pardon the pun) is his inclusion of Celtic/Anglo folk tunes, hymns and other music, which really forms the basis of much true Western music; combine these musical forms with Mexican music and you have Elmer Bernstein. HTWWW is really a landmark score, particularly for its use of choral arrangements at appropriate times and the interweaving of material like Wayfaring Stranger. Ry Cooder has also done well with this sort of effort—see Geronimo or Long Riders."

Newman was big on choral work (particularly in his religious scores). I don't find much relationship between Newman and Bernstein, other than the fact that they both wrote very direct Americana-style themes: it's Bernstein's rhythmic invention and energy that sets him apart from Newman in my book.

"And Poledouris' work speaks for itself. Not only is Lonesome Dove possibly the best western ever made— certainly the best TV ever made, not just Western—his score is just unbelievably good. Though Poledouris is certainly talented, his score enhances, indeed, makes this film work by tying together the themes of the piece and pulling all the plotlines together. Quigley Down Under, while similar in its sound and approach, shows a lightness of touch in handling a completely different entry into the genre.

"Other notable mentions: Alan Silvestri's Back to the Future III score, which suffers only because it doesn't have more Western material, though his Young Guns 2 score is also quite good. Shaiman's work in City Slickers deserves an honorable mention, though the Varese release is not what it should be; too much muzak and not enough western (though he really ripped off Moross for the rescue of the calf in the river)."

Silvestri's Back to the Future III was a huge disappointment for me. I'm in the minority in thinking that this was the worst film and score in the series, and I had high hopes for Silvestri's western material. Young Guns 2 has some terrific moments when it's not paying obeisance to the Guns 'n' Roses mentality; Silvestri always seems to be heading for something great early in his scores (the opening moments of The Quick and the Dead are fantastic) but they often seem to quickly get mired in temp track hell. City Slickers was quite good as pastiche, although it owed a lot to some of Bernstein's western themes.

"One CD every western film buff should have is The Western Film World of Dimitri Tiomkin, cond. by Laurie Johnson. Like Tiomkin or not (and I'm not a big fan), his impact on western scoring is significant, and this disc goes a long way towards explaining why his work is so important. Admittedly, he worked on some very important films in the genre, but it's hard to deny the impact of his work on the films they grace. The only real omission from his output is Gunfight at the OK Corral, available on the Kunzel and Cincinnati Pops recording Round Up."

It's undeniable that Tiomkin had a huge influence on western scores (not to mention record sales with some of his theme songs). I just find his music extremely silly and annoying; even a can't-miss proposition like The Fall of the Roman Empire is something that I find virtually unlistenable.

Readers: don't listen to me! Mr. Bagby's recommendations should be given equal weight since he's probably listened to some of these '50s efforts more than I have. I appreciate his input in this grave matter...

Jeff Bond

JBond@filmscoremonthly.com