1.THE BIG COUNTRY 2.THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN 3.THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY 4.HOW THE WEST WAS WON 5.THE COWBOYS 6.THE ALAMO 7.SILVERADO 8.BANDOLERO 9.HOUR OF THE GUN 10.A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
I know no ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST..its the damn harmonica
I have limited myself to one score per composer, otherwise I would be tempted to include Ennio Morricone's Once Upon a Time in the West as well. Jerry Fielding's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia is also a serious contender.
My top 10 western film scores (in no particular order):
The Big Country - Jerome Moross The Magnificent Seven - Elmer Bernstein The Alamo - Dimitri Tiomkin The Wild Bunch - Jerry Fielding Garden of Evil - Bernard Herrmann Ride the High Country - George Bassman Seven Men From Now - Henry Vars One-Eyed Jacks - Hugo Friedhofer A Man Called Horse - Leonard Rosenman The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - Ennio Morricone
Pretty much pissin' (chronologically) into the wind here:
They Died With Their Boots On (Steiner) High Noon (Tiomkin) Johnny Guitar (Young) The Big Country (Moross) How the West Was Won (Newman) 100,000 Dollari per Ringo (Nicolai) The Undefeated (Montenegro) Giù la Testa (Morricone) Take a Hard Ride (Goldsmith) Ride With the Devil (Danna)
1. Once Upon a Time in the West 2. Nevada Smith 3. Lonesome Dove 4. Lonely are the Brave 5. The Good the Bad and the Ugly 6. Fistful of Dollars 7. The Last Hard Men (Rosenman) 8. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 9. One Eyed Jacks 10. Two Mules for Sister Sara
The Alamo The Big Country Gunfight at the OK Corral 3:10 To Yuma (Duning) The Searchers How the West Was Won The Magnificent Seven The Good, The Bad and The Ugly High Noon Johnny Guitar
I see plenty of Lee Van Cleef films in most people's picks.
Update: I just realized 7 of my 10 picks are scores that feature plenty of vocals.
Dances With Wolves The Big Country The Searchers The Treasure Of Sierra Madre Shane Red River The Magnificent Seven Once Upon A Time In The West The Good, The Bad & The Ugly The Misfits
THE BIG COUNTRY HOW THE WEST WAS WON THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN SHANE DUEL IN THE SUN RED RIVER LONESOME DOVE DANCES WITH WOLVES RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY LONELY ARE THE BRAVE
in no order: 1. Pony Soldier 2. How the West Was Won 3. Viva Zapata 4. Garden of Evil 5. Cheyenne Autumn 6. One-eyed Jacks 7.A Big Hand for the Little Lady 8. Silverado 9. Belle Starr 10. The Magnificent Seven
1. The Magnificent Seven 2. Rio Conchos 3. The Big Country 4. Lonesome Dove 5. Silverado 6. Lonely Are the Brave 7. Shane 8. Nevada Smith 9. The Cowboys 10. Bite The Bullet edit 11. Comes A Horseman 12. The Professionals 13. Cowboy (sorry can't keep it to ten)
The ones I seem to most enjoy revisiting, or the ones I've been drawn to revisit most often- in no particular order...
Il Grande Silenzio - Ennio Morricone The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing - Michel Legrand, John Williams (I love both efforts equally) Take A Hard Ride - Jerry Goldsmith The Big Country - Jerome Moross The Wild Bunch - Jerry Fielding The Four Of The Apocalypse - Bixio, Frizzi, Tempera The Electric Horseman - Dave Grusin The Magnificent Seven - Elmer Bernstein Duel In The Sun - Dimitri Tiomkin Broken Lance - Leigh Harline
1. Good the Bad and the Ugly 2. Once Upon a Time in the West 3. Giu La Testa 4. The Great Silence 5. The Big Gundown 6. Five Man Army 7. The Mercenary 8. Companeros 9. Navajo Joe 10. Face to Face
Thinking about western soundtracks I like to listen to, in no order:
Giù la Testa - (Morricone) Rio Conchos - (Jerry Goldsmith) The Alamo - (Dimitri Tiomkin) The Wild Bunch - (Jerry Fielding) One-Eyed Jacks - (Hugo Friedhofer) Last Of The Mohicans - (Trevor Jones) They Call Me Trinity - (Franco Micalizzi) The Life & Times Of Judge Roy Bean - (Maurice Jarre) Il Grande Duello - (Luis Bacalov) Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid - (Bob Dylan).
