Conducted by Ennio Morricone

Release Date: May 18th, 2004

              Capitol Records

     Even though Ennio Morricone provided the score for every entry into Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy,” it is his music for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly that has etched itself on the public mind and forever made the name of Morricone synonymous with Western scores. Given that these were Spaghetti Westerns made in Italy by Italians, it seems like a wonder that both Leone and Morricone would be two of the driving forces in the genre during the sixties and seventies. But forces they were, and to be reckoned with as well as both directorial and composing choices have closely followed the example set forth by that dynamic duo.

     What is it exactly that makes this score work so well? The main theme is catchy, but also quite odd. A two-note melody makes up the spine of the theme, which also includes wailing noises that slightly resemble the howl of a coyote. The resulting appearance of the guitar adds the authentic Western flavor, while the heavy grunting of a male chorus imbues the theme with the idea of the untamable nature of the landscape. This construct is massive, delightful, and encompasses enough musical signatures for all three of the main “title characters”. Morricone gets quite a bit of work out of it, and though he rarely strays from the composition found in the main title, sometimes he pulls the guitar out to the forefront, which makes for an interesting variation that works quite well. His theme for the trio’s encounters with the soldiers fighting the Civil War is at once noble and tragically sad at the same time.

     Ultimately, however, things pull into high gear with the climaxing cue, The Ecstasy of Gold. Throughout the score, the music has generally been kept subtle (aside from the appearances of the main theme). With the arrival at the graveyard, the insanity commonly called “gold fever” is all too apparent with Morricone’s cue for this sequence. As Tuco runs rampant around the graveyard, the score is right there with him, catching itself in fervor of brass and soprano wailing. Things continue to build in the almost overture-like music for The Trio, as the tension is held high for the finale.

     Originally released as a thirty-minute album that was a duplicate of the original vinyl release way back in the sixties, this new CD has been released in conjunction with the extended DVD release of the film itself. The remastering job is quite good, and while you won’t mistake this for a modern recording, there is little distortion and the noise level is greatly reduced (so no annoying hiss here). At a fifty-five minute running time, this album isn’t totally complete, but the new cues are a welcome addition and anyone even remotely interested in this score should definitely consider upgrading.

     One of Morricone’s classics, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is a must have for anyone who is a fan of this film. With the new expanded version now available in scores, excuses are a thing of the past.

1 - Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly)

     (Main Title) (2:42)
2 - Il Tramonto (The Sundown) (1:15)
3 - Sentenza (1:41)
4 - Fuga a Cavallo (1:07)
5 - Il Ponte Di Corde (1:51)
6 - Il Forte (The Strong) (2:22)
7 - Inseguimento (2:25)
8 - Il Deserto (The Desert) (5:17)
9 - La Carrozza Dei Fantasmi (The Carriage of the Spirits) (2:09)
10 - La Missione San Antonio (2:15)
11 - Padre Ramirez (2:37)
12 - Marcetta (Marcia) (2:53)
13 - La Storia Di Un Soldato (The Story of a Soldier) (3:53)
14 - Il Treno Militare (1:25)
15 - Fine Di Una Spia (1:16)
16 - Il Bandito Monco (2:45)
17 - Due Contro Cinque (3:46)
18 - Marcetta Senza Speranza (Marcia Without Hope) (1:40)
19 - Morte Di Un Soldato (The Death of a Soldier) (3:08)
20 - L'Estasi Dell'Oro (The Ecstasy of Gold) (3:23)
21 - Il Triello (The Trio) (Main Title) (5:02)

Total Running Time: 55:01