Ennio Morricone - Once Upon A Time In The West: The Original Soundtrack Recording

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 Amazon.com essential recording

Only one tune

Ordered for my wife; she only likes one tune! Shipping was awesome. No reflection on the sender! February 10, 2008

Greatest Western Soundtrack for the Greatest Western film

I first saw "Once Upon a time in the West" as a graduate student in West Germany, where it was named "Spiel Mir das Lied vom Tod"--"Play me the song of death". Its German title was somehow more appropriate than the American, but when I returned to the states, I had to get this incomparable Western (approached only by "Stagecoach" in my opinion) and watch it over and over again. The music, from "Man with the Harmonica" and "Cheyenne's theme" to "Jill's America", captures the Old Southwest as no other American soundtrack. The best place to listen to it is, in fact, driving across the barren landscapes of the American southwest, as other writers have noted. One has to add it Ennio Morricone's other great spaghetti western soundtracks, and regard Morricone himself as one of the great modern composers. The greatest irony lies in the fact that it took two Italians, director Sergio Leone and composer Ennio Morricone, to move beyond the artificiality and stereotypes of Hollywood to capture the essence of the Old West as a place of haunting romance, violence, and characters of deep moral ambivalence. Morricone's music uses instrumentals to capture that otherwise unspeakable element of our Western heritage. This is the kind of music that one can listen to all day on a long drive and never get tired of hearing it. October 17, 2007

Spellbinding

This is one of the most underrated soundtracks of all time. A haunting, ethereal work of genius, just like the movie from which it's taken. Anyone who has seen Once Upon a Time in the West is invariably struck by the music, which mirrors the perfection of the film. For anyone who loves movie soundtracks and appreciates sheer brilliance, this is a must have for your collection. June 2, 2007

This CD Got Its Hooks Into Me!

Once Upon A Time In The West was the first Western movie that I ever really liked. It beat out the spaghetti westerns starring Clint Eastwood. The music haunts me. I especially love the tunes tied to the character, Jill (Claudia Cardinale). Most of the songs leave me feeling a little sad, and for some reason, prompt me to think of my childhood, and my past. So, it is a good kind of sad! I can listen to the main theme song, Once Upon A Time In The West, as well as Jill's America, over and over, and not grow tired of them! Man With A Harmonica gives me chills as I recall scenes from the movie with Charles Bronson. Of course, Farewell To Cheyenne is both sad and funny at the same time, evoking scenes with Jason Robards. A good CD, in my opinion! May 29, 2007

The Greatest Western Movie Score

The Movie,"Once Upon A time in The West", is filled with movie stars, great scenery, and what I believe is the most beautiful musical score of any movie I have seen, and thats alot! From the opening song the music sets the stage for the action and creates a feeling that matches what you are seeing. This, for a western score, is passionate, full bodied like an excelelnt wine, and pulls emotions to the surface that you did not expect. Whether you are a movie fan or not, this album is well worth your time and deserves a listen. April 10, 2007

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