A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

A dark and somewhat nihilistic western, Bandolero! tells the story of a pair of brothers (played by Jimmy Stewart and Dean Martin) being pursued by a ruthless sheriff (George Kennedy) after one of them was involved in a botched robbery which left a woman (Racquel Welsh) widowed.  The western had changed by 1968 and was about to disappear almost completely, and this change is reflected in composer Jerry Goldsmith's scores in the genre; he only really worked in it at the tail end of its popularity, when the good-guys-riding-into-town, defeating the bad guys formula had been replaced by something far darker and less well-defined.  Bandolero! was a year before The Wild Bunch, but clearly along similar lines (albeit enormously less successful).  Goldsmith's scores therefore tended to be drawn of considerably darker cloth than, say, Elmer Bernstein's or - going back further - Dimitri Tiomkin's or Max Steiner's.

Bandolero! - despite all that - is fundamentally a very melodic score, moreso than some of Goldsmith's others in the genre.  After a brief piece of saloon source music (which is actually based around the main theme), it gets going with a great, memorable, whistled version of that theme, a mournful and reflective piece of music which in its own way seems to be commenting almost on the changing times of what was once a beloved and all-conquering genre of film which had rather suddenly become out of fashion.  "Procession to the Gallows" is another version of the main theme, this time considerably darker, grittier; and later there is some particularly aggressive action music in "Ambushed", though it does end with a highly-moving theme for low flute, guitar and strings.  "A Bad Day for Hanging" sees a series of variations around the main theme in various small ensembles being punctuated by large statements by the full orchestra - an impressive piece.  A great love theme of sorts is introduced in "The Bait", a duet between marimba and guitar, again highly melodic and very satisfying. 

For an example of a great piece of suspense scoring, listen to "Sabinas".  In fact, younger film composers should be forced to listen to this sort of thing - nowadays suspense music seems to just be sustained strings with synth noises and the occasional brass flurry, but Goldsmith actually manages to write real music for such scenes, develop real tension and not just manipulate.  "Dee's Proposal" is an extended version of the tender love theme, subtle and moving music is extremely evocative of a happier style of storytelling regarding the Old West.  The finale, "A Better Way", begins with a particularly sombre piece for winds and strings, but despite the fact that both main characters die, it concludes with a pulsating and rousing fully orchestral performance of the main theme.

Bandolero! was one of the earliest of Goldsmith's western scores to appear on CD, but - as with just about all the others that were available at the time - Intrada, as enterprising as ever, put it out.  In the decade following, it only sold about 1,500 copies but nonetheless, when the opportunity of presenting an expanded, remastered version of the score came along, they did not let it pass.  The extra music is excellent (there's some 17 minutes of it) but even more impressive is the remastering.  It is incredible to discover just how much detail was missing from the original, detail which now becomes clear and makes the score sound even better.  There are some whole new pieces (such as the important "Procession to the Gallows") and elsewhere tracks are extended, sometimes by only a few seconds, but the whole thing sounds fantastic and flows notably well.  As if this weren't enough, Intrada has included a pair of demo versions of the main theme (including "Maria's Theme" and a peculiar but highly-entertaining rock and roll version of the main theme) and even the entire original 27-minute version of the album.  Along with new liner notes, this makes for a great package.

Bandolero! was the latest in the current trend of limited edition film music releases which sell out before they even start shipping to people.  Remember that only 1,500 copies of the original version of the album were ever sold.  Well, all 1,500 copies of this new version were sold within a couple of weeks of its announcement (which came shortly after the composer's death) and will no doubt be appearing on Ebay for years to come.  If you've got one, well done; if not, well, scour Ebay because Bandolero! is one of Goldsmith's most rich and rewarding western scores.

Tracks

1. The Saloon (1:30)
2. Main Title (1:59)
3. The Imposter (:44)
4. Procession to the Gallows (2:55)
5. A Bad Day for Hanging / The Kidnap (4:08)
6. Across the River (1:02)
7. Bad News / He'll Cross It / The Bait (8:55)
8. The Trap (2:25)
9. El Jefe (:52)
10. Ambushed (3:07)
11. The Violator (1:17)
12. Sabinas (3:05)
13. A Bag of Money (1:18)
14. Dee's Proposal (5:30)
15. A Better Way (3:42)
16. Maria's Theme (demo) (1:56)
17. Bandolero! Theme (demo) (1:31)
18. Main Title (album version) (1:58)
19. The Trap (album version) (2:25)
20. El Jefe (album version) (:52)
21. The Bait (album version) (2:13)
22. Ambushed (album version) (3:58)
23. Sabinas (album version) (2:52)
24. Dee's Proposal (album version) (5:30)
25. Across the River (album version) (1:02)
26. A Bad Day for Hanging (album version) (3:02)
27. A Better Way (album version) (3:35)