Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969) is one of the all-time great westerns as well as one of the finest pieces of modern cinema, a gritty tale where the protagonists are the bad guys–aging bank robbers in a changing time, caught up in the Mexican Revolution. The slow-motion bloodletting (still imitated today) was brand new at its time, but Peckinpah’s themes of redemption and pursuit were drawn from deep-seated myths–just cast in a new form.

Perfectly matching Peckinpah’s vision was the music by the director’s friend and collaborator, Jerry Fielding, who won an Oscar-nomination for his effort. Fielding crafted an idiosyncratic and form-fitting score out of Mexican folk music, traditional action-adventure energy, and his own inimitable style (i.e. the constant snare drums and dense counterpoint). Like the movie, the music twists in the grip of its own violence but features shockingly poetic refrains.

This CD was produced by Nick Redman (who also wrote the liner notes for Warner Home Video’s deluxe laserdisc of The Wild Bunch in 1997). This was mastered from the original multi-track elements in the Warner vaults and is in terrific stereo sound–over 75 minutes of music. This CD–the best-ever presentation of this landmark score–has never been offered apart from the expensive laser package until now.

DISC ONE - Film Score
01 Main Title 5:44
02 From Coffer to First Shoot-Out 1:01
03 They Cleared Out/Buck's Arroyo 2:36
04 Judas Goat/Mexico Lindo/Half Hour of Light/To Sykes's Camp 2:18
05 Angel Confronts the Gorch Brothers/1st Denver Hotel ("With "Darkey's Awakening") 1:41
06 Denver Flashback (With "Darkey's Awakening") 1:17
07 Slow Motion Tumble/Aurora Mi Amor 3:01
08 All Clear/Arriving at Angel's Camp 2:22
09 Drunk With Wine and Love/Dance at Angel's Camp 4:30
10 Entrance of the General 0:33
11 Mariachi at First Cantina 2:17
12 Song From The Wild Bunch/Angel Blows His Cork 3:19
13 Give It to Him 1:04
14 Ain't He the One?/Por Favor, I Need Him/Bodega el Bodega de Baño 5:38
15 Give Him One/Aurora Mi Amor 2:55
16 Assault on the Train and Escape, Parts 1 and 2/Locomotive Wreck 6:38
17 Assault on the Train and Escape, Parts 3 and 4 3:19
18 Drinking Song 2:07
19 Santa Amalia 2:43
20 Dynamite/Adventures on the High Road, Part 1 2:40
21 Adventures on the High Road, Part 2 1:32
22 Menace/Adventures on the High Road, Part 3 1:57
23 Sykes in the Sand Box or The Schidt Seen 0:48
24 He's a Thief/How? 1:17
25 Is That Sykes?/Bounty Hunters and Sykes's Indian 3:06
26 Dragging Angel/Army Patrol/Dinner at Drunken Brawl 3:48
27 Song From The Wild Bunch (guitar) 3:16
Total Disc Time: 74:38

DISC TWO
01 Attempt to Save Angel/I Gonna Give It to You 2:42
02 Dirge and Finale 4:19
03 La Golondrina 2:04
Total Time: 9:07

Alternate and Additional Music
04 Adelita 2:41
05 B Natural Chord/Mexico Lindo/Half Hour of Light/To Sykes's Camp 2:04
06 1st Denver Hotel (Without "Darkey's Awakening") 0:40
07 Denver Flashback (Without "Darkey's Awakening") 1:17
08 Slow Motion Tumble/Aurora Mi Amor 3:02
09 Brother Pike Needs Help 2:01
10 All Clear (version 2) 0:46
11 All Clear (version 1) 0:47
12 Drunk With Wine and Love 1:45
13 Song From The Wild Bunch (slow version) 3:20
14 They're Coming 1:54
15 In the Drink/After the Bridge 3:19
16 Santa Amalia 3:21
17 Adventures on the High Road, Part 2 1:33
18 Musica—Musica 0:20
19 First Machine Gun Fiesta/Second Machine Gun Fiesta 0:56
20 Is That Sykes? (version 2) 1:19
21 Is That Sykes? (version 1) 1:19
22 Fireworks 1:38
23 Song From The Wild Bunch (harmonica) 2:47
24 Long March 1:43
25 Dirge (revised overlay pickup, take 3) 1:28
26 Dirge (revised overlay pickup, take 1) 1:27
27 La Golondrina (End Title, long version) 2:19
28 La Golondrina (instrumental backing track) 3:03
Total Time: 47:47

Total Disc Time: 57:00

DISC THREE - 1969 Soundtrack Album
01 Song From The Wild Bunch 3:53
02 Main Title 4:08
03 Aurora Mi Amor 2:34
04 Assault on the Train and Escape 5:34
05 Drinking Song 2:01
06 Adelita 3:00
07 Adventures on the High Road 2:29
08 Bodega el Bodega de Baño 2:59
09 Dirge and Finale 4:16
10 End Credits (La Golondrina) 2:23
Total Time: 33:37

Demo Score
11 Demo #1 (Teresa's Entrance) 3:36
12 Demo #2 (Dirge and Finale) 3:39
Total Time: 7:19

Additional Recordings
13 Teresa Ad Lib #1 4:09
14 Teresa Ad Lib #2 2:04
15 Teresa Ad Lib #3 2:27
16 Santa Maria #1 3:38
17 Santa Maria #2 3:38
18 Tender Theme (Teresa's Entrance) 2:36
19 La Golondrina (End Title, short version) 2:06
Total Time: 20:53

Total Disc Time: 61:57