Description
This album is a collection of Western-themed songs from the German perspective. There are 23 songs on the album, ranging from traditional Western songs to songs from TV and movie soundtracks. The album has been remastered and includes a booklet with reproductions of movie posters and stills.
While the first volume in this wonderful series focused on TV and
movie themes in the Western vernacular, such as Bonanza, Gunfight
at the OK Corral, et al., this second collection digs deeper into
the American kitsch experience -- as envisioned through the eyes of
a German family's view of popular culture in the States. There are
no less than 23 selections here that vary in range and quality from
Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye's bizarre rough and rowdy theme
song for the Jane Fonda vehicle Cat Ballou, to Jose Feliciano's
rockabilly singing of Old Turkey Buzzard from the film MacKenna's
Gold, to Glen Campbell's gorgeous A Man With True Grit from the
film True Grit. There's a vibe that runs through all of this
seemingly disparate material, and that is how the Western theme
song evolved from a simple Hollywood instrumental with lots of
sound effects to the aftermath of Ennio Morricone's adaptations for
spaghetti Westerns by Sergio Leone to the involvement of show tune
composers such as Elmer Bernstein and Dan Black in the genre. There
are traditional contributors of course, such as Tex Ritter with his
theme to Wichita, the Sons of the Pioneers with Sugarfoot, and
Johnny Gregory with his theme from Bronco. But there was also an
era when singers like Wayne Newton contributed his silky Vegas
voice to the series Stagecoach and Andy Williams and his champagne
throat sang on the soundtrack for the John Huston/Paul Newman
vehicle The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean. Thankfully, there is
also a fine rendition here from the original released soundtrack to
the television program Wagon Train, and Dean Martin weighs in with
The Wind, The Wind from the film Pardners -- yes, it was a
comedy. The package, unlike other Bear Family packages, contains
literally no liner notes, but the sound has been remastered
expertly and the booklet includes literally dozens of reproductions
of movie posters (mostly German versions!) and stills from both
film and TV. This is every bit as essential as the first volume and
even more off the beaten track. ~ Thom Jurek
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