Intrada presents the world-premiere release of Ernest Gold’s score for the western The Last Sunset, the latest release in the Universal Pictures Classics Collection. Right at the outset, Gold’s main title lays out the themes that form the backbone of the score, in the bold Americana style of Aaron Copland. On screen, as camera pans across rugged desert terrain, two different men, one dressed in black and the other in browns and blues, ride toward their destiny to music reminiscent of Fanfare for a Common Man. It sets the tone for a music score that has all the trappings of a complex yet robust western. In addition to Gold’s often thundering score, is a recurring theme not by Gold, but none other than Dimitri Tiomkin by way of his melody for the song “Pretty Little Girl in the Yellow Dress.”
Intrada founder Doug Fake had often asked about releasing this soundtrack, but it seemed there was always another title to prioritize. With his passing nearly a year ago, it seemed like the right time but also too late. It’s a gem of a score and just another way the Intrada team can honor his memory and passion for film music. Produced with love and care by the Grammy-nominated producer Mike Matessino, the album was sourced from the full-track master tapes stored at Universal in excellent condition. The package is rounded out with detailed liner notes by Frank K. DeWald and restored cover art by Stephane Coedel.
The western drama was directed by Robert Aldrich and stars Rock Hudson and Kirk Douglas. In the film, Brendan O’Malley (Douglas) is a fugitive gunslinger who flees to Mexico and joins a cattle drive led by Dana Stribling (Hudson), a lawman pursuing him for murder. As tensions rise between the two men, complications deepen when O’Malley falls in love with the daughter of his former lover—unaware of a shocking truth about her parentage.
Intrada Special Collection Volume ISC 521
World-premiere release of Ernest Gold score for 1961 Universal western!
TRACKLIST
The Score:
01. Main Title (3:34)
02. Breckenridge Ranch (3:02)
03. Reunion (3:16)
04. O’Malley’s Indecision (4:32)
05. Crazy Cowboy (7:00)
06. The Drive Starts (3:46)
07. Breckenridge’s Death (3:54)
08. Fist Fight (1:04)
09. A Friendly Hand (2:41)
10. Lesson for the Kid (2:08)
11. Dangerous Dreams (5:43)
12. Stribling Takes Over (5:29)
13. Quicksand and Journey to Sundown (5:03)
14. At the Border (3:03)
15. Missy Proposes (3:49)
16. More Indecision (2:37)
17. O’Malley Bows Out (4:57)
18. Death Duel (3:53)
19. End Title (3:44)
The Extras:
20. La Mesticita (2:28)
21. Concheros/Fiesta/La Torto Lito (1:51)
22. Mexican Hat Dance (1:30)
