Lonesome Dove
by Basil Poledouris (Soundtrack)

The original soundtrack to the popular television series by the renowned composer Basil Poledouris. Winning an Emmy in 1998 for best original score, the tracks feature orchestral ensembles ranging from seven to forty players that include folk instruments such as steel-stringed guitars, hammered dulcimer, fiddle, banjo, and accordion

# Title Time Listen
1 Theme from "Lonesome Dove" 5:13 mp3
2 Jake's Fate 2:15
3 Night Mares (Deets, Newt) 3:56 mp3
4 Cowboys Down The Street* 2:16
5 Statue/Deets Dies* 3:04
6 Arkansas Pilgrim (Clara, July, Lorena) 4:30 mp3
7 Sunny Slopes of Yesterday* 1:58
8 The Leaving 3:30
9 On The Trail 6:46
10 Murdering Horse Thieves 1:16 mp3
11 Gus & P-Eye -The Search 5:27
12 Gus Dies* 2:34
13 Captain Call's Journey 7:18 mp3
14 Farewell Ladies - Finale 5:44

Album Cover

SID-8816
Sonic Images Records
Oct 13, 1998

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About the Album
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Credits:


Music composed, conducted and produced by Basil Poledouris 

Orchestration: Greig McRitchie and Scott Smalley
Music recording & live mixes by Dan Wallin, Sean Murphy and Bobby Fernandez
Music recorded at Lorimar Studios, Hitsville, Mad Hatter and The Burbank Studios
Music Editor - Tom Villano 

Original album sequenced by Basil Poledouris, Tim Boyle and Tony Jones
Originally mastered by Joe Gastwirt
Music published by RHI Entertainment Music (BMI), administered by Warner Chappell 

Small Group Musicians:
Fiddle - Richard Greene / Guitar - Dennis Budimir
Guitar & Mandolin - Tim May / Banjo - Herb Peterson 
Hammered Dulcimer - Dan Greco / Accordian - Frank Marocco
Percussion - Kenny Watson & Steve Forman / Bass - Chuck Domanico 

Executive Producer for Sonic Images Records: Brad Pressman
Produced by Basil Poledouris and Ford A. Thaxton
Associate Producer: Tim Boyle
Mastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland (Tacoma, WA)
Digital transfers by Bob Fisher at Digital Domain 

Cover by Weston/Mason Design by Andreas Adamec 

Sonic Images Records wishes to thank Basil Poledouris, Julia Michaels, Sam Lockhart, Hallmark Entertainment, 
Dennis Drieth and The American Federation of Musicians for making this project possible. 

Special thanks to Simon Wincer, Suzanne de Passe, Bill Witliff, Dyson Lovell, Charles Ryan, Richard Kraft, 
and Larry McMurty

Thanks to RHI Entertainment: Robert Halmi Jr., Dan Martin, and Andy Chapin 

This CD is dedicated to the memory of David Kraft. 

Basil Poledouris' Orchestral Suite from "The Lonesome Dove" is available for rental for concert performances by 
symphony orchestras from "Theme And Variations." For more information visit their web site at http://TNV.net 
							

Reviews:


"THERE IS MUSCH TO RECOMMEND... ADD THIS FINE RELEASE TO YOUR COLLECTION"

This expanded edition of the immensely popular Emmy award winning TV score is a very welcome release. 
It includes four unreleased tracks: "Cowboys Down the Street" (2:16); "Statue/Deets Dies" (3:04); "Sunny Slopes
 of Yesterday" (1:58); "Gus Dies" (2:34). The opening Main Theme is a marvelous wide open spaces kind of music 
ideally suited to the series. There is much to recommend in this fine score, including: the colorful "Night Mares" 
(Track 3 - 3:56); the folksy "Arkansas Pilgrim" (Track 6 - 4:30); and the expansive "On the Trail" (Track 9 - 6:46). 
The booklet contains 4 pages of color photographs from the series, brief notes by Randall D. Larson, and 
background by the director, Simon Wincer. Unfortunately, as with so many new releases, the notes are made 
hard to read since they are printed over fuzzy background photos. But the score is the main attraction here. 
If you enjoyed the monumental TV series, then you'll want to add this fine release to your collection. 
Recommended. 

          FIilm Music Review - The Web Magazine
          November 1998



"ONE OF THE BETTER TELEVISION SCORES OF ALL TIME"

Poledouris' score for LONESOME DOVE is nothing like his  propulsive and gutsy scores for the films enumerated 
above.  LONESOME DOVE is a sweeping, elegant, beautiful piece capturing the  feel and personalities of a cattle 
drive which goes very bad. It is a  poignant and heartfelt reminder that all of the grandeur of America's Old West
means nothing without the hearts and souls of the  personalities who rode her plains. It is one of the better
television  scores of all time. 

LONESOME DOVE has recently been re-mastered and re-issued with 4 tracks never before released. 56 minutes 
and 9 seconds of music, the album is currently in stores (SID-8816)!

          Glen Oliver
          Ain't It Cool News
          November 1998



"WONDERFUL, SWEEPING, GRAND"

LONESOME DOVE is a real classic western score, although it's perhaps a little more emotional and romantic
sounding - there are no real action tracks, but the music gets dramatic sometimes, of course. Poledouris wrote
almost 4 1/2 hours of music for this miniseries, based on Larry McMurty's novel, and earned him an Emmy. As
I've already said, the music is traditional western music, with a wonderful, sweeping, grand, main theme, best
heard in the first track, "Theme from 'Lonesome Dove'", and a couple of other themes, all very good. The music is
mainly performed by a big  symphonic orchestra, but smaller ensembles, with instruments like banjo, fiddle, guitar
and bass can also be found, meaning that the music is very varied throughout the soundtrack.

Since this is an expanded release I will focus on the four "new" tracks. Together they make up for almost 10
minutes of never before released material. "Cowboys Down the Street" is a lively "square dance" cue, a little
similiar to the track "Arkansas Pilgrim", with saloon piano, fiddle, bass and banjo, as the more prominent
instruments. "Statue/Deets Dies" is a dramatic and sad track, with woodwinds and glockenspiel supported by
slow strings and dark brass chords. "Sunny Slope of Yesterday" is a beautiful cue, with woodwinds, acoustic
guitar, cello and bass. "Gus Dies" is an emotional cue with woodwinds and subtle strings. Other, great, tracks
are "Night Mares", "The Leaving" (with a great brass, march sounding, theme), "Captain Call's Journey" and 
"Farewell Ladies - Finale".

If you like traditional western scores, and/or Basil Poledouris' music in general, LONESOME DOVE is really worth
the money. Rating: ****

          Andreas Lindahl
          Score! Soundtrack Reviews
          December 1998



"BEAUTIFUL... ONE OF POLEDOURIS' BEST EVER"

In some respects, a close cousin to "Legends of the Fall" and maybe a second cousin to "The Magnificent Seven,"
this wonderfully thematic score by Poledouris is one of his best. He evokes images of the West and the struggles
and joys therein in nearly every note. It's simple flute themes are peacefully brilliant. The main theme is one of 
Poledouris' best ever, but the excellence doesn't end there. The majority of the tracks are very beautiful as well.
Rating: 7/10.

          Christopher Coleman
          TrackSounds
          June 14, 1999



"MELODIES THAT SPOEAK RIGHT TO THE HEART"

Basil Poledouris has always been the composer who scored action pictures.  Real bombastic scoring. You see I 
didn't see LONESOME DOVE when it first was shown. I of course had seen "Conan," "Robocop," " Starship
Troopers," "Hunt For Red October" etc. I would never expect that he would be called upon to compose music 
where real drama or emotion was needed. 

Well Marc; time to wake up and dust your head off.  Last year I saw the latest version of "Les Miserables" and was 
stunned by the beautiful score that Basil Poledouris wrote for that.  When I saw LONESOME DOVE recently I was 
stunned again. This composer has the qualities of an Alfred Newman.  He creates melodies that speak right to the 
heart. So it is the case with the music of LONESOME DOVE. 

This expanded CD from Sonic Images  is a musical tapestry that works as a piece of concert music as well as a 
reminder of the mini series.  I have said that Elmer Bernstein is the  king of the western, well Basil Poledouris is 
the high prince then.  The "Theme from Lonesome Dove" is not just a frolic through the mesa; being a deeply
moving passage (almost Copelandesque ).  "Night Mares" is pure western fare utilizing the main theme; who says
the western is dead!  "Cowboys Down the Street" is a jaunty jamboree that will get your legs a-dancing.  The scene 
where Gus dies is sad enough, but is so much more gut-wrenching with Basil's music.  It is hard to believe that 
this was left out on the first release.

The liner notes are by legendary Randall Larson and director Simon Wincer.  This is truly great music for one of
the best television mini-series ever made.  Basil Poledouris is certainly up there with the greats of film music!

          Marc Harwood
          Cinema Concerto
          November 30, 1999



"A SUPERB ALBUM... ONE OF THE FINEST WESTERN SCORES OF THE ‘90S"

I always thought that I'd immediately recognise Basil Poledouris' style in any score he wrote.  Scores such as 
"Starship Troopers" and "Robocop" have many little things that make the score definively Poledouris. 
LONESOME DOVE seems to have none of these stylistics, which is probably just as well since most of the 
Poledouris quirks seem very much orientated around sci-fi or action films.  I didn't really know what to expect with
LONESOME DOVE; it won an Emmy for best television score and when you listen to it you definitely know why.  If 
this had been a  feature I'd have hoped that it would at least been given an Oscar nomination. It is much more a 
subtle and quiet western score than usual that in the hands of a lesser composer, could so easily mean dull.  
Poledouris is a composer who can be a little hit and miss sometimes, but this is a definite hit; filled with gorgeous 
themes, great variety with just the right hint toward the western scores of Copland, Moross and Bernstein. 

The opening track features the gorgeous "Theme from Lonesome Dove" which is a broad, noble theme that makes 
for an enjoyable alternative to the more bouyant western themes that are so familiar.  It is not perhaps the most 
memorable western theme ever written, but it is one of the most gorgeous and lyrical and this concert 
arrangement would be a worthy inclusion in any western compilation.  The moments when a small brass choir 
comes together are perhaps the highlight of a wonderful cue.  The theme does pretty much sum up the more 
modest and less exuberent feeling of the score as a whole, but there are of course several exciting highlights 
such as the thrilling "Night Mares" which even throws in the sound from South of the boarder which is a touch that 
Copland in particular was rather partial to and it works particularly well here.  There is even some fun saloon music 
in "Cowboys Down the Street," which is an extra that wasn't included on the original and provides for a nice burst
of entertaining source music.

Of course, it's the lovely Coplandesque inspired drama that is the real highlight of this score. Sections such as 
the warm and gentle "Deet Dies" and the lush "Arkansas Pilgrim" use smaller groups of instruments rather than
going for the full blown orchestral splendour every second.  This is all the more surprising when you think of 
Poledouris' most famous scores such as "Conan" and "Robocop."  It is notable that Poledouris' orchestra at most
only numbers forty players.  However you'd probably never realise that the orchestra was anything much less
than a typical set up.  In some ways, the cleaner orchestrations make it easier to hear the inner parts that are
often lost with a huge symphony orchestra; the superb recording only helps to enhance the detail that can be 
heard. The brass is full blooded and bright, the strings lush and warm while the occasional use of guitar such as 
in "Sunny Slopes of Yesterday" can be heard clearly above the woodwind and string backing textures.

Poledouris wrote almost fours hours of music for the entire series and so there was a lot of music to choose from. 
The selections contain quite diverse elements and such avoid too much repitition. I suspect that a release of the 
entire thing would be just overkill, but in this condensed form makes for a superb album.  There is a very difficult to
find, out of print and shorter previous release, but this adds several noteworthy cues and will hopefully be a lot 
easier to find.  With Bruce Broughton being pretty much the only  composer in Hollywood to be composing for 
Westerns to any extent, LONESOME DOVE proves that the new generation can write scores that successfully 
update all that is great about the classic westerns.  This is a more talky and thoughtful approach to the genre, but 
the music is no less robust and enjoyable and this is certainly one of the finest western scores of the 90's and 
such unreservedly recommended.  Rating: ****

          Tom Daish
          Soundtrack Express
          January 2000



"EPIC, OLD-FASHIONED TV SCORE IS POLEDOURIS' MASTERWORK"

It is sometimes said that there are only two ways to score a western - Ennio Morricone's, and everybody else's. 
But there is a third - instead of Morricone's crazy rhythms and arrangements, or mock-Copland, more recent 
western scores (like John Barry's "Dances With Wolves" and this) go for a much more understated elegance, 
painting grand, sweeping pictures of scenes. 

Basil Poledouris's music for LONESOME DOVE is nothing short of extraordinary. He wrote an incredible 225 
minutes of music for the miniseries, and deservedly won an Emmy for his efforts. His main theme is both grandly 
expansive and somehow deeply intimate; its five-minute presentation in the first track is thoroughly beautiful. 
Perhaps the finest track is the seven-minute "On the Trail", which is perfectly evocative of the western setting. 

Only occasionally does Poledouris get drawn under Elmer Bernstein's spell, succumbing to the genre clichés 
that the veteran composer created in the 1960s; for example, the syncopated rhythms of "Night Mares". But this 
adds a sense of nostalgia to proceedings, an irresistible nod to things past. Aside from the epic, fully-orchestral 
moments, Poledouris wrote a significant amount of bluegrass-like music for a small ensemble; the two styles 
complement each other peculiarly well. 

The score was originally issued in 1989, but that version is now virtually impossible to find, so in 1998 Sonic 
Images expanded it and released it again - their version has about ten minutes of additional music, which is 
hardly essential, but is certainly nice to have. 

Poledouris has written in a number of genres, and is most famous for his high-octane action scores like "Robocop"
and "Starship Troopers;" but LONESOME DOVE is surely his best work to date. It is elegant, graceful and 
charming, and at the same time extremely beautiful.  Rating *****

          James Southall
          Movie Wave
          October 2000



"QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT... I CANNOT RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY ENOUGH"

I have been a fan of Basil Poledouris' work for quite sometime now. During this time, there have been many points, 
where I heard a new score that drives that point home extremely well. This is such a score. 

Out of the music of his I have listened to, it's his westerns and his fantasy scores, that show his talent for film 
score composing. This score is rather romantic and beautiful. Not a bad thing mind you, I love these types of 
scores in fact. Which is why this is such an great listen for me. The disc has plenty to offer, since it has a great 
amount of thematic and lush sounding cues, and is quite coherent throughout. While it does have some more 
traditional cues, they sound more like source cues than actual underscore. Though in the end, that makes for an 
excellent and varied listen. Much of the music sounds rather like "Quigley" and "Legends of the Fall," though there 
isn't really any borrowing that is evident, to me at least. It does have many common sounding instrumentation 
and ethnicity to it, such as a lot of similar scores do. That kind of western, americana sound. Though, with a bit of 
Latin sounding elements as well. Not much, but an small amount that keeps the score from over using one style. 
It keeps it fresh throughout! 

While I have not seen the TV film, I can sense from how it is presented on the album, it is quite a accomplishment. 
It also works very well as a independent experience away from the film. Though I feel it must work excellent 
within that context as well. I definitely want to see it, to see how my assumptions pan out. 

A few problems to point out are, while the more traditional cues bond with the other cues to make a thematically 
developed listening experience. They sort of clash against the more romantic conventional ones. Not too bad 
fortunately, since they still are rather good. And help to keep enough variety throughout. Another small problem 
is there is not much action / adventure music. More taste than anything else, sure! However, it is one western 
element, that did not get utilized hardly at all. And it is one thing that makes a western, a western! That doesn't 
really effect the score though, since that is merely an question about taste, not quality! 

I guess the only real problem is, for such an long score, and not having as much as they could have had on the 
disc. It is sort of a let down. This is an expanded disc after all, yet it only has 10 minutes of new music. Don't get 
me wrong, I am glad to have this at all. However, while we don't need the complete score, another 10-20 minutes 
would have been welcomed! In fact, if not having an single disc filled to capacity, it would be great if this could 
get 2-CD treatment like the "Star Wars" special edition sets. However as it is, it is quite good. They are just small 
nitpicks, that I felt needed to be addressed! 

There is at least one part that sounds very reminiscent of "Quigley," not necessarily a steal. But, rather close. So, 
some might be put off by that, I don't really care since I love both scores. It is more like an similar melody, than 
anything else. Either way, the instrumentation that is used throughout is typical for such a score. So, it makes 
sense they would share common similarities. Luckily, Poledouris has enough originality and creativity going on, 
not to make an cliché filled score. Like other composers might have done in this same case. 

Sonic Images has done an exceptional job on the release. From the packaging, to the liner notes and the new 
cues, even if not much of it, they did a worthwhile release. We all now can benefit from such an good score for 
years to come. In short a great release all around. 

All in all, pick this up if you like Poledouris or westerns. Heck, get it if you like film music in general. Since, it does 
have much going on thematically and is a great listen from beginning to end. I can't recommend it highly enough! 
I will definitely be checking out much more of this talented composer's work in the future! I recommend you do the 
same! Rating: ****1/2 

          Sean Robert Abbey
          Film Score Central
          October 30, 2000