Bob Dylan-Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (Original Soundtrack Recording) (1973)


 

Artist: Bob Dylan

Title: Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid (Original Soundtrack Recording)

Label: Columbia

Format: LP

Catalog Number: KC 32460

Year of Release: 1973

Country and Year of Edition: US 1973 Terre Haute Pressing, Embossed Sleeve

Sell Price: $6.58

Sell Date: 11/12/24

Condition: VG+/G spine damage

Discogs Last Sold: 10/13/24 VG+/VG+ $4.99

Low: $1.68 G+/G+

Median: $7.00

Average: $8.79

High: $26.00 VG+/VG+

Current low price: $3.00

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 91

Have/Want: 6400/627

Where Sold: Martinsburg, WV

Time It Took To Sell:  8 years

Where and When Bought: used Worcester Al Bums 83 or 4 $3.99 used

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B

Sad To See It Go: No

I got Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid sometime in the early 80's as part of my quest to complete my Dylan collection before the CD era (or at least before I had a CD player).  This wasn't the greatest of start-to-finish listens although I liked at least one of the vocal versions of "Billy" quite a bit.  It is the Main Title theme after all.

Unfortunately, "Billy" rears his head a little too much in various ways to the point that upon my focused listens I realized why I never really played this record all that much.  I also remember why I didn't feel compelled to hear a bootleg with yet more versions of "Billy" outtakes. Enough sometimes is enough.    

I first saw the movie in the late 80's for a one-off showing at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge.  I felt the same way about the movie as I did about the record.  The best scene in the Peckinpah movie belongs to Bob and it is not put to music.

Of course, "Knockin' On Heavens Door" isolated by itself on the radio or live performance is probably top 10 in Bob's esteemed catalog.  In the context of this album, it seems jarringly tossed off like everything else here.  Music created to score a film can sometimes sound that way on its own.    Over time it stretched out live from 1974 to 1975 to 1986 to the last time he played it with Tom Petty in 2003.   

2:28 shoots by fast for the biggest song on the album, track two side two after the instrumental "Turkey Chase."  I never hear anyone talk about "Turkey Chase" and I don't think Guns 'n Roses ever considered covering that one.  Booker T plays bass on "Turkey Chase" and "Jolly" Roger McGuinn plays the banjer.  Roger likes to tell the story in concert of how Bob didn't feel like doing the Easy Rider theme song and instead tossed off a line on a napkin for McGuinn to use for that soundtrack.

When in doubt, give it to McGuinn.

Links For Further Review

Other Bob Dylan Titles Discussed

Bob Dylan (1962)

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)

Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

Blonde On Blonde (1966)

Nashville Skyline (1969)

New Morning (1970)

Watching The River Flow b/w Spanish Is The Loving Tongue (1971)

Planet Waves (1974)

Before The Flood (1974)

Blood On The Tracks (1975)

Slow Train Coming (1979)

Saved (1980)

Shot Of Love (1981)

Infidels (1983)

Real Live (1984)

Empire Burlesque (1985)

Knocked Out Loaded (1986)

Oh Mercy (1989)


Compilations, Appearances, Covers, Detritus and Mentions

Various Artists-The Blues Project (1964)

The Byrds-Greatest Hits (1967)

Bette Midler-Songs For The New Depression (1976)

Traveling Wilburys-Vol. 3 (1990)

Various Artists-Timeless (2001)

Faces-Snakes and Ladders/The Best of Faces (1976)

Eagles-Hotel California (1976)

Stevie Wonder-Looking Back (1977)

Booker T & The MG's-The Best of Booker T & The MG's (1984)

Mark Arm-The Freewheelin' Mark Arm (1992)

Johnny Cash-Unchained (1996)

The Byrds-Live At The Fillmore February, 1969 (2000)



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