The Web Magazine, November 1998

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", "Statue/Deets Dies", "Sunny Slopes of Yesterday", "Gus Dies". 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"; the folksy "Arkansas Pilgrim"; and the expansive "On the Trail'. 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.

Ain't It Cool News, January 5, 1999

I've always found it grandly ironic that it took an Australian director (Simon Wincer) to create one of the consummate American Westerns of all time. I kind of think this is the case because "outsiders" tend to see our nation better than we see ourselves. As such, they can detect the good and the bad... the mystique and the shortcomings... much more clearly than our own pre-occupied and jaded sensibilities will allow.

I guess what I'm saying is: many of us are so used to "America" we often take it for granted - so a director from overseas could... potentially... capture the "flavor" and "essence" of our country and heritage with a greater clarity-of-vision than our own domestic filmmakers. And Westerns are one of the most telling representations of our national heritage...

Ah, well - I'm probably full of shit. But that's just my two cents worth about one of the reasons why 1989's Lonesome Dove mini-series is so hauntingly stirring, moving, and just plain good. Another reason the production worked so well is... without a doubt... its score, composed by Basil Poledouris (The Hunt for Red October, Conan the Barbarian, Robocop).

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.

Score! November 1998

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 mini-series, 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 similar 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 Slopes 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, marching 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.

Film Score Central, October 27, 2000

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 an 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 excellently within that context as well. I definitely want to see it, to see how my assumptions pan out.

And 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 an 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!