Ride Vaquero! (1953) starred Anthony Quinn as a fiery Mexican bandito, Robert Taylor as his enigmatic right-hand man, and Ava Gardner as a beautiful settler's wife. Bronislau Kaper's stirring soundtrack follows in the footsteps of Alex North's dynamic Viva Zapata! (also featuring Quinn) in its jaunty rhythms and Mexican flavor, with prominent use of guitar and mariachi-style trumpet. The score evokes Mexican culture through the use of authentic folk melodies, which combined with Kaper's original themes - presented in thundering action cues as well as introspective moments - makes for a stirring listen, one of Kaper's finest genre scores of the 1950s.

The Outriders (1950) was a Civil War western starring Joel McCrea, Barry Sullivan and James Whitmore as three escaped Rebel soldiers who are enlisted by a band of Southern guerrillas to steal a shipment of Northern gold. The score by 21-year-old André Previn evokes the breadth and excitement of the West without sounding necessarily Coplandesque. A stunningly mature work technically, it features a certain youthful exuberance in its majestic main title theme and uncompromising symphonic action.

Film Score Monthly's premiere release of both soundtracks features the complete dramatic score to Ride Vaquero! - with a bonus section of source music - and the surviving underscore from The Outriders (one-half lost due to the era in which it was recorded). The entire CD is in good monaural sound.

Packaging & Liner Notes
Standard jewel case. Superb booket.