Midnight Cowboy – SOUNDTRACK***

Everybody’s Talkin’/Joe Buck Rides Again/A Famous Myth/Fun City/He Quit Me/Jungle Gym At The Zoo/ Midnight Cowboy/Old Man Willow/Florida Fantasy/Tears & Joys/Science Fiction/Everybody’s Talkin

Midnight Cowboy was a film about the low life of New York starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. The soundtrack was scored by John Barry. Includes the Grammy winning US No. 6 hit Everybody's Talkin' from Nilsson. (US:19)

“The theme song to Midnight Cowboy is driven by the forlorn harmonica of Toots Theilemans. John Barry scored it as a slow, melancholy melody reminiscent of a warm, lazy day with nothing to do. Except the movie uses it to exploit the loneliness one can feel walking along a crowded street. Be forewarned that on the soundtrack, Everybody’s Talkin’ is a different version to the single that hit the top ten.”

“With the exception of Nilsson's Everybody's Talkin' that comes twice, starting and closing the album, this is a very lame soundtrack album. It's full of both boring John Barry themes and awful 60s soul/pop tunes by acts like the insipid Elephants Memory and The Groop.”

“The quirkiness and uneven quality of the music seamed well with the adventures Ratzo and Big Joe got themselves into. Nilsson's rendition of Everybody's Talkin' is poignant and brilliant; the film is often caught with snippets of the tune blowing here and there. John Barry truly nailed the mood of the film with the title piece, a slow burning tune with a Western vibe, which often summed up the mood surrounding Joe as he struggled to get to grips with his vision of life in New York.”

“Everyone knows the memorable Nilsson hit Everybody's Talkin', it just gets better with age. The rest of the album is an eclectic mix of psychedelic funky rock, Jungle Gym At The Zoo, funky soul He Quit Me, jazz Fun City, and the classic main theme. If you don't have this album already, you should have. For the 60s and 70s soundtrack collectors - essential listening.”

“The lasting impression that this time capsule of a soundtrack leaves is the abundance of vocal energy and inventive harmonizing that proliferated in the late sixties, and how styles were changing from cool lounge and orchestral scoring to topical pop music placement to reflect the moment. Barry's themes reflect and refract pieces of the pop tunes while draping pivotal scenes in a lovely sadness. Outstanding is Toots Theileman's wailing harmonica on the Main Theme.”