The Sundance Kid/Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head (Vocal)/Not Goin’ Home Anymore/South American Getaway/Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head (Instrumental)/On A Bicycle Built For Joy/Come Touch The Sun/ The Old Fun City/Not Going Home Anymore (Reprise)
The western Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The Grammy winning soundtrack album featured songs composed by Burt Bacharach, including the US No. 1 single Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head, sung by B. J. Thomas. (US:16)
“Bacharach's score for this Paul Newman/Robert Redford classic is probably his best known film work, as it contains the instant standard Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head which like the similarly infectious On A Bicycle Built For Joy is sung in the film by B.J. Thomas. The rest of Bacharach's score is equally impressive, slyly echoing the great scores of the John Ford westerns of the '40s, in much the same way the film itself plays with the conventions of the genre. Not Goin' Home Anymore, in particular, has the elegiac feel so integral to westerns, while South American Getaway has a bossa nova groove more in keeping with the era in which the film was shot.”
“The stand-out track, to my ears, is South American Getaway. But this is music that stands on its own and would grace any Bacharach album, movie or no movie. Its upbeat wordless vocals are so optimistic, and it would be a joy to see this piece performed live. And the soundtrack also marked the end of Bacharach's compositional brilliance. Bacharach's genius dominated the 60s, but he was only occasionally to regain his form in the 70s and 80s.”
“The only thing that keeps it from five stars is that there are actually only a few themes here and they are re-used in interesting but not spectacular ways. South American Getaway is the standout piece, but Bicycle Built For Joy and the main theme are also quite good. Raindrops is also good, but too much overplayed.”
“Burt Bacharach is pure genius, and this soundtrack is one of his more stellar efforts. My personal favourites are Not Goin' Home Anymore, a great tune, and South American Getaway, an alternating happy-go-lucky and melancholy tune. Of course, three versions of Raindrops is a good thing to have anytime. All in all, a great trip down memory lane and a great example of the genius that is Bacharach.”
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