The only genre that is truly American is the Western. If you think about it, an action film, drama, or comedy can take place anywhere and in almost any time period. But, when dealing with the genre of Westerns, it must – by definition – be set in the Western United States. Though some of the best Westerns ever created have been filmed elsewhere and by non-American filmmakers, they are always about one place and one era. Because no other genre has such a constant instilled in it, I find the Western – whether it be film, music, or game (or combination) – to be the most fascinating.
Naturally, Ennio Morricone’s iconic soundtracks – particularly those of the Man With No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and the legendary The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) – provide the template to which other Western soundtracks since adhere. The soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption wisely does not deviate very far from the tried and true methods of the great Morricone: whistle, strings, harmonica, acoustic and electric guitar, and simple percussion. All of these make up the aesthetic that evokes images of tumbleweed, high noon, and six-shooters. You know, the really good stuff.
In the end, the music behind Rockstar’s latest smash hit, Red Dead Redemption (composed by Bill Elm and Woody Jackson), should scratch that Western itch. Could it survive a showdown against your wallet and/or other great Western soundtracks? You’ll have to wait till high noon for that (or click the jump).
The main theme from Red Dead Redemption delivers. This is especially important since the theme returns several times throughout. The infamous church bell, building snare drum, and a fine melody carried by guitar at first, then to the whistle and voices puts us in the saddle firmly. We are ready. Borrowing liberally from the great spaghetti Westerns in style, this is a very respectable theme.
The first track, “Born Unto Trouble,” is a slow, whistle-led tune one would expect to hear during an establishing shot of a small town, or – in this case – to describe the main character. In the end, it’s a very cool and somewhat ambient piece. “The Shootist” is a very modern take on the more traditional moving pieces. The electric guitar wails and the percussion rumbles as the main theme is wonderfully recapitulated.
“Luz y Sombra” pays homage to the Mexican and Native-American influence on the Western genre. The trumpets and harmonica take the lead alongside the tambourine for this rhythmic piece that paints the setting well. The harmonica continues in “El Club de los Cuerpos” but gives way to the distorted guitar with another recapitulation of a previous theme. This track reminded me of “The Chase” from Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars but much more modern in sound.
To write music for an open-world game is no easy task. The composer must be mindful that the player will be spending many hours in many of the same areas. In this situation, to have a strong theme-based soundtrack constantly droning on and on can grow quite tiresome. Kai Rosenkranz, composer of Gothic III, said quite plainly at the press event for Risen that though it is one of his favorite scores, he made a mistake in Gothic III by writing such a theme-based soundtrack for an RPG. As a result of this, many composers go the other way causing many open-world soundtracks to not survive quite so well out of their contexts as they serve a somewhat ambient purpose. Sadly, Red Dead Redemption falls prey to this to a degree. Despite this, we have seen some soundtracks of open-world games flourish. Red Faction: Guerrilla comes to mind, as does inFAMOUS and the first Assassin’s Creed (and some would argue its sequel, but not I). Red Dead Redemption does not have that one or two (or more) killer tracks the others do – nor does it get quite close enough to the greats of the genre in Morricone and Bernstein – but I really wish it did.
As a pre-order bonus, the soundtrack to Red Dead Redemption is a great deal. There is enough to keep one entertained and it is definitely a competent score – particularly when experienced in the context of this spectacular game. But, a new entry into a genre with such an incredible pedigree and library of greatness from which to choose must come to the dance with some impressive moves. Red Dead Redemption, though an honest and more-than-decent outing, is just a little too slow on the draw.
Tags: Ennio Morricone, Kai Rosenkranz, Music Reviews, Red Dead Redemption, Reviews, Rockstar, Videogame
Wow, I’m really impressed that so much went into the score for this game! I was really excited about it anyway (being a huge Spaghetti Western fan), but now I really can’t wait! Unfortunately, I don’t have a PS3 or Xbox, so I guess I’ll have to. If you’re into Spaghetti Westerns and Morricone, you should check out my Spaghetti Western Concept Rap album, called “Showdown at the BK Corral.” It’s basically a Spaghetti Western over 9 tracks – very influenced by Morricone. I’d love to hear what you think of it! You can download it for free at sunsetparkriders.com
This one kinda snuck up on us, huh? Had no idea. Even more surprised to see Kai Rosenkrantz’s name appear again so soon after Risen. Seems like he’s a name to watch.
The Top of Mount Red Dead in Red Dead Redempion
is the highest you can get to the stars in Red Dead Redemption (thats not a glitch) that is the PEAK of Mountain Red Dead and i have two videos of the Mountain Peak
Video 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69hQ35JApIY
Video 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUWWOje965E&playnext_from=TL&videos=jHlUOU5L1Gs&feature=sub
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Well, where to begin….. It goes without saying that those that have played the game will already be familiar with the various sound scape’s that hit you during game play. Most memorable, is the now classic scene when traveling into mexico for the first time, when you are presented with not only a beautiful landscape but an equally impressionable acoustic song ‘Far Away’ by José González. Whilst feeling somewhat spontaneous in how this sequence of choreography presents it self you can’t help but gasp at the sheer artistic value of what you are being submerged into. Staying with the rest of the sound track, which at times sways from the traditional ambient sounds of what would be expected from a classic western film to the more experimental dissonance that are very creative and pleasantly surprising. The team of people behind this is a small but credible source of talents, mainly Bill Elm & Woody Jackson, founders of the band ‘Friends of Dean Martinez’ originally signed to grunge label Sub Pop. All the pieces of music relate in one form or another and build to an intensifying ending. Another clincher to this outstanding sound track is the use of modern production techniques that would often be associated with styles of music such as dub, trip hop and percussive ambient recordings which are all mixed tastefully with the right amount of reverb, delay and probably some homemade effects that support and tastefully complete the already intriguing compositions on this record. I consider my taste of music to be very eclectic and this sound track has not only made it to my number 1 this year (2010) but is probably the most interesting listening i have done in a long time. I can only say thank you to the guys for the many thought provoking joyous hours I have had listening….. and will probably stay with me a long time to come. Well done to all.
“Red Dead Redemption, though an honest and more-than-decent outing, is just a little too slow on the draw.” – totally disagree. Putting aside the technology behind creating a dynamic soundtrack that adjusts with the player, the sound alone makes this game for me. I have listened to the ambient sounds long after beating the game twice and have played the soundtrack through hundreds of times. Assassins Creed and inFamous left no such musical impression on me whatsoever. Actually, after playing both of those through I can’t even recall if I noticed the sound. Red Dead nails it, to call it so so is just not possible in my mind.
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