| Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid | ||||
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| Studio album andsoundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | July 13, 1973 (1973-07-13) | |||
| Recorded | January–February 1973 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 35:23 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Gordon Carroll | |||
| Bob Dylan chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid | ||||
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Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid is the twelfth studio album and first soundtrack album by American singer-songwriterBob Dylan, released on July 13, 1973, byColumbia Records for theSam Peckinpah filmPat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Dylan himself appeared in the film as the character "Alias". The soundtrack consists mainly of instrumental music and was inspired by the movie itself. The album includes "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", which became a trans-AtlanticTop 20 hit.
Certifiedgold byRIAA,Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid reachedNo. 16 in the US andNo. 29 in the UK.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid scriptwriterRudy Wurlitzer was a previous acquaintance of Dylan's, and asked him to provide a couple of songs for the movie.[1] Dylan performed "Billy" for director Peckinpah, who found the performance very moving and offered Dylan an acting part on the spot.[1][2] The role he ended up getting was a character named Alias.[3] In November 1972, Dylan and his family moved to Durango, Mexico, where filming took place.[2] Filming lasted from late 1972 to early 1973.[4]
Dylan's first session for thePat Garrett and Billy the Kid soundtrack was on January 20, 1973 at CBS Discos Studios in Mexico City.[5] The only song from that day that was included on the album was "Billy 7"; also recorded were multiple other takes of "Billy", and the outtakes "Under Turkey", "Billy Surrenders", "And He's Killed Me Too", "Goodbye Holly" and "Pecos Blues".[5] The following month, Dylan recorded two days at Burbank Studios in Burbank, California. The rest of the album's songs were recorded, as well as the outtakes "Sweet Amarillo" and "Rock Me, Mama".[5]
The Mexico City session produced three notable outtakes: "Peco's Blues", an instrumental based on the traditional "What Does The Deep Sea Say?", the song "Goodbye Holly" and "Billy Surrenders". All three tracks were rejected but eventuallybootlegged and unofficially released asPeco's Blues Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Outtakes in 1994.[6] Of the 24 tracks written and performed by Bob Dylan on the bootleg album, only 10 were released on the final studio album. The remaining 14 songs have not been officially released.[6][7]
In February 1973, during the second of theBurbank sessions, Bob Dylan recorded 19 songs for the album. Among them were "Sweet Amarillo" and "Rock Me, Mama".[8] According toKetch Secor of theNashville bandOld Crow Medicine Show, Bob Dylan attributed the lyrics of "Rock Me, Mama" toArthur "Big Boy" Crudup who in turn attributed them toBig Bill Broonzy.[9]
Both "Rock Me, Mama" and "Sweet Amarillo" were eventually completed and recorded by theNashville bandOld Crow Medicine Show, who credited Bob Dylan as co-writer. "Wagon Wheel" was released in 2004 (and subsequently covered by many other artists, includingDarius Rucker) and "Sweet Amarillo" was released in 2014.[10]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [11] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+[12] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [13] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[14] |
| MusicHound Rock | 1/5[15] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
Most critics at the time responded unfavorably.Robert Christgau graded it a "C" inCreem, described the album as "two middling Dylan songs, four good original Bobby voices, and a lot ofSchmylan music".[17]Jon Landau wrote inRolling Stone that "it is every bit as inept, amateurish and embarrassing asSelf Portrait. And it has all the earmarks of a deliberate courting of commercial disaster, a flirtation that is apparently part of an attempt to free himself from previously imposed obligations derived from his audience."[18]
The album spawned a significant hit in "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", which would be covered by acts such asEric Clapton,Guns N' Roses andWarren Zevon.
After Peckinpah completed his own cut ofPat Garrett and Billy the Kid, MGM re-cut the film without his input, removing several significant scenes and re-shuffling most of Dylan's music in the process.[19][20] Peckinpah's film was released to mixed reviews.[21] Years later, critical re-evaluation of Peckinpah's film would lead many to regard it as one of his major works, a revisionist view aided by the restoration of Peckinpah's original cut in 1984.
After witnessing firsthand Peckinpah's battles withMGM, Dylan had his own problems withColumbia Records. After years of minimal activity, Dylan had lost Columbia's patience, and when negotiations for a renewed contract began in 1972, the label (except forClive Davis) had little interest in being generous. "Early in 1973 I finally did conclude negotiations for a new contract with Bob," wroteClive Davis in his autobiography. Davis had been a longtime supporter of Dylan's, but he had been the victim of a corporate coup. While finalizing the details of Dylan's contract, Davis was fired by CBS presidentArthur Taylor on May 29. Dylan testified on Davis's behalf in a well-publicized civil trial held in July 1975. In the meantime, the incident soured Dylan's relationship with CBS, convincing him to sign withDavid Geffen's fledgling Los Angeles-based labelAsylum Records.
All tracks written by Bob Dylan.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Main Title Theme (Billy)" (instrumental) | 6:07 |
| 2. | "Cantina Theme (Workin' for the Law)" (instrumental) | 2:57 |
| 3. | "Billy 1" | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Bunkhouse Theme" (instrumental) | 2:17 |
| 5. | "River Theme" | 1:30 |
| Total length: | 16:48 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Turkey Chase" (instrumental) | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Final Theme" (instrumental) | 5:23 |
| 4. | "Billy 4" | 5:04 |
| 5. | "Billy 7" | 2:10 |
| Total length: | 18:43 | |
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[22] | 28 |
| Spanish Albums Chart[23] | 8 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[24] | 29 |
| USBillboard 200[25] | 16 |
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