Music composed and conducted by Elmer Bernstein.

Elmer Bernstein was the maestro of the American West for over three decades and The Scalphunters (1968) is perhaps his happiest and most spirited western score of them all. The main theme is instantly memorable and an absolute classic.

Mastered from original three-track masters rather than the two track album masters, The Scalphunters has never sounded better as the album comes to CD for the first time. Sweeping, grand, rollicking and action-packed, Bernstein infuses an enormous amount of energy into this score.

As a special bonus we include demos of two songs written for but not used in the film. Those overly sensitive to political correctness when it comes to Native American Indians might be advised to skip the bonus tracks.

1. Prologue (3:09)
2. Square Dance for Loco Horses (2:06)
3. Booze (1:44)
4. Howie’s Death (3:01)
5. Chase Joe Bass (4:39)
6. Joe Bass And The Scalphunters (2:09)
7. Forced March (1:39)
8. Horseplay (1:39)
9. Here We Go (1:48)
10. More Tricks (1:51)
11. Fast Talkin’ Man (3:27)
12. Moving On (1:19)

Bonus Tracks:

13. Talking Blues (2:28)
14. I’ve Been To St. Louis (2:27)

SYNOPSIS - For his third feature outing, director Sydney Pollack helmed this comedic western starring (Burt Lancaster) as fur trapper Joe Bass. While heading for the trading post for his pay after a successful hunting season, Bass runs into a band of Kiowa Indians, who offer to trade the educated slave Joseph (Ozzie Davis) for Bass's furs. Severely outnumbered, the uneducated Bass reluctantly agrees to the swap at gunpoint. Bass and Joseph then follow the Indians in hopes of retrieving the furs. Along the way, the Indians meet up with Jim Howie (Telly Savalas), who not only steals the furs from the Indians, but Joseph from Bass. From there, Jim and his mistress Kate (Shelley Winters) head for Mexico, a move that is fine with Joseph because slavery is outlawed there. But they may not make it south of the border, as the Indians have regrouped and are on their trail with plans to take back the furs. 1968