The Sugarland Express is a 1974 American crime drama film directed by Steven Spielberg in his theatrical film directing debut, following the television film Duel (1971). The film follows a woman (Goldie Hawn) and her husband (William Atherton) as they take a police officer (Michael Sacks) hostage and flee across Texas while they try to get to their child before he is placed in foster care. The event partially took place and the film was partially shot in Sugar Land, Texas. Other scenes were filmed in San Antonio, Live Oak, Floresville, Pleasanton, Converse and Del Rio, Texas.
The Sugarland Express marks the first collaboration between Spielberg and composer John Williams, who has scored all but five of Spielberg’s films since. Although Williams re-recorded the main theme with Toots Thielemans and the Boston Pops Orchestra for 1991’s The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration,the score was not released as an album until June 15, 2024, coinciding with the film’s 50th anniversary.
----- June 15, 2024
Universal Pictures Film Music Classics Collection
Music composed and conducted by John Williams
Limited Edition of 5000 Units
La-La Land Records and Universal Studios proudly present the twenty-first title within the acclaimed Universal Pictures Film Music Classics Collection – THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS, a world premiere release of music from the original soundtrack for the very first collaboration between director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams (JAWS, E.T., SCHINDLER’S LIST).
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS, released in 1974, stars Goldie Hawn as a Texas mother who breaks her husband (William Atherton) out of a prison farm when she is denied custody of their baby. Together they hijack a highway patrolman (Michael Sacks) and lead a convoy of media, onlookers, and countless police cars across the state. Spielberg’s first feature film balances comedy, drama and action in what Pauline Kael of The New Yorker called “one of the most phenomenal debut films in the history of movies.”
Although Williams’ score never received a prior album release, the 50th anniversary of his historic partnership with Spielberg, along with a revisitation of the film for Universal Studios’ new 4K restoration, yielded the proper conditions to at last create an original soundtrack, which now takes a place of honor in the successful Universal Studios Film Music Classics Collection.
While Spielberg originally hoped for a larger scale score for his first movie, Williams convinced him that THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS called for something more intimate. The great Belgian harmonica soloist Toots Thielemans became the principal musical voice of the film, supported by an ensemble of top guitarists and percussionists and a small string ensemble. The resulting music reflects the complex characters and the building tension of the story, with a bluesy, country vibe evoking the landscape and cultural backdrop of the tale. The album presentation, produced by the composer, delivers a distinctive musical journey and features material not used in the completed film.
Classics Collection producer Mike Matessino mixed, edited and mastered the album from high resolution transfers of pristine 8-track master tapes, archiving the material as well as conforming the music for a new stereo mix of the film. Matessino also contributes in-depth liner notes detailing the history of the production, the creation of the music, and its place in the legendary Spielberg/Williams collaboration. Art direction by Jim Titus appropriately celebrates this historic premiere release.
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Tracks
1 The Sugarland Express – Main Title (John Williams) 01:29
2 Freedom At Last (John Williams) 00:46
3 The First Chase (John Williams) 02:32
4 Taking The Jump (John Williams) 01:48
5 The Caravan Forms (John Williams) 02:01
6 To The Roadblock (John Williams) 01:27
7 Sugarland Dance (John Williams) 01:38
8 Road Ballad (John Williams) 02:05
9 Out Of Gas (John Williams) 02:24
10 Trading Stamps (John Williams) 01:14
11 Police Cars Move (John Williams) 01:00
12 Along The Route (John Williams) 01:18
13 Man And Wife (John Williams) 02:09
14 Franklyn Falls (John Williams) 00:29
15 Sealing The Bargain (John Williams) 01:27
16 The Deputies Arrive (John Williams) 00:55
17 The Onlookers (John Williams) 01:02
18 Open Highway (John Williams) 02:04
19 Pursuit (John Williams) 01:51
20 Over The Next Hill (John Williams) 01:04
21 Setting The Trap (John Williams) 01:41
22 Last Conversation (John Williams) 02:00
23 The Final Ride (John Williams) 03:36
24 The Sugarland Express – End Title (John Williams) 01:45
Musicians
Bass - Carol Kaye
Acoustic Guitar - Al Hendrickson
Acoustic Guitar - Dennis Budimir
Acoustic Guitar - Tommy Tedesco
Steel Guitar - Buddy Emmons
Steel Guitar - Red Rhodes
Keyboards - Mike Lang
Keyboards - Ralph Grierson
Harmonica - Toots Thielemans
French Horn - Arthur Maebe
French Horn - James Decker
French Horn - Vince DeRosa
Trombone - Dick Noel
Trombone - Milt Bernhart
Trombone - Phil Teele
Trumpet - Chase Craig
Trumpet - Malcolm McNab
Tuba - John Johnson
Woodwinds - Dominick Fera
Woodwinds - Harry Klee
Woodwinds - Jack Nimitz
Percussion - Emil Richards
Percussion - Jerry Williams
Percussion - Joe Porcaro
Percussion - Kenneth Watson
Percussion - Larry Bunker
Strings
Bass – José Mondragón, Milton Kestenbaum
Cello – Edgar Lustgarten, Frederick Seykora, Marie Fera, Ray Kelley
Viola – Allan Harshman, Dan Neufeld, Marilyn Baker, Virginia Majewski
Violin – Alexander Murray, Anatol Kaminsky, Assa Drori, Erno Neufeld, George Kast, Gerald Vinci, Irma Neumann, Israel Baker, Jacob Krachmalnick, Marvin Limonick, Nathan Kaproff, Sam Freed, Stanley Plummer
Liner Notes
Producer – John Williams
Edited By – Mike Matessino
Mastered By – Mike Matessino
Mixed By – Mike Matessino
Orchestrated By – John Williams
Art Direction – Jim Titus
Engineered At Next Generation Audio
Recorded At Universal Scoring Stage
Phonographic Copyright Universal Studios
Copyright Universal Studios
