The theme from Midnight Cowboy stands as one of John Barry's most memorable contributions to the cinema - although with Barry, his melodic contributions to the movies are an embarrassment of riches. The swaggering, bluesy harmonica riff is indelibly connected to the film starring John Voight and Dustin Hoffman as much as Harry Nilsson's rendition of Everybody's Talkin'. That probably stands as Nilsson's most famous performance and rightly so. The song actually appears twice, but the second is what might be deemed a remix. In this age where remixing means adding various layers of drum beats to obscure what might be a good song, it's nice to note that this alternate arrangement makes sublime use of harmonica and strings, a worth alternate to the better known original mix that opens the album.

The album mixes songs with Barry's underscore and while the songs outweigh the score in terms of length, Barry's music is so indelible that stays with the listener effortlessly afterwards. Aside from the somewhat seedy edged harmonica sections, there's the laid back Fun City with jazzy piano runs laid against slow strings. Perhaps the most well known cue outside of the main theme, is the almost annoyingly catchy Florida Fantasy, with its off beat percussion and witty saxophone melody. I must admit, that for pure listening, I actually prefer Silva Screen's re-recording of this piece as the recording is a little more upfront and the performance more playful than Barry's rendition. However, within the context of the film, Barry's own interpretation is more suitable.

The other songs performed by The Groop and Elephants Memory, (groups I've honestly never heard of despite being an avid Radio 2 listener) are definitely of the period, unlike the timelessness of the contributions of Barry and Nilsson. Having said that, they are enjoyable and fit in amongst the score well. While the amount of Barry's music is brief, the album had such a wide release that it's incredibly easy to find in bargain bins and second hand. If you're not keen on 60's pop then it might not all be to your liking, but Barry's music is classic and for that, highly recommended.

Rating ~

  1. Everybody's Talkin' (2:30)
    Performed by Harry Nilsson
  2. Joe Buck Rides Again (3:46)
  3. A Famous Myth (3:22)
    Performed by The Groop
  4. Sun City (3:52)
  5. He Quit Me (2:46)
    Performed by Leslie Miller
  6. Jungle Gym at the Zoo (2:15)
    Performed by Elephants Memory
  7. Midnight Cowboy (2:34)
  8. Old Man willow (7:03)
    Performed by Elephants Memory
  9. Florida Fantasy (2:08)
  10. Tears and Joys (2:29)
    Performed by The Groop
  11. Science Fiction (1:57)
  12. Everybody's Talkin' (1:54)
    Performed by Harry Nilsson

Total Time ~ 37:08