Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of films and musical genres. Click “Next Soundtrack” below to explore each soundtrack in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & soundtrack index here.
Easy Rider
Dunhill Records (1969)
Selected by Mike Elliott
The reason you envision a motorcycle gliding down an open road toward a life of untethered freedom whenever you hear "Born To Be Wild" while you're getting your teeth filled at the dentist or trying to locate the tomato paste in the supermarket? This soundtrack right here.
No, Dunhill/ABC couldn't get the rights to The Band's version of "The Weight" for the album (though Smith did an admirable job with it), but that didn't stop the soundtrack to Easy Rider from becoming as legendary and classic as the film itself (as the best soundtracks do). Easy Rider is groundbreaking as a film, as one of the first successful low-budget projects shown from the point of view of the counterculture, and as an album, as one of the first soundtracks to incorporate rock music instead of a score, as well as snippets of dialog from the film. Indeed, Easy Rider laid the groundwork for the way soundtracks and films would be constructed up to the present day.
LISTEN & WATCH:
