On June 15th 2024, fans and admirers of John Williams finally received the news that many of them were waiting for decades. Soundtrack label La-La Land Records announced the world premiere release of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of the Universal Pictures film The Sugarland Express, the very first collaboration between John Williams and Steven Spielberg. The esteemed director/composer duo celebrates this year the 50th anniversary of their legendary collaboration, as the film was originally released in theaters on April 5, 1974.
Based on a true life event happened in 1969, The Sugarland Express tells the story of Lou Jean Poplin (Goldie Hawn), a woman who attempts to reunite her family by helping her husband Clovis (William Atherton) escape prison and retrieve their own child Baby Langston from the foster family he’s been raised by. But things take an unexpected turn when the couple take a police officer (Michael Sacks) as hostage, thus ensuing a pursuit across Texas country roads by police patrols led by Capt. Tanner (Ben Johnson).
The Sugarland Express is the film that marked the theatrical debut of Steven Spielberg, who back then was a young 26-year old making his way as a brilliant director for television—only a few years earlier, he achieved a stunning success with the TV-movie Duel (1971), which received a wide critical acclaim for its Hitchcock-like suspense and for the impressive command of the filmmaking craft. For his first theatrical film, Spielberg settled on a gripping real life-based story that offered him the chance to work with dramatically compelling material (the motif of the broken family would become a staple in his oeuvre) while also setting the stage for elaborate action sequences, in this case primarily car chases filmed on location with real vehicles, beautifully photographed by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. The final result is an exciting film displaying a terrific mastery of the craft and a real sense of empathy toward the two very human, albeit flawed, main characters. Veteran film critic Pauline Kael considered The Sugarland Express “one of the most phenomenal debut in movie history.”
For the music of the film, Spielberg originally envisioned an Americana-based score in the style of such scores as The Reivers and The Cowboys, both composed by John Williams. An avid film music collector himself, the director already fell so much in love with these scores to the point that he wrote screenplays while listening to the soundtrack albums and promised to himself that whenever he would have the chance to direct a feature film, he would offer it to the composer of these two scores. When the occasion finally presented itself, Spielberg asked to Universal Pictures studio executive Jennings Lang if Williams would be available to score The Sugarland Express. A meeting between composer and director was organized by Lang (in a now-legendary lunch at a Beverly Hills restaurant), during which Williams finally agreed to score the film, which was about to start production in a few weeks. The composer was particularly impressed by the director’s knowledge of his work, and of film music in general, and thus what would become probably the most famous and celebrated director/composer relationship in the history of film began.
Editing on The Sugarland Express was completed around March 1973 and Williams saw the film for the first time in a “spotting” session with the director. He was very impressed by it, but immediately said to Spielberg that a big orchestral score would’ve hurt the film. He opted instead to write a small scale, bluesy-tinged score featuring solos for harmonica (by the great jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans) and acoustic guitars, sometimes accompanied by a small string section to enhance the inner emotions of main characters Lou Jean and Clovis; percussions, timpani and low-end piano represent instead the police closing in on the fugitives. The score also features blues and country-inspired music for guitars, percussion and keyboards performed by a legendary group of top studio musicians (also known as “The Wrecking Crew“) which included guitarists Tommy Tedesco, Dennis Budimir and Al Hendrickson, Fender bass player Carol Kaye, pianist Mike Lang, percussionists Joe Porcaro, Larry Bunker and Emil Richards, among others. Despite being sparse and unobtrusive, Williams’ gentle score carries the drama of the film and adds a layer of human character to the story and its flawed “folk” heroes.
For many years, music from The Sugarland Express wasn’t available outside of the film itself, as Williams felt the nature of the music was too slim to sustain interest on a soundtrack album. The composer recorded a newly-written symphonic arrangement of the title theme for harmonica and orchestra for the 1991 Boston Pops album The Spielberg/Williams Collaboration, but the original film recording continued to remain officially unreleased. During the last decade, the large majority of the seminal John Williams/Steven Spielberg film scores have been restored, remastered and reissued in splendid archival releases produced by soundtrack specialist and historian Mike Matessino for La-La Land Records (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1941, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Empire of the Sun, Always, Hook, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, The Lost World, Amistad, Saving Private Ryan, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Minority Report) and Intrada Records (Jaws, War of the Worlds). An official soundtrack album for The Sugarland Express was still sorely missing, but the opportunity to release it finally presented itself thanks to the 50th anniversary of the film’s release, in coincidence with a full 4K restoration courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Released by La-La Land Records and produced in association with Universal Studios as part of their Universal Pictures Film Music Classics Collection, this world premiere limited CD release is edited, mixed and mastered by archival soundtrack producer Mike Matessino under the composer’s supervision and approval. The album presents the original score composed and conducted by John Williams, freshly remastered from original multi-track session elements and includes also cues not heard in the final film. In-depth liner notes by Matessino and stunning artwork by Jim Titus complete the package. The presentation reveals a work of subtle complexity and gentle emotions, finally completing the last gaping hole of the Spielberg/Williams soundtrack collection.
In this new “Soundtrack Spotlight” episode of The Legacy of John Williams podcast, producer Mike Matessino returns to discuss the long-awaited premiere release of The Sugarland Express, chronicling the journey that led to the 50th anniversary soundtrack album and commenting on the virtues of both Steven Spielberg’s stunning debut film and John Williams’ touching score.
THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS – 50th Anniversary Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
La-La Land Records LLLCD 1650
Limited Edition at 5,000 units
Available at lalalandrecords.com
Music Composed and Conducted by John Williams
Harmonica Solos by Jean “Toots” Thielemans
Album Produced by John Williams
Edited, Mixed and Mastered by Mike Matessino
TRACK LISTING:
1. The Sugarland Express – Main Title 1:29
2. Freedom At Last :46
3. The First Chase 2:32
4. Taking The Jump 1:48
5. The Caravan Forms 2:01
6. To The Roadblock 1:27
7. Sugarland Dance 1:38
8. Road Ballad 2:05
9. Out Of Gas 2:24
10. Trading Stamps 1:14
11. Police Cars Move 1:00
12. Along The Route 1:18
13. Man And Wife 2:09
14. Franklyn Falls :29
15. Sealing The Bargain 1:27
16. The Deputies Arrive :55
17. The Onlookers 1:02
18. Open Highway 2:04
19. Pursuit 1:51
20. Over The Next Hill 1:04
21. Setting The Trap 1:41
22. Last Conversation 2:00
23. The Final Ride 3:36
24. The Sugarland Express – End Title 1:45
Total Album Time: 40:31
Links and Resources
. Filmography page at The Legacy of John Williams
. The Sugarland Express page at Amblin.com
. The Wrecking Crew, film documentary by Denny Tedesco (2008)
The Legacy of John Williams 