Dances With Wolves soundtrack, music by John Barry, Epic Records 1990 CD
I’ve been listening to soundtracks. This is one of my favorites.
This is the original motion picture soundtrack of the 1990 Academy Award and Golden Globe winning film Dances with Wolves produced, directed, and starring Kevin Costner. The original score and songs were composed and conducted by John Barry.
Info: Basil Poledouris was originally signed on as composer, based on his work for Lonesome Dove, but left to compose Flight of the Intruder with regular collaborator John Milius. Barry ytrwas brought in to replace him; it was his first score in two years since taking a break due to rupturing his esophagus. The score has what he considered his interpretation of what Indian themes would be like. He prepared by listening to American Indian music, but didn’t incorporate it into score, believing it should be seen through the protagonist’s eyes. Barry and Costner both envisioned a large and romantic score due to the “feeling of space” in the film.
John Barry won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Original Score, and the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television. Barry was also nominated for the 1991 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (lost to the score of The Sheltering Sky) and the 1992 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music (lost to the score of Cyrano de Bergerac).
Track Listings:
- “Main Title – Looks Like a Suicide” – 3:59
- “The John Dunbar Theme” – 2:16 b
- “Journey to Fort Sedgewick” – 3:25
- “Ride to Fort Hays” – 2:00
- “The Death of Timmons” – 2:24
- “Two Socks – The Wolf Theme” – 1:30
- “Pawnee Attack” – 3:49
- “Kicking Bird’s Gift” – 2:10
- “Journey to the Buffalo Killing Ground” – 3:43
- “The Buffalo Hunt” – 2:42
- “Stands with a Fist Remembers” – 2:09
- “The Love Theme” – 3:46
- “The John Dunbar Theme” – 2:04
- “Two Socks at Play” – 1:59
- “The Death of Cisco” – 2:14
- “Rescue of Dances with Wolves” – 2:09
- “The Loss of the Journal and the Return to Winter Camp” – 2:09
- “Farewell and End Title” – 8:50
Tip the Wink 
I haven’t seen the movie in decades and can’t remember the soundtrack at all. I have a particular aversion to Dances With Wolves since it beat out Goodfellas for the Oscar. A travesty in my opinion. I have few soundtracks I used to play Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack for The Mission a lot. And the one for Drive.
I have a lot of soundtracks, including many “film music of” discs. I do have the soundtrack for The Mission, but not the one for Drive.
I can’t say I remember this one either. I do like much of Barry’s work. He also won Oscars for BORN FREE (two, one for Best Song), THE LION IN WINTER (which I liked), and OUT OF AFRICA. Plus, of course, he is known for his work on 11 James Bond films.
I have the ones you list too, and some but not all of the Bond.
I have a copy of this soundtrack somewhere around here. Like Jeff, I’m fond of Barry’s work on the James Bond movies. I bought all the Bond soundtracks on vinyl through THUNDERBALL as a kid.
For a while I subscribed to a group called Soundtrackers, and bought many from them as well as buying a lot from other sources. I have just about all of the ones by Williams, and all of those for the Hobbit and LOTR films too.
As I have said before, I don’t know much about music. My husband pays attention to movie directors, cinematographers, and composers, and thus is familiar with John Barry and his film scores, especially the James Bond movies and Born Free.