Revolution - Original Motion Picture Score
View on Discogs
Album Summary
The 'Revolution' original motion picture score came out in 1968, riding the wave of a cultural moment that was electric with tension, purpose, and a hunger for change. Released to accompany the historical drama set against the backdrop of the American Revolutionary War, this various-artists collection brought together voices rooted in folk, blues, and period-influenced Americana — sounds that felt as alive and urgent in 1968 as they must have in 1776. The album arrived in one of the most combustible years in modern history, and the themes coursing through its grooves — rebellion, sacrifice, displacement, and hope — were not merely cinematic. They were the pulse of the streets. The production drew from the late-1960s sensibility of letting the music breathe authentically, honoring the grit of the era depicted while speaking directly to a generation that knew something about standing up and fighting back.
Reception
- The soundtrack's commercial visibility was closely tied to the film's own modest theatrical reception, limiting the album's reach to a dedicated audience of film music devotees and serious collectors of late-1960s soundtrack recordings.
- Critics of the era offered divided opinions on how gracefully the album reconciled period folk instrumentation with contemporary 1960s sensibilities, acknowledging the ambition even when questioning the execution.
- The album did not register significant mainstream chart performance, remaining largely a cult artifact treasured more for its cultural timing than its commercial footprint.
Significance
- Released in the fire of 1968, this album stands as a genuine document of how the entertainment world was grappling with American revolutionary mythology at a moment when the very idea of revolution had reclaimed its urgency on college campuses and city streets across the Western world.
- The various-artists format of this score reflects a broader shift happening in late-1960s cinema, where studios and filmmakers were increasingly turning to folk and roots musicians to bring an earthy, democratic authenticity to historical subjects rather than relying solely on traditional orchestral scoring.
- The tracklist — stretching from the raw hunger of 'Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You' to the weathered blues grit of 'Stranger In My Home Town' — reveals a soundtrack philosophy that understood revolution not as a grand abstraction but as something deeply personal, worn in the bones of working people throughout American history.
Tracklist
-
A1 Revolution —
2:56
-
A2 Codine —
5:20
-
A3 Superbyrd —
4:37
-
A4 Your Old Lady —
5:50
-
B1 Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You —
5:03
-
B2 Without Love —
4:37
-
B3 Mercury Blues —
2:20
-
B4 Stranger In My Home Town —
5:09
Artist Details
Here's the thing about Various, baby — this artist burst onto the 1980s rock scene like a force of nature, blending raw energy with a sound that was somehow both timeless and perfectly of its era. Various carved out a reputation for delivering tracks that hit you right in the chest, the kind of music that made you pull over your car just to let the song breathe. With a catalog that speaks for itself, Various remains one of the most compelling figures to come out of that decade of big hair, bigger riffs, and even bigger feelings.
