VA - Easy Rider - Music from and Inspired The Soundtrack (2004, 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) [1969] CD1+ CD2

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VA - Easy Rider - Music from and Inspired The Soundtrack (2004, 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) [1969] CD1+ CD2

Official soundtrack of the film "Easy Rider" originally released by ABC/Dunhill Records (in North America) and Stateside (in Europe)

When Easy Rider rolled onto screens in 1969, it didn’t just capture a moment, it defined one. And the soundtrack? That was the soul of it all. Fast-forward to 2004, and Universal Music Enterprises, in collaboration with Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, dropped the 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, a two-disc set that doesn’t just revisit the ride, it revs the engine all over again.

CD1 is the original lineup, remastered and still humming with that open-road electricity. Steppenwolf’s “The Pusher” and “Born to Be Wild” are still the ultimate freedom anthems, while The Byrds’ “Wasn’t Born to Follow” and Roger McGuinn’s Dylan covers bring that poetic, restless spirit. And yes, Smith’s version of “The Weight” is here, still a licensing workaround, but it’s got its own gritty charm.

But the real treasure, Disc two, titled Something in the Air: 1967–1969. This is where the set goes from nostalgia trip to full-blown cultural document. It’s a handpicked mix of deep cuts and era-defining tracks that orbit the Easy Rider universe. You get The Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard”, The Electric Prunes’ “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)”, and The Blues Magoos’ “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet”, garage-psych gold that rarely gets this kind of spotlight.  Then it leans into the heavy hitters: Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”, The Who’s “I Can See for Miles”, Joe Cocker’s “With a Little Help from My Friends”, and Thunderclap Newman’s “Something in the Air”, a closer so perfect it feels like the credits rolling on a generation.

This is a time capsule, lovingly assembled with the film on DVD, a British Film Institute booklet, and liner notes that actually say something. It’s the sound of rebellion, of wide-eyed wonder, of a country cracking open. For the heads who lived it, and the ones still chasing that horizon, this deluxe edition doesn’t just revisit Easy Rider, it lets you ride shotgun. (B)

Trivia:

⇒ "The Weight", as originally recorded by The Band for their 1968 debut album Music From Big Pink, was used in the film, but couldn't be licensed for the soundtrack. To deal with this, ABC-Dunhill commissioned Smith, to record a cover version of the song for the soundtrack album.

⇒ One of the film's scriptwriters, the star, Peter Fonda, had originally intended to use Bob Dylan's version of "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" in the film, but after failing to secure the appropriate licensing, he asked Roger McGuinn to record a cover of it instead.

⇒ The last track "Ballad Of Easy Rider" was partially co-written by Bob Dylan, but disowned its contribution on that song, due to his strong dislike of the film's ending, as well as due to his belief, that his name was being exploited to boost the film's street credibility. This song was later re-recorded by McGuinn's band The Byrds and included on Ballad Of Easy Rider.

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Track lists

CD1

01 Steppenwolf - The Pusher 5:51

02 Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild 3:39

03 Smith - The Weight 4:36

04 Byrds - Wasn't Born to Follow 2:05

05 Holy Modal Rounders - If You Want to Be a Bird 2:40

06 Fraternity of Man - Don't Bogart Me 3:08

07 Jimi Hendrix Experience - If 6 Was 9 5:35

08 Electric Prunes - Kyrie Eleison/Mardi Gras 4:01

09 Roger McGuinn - It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) 3:41

10 Roger McGuinn - Ballad of Easy Rider 2:14

CD2

01 Seeds - Pushin Too Hard 2:36

02 Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night 2:59

03 Blues Magoos - We Ain't Got Nothin Yet 2:17

04 Eric Burdon & the Animals - San Franciscan Nights 3:22

05 Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit 2:31

06 Who - I Can See for Miles 4:07

07 Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale 4:04

08 Young Rascals - Groovin' 2:29

09 Richie Havens - High Flyin' Bird 3:36

10 Band - The Weight 4:34

11 Byrds - You Ain't Going Nowhere 2:35

12 Chambers Brothers - The Time Has Come Today (single version) 4:57

13 Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friends 5:12

14 Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues 3:47

15 The Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin 4:26

16 Sir Douglas Quintet - Mendocino 2:44

17 Youngbloods - Get Together 4:37

18 Flying Burrito Brothers - My Unkle 2:37

19 Thunderclap Newman - Something in the Air 3:55

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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