Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (album)
| Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid | ||||
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| Studio album and soundtrack album by Bob Dylan | ||||
| Released | July 13, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | January–February 1973 | |||
| Genre | Country rock, folk rock, soundtrack | |||
| Length | 35:23 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Gordon Carroll | |||
| Bob Dylan chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Robert Christgau | C+ |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+ |
| MusicHound | 1/5 |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid is the twelfth studio album and first soundtrack album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on July 13, 1973 by Columbia Records for the Sam Peckinpah film, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. Dylan himself appeared in the film as the character "Alias". The soundtrack consists primarily of instrumental music and was inspired by the movie itself, and included "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", which became a trans-Atlantic Top 20 hit. Certified a gold record by the RIAA, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid reached #16 US and #29 UK.
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid scriptwriter Rudy Wurlitzer was a previous acquaintance of Dylan's, and asked him to provide a couple of songs for the movie. Dylan performed "Billy" for director Peckinpah, who found the performance very moving and offered Dylan an acting part on the spot. The role he ended up getting was a character named Alias. In November 1972, Dylan and his family moved to Durango, Mexico, where filming took place. Filming lasted from late 1972 to early 1973.
Dylan's first session for the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid soundtrack was on January 20, 1973 at CBS Discos Studios in Mexico City. The only song from that day that was included on the album was "Billy 7"; also recorded were multiple other takes of "Billy", and the outtakes "Under Turkey", "Billy Surrenders", "And He's Killed Me Too", "Goodbye Holly" and "Pecos Blues". The following month, Dylan recorded two days at Burbank Studios in Burbank, California. The rest of the album's songs were recorded, as well as the outtakes "Sweet Armarillo" and "Rock Me Mama".
The Mexico City session produced two notable outtakes: "Pecos Blues", an instrumental based on the traditional "What Does The Deep Sea Say?", and the song "Goodbye Holly". Both tracks were rejected but eventually bootlegged.
The Burbank sessions yielded a few spontaneous recordings, including a jam titled "Sweet Amarillo" and a simple, improvised song titled "Rock Me Mama". Although neither were seriously considered for the soundtrack (as they were born more out of leisure than actual work), they were eventually completed and recorded by the Nashville band Old Crow Medicine Show; "Wagon Wheel" was released in 2004 (and subsequently covered by many other artists, including Darius Rucker) and "Sweet Amarillo" was released in 2014.
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