Where All the Spirits Return: Neil Young's "Dead Man" Soundtrack Reissued on Vinyl and CD

Where All the Spirits Return: Neil Young’s “Dead Man” Soundtrack Reissued on Vinyl and CD

Jim Jarmusch’s 1995 film Dead Man was dubbed by the director as a “psychedelic western.” With a cast including Johnny Depp, Billy Bob Thornton, Crispin Glover, and Iggy Pop, the surreal period piece is set in the bleak 19th-century Old West and follows an accountant named William Blake who’s on the run after a murder. Blake encounters Nobody, a guide who believes Blake to be the famous poet.

Underscoring the proceedings is a Neil Young soundtrack that’s as vast as the film. Consisting of seven improvised instrumentals on electric and acoustic guitars, as well as organ. The improvisations evoke the desolation of the film. As Jarmusch said, “What he brought to the film lifts it to another level, intertwining the soul of the story with Neil’s musically emotional reaction to it — the guy reached down into some deep place inside him to create such strong music for our film.” In between music pieces, there’s also readings of Blake’s poetry, recited by Johnny Depp, along with dialog from the film.

Fourteen years ago, the soundtrack was originally released on CD and LP. These days, an original vinyl copy commands three-digit prices. Thankfully, fans won’t have to shell out that kind of money for a vinyl copy much longer. The soundtrack to Dead Man has been reissued on Vapor Records on CD or as a 2-LP set, boasting newly remastered audio, along with liner notes by director Jim Jarmusch.

So get ready to enter the world of Jarmusch’s eerie, surreal Western with Dead Man from Vapor Records. You’ll find order links and the tracklisting just below!

Neil Young, Dead Man (originally released Vapor Records ‎LP 9 46171-1, 1995 — reissued Vapor Records, 2019)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Neil Young Online Store
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Neil Young Online Store

Disc 1:

Guitar Solo, No. 1
The Round Stones Beneath the Earth
Guitar Solo, No. 2
Why Dost Thou Hide Thyself In Clouds
Organ Solo
Do You Know How To Use This Weapon?
Guitar Solo, No. 3
Nobody’s Story

Disc 2:

Guitar Solo, No. 4
Stupid White Men…
Guitar Solo, No. 5
Time For You To Leave, William Blake…
Guitar Solo, No. 6

Sam Stone

Sam Stone has been obsessed with catalog music ever since his folks gave him a Contours best-of collection for his fourth birthday. He quickly began to learn all he could about rock and roll history and beyond, a passion that continues to this day.

Sam followed his love for music to the classroom, earning a B.A. from Towson University in Electronic Media and Film, concentrating on radio and audio production, as well as an M.A. in Audio Arts from Syracuse University. He has put his knowledge and skills to work at prominent reissue labels and is excited to bring his perspectives on catalog music to a broader audience. When he’s not writing for The Second Disc, Sam can be found researching about music, talking about Joni Mitchell’s career, and adding another box set to his Amazon wish list.

2 thoughts on “Where All the Spirits Return: Neil Young’s “Dead Man” Soundtrack Reissued on Vinyl and CD”

Eric Levy
March 11, 2019 at 11:23 am

Great that such a wonderful soundtrack is being reissued, but very frustrating that the theme music is once again left off.

Reply
1. Jordan Hosking
  November 12, 2019 at 8:58 pm
  
  At the very least, is the shitty background noise gone? I’m struggling to find much concrete info about this reissue.
  
  Reply