Less than a year after the premiere release of John Williams' score to 1974's The Sugarland Express, La-La Land Records will expand another pivotal soundtrack essential to the composer's transition into a Hollywood heavyweight: his work for the Mark Rydell film The Reivers.

Adapted from the final novel published in William Faulkner's lifetime (which won him a second Pulitzer Prize), The Reivers is a lighthearted, nostalgic turn-of-the-century yarn starring Steve McQueen as a rakish thief in Memphis who turns a young boy's life upside-down with the help of a brand-new automobile and another thieving stowaway along for the ride. After much jazzy comedy fare and the occasional bit of pastoral grandiosity, the music of The Reivers allowed Maestro Williams the chance to tap into brilliant shades of warm Americana, blending orchestral ideas with arrangements that evoked the time and place of the story. Banjos, guitars, fiddle and harmonica abound, making for a spellbinding listen.

In addition to a groundbreaking Best Supporting Actor nomination for Rupert Crosse as the aforementioned stowaway - the first recognition in that category for a Black performer - Williams' score would earn him his second of a dizzying 48 Oscar nominations. (Incidentally, his third nod was also earned that year: at the time, trophies for film scores was divided into musical/adaptation and original composition categories, and Williams and songwriter Leslie Bricusse picked up nominations for their work on Goodbye Mr. Chips.) Williams and Rydell would collaborate on three more films: 1970's American bravado The Cowboys, 1973's Cinderella Liberty and 1984's The River. Perhaps most importantly, however, the film's soundtrack album became a favorite of a television director getting his start in Hollywood. The young Steven Spielberg was so taken by the music to The Reivers that he vowed to make Williams a part of his first feature film; five years later, that came true with The Sugarland Express - the start of a collaboration that's spanned 29 films over the last half century.

As ever, La-La Land has assembled the Williams dream team for this composer-approved expansion. The composer's longtime archival producer Mike Matessino has edited, remixed and remastered the original score - available as heard in the film for the first time - from the original three-track elements. (A few minutes of alternate material is also present, some taken from mono sources archived at UCLA by the film's owner, the TV network CBS.) The 2CD set is rounded out by a new remaster of the original soundtrack album on Columbia Masterworks, with one additional bonus track from the Sony Music library: a nearly 20-minute suite of cues and themes by Williams, leading The Boston Pops for the 1994 album Music for Stage and Screen. (In a neat flourish, that track also features newly recorded narration by actor Burgess Meredith, who performed the same duties for the original film.) John Takis pens new liner notes in a package designed by Jim Titus.

This exciting piece of Williams history is limited to just 2000 copies, so don't hesitate to make it yours if you want. (La-La Land is sweetening the deal with sale prices on expansions of Williams' Oscar-winning adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and the original score to Amistad (1997), along with newly restocked quantities of The John Williams Disaster Movie Soundtrack Collection box, a stirring 2023 expansion of Hook (1991) and the captivating, underrated Sabrina (1995). The full track list and pre-order link is below.

John Williams, The Reivers (Remastered and Expanded Original Soundtrack) (La-La Land LLLCD1659, 2025 - original film released 1969)

Disc 1: Score presentation (1-21) and additional music (22-27)

1. Logo and Main Title (The Reivers)
2. The Winton Flyer
3. First Instruction
4. Ned Tries It Out
5. Family Funeral/Lucius' First Drive (Film Version)
6. A Tall Tale/To Memphis/That Ole Mud Hole
7. The Road to Memphis (Film Version)
8. Memphis (Film Version)
9. Corrie's Entrance/The Picture (Extended Version)
10. Lucius and Corrie
11. The Bad News
12. Ned's Trade (Extended Version)
13. The Sheriff Departs
14. Ned's Secret/The People Protest
15. Prayers At Bedtime (Extended Version)
16. Lucius Runs to Corrie
17. The Prize
18. Moment of Glory
19. Back Home
20. Boss's Collar
21. Camptown Races And End Credits †
22. Stephen Foster Medley ‡
23. The Winton Flyer (Film Version)
24. Family Funeral
25. The Road to Memphis (Alternate)
26. Boss's Collar (Alternate)
27. Camptown Races and End Credits (Alternate) †

Disc 2: Remastered original soundtrack (released as Columbia Masterworks OS 3510, 1969) and bonus track

1. Main Title/First Instruction/The Winton Flyer
2. Family Funeral/Lucius' First Drive
3. The Road to Memphis
4. Corrie's Entrance/The Picture
5. The Sheriff Departs/The Bad News/Ned's Secret
6. Memphis
7. Ned's Trade
8. The People Protest
9. Prayers At Bedtime
10. Lucius Runs to Corrie/Back Home
11. Finale †
12. The Reivers (Concert Suite) (from Music for Stage and Screen - Sony Classical SK 64147, 1994)

† Includes "Camptown Races" composed by Stephen Foster (P.D.)
‡ Contains "Oh! Susanna," "Beautiful Dreamer," "Massa's in De Cold Ground" (P.D.)