Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the John Dunbar theme is the fact that it defies Barry's usual method of operation by not repeating each of its main phrases twice. Instead, it follows a longer lyrical flow but features, curiously, no secondary interlude or bridge sequence. After a decade of endless performances and re-uses of this primary theme from Dances With Wolves, many listeners are likely to seek out the more obscure themes of the score for their enjoyment. The love theme, for instance, similarly extends from previous Barry scores as well, but manages to capture the same grand melodic grace of the rest of the score in more intimate and accessible tones. Heard in "Falling in Love," "The Love Theme," "The Return to Winter Camp," and the end title suite, this material only amounts to under ten minutes in length, but it is a satisfying diversion from the score's more muscular inclinations. Also serving as a tender interlude is Barry's idea for Dunbar's adopted wolf, Two Socks. In "Two Socks/The Wolf Theme" and "Two Socks at Play," he conveys woodwind lyricism that combines, ironically, the alluring solo flute performances and underlying chord progressions of his love themes for A View to a Kill and Moonraker, respectively. A theme for the Sioux takes quite some time to develop, though it is initially easily identifiable by the slapping percussion underneath its stark brass melody. The mix of the drums in this cue was reprised, not surprisingly, by Barry almost verbatim in The Scarlet Letter. The actual theme here takes hold in the late cues, highlighting "Rescue of Dances With Wolves" and without the percussion in "The Loss of the Journal" and "Farewell." This identity adopts the characteristics of Barry's early 1980's adventure themes and will likely please his collectors. One of the most enduringly frustrating aspects of Dances With Wolves is that one of its seldom referenced subthemes is actually its finest idea. The journeying theme itself became prolific in its re-use in the public arena along with the John Dunbar theme, in part because of its remarkable horn counterpoint. Its performances throughout "Journey to Fort Sedgewick" also occupied obvious placements in the movie, increasing its profile as well. It's a more generic Barry theme in terms of its repeating phrases and derivative instrumental applications, but some enthusiasts of the composer consider it to be superior to the John Dunbar theme and the singular highlight of the score. Disappointingly, you never hear it again in the work.

Several smaller motifs are meant to represent lesser concepts in Dances With Wolves. Perhaps the buffalo motif in "Journey to the Buffalo Killing Ground" and "The Buffalo Hunt" is the most engaging of these ideas in its bold expressions, resembling the ballsy brass unison of Zulu. The film version of that cue contains an oddly unique middle passage with a theme that is the score's only throwback to the Elmer Bernstein style of old Westerns, orchestrated by Mark McKenzie in a major break for the young composer. Likewise, a spinoff of the Dunbar theme in "Ride to Fort Hays" is a pleasant diversion that utilizes the same instrumentation as the famous theme, but toys with different melodies over a common set of bass progressions. On the other hand, Barry's choral and string dissonance for scenes of suspense is rather weak and unmemorable. The overall tapestry of melodic ideas in Dances With Wolves may not be well woven, but it hits the right emotional notes in each case. As previously published by Jerry McCulley with great accuracy, "Utilizing Wagnerian structure, Barry's main themes recur in magisterial symphonic form. [They have] become an almost subconscious part of modern life, utilized as Muzak and underscore for public events great and small. Barry's skills as an arranger color his themes in subtly shifting orchestral hues, giving even the most repeated melodic passages new emotional weight." Barry summarizes the John Dunbar theme, love theme, and identity for the Sioux in the "End Credits" suite, and true enthusiasts of the score will recall that pop variations of the John Dunbar and journey themes were commonplace on the radio airwaves at the time as well. In the decades since, the Dunbar and buffalo hunt themes in particular have been re-recorded by various performing groups for other labels. Of particular note is a recording by the City of Prague Philharmonic available on the Silva Screen label, the film version of the "Buffalo Hunt" sequence resurrected in stunning surround sound before the original performance was available commercially. Unfortunately, the powerful journeying theme has remained strangely neglected in the majority of the re-recordings through the years. The original recording of Dances With Wolves, conducted by Barry, has endured its own long story on album. The original release that accompanied the film's explosive popularity in 1990 contains all the necessary music for novice listeners and has always remained readily available many years later. It achieved astounding sales statistics on par with later Digital Age favorites like Braveheart and Gladiator.

The "Gold" release of Dances With Wolves in 1995 (otherwise known as the "Definitive Collector's Edition,") was one of a string of gold-colored releases made available for highly popular, best-selling scores of the era, a series that eventually included Schindler's List and Apollo 13. This supposedly limited album featured three additional tracks of previously unreleased music, none of which appears directly in the film. The last two are the pop versions of the themes as mentioned before, re-orchestrated by Barry in 1991. The first one, encompassing the John Dunbar and journeying themes, is pleasant to the ears, but the second one is a rather awkward combination of James Bond style and dramatic Dunbar substance. These two tracks are the same ones contained on a promotional CD circulated to radio stations in prior years for mass appeal. The third track previously unreleased on a Dances With Wolves album is the "Fire Dance" selection from the Narada album, "Last Frontier," and it is very misplaced in the middle of Barry's score (its more contemporary rhythmic style is far too disparate to function here). In 2004, as part of a celebration of Barry's 70th birthday, Sony released Dances With Wolves once again, thankfully removing the pop tracks and featuring about twenty minutes of previously unreleased material and alternate versions of famous cues that had also been unavailable in original form. The extended material is sprinkled through the album with a few negligible extra minutes in existing cues. The full film versions of the "Buffalo Hunt" and "John Dunbar Theme," as well as an extension of the love theme in "Falling in Love," were very welcomed additions, however. Unless you were a serious John Barry collector, though, this expanded album may not have offered you much more satisfaction than the previous offerings. Despite the press stating that the 2004 Sony album features the entire score, Barry recorded 100 minutes of music for Dances With Wolves, and only in 2015, when La-La Land Records offered a 2-CD set of the score, did a substantively complete product become available. Once again, nothing spectacularly new is to be heard in the additional cues on this album, but the newly released ones do tend to further explore melodic passages rather than reveal simply ambient muck. The sound quality is top-notch, and the second CD reveals a number of intriguing alternate takes. The 2015 set is the definitive presentation of the score, but no matter which album version you decide to enjoy, Dances With Wolves remains the crowning achievement in Barry's career and stands as an epic, yet tender score of historical and popular influence for an entire generation.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download