Peter Thomas Sound Orchester

*2025 stock* Winnetou und sein Freund Old Firehand (aka: Thunder at the Border, Winnetou and Old Firehand) was the finale of Horst Wendlandt's Rialto Film adaptations of Karl May's novels in 1966. Alfred Vohrer (Perrak, Das gelbe Haus am Pinnasberg), described as a genius by cult director Quentin Tarantino, directed the film – moving away from the tranquil German style to the far more violent Spaghetti Western. This met with a mixed response from critics and fans, with opinions ranging from ‘explosive’ to ‘the low point of the series’. The film music also broke new ground: Peter Thomas replaced Martin Böttcher as the ‘Winnetou composer’. It was to remain the only Karl May film with music by Peter Thomas; not surprising, as he was at the height of his productivity at the time. Between Edgar Wallace crime thrillers and Jerry Cotton action blockbusters, he was more than busy. It was not until 1980 that Thomas returned to the subject with the music for the TV series Mein Freund Winnetou (My Friend Winnetou). 

The result was a soundtrack that can be heard as a link between Böttcher's Karl May string melodies and the much more experimental Italo Western film music of, for example, Ennio Morricone. This album is the premiere of this score on vinyl. Naturally, all 42(!) tracks have been remastered for this release. The CD version also includes three previously unreleased tracks found in Peter Thomas' estate, as well as a bonus track featuring the composer himself at the piano, presenting his initial theme suggestions to the film producer along with his spoken comments (recorded in 1966 at Bavaria Tonstudios, Munich). After Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra - Bruce Lee: The Big Boss, this is the second LP/CD release in the new series on Allscore dedicated to composer Peter Thomas, who passed away on 17 May 2020 in Lugano.