Hans Zimmer’s score for the 2003 Tom Cruise-starring film The Last Samurai is receiving its first-ever vinyl release on July 7th via Real Gone Music.
The gold 2xLP pressing is limited to 1,000 copies and will be enclosed in a gatefold jacket featuring credits and production stills from the movie. Pre-orders are ongoing.
Zimmer’s Golden Globe-nominated score features a traditional Japanese taiko drum for action sequences, with a shakuhachi flute and koto used in more pastoral passages to accompany the late 19th century East meets West story of the film.
The Last Samurai centers around Civil War veteran Nathan Algren (Cruise), who becomes caught up in a struggle between the newly-formed Imperial Japanese Army and a rebellion headed by the eponymous “Last Samurai,” Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto. The latter role was played by Ken Watanabe, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.
Last December, Zimmer named his Interstellar score as the best work of his career — with the caveat that his best is yet to come. More recently, he shared a live double album recorded during his 2022 European tour.
The Last Samurai: Original Motion Picture Score Artwork:
The Last Samurai: Original Motion Picture Score Tracklist:
A1. A Way of Life
A2. Spectres in the Fog
A3. Taken
B1. A Hard Teacher
B2. To Know My Enemy
B3. Idyll’s End
C1. Safe Passage
C2. Ronin
C3. Red Warrior
D1. The Way of the Sword
D2. A Small Measure of Peace