The soundtrack to Django Unchained, the much-anticipated new film by the wunderkind of classic exploitation, alpha male laden films by numbers Quentin Tarantino, was released today on CD ($9.99) and MP3 (for only $5!).

Like other prior Tarantino productions and soundtracks which accompanied them, this one is no exception with its eclectic, ironic, tongue planted firmly in cheek and fist punched firmly in face track listing. For a limited time, the film’s soundtrack will be streaming for FREE online and you can listen to it all here below.

The film, which opens on Christmas Day, follows the exploits of a German bounty hunter/dentist by day trade named Schultz, (Christoph Waltz) looking for a few key men to snag and enlists the help of an enslaved man he helps to free, Django (Jamie Foxx), who is the titular character and who may have some information as to their whereabouts. In return, Schultz will take Django to his wife, also enslaved by an evil and deliciously vicious plantation owner, played with what looks like full gusto by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film follows the tradition of spaghetti westerns and the like, visual homages to the old John Ford, Sergio Leone (and other Italian filmmakers), and Sam Peckinpah pictures and of course the unapologetic, frenzied style of Tarantino.

The soundtrack is full of contemporary and vintage flavor, splintering genres and providing a firm, solid mix of music to challenge the listener. Current hip hop artists like Rick Ross (who provides the track “100 Black Coffins” produced by Foxx) nicely intermingle with sweeping orchestral tracks ala The Magnificent Seven in its best Elmer Bernstein-style window dressing, Spaghetti Western musical maestro Ennio Morricone contributes strong, wonderful tracks, sounding like thunderous arrangements which dart out of the speakers, the late James Brown and 2Pac are in a aural synergy with Brown’s “Big Payback” which gets a slight makeover and there’s even Jim Croce warbling his classic “I’ve Got A Name.” And, like all of Tarantino’s soundtracks, there’s little patches of tracks with some dialogue from the film, although right now they may act more as spoilers and will certainly take on a different tack once the film is released and viewed, for audience identification.

Something for everyone here and the sheer boldness of its untypical approach is worth a listen alone. A great soundtrack, for what seems to be a great classic film to put the lid on the 2012 film season.

Track Listing

1. WINGED
2. DJANGO (MAIN THEME) – LUIS BACALOV, ROCKY ROBERTS
3. THE BRAYING MULE – ENNIO MORRICONE
4. IN THAT CASE, DJANGO, AFTER YOU…
5. LO CHIAMAVANO KING (HIS NAME IS KING) – LUIS BACALOV, EDDA DELL’ORSO
6. FREEDOM – ANTHONY HAMILTON & ELAYNA BOYNTON
7. FIVE-THOUSAND-DOLLAR NIGGA’S AND GUMMY MOUTH BITCHES
8. LA CORSA (2ND VERSION) – LUIS BACALOV
9. SNEAKY SCHULTZ AND THE DEMISE OF SHARP
10. I GOT A NAME – JIM CROCE
11. I GIORNI DELL’IRA – RIZ ORTOLANI
12. 100 BLACK COFFINS – RICK ROSS
13. NICARAGUA – JERRY GOLDSMITH FEATURING PAT METHENY
14. HILDI’S HOT BOX
15. SISTER SARA’S THEME – ENNIO MORRICONE
16. ANCORA QUI – ENNIO MORRICONE AND ELISA
17. UNCHAINED (THE PAYBACK/UNTOUCHABLE) – JAMES BROWN AND 2PAC
18. WHO DID THAT TO YOU? – JOHN LEGEND
19. TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG – BROTHER DEGE
20. STEPHEN THE POKER PLAYER
21. UN MONUMENTO – ENNIO MORRICONE
22. SIX SHOTS TWO GUNS
23. TRINITY:TITOLI – ANNIBALE E I CANTORI MODERNI

Audio