Intrada Soundtrack Forum

It's been a long wait, but La-La Land will be shortly releasing a 2 disc set of the above as part of their Universal Pictures Film Music Heritage Collection series. (Considering this was one of the titles mentioned when the series was announced back in 2018, it's puzzling why it's taken so long to release.) Undoubtedly the recent passing of the Maestro may explain the timing. At last the question of whether the original LP program (which will presumably be the second CD of the set) was the original tracks or a re-recording.

UMG/UMe workload is a common cause for delays. The other announced titles were premieres and only required licensing from Universal Pictures.

The album's release date was announced before Morricone's passing, so just a coincidence.

Timing of the release is likely also explained in part by the declaration of "50th Anniversary Edition" on the disc booklet. Though announced in 2018, perhaps the release was always planned for this year.