This is the soundtrack to Dennis Hoppers 1969 counterculture road film, a release that helped redefine how rock music functioned in American cinema. Rather than relying on a traditional orchestral score, the album compiles contemporary rock and folk recordings that mirror the films restless, open-highway ethos and cemented the soundtrack as a commercial force in its own right.

Steppenwolfs Born to Be Wild became inseparable from the films opening ride, while The Bands The Weight and The Byrds Wasnt Born to Follow deepen its sense of drifting idealism. Jimi Hendrixs If 6 Was 9 adds a sharper psychedelic edge, and Roger McGuinns Ballad of Easy Rider closes the journey with reflective calm. This edition is presented on CD, preserving a pivotal snapshot of late-60s rock on record.