For his upcoming film, The Hateful Eight, director Quentin Tarantino finally achieved a major dream of his: getting legendary composer Ennio Morricone to score one of his movies. In fact, calling him legendary may actually be underselling Morricone’s status in the film world, as he has composed the soundtracks for over 500 movies and television series during the course of his nearly 70-year career.

Tarantino has previously sampled some of Morricone’s tracks in Kill Bill Vol. 1, Kill Bill Vol. 2, and Death Proof. Scheduling commitments kept Morricone from scoring Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, but he did compose the song “Ancora Qui” for Django Unchained.

Morricone’s The Hateful Eight soundtrack will be released this Friday, December 18 on CD and vinyl. Ahead of the soundtrack’s debut, Decca Records has released “L’Ultima Diligenza di Red Rock,” the first track from The Hateful Eight soundtrack. In English, the track name translates to “The Last Stagecoach to Red Rock.” It’s seven-and-a-half minutes long, and pure Morricone goodness.

The Hateful Eight revolves around a group of strangers who find themselves snowed in during a powerful winter storm as their paranoia about each other festers. Kurt Russell stars as “The Hangman” John Ruth; with Jennifer Jason Leigh as his prisoner Daisy Domergue—a wanted fugitive with a high price on her head. Walton Goggins co-stars as Sheriff Chris Mannix, with Michael Madsen as Joe Gage, Tim Roth as Oswaldo Mobray, Demián Bichir as Bob, Bruce Dern as General Sanford “Sandy” Smithers, and Samuel L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren, a bounty hunter whom Ruth reluctantly allows to accompany him to Red Rock.

Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight 70mm roadshow will begin on Christmas day, and the film will enter wide release on January 1, 2016.

What did you think about Morricone’s first track from The Hateful Eight? Share your thoughts below!

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Image Credit: The Weinstein Company