FRWL titles - a question
a rogue AI
Posts: 128MI6 Agent
I've noticed how the FRWL has different titles in the film/DVD version and the one found in audio CDs. Check the dvd (or search youtube for: From Russia With Love Opening Credits ) and compare it to the one of the audio cd.
The DVD one seems much more lush; it features an organ with an Eastern European/Russian sound I can't identify, which makes the CD version pale in comparion.
Perhaps my cd or cd player have a problem? If not, how come the remastered version lacks in that aspect?
The DVD one seems much more lush; it features an organ with an Eastern European/Russian sound I can't identify, which makes the CD version pale in comparion.
Perhaps my cd or cd player have a problem? If not, how come the remastered version lacks in that aspect?
Comments
Barry's own single version neither included the organ but he recorded another version of the theme with Alan Haven that was released on a John Barry Seven compilation titled John Barry Plays Goldfinger on United Artists Records.
http://wm10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:axfuxqlaldke
Oh, and what is the instrument Alan Haven is playing actually called?
The rerecording with Alan Haven was rereleased by Silva in 1988 on the Zulu and Other Themes CD FILMCD022.
The instrument used by Alan Haven is a Hammond organ.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammond_organ
A CD featuring the film version of the FRWL main title theme did emerge ("The Name's Barry... John Barry" licenced by TKO) but it's in poor quality and of dubious legality.
Here's an excerpt from the sleeve notes of "Bond Back In Action", written by Graham Rye (president of the official Bond fan club) and James Fitzpatrick (producer of this and other Bond/Barry cover albums):
The original main title music of FRWL featured a rather "cheesy" ad-lib organ, which for the soundtrack album was then "taceted" [quietened]. In preparing this new recording great argument took place as to whether the organ should be reinstated? In the end it was decided to adhere to the album version, as silencing the organ was obviously done for a very good reason; namely, it wasn't very good!
When remastering the OHMSS score, Lukas Kendall did debate using the longer film version of the main title theme but decided against it since it's not a different take but merely made longer by splicing the closing bars.
The so-called "Original Soundtrack" for TSWLM in fact contains re-recordings of the music heard in the film.
I have the TKO track: it's the rerecording done by Barry with Haven, nice but much lighter than the film version.
The standard Ember version is on the same CD and it's definitely different, ie ending with only the vamp of the Bond Theme rather than including the bebop (as well as being of noticeably poorer recording quality). So, Alan, did JB do two Ember versions (one with Haven, one without) as well as the UA version? Or is the TKO second version simply the UA recording disguised?
You're absolutely right, JB did 2 versions for Ember, and it's the one without Haven that made the single release.
The recording with Haven will only appear later on the Ember LP John Barry Plays 007.
James Fitzpatrick, for the Silva CD release, wrote it was an "early version".
EDIT:
Oh I see, you mean track 18 from the 1999 TKO CD release, that indeed was deleted from the 2002 re-release: that one I don't have
Yes, that's the one I mean. I should have made it clearer that the album I mentioned- the 1999 one from what you say- contains two versions of FRWL. Don't worry, you're not missing much: it's in very poor quality.
If you listen to any home video version BEFORE the latest remastered release (all of which were in mono), you can here the difference. The string lines are played longer, each decending note performed less sharply. The latest release of the DVDs, unfortunately, have the re-mastered stereo music that does splice the same 2 bars in over and over. It's a shame, because the stereo version of that 4 bar ending does exist somewhere...