Indeed, at an iconic 'Bondian moment' kicking off the final act of 'Skyfall', a track is used from 'CR' - Arnold's arrangement of Barry's arrangement of the James Bond Theme - rather than any arrangement of Newman's own.
Do you mean "Breadcrumbs?" That is an original Newman piece, though heavily influenced by Arnold's sound.
Whilst I'm logged in I may as well give my thoughts on the score. They mirror what a lot of people say. The score is so so. It's kind of just there. No memorable themes or moments, and I would have liked a little more use of the James Bond theme in certain moments. It wasn't a bad score, just forgettable.
Yes, it was 'Breadcrumbs' I was referring to, kicking in with the reveal of the Aston Martin. And you're right: it's Newman's arrangement of Arnold's arrangement of Barry's arrangement of Norman's theme.
Critics and material I don't need. I haven't changed my act in 53 years.
Thunderbird 2East of Cardiff, Wales.Posts: 2,818MI6 Agent
Ben listening to the Youtube link (Thanks for that Strange,) its alright but reminds me of tv series like Spooks, CSI and several computer games.
Its nicely done in orchestration, but it seems to just putter on any old how, and even when it ups the anti, it seems terribly generic? For the segments I was listening to I had to check where the tracks had ended to determine which piece of music was for what sequence of the film. Not good. No character pieces, nothing that screams it is for Bond specifically except "Breadcrumbs." However even that lacks punch, as it winds down to a crawl, instead of winding up, as the track traditionally does with its "pa pa PA PA, da DAH DAH!"
Makes the whole thing seem very minimalist. Damned shame.
This is Thunderbird 2, how can I be of assistance?
An article from Empire Online in which Thomas Newman comments on key moments, themes and motifs on numerous tracks including Severine, Shanghai Drive and Breadcrumbs.
Many questions were raised about Thomas Newman’s Skyfall score prior the film’s release. Once we we watched the film, the music was largely criticized for being not quite up to snuff. I purchased the soundtrack over the weekend, not necessarily because I thought it was outstanding, but rather because I own all of the other Bond soundtracks and also because I was curious to hear the score divorced from the visuals of the film.
I never had any concerns about Newman being picked to score Skyfall. In fact, I was looking forward to it. After several Arnold scores, I was ready for a change. Also, Newman’s score for ‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’ ranks pretty high in my collection of film scores (which is fairly large). For the Lemony Snicket movie, Newman’s music was both atmospheric and a little quirky, which matched the film incredibly well.
For Skyfall, Newman captured the right sense of atmosphere and combined it with an appropriate send of tension and action. The music meshed well with the visuals and achieved what they needed by heightening the emotions at play on the screen.
However, Newman’s ability to supplement the visuals is both a gift and a curse. The score by itself is not the most overwhelming and often times repetitive. On two occasions I actually checked my mp3 player to make sure it wasn’t unwittingly on repeat. The soundtrack opens strong with ‘Grand Bizaare, Istanbul’ but then begins a random journey through various atmospheric treks. The collection contains over 30 tracks and I have to ask myself why? I think I should be grateful, since it probably contains every possible musical cue from the film, and therefore there’s little chance of a ‘collector’s edition’ release to possibly tempt me. There are a few strains of the familiar Bond themes, all handled competently and enjoyably. And there are also a few musical quotes from Casino Royale’s score (why exactly I’m not sure – it’s doesn’t seem story related. All I can think is that perhaps Newman mistakenly thought it was also part of the Bond theme).
Absent is the title track by Adele which I wouldn’t have mind owning…guess I’ll have to download it separately. I would only be guessing as to why, but I suspect that this might be a trend going forward on future soundtracks, since the Casino Royale soundtrack didn’t have the ‘You know my name’ tune by Chris whatshisname (I didn’t shed any tears since I hated that song).
The CD is definitely enjoyable to listen to, but don’t expect any great or pleasant surprises should you purchase it.
Many questions were raised about Thomas Newman’s Skyfall score prior the film’s release. Once we we watched the film, the music was largely criticized for being not quite up to snuff. I purchased the soundtrack over the weekend, not necessarily because I thought it was outstanding, but rather because I own all of the other Bond soundtracks and also because I was curious to hear the score divorced from the visuals of the film.
I never had any concerns about Newman being picked to score Skyfall. In fact, I was looking forward to it. After several Arnold scores, I was ready for a change. Also, Newman’s score for ‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’ ranks pretty high in my collection of film scores (which is fairly large). For the Lemony Snicket movie, Newman’s music was both atmospheric and a little quirky, which matched the film incredibly well.
For Skyfall, Newman captured the right sense of atmosphere and combined it with an appropriate send of tension and action. The music meshed well with the visuals and achieved what they needed by heightening the emotions at play on the screen.
However, Newman’s ability to supplement the visuals is both a gift and a curse. The score by itself is not the most overwhelming and often times repetitive. On two occasions I actually checked my mp3 player to make sure it wasn’t unwittingly on repeat. The soundtrack opens strong with ‘Grand Bizaare, Istanbul’ but then begins a random journey through various atmospheric treks. The collection contains over 30 tracks and I have to ask myself why? I think I should be grateful, since it probably contains every possible musical cue from the film, and therefore there’s little chance of a ‘collector’s edition’ release to possibly tempt me. There are a few strains of the familiar Bond themes, all handled competently and enjoyably. And there are also a few musical quotes from Casino Royale’s score (why exactly I’m not sure – it’s doesn’t seem story related. All I can think is that perhaps Newman mistakenly thought it was also part of the Bond theme).
Absent is the title track by Adele which I wouldn’t have mind owning…guess I’ll have to download it separately. I would only be guessing as to why, but I suspect that this might be a trend going forward on future soundtracks, since the Casino Royale soundtrack didn’t have the ‘You know my name’ tune by Chris whatshisname (I didn’t shed any tears since I hated that song).
The CD is definitely enjoyable to listen to, but don’t expect any great or pleasant surprises should you purchase it.
I have all the Barry soundtracks and few of any post Barry. Your post just reinforces my belief Barry was the only person who knew how to score Bond as Herrmann did the Hitchcock films. The greatest composers like the two of them and Horner, Jarre, Goldsmith and Williams will always be at or near the top of film composers because they know how to create the perfect tracks to scenes that are impossible to get out of your head and will always be remembered as well as many famous historical popular songs.
Here is the actual track order (as they appear in the film - (second number) is the track number on the official soundtrack):
1. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul (1)
2. The Bloody Shot (14)
3. Voluntary Retirement (2)
4. Enjoying Death (15)
5. New Digs (3)
6. Day Wasted (10)
7. Brave New World (5)
8. Shanghai Drive (6)
9. Jellyfish (7)
10. Silhouette (8)
11. Modigliani (9)
12. Close Shave (17)
13. Komodo Dragon (13)
14. Someone Usually Dies (12)
15. Granborough Road (19)
16. Severine (4)
17. The Chimera (16)
18. Quartermaster (11)
19. Health & Safety (18)
20. Tennyson (20)
21. Enquiry (21)
22. Breadcrumbs (22)
23. Skyfall (23)
24. Kill Them First (24)
25. Welcome to Scotland (25)
26. She's Mine (26)
27. The Moors (27)
28. Deep Water (28)
29. Mother (29)
30. Adrenaline (End Credits) (30)
31. Old Dog, New Tricks (Bonus iTunes track)
A bonus track, available only on iTunes, strangely enough. But its origin is noteworthy...
"There's a piece on the album called Close Shave, where Eve shaves Bond in Shanghai. It was a tough scene for Sam, in terms of what the music was saying and what was the nature of the relationship between Eve and Bond. Was it sexual? Was it flirtatious? Was it dangerous? And Old Dog, New Tricks was the first piece that he approved after rejecting many pieces before! It got all the way to recording and we recorded it with quite lush, quite Bondish, almost old-fashioned and we got to the end of the day and Sam said it doesn’t work. It was too romantic, it tilted too much to one area. The scene played on many levels and the music made Sam uncomfortable with the tilt. I wrote a staccato piece for strings and flute and Old Dog, New Tricks was thrown out. But we figured we’d put it on the iTunes album."
Indeed, at an iconic 'Bondian moment' kicking off the final act of 'Skyfall', a track is used from 'CR' - Arnold's arrangement of Barry's arrangement of the James Bond Theme - rather than any arrangement of Newman's own.
Do you mean "Breadcrumbs?" That is an original Newman piece, though heavily influenced by Arnold's sound.
Whilst I'm logged in I may as well give my thoughts on the score. They mirror what a lot of people say. The score is so so. It's kind of just there. No memorable themes or moments, and I would have liked a little more use of the James Bond theme in certain moments. It wasn't a bad score, just forgettable.
Have seen the film, and the music is not up to much. No good themes.
Bring back David Arnold for future Bond films.
I've collected every soundtrack CD but I'm not sure whether to bother with this one.
Bleuville.
I did buy the soundtrack CD and now having seen the film 5 times I quite like track 6-Shanghai Drive which has squeaking electronic sounds and then the next track is also good-the following Patrice with the reflections in the glass of the building at night. I was surprised there are 30 tracks on the CD, so when I play it, I skip half of them.
The trouble is that in the film, a lot of the music is quite quiet, so gets lost, when an action scene comes on.
The more I play it, some of it is interestingly good, but I'm not sure it deserves a BAFTA though !
While Newman's score is serviceable as generic action music it's often repetitive and it's not particularly Bondian. The score makes minimal reference to Adele's title track - a consequence, probably, of the fact that the track isn't Newman's own work and that he had to write his score to a different schedule (similar to the situation in 'TND' and 'DAD'.) Newman is definitely no 'Son of John Barry' - the compliment paid by Michael G. Wilson to David Arnold.
In his DVD/Blu-Ray commentary track Sam Mendes compares parts of Newman's score with Bernard Herrmann's style - a valid observation. But I still think it's a so-so score.
Critics and material I don't need. I haven't changed my act in 53 years.
Thomas Newman is a terrific film composer and it's an absolute travesty that he's been passed over for an Oscar repeatedly in favor of a number of oddball, esoteric scores which are totally forgettable. He is definitely in his element with films involving human relationships, but now having listened to the Skyfall score many times I'm reminded of what a truly outstanding composer David Arnold has become for the action film, and specifically the Bond genre. In CR and QoS Arnold combined incredible melodic invention with a symphonic sweep that Newman doesn't come close to in Skyfall. Vesper's theme, the pounding tribal rythmns of the CR opening chase, racheting up the motor-driven theme of the CR airport chase to its climax, the gorgeous Barry-esq melody sailing into Venice, the rip-roaring start to the Aston chase in QoS, the intriguing minimalist theme leading to the opera, the furious and blazing development of the QoS climax... I could go on! Considering the standard pap usually provided for action films, Arnold may be the most underrated film composer working today. Finally, it probably says everything about the "old boy network" in Hollywood that Newman is nominated for a very average score, and frankly one of his most mediocre efforts whereas I'm sure Arnold has never been close to even consideration. -{
Personally I've enjoyed the soundtrack! Some parts really got in my head - in a good way
The only bad thing is the cd price - I'll wait for it to drop, till then the d-o-w-n-l-o-a-d will have to do.
I'm a fan of Newman here. I thought he kept the overall Bond feel intact and orchestrates well for the times. John Barry is of course the master. I like Arnold too. The thing I appreciate about all of the films is that they stay current musically while respecting the past greats who have contributed for what was required at the time.
Now that Sam Mendes has decided not to return it would appear more likely that David Arnold will score Bond 24. Not that Thomas Newman was poor. Though lacking Bondian elements normally associated with John Barry and Arnold, I actually think Newman's Skyfall soundtrack is pretty good. I particularly enjoy tracks like Grand Bazaar, Jellyfish, and The Bloody Shot.
Moore Not Less 4371 posts (2002 - 2007) Moore Than (2012 - 2016)
Sad that HMV is closing But Good for Me, I got
The Skyfall cd for £7 yesterday. ) and have to
say it's Brilliant. Took the time to sit down and Listen
to all the tracks.
Great use of percussion on many tracks. I'd love to
know his inspiration for its use.
So all in all, I think it's a Great soundtrack.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Comments
Yes, it was 'Breadcrumbs' I was referring to, kicking in with the reveal of the Aston Martin. And you're right: it's Newman's arrangement of Arnold's arrangement of Barry's arrangement of Norman's theme.
Its nicely done in orchestration, but it seems to just putter on any old how, and even when it ups the anti, it seems terribly generic? For the segments I was listening to I had to check where the tracks had ended to determine which piece of music was for what sequence of the film. Not good. No character pieces, nothing that screams it is for Bond specifically except "Breadcrumbs." However even that lacks punch, as it winds down to a crawl, instead of winding up, as the track traditionally does with its "pa pa PA PA, da DAH DAH!"
Makes the whole thing seem very minimalist. Damned shame.
I love the next part!
38:36-39:50
Brief but interesting- Happy 23rd Bond movie, Mr Watkins!
Thomas Newman On The Skyfall Soundtrack
http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1578
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
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www.cancerresearchuk.org
turning the digger, the use of Horns sound very like part of the
score to NSNA.
my list so far -{
as far as Adrenaline, can't place that for now...
have to see the movie again :v
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Many questions were raised about Thomas Newman’s Skyfall score prior the film’s release. Once we we watched the film, the music was largely criticized for being not quite up to snuff. I purchased the soundtrack over the weekend, not necessarily because I thought it was outstanding, but rather because I own all of the other Bond soundtracks and also because I was curious to hear the score divorced from the visuals of the film.
I never had any concerns about Newman being picked to score Skyfall. In fact, I was looking forward to it. After several Arnold scores, I was ready for a change. Also, Newman’s score for ‘Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’ ranks pretty high in my collection of film scores (which is fairly large). For the Lemony Snicket movie, Newman’s music was both atmospheric and a little quirky, which matched the film incredibly well.
For Skyfall, Newman captured the right sense of atmosphere and combined it with an appropriate send of tension and action. The music meshed well with the visuals and achieved what they needed by heightening the emotions at play on the screen.
However, Newman’s ability to supplement the visuals is both a gift and a curse. The score by itself is not the most overwhelming and often times repetitive. On two occasions I actually checked my mp3 player to make sure it wasn’t unwittingly on repeat. The soundtrack opens strong with ‘Grand Bizaare, Istanbul’ but then begins a random journey through various atmospheric treks. The collection contains over 30 tracks and I have to ask myself why? I think I should be grateful, since it probably contains every possible musical cue from the film, and therefore there’s little chance of a ‘collector’s edition’ release to possibly tempt me. There are a few strains of the familiar Bond themes, all handled competently and enjoyably. And there are also a few musical quotes from Casino Royale’s score (why exactly I’m not sure – it’s doesn’t seem story related. All I can think is that perhaps Newman mistakenly thought it was also part of the Bond theme).
Absent is the title track by Adele which I wouldn’t have mind owning…guess I’ll have to download it separately. I would only be guessing as to why, but I suspect that this might be a trend going forward on future soundtracks, since the Casino Royale soundtrack didn’t have the ‘You know my name’ tune by Chris whatshisname (I didn’t shed any tears since I hated that song).
The CD is definitely enjoyable to listen to, but don’t expect any great or pleasant surprises should you purchase it.
I have all the Barry soundtracks and few of any post Barry. Your post just reinforces my belief Barry was the only person who knew how to score Bond as Herrmann did the Hitchcock films. The greatest composers like the two of them and Horner, Jarre, Goldsmith and Williams will always be at or near the top of film composers because they know how to create the perfect tracks to scenes that are impossible to get out of your head and will always be remembered as well as many famous historical popular songs.
1. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul (1)
2. The Bloody Shot (14)
3. Voluntary Retirement (2)
4. Enjoying Death (15)
5. New Digs (3)
6. Day Wasted (10)
7. Brave New World (5)
8. Shanghai Drive (6)
9. Jellyfish (7)
10. Silhouette (8)
11. Modigliani (9)
12. Close Shave (17)
13. Komodo Dragon (13)
14. Someone Usually Dies (12)
15. Granborough Road (19)
16. Severine (4)
17. The Chimera (16)
18. Quartermaster (11)
19. Health & Safety (18)
20. Tennyson (20)
21. Enquiry (21)
22. Breadcrumbs (22)
23. Skyfall (23)
24. Kill Them First (24)
25. Welcome to Scotland (25)
26. She's Mine (26)
27. The Moors (27)
28. Deep Water (28)
29. Mother (29)
30. Adrenaline (End Credits) (30)
31. Old Dog, New Tricks (Bonus iTunes track)
A bonus track, available only on iTunes, strangely enough. But its origin is noteworthy...
"There's a piece on the album called Close Shave, where Eve shaves Bond in Shanghai. It was a tough scene for Sam, in terms of what the music was saying and what was the nature of the relationship between Eve and Bond. Was it sexual? Was it flirtatious? Was it dangerous? And Old Dog, New Tricks was the first piece that he approved after rejecting many pieces before! It got all the way to recording and we recorded it with quite lush, quite Bondish, almost old-fashioned and we got to the end of the day and Sam said it doesn’t work. It was too romantic, it tilted too much to one area. The scene played on many levels and the music made Sam uncomfortable with the tilt. I wrote a staccato piece for strings and flute and Old Dog, New Tricks was thrown out. But we figured we’d put it on the iTunes album."
I did buy the soundtrack CD and now having seen the film 5 times I quite like track 6-Shanghai Drive which has squeaking electronic sounds and then the next track is also good-the following Patrice with the reflections in the glass of the building at night. I was surprised there are 30 tracks on the CD, so when I play it, I skip half of them.
The trouble is that in the film, a lot of the music is quite quiet, so gets lost, when an action scene comes on.
The more I play it, some of it is interestingly good, but I'm not sure it deserves a BAFTA though !
Bleuville.
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
In his DVD/Blu-Ray commentary track Sam Mendes compares parts of Newman's score with Bernard Herrmann's style - a valid observation. But I still think it's a so-so score.
"Your contact?" "Not well."
His work on QOS was his best yet. -{
The only bad thing is the cd price - I'll wait for it to drop, till then the d-o-w-n-l-o-a-d will have to do.
+1. Although David Arnold is definitely the man for the job today. I trust that he will return to score the next one!
The Skyfall cd for £7 yesterday.
say it's Brilliant. Took the time to sit down and Listen
to all the tracks.
Great use of percussion on many tracks. I'd love to
know his inspiration for its use.
So all in all, I think it's a Great soundtrack.
Is it just me or does the track "Komodo Dragon" sound a bit like "TWINE" in the beginning?
On the whole, I don't mind the soundtrack, it's just not very Bondian. Let's hope that even if Sam Mendes does return, David Arnold will score it.