All the John Barry scores are masterpieces quite frankly.
But I also love the GE and FYEO scores, which may seem controversial. And LTK's is good too. And I adore LALD's.
So come to think of it, I love all the scores from FRWL-GE.
DN never did much for me but it was still ok. I was never too keen on the scores from TND onwards though - nothing bad, but they just haven't grabbed me like the others.
I've watched a lot of Porn and FYEO Score is much worse. )
Ha! Yes, there are some nice cues, but I just cringe during the bastardization of the Bond theme when they go shopping for an ATAC in the Yellow Submarine. Oh, if only it were the Sea of Holes....
I was going to start a new thread, but this one fits. I always thought (in theaters and on VHS) that that the OHMSS score used a sort of harpsichord, NOT an early synth. I love, no really I LOVE, how the PTS opening has a syncopated flavour with the horns, and then ... ruh-roh, there's that synth doing the guitar riff. You either dig it or not. (And I suspect Barry was aiming for a sort of "groovy.")
With the release of the entire score a few years ago, you can appreciate a lot more of the soundtrack, particularly the spectacularly successful "Gumbold Break-in" scene (which, if you play without the music, is about as thrilling as C-SPAN), his Piz Gloria cues (there's an alternate "ascent" cue, and a really nice unused "Twilight" cue). I do like the use of the synth during the "Mercy Flight" cue, in the film and played alone it has a sort of "sneaky bastards up to some massive no-good heroism" that is just so cool with the aerial shots of the helicopters at dawn. Gives me shivers. Like the sight and sound of all the X-Wings opening up on their way to the Death Star in STAR WARS, it's just
But that PTS James Bond theme with the synth ... I'm never quite convinced it was a good fit. ... Discuss.
I love the entire OHMSS score - it's fantastic. And I think the PTS piece, "This never happened to the other feller"' is brilliant. The fight setion at the end of the piece is imo the best fight music in the films.
Order of preference then:
OHMSS
Thunderball
Goldfinger
YOLT and DAF about the same
TND. David Arnold really captures the feel of John Barry's music and updates it
QoS
Of the non-Barry and non-Arnold ones, TSWLM is probably the best.
Worst:
Goldeneye and Skyfall
Probably the best single piece, apart from "This never happened to the other feller", has to be "Time to get out" from QoS - what a fantastic piece of stirring music.
Incidentally, I briefly met David Arnold at a film premiere a couple of years ago and had a chat with him - really nice bloke.
Thanks for the agreement agent blackleiter,
as you know the song ,is it me (im patialy deaf in one ear )
or does Gladys sound like she is singing got a licence to kit ?
say hi to D,C for me
Thanks for the agreement agent blackleiter,
as you know the song ,is it me (im patialy deaf in one ear )
or does Gladys sound like she is singing got a licence to kit ?
say hi to D,C for me
I haven't contributed to the 'music' forum for a number of months, but I've just read the whole of this thread and am very pleased to see TND featuring so highly.
I love the soundtrack to this film. It fairly rattles along, accompanying the action rather than swamping it (as some of Arnold's later efforts do). It helps that it isn't too loud. One of my issues with Arnold's QOS score was that it drowned out the action and the dialogue - although that's the sound editor's fault not Mr Arnold's !!
While we're talking of 'favourites' I can't help but list almost everything by John Barry 1964 - 1979 with an honourable mention to 1987.
The one underrated gem for me is Thunderball. The gentle sway of the music imitates the sea and when the action rises to a crescendo, the music follows and we imagine the storm chopping the surf, the chaos of a Bondian hurricane. Barry's love of jazz dips in and out with Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He has a romantic theme in Cafe Martinque; the sudden rolling beat of Traction Table; the similarly tense and spikey Death of Fiona, all drums and maracas; the extended operatic Street Chase.... oh I could go on. I like the main title theme too, though I know this often ranks low on fan's lists.
OHMSS was recently voted one of the Top 10 soundtracks of all time by The Independent (not I agree the arbiter of best taste) and when you watch the movie it is easy to see why. Barry's themes bind the scenes together. I always remember, early in the film, how the piano tinkles over the scene at the casino ('Try'); Gumbold's Safe is a masterclas of heightened musical suspense, overlaying the on screen proceedings; ditto Over and Out; Barry uses the Bond theme sparingly but when the guitars cut in during the attack on Piz Gloria, I defy anyone not to have a tingle on their spine; the constant 'ticking clock' effect employed during Bond's visit to Piz Gloria adds mystery and depth to the mundane; Journey to Blofeld's Hideaway is a soaring, gorgeously layered montage hinting at the Swiss setting, the grandeur of tha Alps; both the main theme and love song are evocative of the movies violence and its tenderness. It's a hard soundtrack to fault and I can't.
Diamond's Are Forever is a gaudy delight, peppered with chintzy Las Vegas cues and lounge pianos. Again Barry's love of jazz comes to the fore. I particulalry enjoy the musical motifs for each character. It is also a much less serious piece than any of its predecessor's and that shows Barry's own maturity, that he wasn't afraid to lighten the atmosphere, to reflect and add to the unfolding jokiness on screen - a serious piece would have made the movie even more ridiculous. At times I feel he's a bit stuck (the Moon buggy ride is a bit of a dud) but all that jazzy stuff at Circus, Circus and The Whyte House is fabulous. It's a real glittery gem of a show and its theme song is wonderfully haunting.
While I like GF and YOLT (in particular Miami from the former and Kobe Docks from the latter) and TLD is a beautiful, romantic opus which summaries Barry at his best, my other pet love is Moonraker. Here Barry has recognised the symphonic potential of the story and the action. Like the movie it reflects the influence of Star Wars and its great to have a full orchestra manipulating our aural senses. Snippets like Corrinne Put Down blending into a peel of bells and Bond Smells a Rat dying as the vermin continue to thrive are brilliant examples of a composer understanding the effect his score has on an audience, how he can create an emotional or visceral reaction with his music. The grandness of some of the themes on MR doesn't overshadow the action as it is magnificently opulent anyway; this score is the closest James Bond ever got to epic and Barry doesn't let us down.
OHMSS was recently voted one of the Top 10 soundtracks of all time by The Independent (not I agree the arbiter of best taste) and when you watch the movie it is easy to see why. Barry's themes bind the scenes together. I always remember, early in the film, how the piano tinkles over the scene at the casino ('Try'); Gumbold's Safe is a masterclas of heightened musical suspense, overlaying the on screen proceedings; ditto Over and Out; Barry uses the Bond theme sparingly but when the guitars cut in during the attack on Piz Gloria, I defy anyone not to have a tingle on their spine; the constant 'ticking clock' effect employed during Bond's visit to Piz Gloria adds mystery and depth to the mundane; Journey to Blofeld's Hideaway is a soaring, gorgeously layered montage hinting at the Swiss setting, the grandeur of tha Alps; both the main theme and love song are evocative of the movies violence and its tenderness. It's a hard soundtrack to fault and I can't.
The soundtrack to On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my all-time favorite soundtrack, with You Only Live Twice a close second.
Agree, but I would like to add Goldfinger to the list. Some great music was in that movie. Brass, confident, Bond music. Especially love the music from the PTS, how the Bond theme kicks in and you see Bond running. Barry was truely the greatest, no one can replace him.
The soundtrack to On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my all-time favorite soundtrack, with You Only Live Twice a close second.
Agree, but I would like to add Goldfinger to the list. Some great music was in that movie. Brass, confident, Bond music. Especially love the music from the PTS, how the Bond theme kicks in and you see Bond running. Barry was truely the greatest, no one can replace him.
John Barry was something of a musical genius. I personally would add Moonraker in preference to Goldfinger. As well as the epic Flight into Space, it also features wonderful tracks such as Centrifuge and Corrine Put Down, not forgetting Dame Shirley Bassey's underrated title song.
Moore Not Less 4371 posts (2002 - 2007) Moore Than (2012 - 2016)
After all some members even tolerate
Another way to die. )
I think that's what you meant, yes?
:v
I can't even tolerate it. Last week I decided to chill and listen to all 23 main bond themes. Another way to die stuck out like a sore piece of poo. Man, that is one bad song
The soundtrack to On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my all-time favorite soundtrack, with You Only Live Twice a close second.
Agree, but I would like to add Goldfinger to the list. Some great music was in that movie. Brass, confident, Bond music. Especially love the music from the PTS, how the Bond theme kicks in and you see Bond running. Barry was truely the greatest, no one can replace him.
John Barry was something of a musical genius. I personally would add Moonraker in preference to Goldfinger. As well as the epic Flight into Space, it also features wonderful tracks such as Centrifuge and Corrine Put Down, not forgetting Dame Shirley Bassey's underrated title song.
Agree, MR had a great score, very different than other Barry scores. Almost classical music. Excellent music and yes the Bassey song is epic/I also like the disco version of it, Moonraker suite it is called, I believe.
My favourites are LALD, TND and actually GE. Apart from that horrible "ladies first" tune I thought that soundtrack went along perfectly with the movie and created a somewhat unique eerie tone
....and the best he ever managed was a sermon on the mount.
Comments
All John Barry, nice picks SM- though I'd have put them in a different order!
But I also love the GE and FYEO scores, which may seem controversial. And LTK's is good too. And I adore LALD's.
So come to think of it, I love all the scores from FRWL-GE.
DN never did much for me but it was still ok. I was never too keen on the scores from TND onwards though - nothing bad, but they just haven't grabbed me like the others.
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
The order is not meant to be in any way indicative of a sliding scale! -{
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Ha! Yes, there are some nice cues, but I just cringe during the bastardization of the Bond theme when they go shopping for an ATAC in the Yellow Submarine. Oh, if only it were the Sea of Holes....
I was going to start a new thread, but this one fits. I always thought (in theaters and on VHS) that that the OHMSS score used a sort of harpsichord, NOT an early synth. I love, no really I LOVE, how the PTS opening has a syncopated flavour with the horns, and then ... ruh-roh, there's that synth doing the guitar riff. You either dig it or not. (And I suspect Barry was aiming for a sort of "groovy.")
With the release of the entire score a few years ago, you can appreciate a lot more of the soundtrack, particularly the spectacularly successful "Gumbold Break-in" scene (which, if you play without the music, is about as thrilling as C-SPAN), his Piz Gloria cues (there's an alternate "ascent" cue, and a really nice unused "Twilight" cue). I do like the use of the synth during the "Mercy Flight" cue, in the film and played alone it has a sort of "sneaky bastards up to some massive no-good heroism" that is just so cool with the aerial shots of the helicopters at dawn. Gives me shivers. Like the sight and sound of all the X-Wings opening up on their way to the Death Star in STAR WARS, it's just
But that PTS James Bond theme with the synth ... I'm never quite convinced it was a good fit. ... Discuss.
“It reads better than it lives.” T. Case
Order of preference then:
OHMSS
Thunderball
Goldfinger
YOLT and DAF about the same
TND. David Arnold really captures the feel of John Barry's music and updates it
QoS
Of the non-Barry and non-Arnold ones, TSWLM is probably the best.
Worst:
Goldeneye and Skyfall
Probably the best single piece, apart from "This never happened to the other feller", has to be "Time to get out" from QoS - what a fantastic piece of stirring music.
Incidentally, I briefly met David Arnold at a film premiere a couple of years ago and had a chat with him - really nice bloke.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Thunderball
Moonraker
You Only Live Twice
License to Kill
"You must give me the name of your oculist."
and my favorite track is by Gladys Knight (licence to kill)
magic
as you know the song ,is it me (im patialy deaf in one ear )
or does Gladys sound like she is singing got a licence to kit ?
say hi to D,C for me
DC says greetings to a fellow Bond fan! -{
I love the soundtrack to this film. It fairly rattles along, accompanying the action rather than swamping it (as some of Arnold's later efforts do). It helps that it isn't too loud. One of my issues with Arnold's QOS score was that it drowned out the action and the dialogue - although that's the sound editor's fault not Mr Arnold's !!
While we're talking of 'favourites' I can't help but list almost everything by John Barry 1964 - 1979 with an honourable mention to 1987.
The one underrated gem for me is Thunderball. The gentle sway of the music imitates the sea and when the action rises to a crescendo, the music follows and we imagine the storm chopping the surf, the chaos of a Bondian hurricane. Barry's love of jazz dips in and out with Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He has a romantic theme in Cafe Martinque; the sudden rolling beat of Traction Table; the similarly tense and spikey Death of Fiona, all drums and maracas; the extended operatic Street Chase.... oh I could go on. I like the main title theme too, though I know this often ranks low on fan's lists.
OHMSS was recently voted one of the Top 10 soundtracks of all time by The Independent (not I agree the arbiter of best taste) and when you watch the movie it is easy to see why. Barry's themes bind the scenes together. I always remember, early in the film, how the piano tinkles over the scene at the casino ('Try'); Gumbold's Safe is a masterclas of heightened musical suspense, overlaying the on screen proceedings; ditto Over and Out; Barry uses the Bond theme sparingly but when the guitars cut in during the attack on Piz Gloria, I defy anyone not to have a tingle on their spine; the constant 'ticking clock' effect employed during Bond's visit to Piz Gloria adds mystery and depth to the mundane; Journey to Blofeld's Hideaway is a soaring, gorgeously layered montage hinting at the Swiss setting, the grandeur of tha Alps; both the main theme and love song are evocative of the movies violence and its tenderness. It's a hard soundtrack to fault and I can't.
Diamond's Are Forever is a gaudy delight, peppered with chintzy Las Vegas cues and lounge pianos. Again Barry's love of jazz comes to the fore. I particulalry enjoy the musical motifs for each character. It is also a much less serious piece than any of its predecessor's and that shows Barry's own maturity, that he wasn't afraid to lighten the atmosphere, to reflect and add to the unfolding jokiness on screen - a serious piece would have made the movie even more ridiculous. At times I feel he's a bit stuck (the Moon buggy ride is a bit of a dud) but all that jazzy stuff at Circus, Circus and The Whyte House is fabulous. It's a real glittery gem of a show and its theme song is wonderfully haunting.
While I like GF and YOLT (in particular Miami from the former and Kobe Docks from the latter) and TLD is a beautiful, romantic opus which summaries Barry at his best, my other pet love is Moonraker. Here Barry has recognised the symphonic potential of the story and the action. Like the movie it reflects the influence of Star Wars and its great to have a full orchestra manipulating our aural senses. Snippets like Corrinne Put Down blending into a peel of bells and Bond Smells a Rat dying as the vermin continue to thrive are brilliant examples of a composer understanding the effect his score has on an audience, how he can create an emotional or visceral reaction with his music. The grandness of some of the themes on MR doesn't overshadow the action as it is magnificently opulent anyway; this score is the closest James Bond ever got to epic and Barry doesn't let us down.
Great memories all...
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Agree, but I would like to add Goldfinger to the list. Some great music was in that movie. Brass, confident, Bond music. Especially love the music from the PTS, how the Bond theme kicks in and you see Bond running. Barry was truely the greatest, no one can replace him.
1. Connery 2. Craig 3. Brosnan 4. Dalton 5. Lazenby 6. Moore
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
John Barry was something of a musical genius. I personally would add Moonraker in preference to Goldfinger. As well as the epic Flight into Space, it also features wonderful tracks such as Centrifuge and Corrine Put Down, not forgetting Dame Shirley Bassey's underrated title song.
Goldeneye- it's not the best soundtrack to listen to but the music works in the film.
TSWLM- Bond'77 is brilliant and Nobody does it better is a classic.
Ouch...I dont think I could diagree with you more. To each its own I suppose
1. Connery 2. Craig 3. Brosnan 4. Dalton 5. Lazenby 6. Moore
all be happy. After all some members even like
Another way to die.
:v
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I can't even tolerate it. Last week I decided to chill and listen to all 23 main bond themes. Another way to die stuck out like a sore piece of poo. Man, that is one bad song
(Sir Miles is probably pissed off now lol)
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
Agree, MR had a great score, very different than other Barry scores. Almost classical music. Excellent music and yes the Bassey song is epic/I also like the disco version of it, Moonraker suite it is called, I believe.
1. Connery 2. Craig 3. Brosnan 4. Dalton 5. Lazenby 6. Moore
Still, TLD is the one that raises the hairs on the back of my neck, Boy did Barry leave the Franchise on a positive 'note'.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS