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You first. I can recommend an excellent otolaryngologist. You need to have your hearing checked. Apparently a large dose of steaming dung has entered your ear canal =))
You second ;)
Crap. You've done it now. Wizard is going to be on you like a tonne of bricks.
I like Serra's score. I have it on cd and enjoy listening to it - but to say it's superior to Barry's timeless score is...in all honesty...insane ;)
Louis Armstrong is repeated regularly on the radio to this day. Serra is...not (although I do like the tune to "Experience of Love").
Wizard, please go easy on him.
But I do prefer the OHMSS soundtrack. It's just epic. The only part of that score I don't like is the christmas tree song, really annoys me.
I understand people may hate the very 'odd' sound, but the soundtrack itself is one of the best soundtracks in the franchise.
OHMSS is chock full of brilliant, epic Bondian music composed by an Oscar winner and the Mozart of our time. Only the Nina track is less than tremendous. "We Have All The Time In The World" is one of the most beautiful ballads ever written, sung no less by a legend.
Serra couldn't wipe Barry's arse with this effort. The GE soundtrack is far and away the worst in the entire series, bar none. Only the title song sounds Bondian in any way, and it is never used. It's otherwise below average spy film music here apart from the Bond cues. Garbage about best describes the rest of the painful assault on the ears that Serra unleashes, certainly his worst effort in comparison to the rest of his work. None of it compares to Barry, and it lacks any emotional content. Even Arnold's work is light years ahead of this dreck in feel and emotion.
You people are making me ill. Live And Let Die is the only non-Barry soundtrack that rivals Barry. I'm off of this thread, too much nonsense.
Nothing personal, but you are the charter member of the "technique over emotional content in music" fan club and are equally prejudiced, although you have the sense to know that Barry's music is better than any other composer who's created some for these movies. The rest of the people here, I'm positively speechless. The kindest thing to say is that they just don't get what Bond music is supposed to be about.
This is what I'm talking about. Martin and Arnold absolutely capture the emotional romanticism that was signature Barry in everything he did. Instead of recognizing that, the DA detractors call his work in this respect a "pastiche" yet it is pure Bondian in ways that Serra either never understood or chose to ignore. One listen to the GE title track tells me that Bono and The Edge understood the Bond sound created by Barry.
I'm not opposed to dark and brooding in Bond soundtracks, Barry did some fantastic stuff like that too, for example "Scaramanga's Fun House". Now THAT is dark and brooding, to this day when I watch TMWTGG that music has me spellbound. It not that I don't understand what Serra was trying to do with the timpani drums, I give him credit for trying to do something that fits the atmosphere of a dark and brooding post Cold War Russia. But most of what he tries to do winds up being atonal and it's a mishmash of ill fitting sounds that would work better for Bourne or another spy genre movie. By Bond standards, it simply doesn't fit with the vision of Barry or those who have also worked on the movies.
What's wrong with the casino music as well as the romantic pieces in GE is the actual sound much more than the structure. The strings and woodwinds don't sound Bondian at all and lack emotion. It sounds like a soap opera. The electronics are enough to induce copious bleeding from the ears. "Ladies First" is wretchedly abominable, a high school music major could write better music than this. I'm not a fan of electronics at all in Bond music, Barry kept those moments to a minimum and made sure what he did fit into the scenes it was used in.
I've made a point to not judge Serra on this soundtrack alone and listen to his other work, and I don't dispute that he has talent. As a fellow musician and composer, it is my educated opinion that the music he wrote for this movie is poor by his usual standards, and even worse by Bondian standards. There's no guarantee he'd do any better if given another chance to score a Bond film, none at all. Suffice it to say, if EON (or the general public for that matter) had been satisfied, they wouldn't have gone to Barry and asked him to return to the composer's chair or recommend someone else. Suffice it to also say, if Barry thought Serra did a good job, he would have not recommended David Arnold. And for those who say the master picked Arnold solely based on "Shaken And Stirred", I know someone who knew him quite well and I can assure you that this was not the only reason and that he gave his recommendation serious thought.
If the Casino score lack emotion how come I use it to help me get to sleep sometimes at night. Similarly how come I find the "Forever James" track soothing? Lacking emotion? Pah.
Ok it may not sound "Bondian" in the traditional sense but frankly does it matter? Its something different and I think it suits the whole "soviet Russia" theme of the film perfectly. Do you honestly believe that the "Whispering Statues" track doesn't add to the erriness of the scene its attached to? I think it works fine. The same goes with the "Jungle" theme. What other track would you suggest went over the top of the scene?
Serra is the only non-Barry soundtrack I actually own and I for one find it effective. Not all of it works I agree but most of it does.
Couldn't agree more! I'll buy you a pint Bain.
You're right about one thing, this soundtrack can bore almost anyone into unconsciousness.
and this
I like it. Haters go away!! It makes me happy and takes me to a more enjoyable place when I'm feeling miserable. Personally I think its better than both LALD (too 70s) and TSWLM (again too 70s) but then again what do I know, I'm a youngster ;)
(Having said that it still doesn't beat OHMSS - hardly any Bond scores do)
G.E score better than OHMSS score now that is funny, you guys are a bunch of comedians, people wonder why I think G.E was the time Bond truly took a turn for the worst when children purport such utter drivel.
I'll buy you two pints Shardlake, one for common sense and the other for good taste. Bottoms up!
GE soundtrack managed to capture that after cold war feel, I'll give it that. But the soundtrack , for the most parts sounds cheesy and dated. You can say that Barry's score is really timeless.
The movies...well, neither are really my favorites. Not anymore. But... I'll give this one to Goldeneye.
It's been done. TSWLM won by a fair margin.
Oh, by the way, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
I honestly cannot understand how anyone with ears can say this about the OHMSS soundtrack. It's one thing slating the movie and Lazenby in my opinion (though i've come to accept that it is a contraversial film and people either love it or hate it) but to criticise John Barry's soundtrack too is just ridiculous. I think you're associating the soundtrack with your over-blown disliking for the film too much.
Epic tracks like 'Journey to Blofeld's Hideway' could not fit the mood and epic scale of the location and scenery better. The one played at Gumbold's safe provides so much extra suspense and tension to a scene that would have been far less effective with a poor choice of track. 'Over and Out' gives drive, energy and tension to the upcoming action finale. These are just a few examples...
Oh and OHMSS for this film round, naturally.
It's probably best to skip over the Beast's posts, Sly. He's either a very dedicated troll or as mad as a box of frogs. Either way, I blame the lack of sunlight in Sweden for his inane and controversial ramblings.
He has an opinion, so he's a troll???