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Also noticed Corinne is misspelled Corrine on the track list. While both spellings of the name exist, the actual spelling of the actress and character’s name is the former.
Other than that, this is an absolutely magnificent release; it ends a lifelong journey for me: looking for a great MR score.
What I like about that cue is that when the guitar riff of the theme ends, it's kind of carried on very quietly in the background by some other instruments, just sort of echoing it for a line. It's a nice little touch.
I noticed the clarinet doing that. In my reconstruction, I only included the very last note of that "echoing" phrase, because I couldn't hear the preceding notes. In fact, I remember even doubting about that last note.
Even doing a sort of foreign-themed version is very unusual for him, he didn't do that a huge amount with the music. Obviously there's the Rio-themed version of Moonraker later in the film, and a bit of vaguely Indian-themed stuff in Octopussy (a touch of Russian), but not a huge amount elsewhere that I can think of. I guess Golden Gun goes a bit eastern.
The sly Bond theme of Look After Mr. Bond.
The violas playing so high at 0:30 in Venini Glass.
The unused part of Venice Boat Chase, which sounds comedic but not too comedic. And its use of triplets.
Mardi Gras, a surprise highlight to me, one of my favorite tracks from the album and these films in general. How it keeps building with more instrumentation, strings, palms, more and more people singing and shouting... And the strange suspended string/woodwind notes in the middle part, which I imagine where meant to create suspense as Bond examines the warehouse. Great contrast there between festive atmosphere and intrigue.
How the Flight in Space chords were part of the Moonraker theme at one point. They would've worked very nicely. A bit of Bondian drama to start things up.
The ticking clock pizzicato of I Bid You Farewell.
The uplifting lyricism of Jaws Lends a Hand, very Barry but not typically heard in that way in a Bond score.
How certain decorative notes of Bond Arrives in Rio (played in groups of two by guitar/woodwind/pizzicato) were in the unused Moonraker versions (played on piano/pizzicato).
The unused music makes the score feel more substantial and rounded.
To be fair they've always been in the end titles funky version.
That is mad, it sounds like something from his Beyondness of Things period. I can't figure out where it was going in the film!
I suppose it's when Jaws helps Bond leave the station. The first bit sounds like Jaws starting to bend the metal, and then I imagine the happier music signals that his effort has paid off.
Yeah, I hear it too.
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One thing I like in Venice Boat Chase is how after the pause in the Bond theme when the coffin falls off the boat, the theme comes back, but now with sustained strings, until the main melody starts. A subtle touch to break monotony and repetition, it sounds so obvious in hindsight, but I'm sure it wasn't necessarily so in the first place.
"Hang Glider Crash" is nice to have, that major to minor progression reminding me a lot of You Only Live Twice.
And I really liked hearing the awkwardly-titled "It Could Have Its Compensations", slightly different from the old "Miss Goodhead Meets Bond". The chord change about a minute in, accompanying the shot of Holly in bed in the Hotel Danieli, is just exquisite.
I wonder if they were originally intended to start on a shot of Jaws approaching Bond, which would result in them ending in the same place as the finished film, when Bond opens the parachute.
Yes, I seem to recall seeing a photograph of Jaws emerging unscathed (of course) from the tent, so this is plausible.
By the way, Moonraker is rapidly becoming one of my favourite Bond scores because of this release.
It’s a joy to hear so much unreleased music – cues like ‘California’, ‘Look After Mr. Bond’ and the original version of the ‘Freefall Sequence’ are wonderful. I love how the chords of ‘Launch Programme Commence’ tease the latter thematic material of ‘Flight Into Space,’ which is then referenced at the start of the end title.
‘Bond Lured To Pyramid’ is also one of my all-time favourite John Barry cues, so to get two versions of it on this release is such a bonus.
The mix is also so superior; many of the tracks sound like new recordings. Only now do I realise how drenched in reverb the OST was. You can really hear the subtlety of the score now, for example the pizzicato strings accentuating the brass and violins playing the Bond theme in the Venice Boat Chase cue. I hadn't picked up on this before.
And whilst I’m sure that Barry was wincing at the inclusion of the Tchaikovsky and Bernstein themes, having them on the score presentation disc really does help it feel complete.
Does anyone else also love the Mardi Gras music? It’s become one of the most played songs in our household :))
@mattjoes can we rely on you to recreate the missing 5 note motif from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind? It’s this release’s ‘Tarantula Sting’ ;)
I don't think it's odd at all for it to become one of your favourites, it's absolutely amazing. It's so varied and rich, it's like a box of chocolates. Amazing to compare it with TMWTGG; Barry had way less time to work on that, and boy does it show. MR is like his opus, it's incredible.
I agree about "Launch Program Commence" and "Freefall Sequence".
Yes, "Mardi Gras" is one of my favorite source cues in the series.
The only thing that prevents MR to be in my personal top-tier Bond soundtracks is I think the overall slowness of it.
I don't know if it's Barry adapting to the tone of the movie (there is a kind of "Bond on vacation" vibe), or if it's aggravating the issue. It certainly fits the Moore era but I think there is more energy in TMWTGG, OP or AVTAK. This rendition of the "007 theme" for exemple, is very far away from any sentiment of danger.
Apart from this personal point, this is a wonderful score and "Flight in Space" is among the best tracks ever written for cinema.
Right! When you think of it, Barry -> Kamen -> Serra -> Arnold was a wild ride in term of scoring :P