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The David Arnold Appreciation Thread.

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  • FoxRoxFoxRox
    Posts: 12,881
    Bond_Scores wrote: »
    The 007 website has just published an interview with David Arnold. There isn't anything revelatory in it, but he's asked what his favourite five tracks are that he scored for Bond. He lists Surrender (TND), Night at the Opera (QOS), Elektra’s Theme (TWINE), Miami International (CR) and City of Lovers (CR), which I found rather interesting.

    I wonder how John Barry would have responded to the same question.

    Night at the Opera and Miami International are definitely in my Top 5 of his.
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,549
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Bond_Scores wrote: »
    The 007 website has just published an interview with David Arnold. There isn't anything revelatory in it, but he's asked what his favourite five tracks are that he scored for Bond. He lists Surrender (TND), Night at the Opera (QOS), Elektra’s Theme (TWINE), Miami International (CR) and City of Lovers (CR), which I found rather interesting.

    I wonder how John Barry would have responded to the same question.

    Night at the Opera and Miami International are definitely in my Top 5 of his.

    'City of Lovers' definitely in my top 5.

    For action it's, 'White Knight', 'African Rundown' and 'Come in 007 your time is up'
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,931
    I’m not too crazy about “Miami International”. There’s that moment when the aircraft gets unveiled at the hangar and he just goes full blown 60s horns.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 19,421
    I always wonder if the Miami sequence could just have had an instrumental of YKMN playing; I feel like Barry would have done something like that.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,931
    I definitely think YKMN as an instrumental is underused. But that’s true of all the Arnold scores where he had a hand in the title song. Barry really knew how to utilize his title songs much better to the point they feel as integral as the Bond theme itself.
  • CharmianBondCharmianBond Pett Bottom, Kent
    Posts: 579
    Some of it is nostalgia talking but Casino Royale's score is one of my favourites, even Independent of the film, I'll still stick it on for one track and end up listening to the rest of it. And I really like how it incorporates the title song. 'Aston Montenegro' is one of my favourite Bond tracks. It feels Bondian without being the literal Barry theme, which is exactly what Casino is going for ofc.

    My only problem is that it transitions so neatly into 'Dinner Jackets' and 'The Tell' that when it gets to 'Stairwell Fight' you get the shock of your life with its very loud, very aggressive openings bars 😂
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,549
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    I definitely think YKMN as an instrumental is underused. But that’s true of all the Arnold scores where he had a hand in the title song. Barry really knew how to utilize his title songs much better to the point they feel as integral as the Bond theme itself.

    The YKMN instrumental is used in nine tracks on the soundtrack.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,931
    Surprising, they didn’t leave much of an impression.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    edited October 17 Posts: 2,948
    I agree with @MakeshiftPython & @mtm Arnold should have used YKMN very well. I know he used it in subtle ways. But it needed to be used the way Barry does it...Big & Bold!
  • bcaloubcalou France
    edited October 17 Posts: 94
    Interesting to see the various opinions on this score!
    I personally think Miami International is a masterpiece of action scoring and tension building.

    YKMN makes several bold apparences (at 8:25 for exemple).

    Then at 9:36, I LOVE how the horns begin to blur the line between YKMN and the Bond theme, at least that's how I hear it (YKMN is actually based on the guitar riff of the Bond Theme. Same musical intervals with a different structure).

    Then at 9:59 we are now in full Bond Theme territory, but the build has been so expertly crafted that it actually took me years to notice, maybe I'm just slow, I don't know :p
    It's not the glorious/victorious Bond Theme that we all know and love, it's much more tense, which really makes sense storywise (no, CR doesn't wait till the end to use the Bond Theme ;)).

    The hybrid YKNM/Bond Theme comes back at 12:14 for the amazing finale.

    Masterpiece!

  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,948
    Oh, I absolutely love Arnold's CR score. It's one gorgeous listen. I just wanted a lot more of YKMN in it. Because I really love YKMN.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 19,421
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I agree with @MakeshiftPython & @mtm Arnold should have used YKMN very well. I know he used it in subtle ways. But it needed to be used the way Barry does it...Big & Bold!

    Yeah, Miami has a fair bit of the Mickey Mouse-ing to me, and I kind of like that in things like, for example, the aeroplane fight or rooftop escape in TLD, Barry would simply play the tune in full and it worked brilliantly. YKMN is a great bit of action music, I feel like it would have worked getting a full play.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,948
    mtm wrote: »
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I agree with @MakeshiftPython & @mtm Arnold should have used YKMN very well. I know he used it in subtle ways. But it needed to be used the way Barry does it...Big & Bold!

    Yeah, Miami has a fair bit of the Mickey Mouse-ing to me, and I kind of like that in things like, for example, the aeroplane fight or rooftop escape in TLD, Barry would simply play the tune in full and it worked brilliantly. YKMN is a great bit of action music, I feel like it would have worked getting a full play.

    Exactly. My thoughts too.
  • bcaloubcalou France
    Posts: 94
    mtm wrote: »
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    I agree with @MakeshiftPython & @mtm Arnold should have used YKMN very well. I know he used it in subtle ways. But it needed to be used the way Barry does it...Big & Bold!

    Yeah, Miami has a fair bit of the Mickey Mouse-ing to me, and I kind of like that in things like, for example, the aeroplane fight or rooftop escape in TLD, Barry would simply play the tune in full and it worked brilliantly. YKMN is a great bit of action music, I feel like it would have worked getting a full play.

    I actually agree about the Mickey Mouse-ing. I think it is done right and elevate the Miami scene, but I totally get that it's not everyone's taste. Sometimes it is a bit much.

    The orchestra hits at 7:52 combined with the close-ups of the truck (closer and closer) are so unintentionally funny, but I still love it.

    I respectfully disagree about using YNMY like Barry would have done it. Actions scenes drastically changed after LTD (in Bond and overall), so I guess the music had to change to. Kamen was the first to depart from this (granted, he didn't write LTK's title song).

    We often talk about GE soundtrack as something completly different (do I dare say innovative?) but I think LTK is really a big leap too for the franchise sound. And I can't think of any Bond post LTD where the theme plays during an action scene "à la John Barry", because I think it just wouldn't work. But Arnold is very good at injecting the main theme (or "I Will Return" for DAD) in the score, I think.

    And again, it's all a matter of preferences of course :)
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited October 17 Posts: 19,421
    bcalou wrote: »
    . And I can't think of any Bond post LTD where the theme plays during an action scene "à la John Barry", because I think it just wouldn't work.

    Yeah, you might be right. It's not something you really hear at all nowadays; the closest thing is probably when James Gunn or Ryan Reynolds or someone does a needle drop of an ironically cheesy and upbeat 90s song during an action scene, which is inevitably all done in one shot (I really don't need to see that again).

    Random thought: maybe we should do a 'best cue from every score' thread? Would folks be up for that?
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    edited October 17 Posts: 2,948
    mtm wrote: »
    bcalou wrote: »
    . And I can't think of any Bond post LTD where the theme plays during an action scene "à la John Barry", because I think it just wouldn't work.

    Yeah, you might be right. It's not something you really hear at all nowadays; the closest thing is probably when James Gunn or Ryan Reynolds or someone does a needle drop of an ironically cheesy and upbeat 90s song during an action scene, which is inevitably all done in one shot (I really don't need to see that again).

    Random thought: maybe we should do a 'best cue from every score' thread? Would folks be up for that?

    Yeah. Also, nice idea for a thread. I'm in!
  • NoTimeToLiveNoTimeToLive Jamaica
    Posts: 180
    Yeah, for sure.
  • Jordo007Jordo007 Merseyside
    Posts: 2,913
    I think Arnold has to be up there with Barry, his scores are fantastic and memorable, without being overbearing or out of place. His Vesper theme and Casino Royale Bond theme are top 3 pieces of music in the whole series.

    I'd love Arnold back, like Martin Campbell, the man just understands what Bond is.
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,652
    Fire_and_Ice_Returns wrote: »
    DAVID ARNOLD to join Q The Music for a special concert in 2026!

    Awesome, this will be great.

    Never got to go this year sadly, gutted I missed the 3 Moneypennies! However? This is something I desperately need to attend!
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 26,645
    RogueAgent wrote: »
    Fire_and_Ice_Returns wrote: »
    DAVID ARNOLD to join Q The Music for a special concert in 2026!

    Awesome, this will be great.

    Never got to go this year sadly, gutted I missed the 3 Moneypennies! However? This is something I desperately need to attend!

    I would not mind getting tickets myself, huge Arnold fan love his Bond work, I wish he would return.
  • morcarvicmorcarvic france
    Posts: 163
    Well if anyone working on the new film project at the most Influential level should see this post I hope they take note that Mr.Arnold is without doubt their surest pair of hands with which to launch a new bond era if they hope to get the character right musically and maybe not alienating older passionate fans who have firm and strong ideas about this character and this series of films.
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,948
    With Villeneuve, it simply means Zimmer is Bond 26's composer.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,931
    I liked the NTTD score, but you could tell it was definitely something of a rush job rather than something Zimmer curated himself as he had a ton of help. I’d like to see what he turns up when he has more time to fully develop a score, perhaps even have more of a hand in the title song (though he admirably integrated Eilish’s song as much as he could).
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,948
    MakeshiftPython wrote: »
    I liked the NTTD score, but you could tell it was definitely something of a rush job rather than something Zimmer curated himself as he had a ton of help. I’d like to see what he turns up when he has more time to fully develop a score, perhaps even have more of a hand in the title song (though he admirably integrated Eilish’s song as much as he could).

    Yeah. My thoughts too.
  • bcaloubcalou France
    edited 7:28am Posts: 94
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    With Villeneuve, it simply means Zimmer is Bond 26's composer.

    I'm afraid so. But Villeneuve said he's a fan of Casino Royale, so who knows (let me dream a bit ;) )
  • SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 2,948
    bcalou wrote: »
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    With Villeneuve, it simply means Zimmer is Bond 26's composer.

    I'm afraid so. But Villeneuve said he's a fan of Casino Royale, so who knows (let me dream a bit ;) )

    Hahaha! I think Villeneuve was talking about Campbell's stellar direction and Craig's electric performance.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,982
    I wouldn't have a problem with Zimmer coming back. His NTTD, rushed or not, clearly respects the musical vibes of Bond. Playful, charming, emotional (at times), menacing (at times), ... it was the right mix for the film. Part of why NTTD works for me, is Zimmer.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 19,421
    Yeah I don't think he does anything wrong at all, even if it's not a score which particularly stays with me. There's that eight-note motif which sort of wanders up and down the scales which recurs all the way through and ties it together, and he manages a number of big sweeping epic moments which do the right job; plus he manages the Bond theme nicely (I do really enjoy 'Someone Was Here'). Zimmer returning would not upset me.
  • UnivexUnivex
    Posts: 7,050
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    I wouldn't have a problem with Zimmer coming back. His NTTD, rushed or not, clearly respects the musical vibes of Bond. Playful, charming, emotional (at times), menacing (at times), ... it was the right mix for the film. Part of why NTTD works for me, is Zimmer.

    True. I agree. But I do hope he gets to integrate the theme and have some time to play with the score.
  • Mendes4LyfeMendes4Lyfe The long road ahead
    Posts: 9,323
    SecretAgentMan⁰⁰⁷ wrote: »
    With Villeneuve, it simply means Zimmer is Bond 26's composer.

    Bingo.
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