Quick Big Mi6 Music Score Ranking Game

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  • Posts: 4,044
    Dwayne wrote: »
    @DarthDimi. As much as I love Sir. George Martin (as well as Paul and Linda), I too am a bit surprised to see LALD out-last GF and FRWL. Perhaps the overall score of LALD is benefiting from the love that many (myself included) have for the theme song itself?

    Again, I decided to sit this game out, but my personal rankings had all of the classic Barry’s scores ahead of LALD – if for no other reason than their historical importance, and (IMO) they are more fun to listen to as stand-alone works of music. Then, again, I did have CR’67 ranked at number 4, so clearly my judgment is not to be trusted on these matters!!! 😊

    I'd say that the theme song is something to do with it, but also in the way George Martin uses it as his main theme for the movie. He uses it more than the Bond theme.
  • edited July 2021 Posts: 1,469
    zebrafish wrote: »
    A general problem is that many of the Bond soundtrack CDs feature just a few songs and miss out on some of the more interesting cues and music. So I am curious, where can one find access to the most complete soundtracks possible? What are the best recordings for each film?
    If you're interested in buying them, sorry, I can't help you, as I don't know. However, for this game, I went to YouTube, and I found that there's at least one person on there, Radim Sebesta, who posts soundtracks that include cuts not found on ones for sale. There may be other posters who do this too, but that's how I listened to most of the soundtracks, using his "extended" versions. The logo or image he uses for his posts have a lot of black coloring and use the words "007" and "soundtrack collection" along with the name of the film--like the one ShakenNotStirred posted above.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Seems to me like you're not a fan of the score.

    Actually, I do like that score, very much. But here's the thing. Barry, for me at least, always served five-star dishes, whereas most of the others cooked awesome street food at best. LALD is good street food, the kind that serves its film well and is fun to listen to in isolation. But nothing compares to Barry for me, and that includes the likes of OP, FRWL, GF, ... Barry's choice of instruments, his killer tunes, his understanding of how to make music "sexy", his creative blending of the theme songs with the rest of the score, those heavenly strings, ... and on top of everything else: how he manages to readily communicate the exotic flavours of foreign countries Bond visits. I feel like I'm in Instanbul in FRWL, and the Orient Express takes me deeper into Europe along with Barry's subtle musical details. The incorporation of DN's score was not Barry's doing. Overusing the Bond Theme wasn't Barry's choice either.

    Listen to the DN score. Then plug in FRWL: the difference is huge, like grabbing a candy bar first and going to London's top restaurant next, where we're staying for a very long time. Then, having listened to DAF, plug in LALD next. The drop in quality is huge!

    But, as usual, this is just a matter of taste, of course. ;-)
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    @DarthDimi is spot on. Meeting In St. Sophia is a great example of that type of scoring in FRWL.

    That being said, I think Martin brings in a lot of that cultural flavour (Harlem, the Carribean) into LALD and it works fantastically well even though it's not in the same style as Barry's work either side of it.
  • I was gonna mention 007,but didn't want to sound more negative than I actually am! That cue has never done it for me. It's a great piece to be sure, be it more of a sweeping, romantic western type thing in my head. It worked sometimes better than at other times (it's quite nice in Moonraker), but its debut wasnt one of those cases for me.

    I actually really like the way it's arranged in Moonraker too. That's my own favorite take on the theme. You're right, the 007 theme does have a classically Western feel to it. It's upbeat with a bit of a skip in its stride. The slower tempo of the Moonraker version does make it sound less like music for a Western. It fits well with the rest of Moonraker's more expansive and lavish approach. It's breezy yet confident (and now I sound like a makeup commercial).
  • I'm getting a slinking, slithering feeling Live and Let Die is up next:
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,136
    Well @ShakenNotStirred, still no LALD at the moment, because the next one, our number 8, is:

    DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
    Music composed by
    JOHN BARRY

    91X5y5WWMTL._SL1500_.jpg

    Another score that proves to be considerably more popular than the film it was made for, DAF collected one silver medal, one 4th place and four 5th places.

    Eight more top 10's were received. One bottom 5 was noted as well, a single 22nd place.

    The original music of DAF was awarded 142 points in total.
  • Holy cow, peeps need to take another listen to Diamonds. Now I am thinking Live and Let Die placed altogether too high here, haha. Diamonds is just a fantastic score, far above and beyond the material it accompanies. The splendid theme for Tiffany, the marvelous suspense music for Bond's infiltration of the Whyte House, all the swaggering Vegas cues, that cool cymbal-backed take on the Bond theme as Bond arrives at Whyte's desert retreat. As a film, Diamonds was a significant departure from OHMSS, but Barry himself was still on fire. He continued to go big while turning from tear-jerking to pure decadence and fun. Top 5 Barry for me.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Comes in at number 10 for me, so not too far off the mark.
  • Holy cow, peeps need to take another listen to Diamonds. Now I am thinking Live and Let Die placed altogether too high here, haha. Diamonds is just a fantastic score, far above and beyond the material it accompanies. The splendid theme for Tiffany, the marvelous suspense music for Bond's infiltration of the Whyte House, all the swaggering Vegas cues, that cool cymbal-backed take on the Bond theme as Bond arrives at Whyte's desert retreat. As a film, Diamonds was a significant departure from OHMSS, but Barry himself was still on fire. He continued to go big while turning from tear-jerking to pure decadence and fun. Top 5 Barry for me.

    You've said it perfectly @Some_Kind_Of_Hero. My #5.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    One of Barry's finest scores. DAF losing to LALD is barbaric.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    I have LALD at 15th. Judging by other’s comments it’s punching above it’s weight.
  • I've ranked LALD at #7, maybe it will land there in this ranking too. Pleased but also surprised!
  • I had LALD at #16. I really like quite a lot of the score and figured it had a good chance of cracking the top 10, but I too am surprised by how well it's done here. The score clearly has lots of fans!
  • I had DAF at #19, I like the suspense but apart from that there isn't that much there for me. I had GF at #22 (sorry, guys), I just don't like how sluggish and sentimental it gets at times. I had FRWL at #4, disappointed to see it go already.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    I had Diamonds at 11. I've grown fond of it in recent times but it's not my favourite Barry. It's certainly a score that exceeds the quality of the overall film by quite some distance.
  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,483
    I ranked LALD (14) behind FRWL (13), both are very good and I slightly prefer them to GF (16) which is my least favourite Barry score at the moment. DAF (9) belongs in the top 10 for me but it's not as good as YOLT, OHMSS, MR, TLD and AVTAK. I'm happy that they are all still in the game.
  • R1s1ngs0nR1s1ngs0n France
    Posts: 2,148
    Ranking my top 3 Bond scores (all Barry) was quite easy as for me they represent the only works that are perfect from start to finish, without a single ‘weak’ track to be found on them.
    After that it became significantly harder to choose between GF, DAF, LALD and MR for the next best scores.
    GF, while certainly the most iconic Bond score ever released, ended at #7. I love that soundtrack but it’s one I cannot listen to without visualizing the movie that accompanies it, much like TMWTGG which ended at #8.
    For me a truly outstanding score is one that is able to ‘stand on its own’ which is exactly what DAF and LALD achieve.
    Biggest challenge was to decide which of them to place at #4 and while I ended up giving that honor to LALD since it’s a score I revisit more often, DAF could be actually tied for that position as I equally adore it.
    Both are the most eclectic scores in the series while also having superb arrangements, which is something I think people don’t give Martin’s LALD enough credit for.
    Having great melodies is one thing, but it’s what you build around them that creates timeless magic and that is why Barry and Martin are leagues above everyone else that followed.
  • Posts: 4,044
    Diamonds has great variety. All those lounge tracks from the original album are complimented by the additional cues from the expanded version. Bond To Holland is one of the ballsiest uses of the Bond Theme. Wint And Kidd get a really memorable theme.

    John Barry produces one of his great space cues "007 And Counting" with that beautiful twinkling diamond motif. This track is often sampled by bands doing chillout and ambient music.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    @Birdleson
    Nah, I'm not angry. ;-) More like this:

    Disappointed-Terrible-Awful-OMG-Embarassed-Embarassing-WTF-GIF.gif

    ;-)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    DAF is certainly full of variety and has its moments ('007 and Counting' is excellent, with shades of YOLT), but it came in at 15th for me - it's still a solid score but there are plenty more favorites of mine ahead of it.
  • edited July 2021 Posts: 928
    The vinyl album is one of my favourite Barry scores to put on. While I feel Barry reached the apex with YOLT and OHMSS, this score has such a strong identity and as mentioned by @vzok , iconic tracks like 007 and Counting.

    And the intrigue around LALD's placement is getting hot! Can it outlast a couple more Barry scores (AVTAK, TB?) and sneak into the top 5?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I know some don't care for it but it's very exciting seeing LALD still in the game.
  • Posts: 2,402
    I had it at the #22 spot. I used to be fond of this score but now it sounds very "Barry-by-numbers" to me (007 and Counting being the worst offender in that regard) and it has some really bad cues in it (the trike vs. moon buggy chase, the "WAAH WAAAH"s during Bond to Holland) that dropped it further and further down.

    I'm kind of disappointed that the top ten basically just turned into a Barry fest, to be honest. Obviously he's the best composer of the franchise but a lot of great scores have been sidelined in favor of some of his weakest.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,138
    Which one is that @Birdleson ?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Birdleson wrote: »
    We will see soon enough! I’m not even telling myself.

    You're gonna be so surprised, I'm sure.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,136
    So here we are, looking at the most popular non-Barry entry of the franchise, also the only one who made it into the top 10, as our number 7:

    LIVE AND LET DIE
    Music composed by
    GEORGE MARTIN

    81Id2NB6wML._SL1500_.jpg

    Now, LALD ended up as someone's favourite, so that's one gold medal to Martin. In addition to that, LALD also received one bronze medal, one 4th place and two fifth places.

    LALD obtained nine more top 10's, of which four were 10th places. One bottom 5 was noted, a single 24th place.

    The original music for LALD collected 146 points.

    George Martin is the only composer with all of his scores in the top 10, although with only one score I realise that's not the most useful of statistics.

    I see that Martin was also nominated for a Grammy in the category Album of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special. Give that the McCartney's are also mentioned here, I'm not quite sure whether it was for the score or the song however.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Love to see it make it this far! I had it at #10 but it still stands as one of my favorites - it's unique enough while still retaining that Bondian feel and some of the tracks are just so effortlessly cool and jazzy, it's hard not to listen and enjoy. 'Bond Meets Solitaire' is so smooth (and those drums! Phenomenal).
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I have it in my top 20, but never understood what is so great about it. It isn t bad, but there are so many above it for me.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited July 2021 Posts: 24,183
    Finally! I've said it before: this is a good score... but every single Barry score is, at least in my opinion, so much better, more refined and polished, creative and unique. That is not to say that Martin doesn't present us with an enjoyable piece of work, and one that fits the movie well. But this one is still rather mediocre than brilliant in my book.
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