Bond Movie A vs. Bond Movie B (Diamonds Are Forever vs. The World Is Not Enough)

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  • 00Beast wrote:
    Creasy47 wrote:
    00Beast wrote:
    Such a shame, I really am disappointed. Honestly, OHMSS over GE? How is that even possible! It blows the mind.

    I agree. I guess it's just our placement in time and being introduced to the likes of GE that makes it 'obvious' for others to choose OHMSS over GE. Oh well, it still wins by one thousand miles for me.

    Precisely! I just don't get it. You've got Pierce over George, which that alone should propel GE over OHMSS, then Serra's epic soundtrack over Barry's, the action with which GE slaughters OHMSS, the pace, which I'm sure needs no explanation, and so much more!

    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 =))

    Murdock wrote:
    Please tell me the soundtrack wasn't included in "better everything"?
    It is in my book Sir Henry. :-bd

    You second ;)
  • Posts: 11,189
    00Beast wrote:
    00Beast wrote:
    Creasy47 wrote:
    00Beast wrote:
    Such a shame, I really am disappointed. Honestly, OHMSS over GE? How is that even possible! It blows the mind.

    I agree. I guess it's just our placement in time and being introduced to the likes of GE that makes it 'obvious' for others to choose OHMSS over GE. Oh well, it still wins by one thousand miles for me.

    Precisely! I just don't get it. You've got Pierce over George, which that alone should propel GE over OHMSS, then Serra's epic soundtrack over Barry's, the action with which GE slaughters OHMSS, the pace, which I'm sure needs no explanation, and so much more!

    I'll give you the rest but that statement is just plain wrong. Barry's OHMSS work is one of, if not the greatest action adventure scores of all time.

    I don't see how. To me, the soundtrack for OHMSS is dump! Only the theme music is good; everything else can be thrown in the trash. I particularly hate that instrumental junk for "We Have All the Time in the World." That's enough to make me want to turn the whole movie off then and there. Also I'm sure I don't have to mention the Christmas Tree song, oh my goodness, that's just plain annoying. Serra's GoldenEye soundtrack really fit the mood for the movie and is fun to listen to while watching the movie. Barry's OHMSS soundtrack simply brings the movie down even more notches than it was.

    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.
  • Posts: 12,837
    I love the GE score. It's unique and matches the film perfectly, the GE Bond theme with the drums might be my favourite version of the classic tune.

    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.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited June 2012 Posts: 15,715
    The GE score is indeed a fantastic soundtrack, the only non-Barry soundtrack to rival Barry's greatness. Serra's score is miles ahead of the by-the-numbers Arnold soundtracks.

    I understand people may hate the very 'odd' sound, but the soundtrack itself is one of the best soundtracks in the franchise.
  • edited June 2012 Posts: 3,494
    I hope the Wizard will reign an OHMSS-like avalanche down on all of them. The whole notion is absolutely insane.

    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.





  • The GE score is indeed a fantastic soundtrack, the only non-Barry soundtrack to rival Barry's greatness. Serra's score is miles ahead of the by-the-numbers Arnold soundtracks.

    I understand people may hate the very 'odd' sound, but the soundtrack itself is one of the best soundtracks in the franchise.

    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.

  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited June 2012 Posts: 15,715
    Too many people here wouldn't recognize great music even if it slapped them in the safe. They're stuck with their prejudices. I'm off this thread before I read anymore 'nonsense', as you call it.
  • Posts: 12,837
    I really don't see what's wrong with the GE soundtrack. I think the GE soundtrack, the TWINE soundtrack and the TSWLM soundtrack are great and are just as good as some of Barry's.
  • QsAssistantQsAssistant All those moments lost in time... like tears in rain
    Posts: 1,812
    I'm sure OHMSS will take majority here, but I'm going with GoldenEye. It's one of my favorites and it has a way better Bond.
  • Too many people here wouldn't recognize great music even if it slapped them in the safe. They're stuck with their prejudices. I'm off this thread before I read anymore 'nonsense', as you call it.

    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.

  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,216
    Barry injected romanticism and beauty into every one of his scores. George Martin came close to emulating that style, and Arnold has come pretty close to it too in non-action cues. The reason Serra is so reviled is that his score is much darker and brooding than any other Bond score. His use of electronics is quite harsh and the Ladies First cue is pretty dire. That said, the casino music was quite good, as was his gunbarrel music. The rest is largely forgettable by Barry's standards. It's not a bad score as a whole at all, it just deviates too far from the Bond sound. Arnold to his credit at least has a bit of that emotional romanticism going through his work, Night at the Opera is proof of that. It's just his use of electronics and synths that let's him down for me sometimes, and that was something Barry could do effectively. (OHMSS & TLD)
  • edited June 2012 Posts: 3,494
    Barry injected romanticism and beauty into every one of his scores. George Martin came close to emulating that style, and Arnold has come pretty close to it too in non-action cues. The reason Serra is so reviled is that his score is much darker and brooding than any other Bond score. His use of electronics is quite harsh and the Ladies First cue is pretty dire. That said, the casino music was quite good, as was his gunbarrel music. The rest is largely forgettable by Barry's standards. It's not a bad score as a whole at all, it just deviates too far from the Bond sound. Arnold to his credit at least has a bit of that emotional romanticism going through his work, Night at the Opera is proof of that. It's just his use of electronics and synths that let's him down for me sometimes, and that was something Barry could do effectively. (OHMSS & TLD)

    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.




  • edited June 2012 Posts: 11,189
    I LISTEN TO THE SOUNDTRACK PRETTY MUCH ON A DAILY BASIS - INCLUDING LADIES FIRST ;)

    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.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    edited June 2012 Posts: 16,351
    BAIN123 wrote:
    I LISTEN TO THE SOUNDTRACK PRETTY MUCH ON A DAILY BASIS - INCLUDING LADIES FIRST ;)

    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.
  • On Her Majesty's Secret Service. With a stronger actor as Bond it, imo, would've been the best Bond movie ever. Goldenye does deserve credit for reinvigorating the franchise and for Brosnan's best performance.
  • BAIN123 wrote:
    I LISTEN TO THE SOUNDTRACK PRETTY MUCH ON A DAILY BASIS - INCLUDING LADIES FIRST ;)

    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.


    You're right about one thing, this soundtrack can bore almost anyone into unconsciousness.
  • edited June 2012 Posts: 11,189
    My three favourite tracks are these:



    (it calms me down and makes me feel like I'm floating on a cloud)

    and this

    (from 2.30 onwards)

    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)
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043

    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.
  • Shardlake wrote:
    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!

  • edited June 2012 Posts: 2,107
    You can't compare the scores. People are mad.

    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.
  • Posts: 4,762
    @SharkBait: And a fantastic choice it is! <:-P
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    Posts: 2,632
    As much as I like Goldeneye, I love On Her Majesty's Secret Service... It's definitely in my top 3.
  • Posts: 1,778
    Can we have LTK vs. TSWLM next, or have we done that one yet?

    It's been done. TSWLM won by a fair margin.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,172
    If I'm not mistaken, there are 231 potential combinations. How many have we done so far? ;-)
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,423
    So how about DN vs QoS, the first vs last, OP vs TLD - two of the most complex plots? Or how about TB vs MR?

    Oh, by the way, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
  • edited June 2012 Posts: 940
    00Beast wrote:
    To me, the soundtrack for OHMSS is dump! Only the theme music is good; everything else can be thrown in the trash. I particularly hate that instrumental junk for "We Have All the Time in the World." That's enough to make me want to turn the whole movie off then and there. Also I'm sure I don't have to mention the Christmas Tree song, oh my goodness, that's just plain annoying. Serra's GoldenEye soundtrack really fit the mood for the movie and is fun to listen to while watching the movie. Barry's OHMSS soundtrack simply brings the movie down even more notches than it was.

    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.
  • Posts: 7,653
    OHMSS
  • Posts: 3,333
    slyfox wrote:
    I honestly cannot understand how anyone with ears can say this about the OHMSS soundtrack.

    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.
  • Posts: 12,837
    bondsum wrote:
    slyfox wrote:
    I honestly cannot understand how anyone with ears can say this about the OHMSS soundtrack.

    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???
  • Posts: 163
    DN!
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