The Score of Skyfall

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  • Posts: 1,817
    This is the first attempt to create something original since Serra's GE (but in some ways QOS is special too). It reminds me a lot of Road to Perdition, which is obvious, but which I like. Even so, we can't judge a whole soundtrack by three pieces.
  • tqbtqb
    Posts: 1,022
    SaintMark wrote:

    So basicly still better than DA's work. ;)

    I disagree thus far to be honest

  • tqb wrote:
    SaintMark wrote:

    So basicly still better than DA's work. ;)

    I disagree thus far to be honest

    As do I. Arnold was easily the 2nd best composer for Bond after John Barry.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    GMSkarka wrote:
    tqb wrote:
    SaintMark wrote:

    So basicly still better than DA's work. ;)

    I disagree thus far to be honest

    As do I. Arnold was easily the 2nd best composer for Bond after John Barry.

    Me three.
  • MrBondMrBond Station S
    edited October 2012 Posts: 2,044
    I'm pretty sure that i'm going to get people after me after this statement, but think that CR and QoS soundtrack is the best in the franchise. Better then any others!
  • Posts: 2,107
    GMSkarka wrote:
    tqb wrote:
    SaintMark wrote:

    So basicly still better than DA's work. ;)

    I disagree thus far to be honest

    As do I. Arnold was easily the 2nd best composer for Bond after John Barry.

    Me three.

    I'm all four that!
  • Posts: 4,619
    Am I the only one who thinks the track Severine is better than anything Arnold has ever done for a Bond film?
  • Posts: 612
    I got tired of Arnold long ago. I'm not sure about Newman, but I'll decide once I see Skyfall a few times.

    I like the snippet that we have, but I don't love it. It feels new and fresh, and very modern. My biggest complaint is just that it doesn't feel like a Bond movie score. It needed less bass chugging, and more big brassy sequences.

    But again, 6 minutes out of the whole movie, it could be different.
  • Am I the only one who thinks the track Severine is better than anything Arnold has ever done for a Bond film?

    Severine is a gorgeous track for sure. I'm really pleased with all three cues. This promises to be something really special. John Barry's music is fantastic but there is more than one way of scoring a Bond film. Twenty five years since Barry's final Bond score, maybe it's time to move on and embrace something a little different

  • Posts: 7,653
    MrBond wrote:
    I'm pretty sure that i'm going to get people after me after this statement, but think that CR and QoS soundtrack is the best in the franchise. Better then any others!

    And rightfully I would say, you Fillistine. ;)

  • Posts: 612
    SaintMark wrote:
    MrBond wrote:
    I'm pretty sure that i'm going to get people after me after this statement, but think that CR and QoS soundtrack is the best in the franchise. Better then any others!

    And rightfully I would say, you Fillistine. ;)

    Give OHMSS and AVTAK a listen, then come back.
  • edited October 2012 Posts: 3,494
    Am I the only one who thinks the track Severine is better than anything Arnold has ever done for a Bond film?

    I think it's exceedingly average for a short cue. Solange is much better comparatively speaking.

    I found nothing special at all in these snippets. I agree that it isn't any better than Arnold thus far, and certainly nowhere near Barry or Martin. But in the context of seeing images on film that accompany the music, I'll reserve further judgment except to say I've heard Newman do much better work.
  • Posts: 1,310
    Is anyone else getting a Mission: Impossible 2 vibe from 'New Digs' and 'The Moors?'

    My favorite bit from Newman's score is still the snippet heard in the recently released clip.
  • SJK91 wrote:
    Is anyone else getting a Mission: Impossible 2 vibe from 'New Digs' and 'The Moors?'

    Or a Bourne vibe.

    Or a Taken vibe.

    Or a Ronin vibe.

    Or a Transporter vibe.

    Or a Salt vibe.

    Or a "24" vibe.

    It's absolutely generic.
  • I'm surprised how much flack those two tracks are getting. "The Moors" is good, nothing to write home about, but "New Digs" is just pure Bondian cool in my opinion. The use of electric guitar hits a spot that hasn't been hit for me since Goldfinger's soundtrack.
  • Posts: 1,310
    I'm surprised how much flack those two tracks are getting. "The Moors" is good, nothing to write home about, but "New Digs" is just pure Bondian cool in my opinion. The use of electric guitar hits a spot that hasn't been hit for me since Goldfinger's soundtrack.
    I'm not saying the bits we heard are garbage, but regardless, I still like the sound-bite from the train clip the best so far. (It should be noted that the 'Severine' track has a wonderful TB inspired part at the 3:00 mark in the video, it's great.) It is a different sound for sure, and I'm liking that it has just a hint of Serra's GE score tossed in. But like everyone should, I'm holding any brash judgements until it's all released.

    That being said, with the little bits I've heard, I remain optimistic.
  • SJK91 wrote:
    Is anyone else getting a Mission: Impossible 2 vibe from 'New Digs' and 'The Moors?'

    My favorite bit from Newman's score is still the snippet heard in the recently released clip.

    It's funny, after the first few seconds I was thinking that it sounded like it belonged in Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol. But then I thought after listening to the whole thing that it sounded more like Zimmer's style for M:I 2.

    I have two reactions to this: the first is that the music sounds gorgeous. I'll let others who are more musically inclined delve into the details, but there was a...precision, crispness, and clarity to the guitar in the first track that was wonderful to my ear. Severine was a lovely, lush piece of music that reminded me of the romantic yearnings that the exoticness of the Bond films stirred in me when I was a kid. And the final piece will likely sound incredible in the theatre, especially with Imax-sized shots of the Highlands.

    But...it's lacking a distinctive "Bond" sound to me. I don't mean a pastiche-level inclusion of bass and brass. It's just that the, say, Barry-esque elements are very muted (though I did detect some in the background). I'm glad that they didn't over-do it, but like the title song I'd love it if things had been at least nudged towards Barry-esque.

    However, I certainly won't pass judgement until I see the film - how the soundtrack integrates into the film experience is even more important than how it sounds on its own.
  • Posts: 7
    SaintMark wrote:
    MrBond wrote:
    I'm pretty sure that i'm going to get people after me after this statement, but think that CR and QoS soundtrack is the best in the franchise. Better then any others!

    And rightfully I would say, you Fillistine. ;)

    O the irony of spelling philistine with an F......

  • edited October 2012 Posts: 27
    New digs is a smooth spying piece, happens in Turkey. The piece is partly actually a western version of a Turkish traditional tune, it even has that guitar-like instrument playing out of tune for purpose (there is a lots of out-of-tune elements in Turkish music, partially and philosophically on purpose). Reminding on Arnold's Haiti piece from QOS , but more consistant, with a concept.

    We have to get used that in general Newman-pieces will have a wider concept, integrity and substance then the other fella before him, regardless of how many instruments, different texture levels or mood changes he uses.

    Severine gave me goosebumps. Such a beauty. Feels like falling for a presence of a woman, it's a mesmerising moment. I really wonder for what is it used, this is probably not some background music anymore but a real part of a scene. Either is Bond seduced by her or he gets some fundamental knowledge of his enemy through her, or some kind of a important revelation. Sweet surrender as well. From quality of composing and imagination/talent, this is in John Barry's league although different approach - no rhytmical accompainment by Vcellos but homogenous rising on one subdominant chord as a base.

    The Moors is rather simple dramatic action background track which probably accompaines a wider piece of a finale of the movie, which probably happens in Scotland (that thing with a house, helicopter, Silva , darkness, fire, etc.) It's probably more important what happens on the screen itself; music has only a constant menacing function.

    I think there is a good reason for looking forward to the rest :-)
  • edited October 2012 Posts: 27
    Yes, one more thing, no overused third relations (chromatic mediants) as a cheap dramatising asset, composing ground or time - fill, finally, after 15 years , thank you Thomas Newman! No more this, if, it should be used like garlic, not like water (with Arnold):

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatic_mediant
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    So far I'm very much pleased with the fresh and natural vibes I get from this score. Looking forward to the rest.
  • Posts: 130
    seroxx wrote:
    New digs is a smooth spying piece, happens in Turkey. The piece is partly actually a western version of a Turkish traditional tune, it even has that guitar-like instrument playing out of tune for purpose (there is a lots of out-of-tune elements in Turkish music, partially and philosophically on purpose). Reminding on Arnold's Haiti piece from QOS , but more consistant, with a concept.

    We have to get used that in general Newman-pieces will have a wider concept, integrity and substance then the other fella before him, regardless of how many instruments, different texture levels or mood changes he uses.

    Severine gave me goosebumps. Such a beauty. Feels like falling for a presence of a woman, it's a mesmerising moment. I really wonder for what is it used, this is probably not some background music anymore but a real part of a scene. Either is Bond seduced by her or he gets some fundamental knowledge of his enemy through her, or some kind of a important revelation. Sweet surrender as well. From quality of composing and imagination/talent, this is in John Barry's league although different approach - no rhytmical accompainment by Vcellos but homogenous rising on one subdominant chord as a base.

    The Moors is rather simple dramatic action background track which probably accompaines a wider piece of a finale of the movie, which probably happens in Scotland (that thing with a house, helicopter, Silva , darkness, fire, etc.) It's probably more important what happens on the screen itself; music has only a constant menacing function.

    I think there is a good reason for looking forward to the rest :-)
    Put eloquently. I totally agree.

    New Digs - typical Newman "exotic" style, but with a wonderful dramatic edge to it.
    Severine - has that "Revolutionary Road" vibe to it, but more soft - feels like this would fit perfectly for a caring moment, such as the one we have seen in the trailers
    The Moors - I have to say this still surprises me. Yes, it has a lot of the typical Newmanesque elements, but it's much harder, intense. If that is the suspense/light action music, I am really happy!

    Whatever you say about Newman, he's got some balls. He didn't try to copy Barry or Arnold. He brought his own style to the soundtrack, and I believe it will work. I guess we will find out soon enough.
  • imranbecksimranbecks Singapore
    Posts: 984
    Awesome... I'm so gonna pre-order this at iTunes!

    A very nice modern twist I feel, at times they almost sound like David Arnold's, only sounding much more grand and modernized....
  • Must say that I like it. "Raiders of the lost ark"+"Hans Zimmer"+"Thomas Newman" = Good.

    A lot less heavy and "closed room which has not been ventilated since dawn of time" than some of Arnolds tracks.
  • But... This is also very, very good.

  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    Lofqvist wrote:
    But... This is also very, very good.


    Probably the best non-Barry piece of Bond music.
  • Lofqvist wrote:
    But... This is also very, very good.


    Probably the best non-Barry piece of Bond music.

    Couldn't agree more. If Barry wrote it everyone would love it, but because it's Arnold it gets disrespected, called a "pastiche", etc. Gorgeous melody and arrangement, instantly memorable and very emotional, very Barryesque and Bondian.

    I know Newman did what he wanted, I can only hope he paid Barry and the Bond sound the proper respect along the way. Arnold should be credited for understanding and trying to give us that. The last thing I want is a revisit of the 1995 musical disaster by a man who thought he was bigger and better than the Barry legacy.

  • I realize it’s just seven or so minutes from the score, but these tracks sound extremely generic to me. “New Digs” and “The Moor” sound almost exactly like the score for the Clash of the Titans remake. Granted, I like that score, but I don’t want it for a Bond movie. “Severine” is better and more sweeping, and at least that track sounds like it’s been played by an orchestra – unlike the other two, which sound like they’ve been created on a computer. For a film that’s supposed to be such an old-fashioned throwback, I’m rather surprised to hear a Hans Zimmer-type score here. I was hoping for a lot of brass and symphonic bombast. Here’s hoping Newman comes through.

    And on a side note, David Arnold gave us some truly great Bond music. He wasn’t always spot-on (I could do without most of his DAD score, for example, but then again I could do without the whole damn movie), but he has some brilliant moments. The track “I Never Miss” at the end of TWINE is one of my all-time favorite Bond score moments, and I equally love his orchestration during the sequence when Bond is following Vesper through the streets of Venice.
  • Posts: 87
    It seems that Newman didn't hear John Barry Bond' scores and don't understand the role of music in Bond movies. At last he could ask Arnold for help.
  • edited October 2012 Posts: 3,276
    Didn't like it. If the rest of the soundtrack sounds like that, I can only say: Bring back Arnold. At least he was good for 1-2 memorable tracks per movie.
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