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Question @mattjoes — does Barry deserve more credit for keeping the door open for Williams? He was doing orchestral stuff on a blockbusting franchise before Spielberg and Lucas 'invented' the blockbuster franchise. I mean, I get that the success of STAR WARS directly led to a revival in that type of score. I guess I'm wondering how much Bond led to it indirectly. Spielberg and Lucas were certainly influenced by the franchise. Was Williams looking at Barry? I haven't found much on the subject.
Elegant, exuberant and opulent are precisely how I view Cafe Martinique and Lujon as well. Unbelievably romantic and calming too.
I'd say TMWTGG was a transitional score. One can see that he's experimenting with a new approach but there's still that staccato like twang to the brass from his earlier work (so it has a bit of the old and the new to it). I remember reading that the score was very rushed and he didn't have time to refine some of his themes. I've always felt that the main OP action score borrows a little from TMWTGG and wonder if Barry had unfinished ideas that he tapped into for the later film. Like @Strog, I personally think MR is when we hear the new approach to his compositions, with that far more sweeping and symphonic sound that you referred to earlier.
You've put it perfectly by suggesting that his earlier scores had a more frenzied approach to the brass, in comparison to the more "stately" later compositions. That's precisely what I hear too. The 'frenzy' is what I love about his earlier sound. It's almost like a jazz master improvising and 'ad libbing'. Almost jamming.
I saw Game of Death as a kid and can't remember much about it (except Lee in that famous yellow outfit while confronting Kareem Abdul Jabar). I will seek it out for another viewing, perhaps in combination with Enter The Dragon.
Once again, perfectly put. That's exactly the same way I feel as well. That sound is perfect for Bond.
He did a reasonably large chunk of symphonic stuff that was appropriate for the epic scope but there was still a noticeable presence of his erratic, frenzied style from the earlier films there. This was mostly to establish mood. It's not as obviously atmospheric (compared to say, FRWL) thanks to the Eastern influences he infused the score with. He would further balance these approaches in OHMSS but that had a more intrusive but no less masterful electronic element to it. You can hear him growing as a musician over time, which is very interesting to listen to.
It's also notable that the more sweeping style Barry adopted in the mid to late 70s would stay with him until the end of his career and ultimately be the reason why he didn't score as many films towards the end of it. That style, by the mid to late 90s, wasn't the most popular anymore.
@Strog , I don't get a strong impression that Williams was looking at Barry. It's clear that among Williams' musical sensibilities was an interest in orchestral music (as well as jazz). That naturally led to his scoring event films such as The Poseidon Adventure and Star Wars with an orchestral sound, a sound that at any rate was associated with those types of films way before Bond and Barry. While in the seventies, several prominent composers --people like Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin and Jerry Fielding-- scored films in a non-orchestral style, orchestral music was certainly still present to a degree. As for Barry, he was of course a very popular composer during both the sixties and seventies, and during the latter decade he scored King Kong, a big film which was highly anticipated and which had an orchestral sound. Barry also scored The Deep, after John Williams turned it down for whatever reason. So, while I don't particularly think Barry influenced Williams, he did contribute to keeping an orchestral style alive during those times.
TMWTGG was composed in three weeks, I believe. I don't know if Barry felt he needed more time to work on the score, but it would make sense given the rushed schedule. Having said that, he stated he thought his score was "very good."
I see a similarity between the TMWTGG theme and the OP action theme in the use of staccato brass, and high woodwinds to play the melody, though I get different vibes from the themes. TMWTGG is less suspenseful and more adventuresque than the OP action theme.
Yes. However, the overall "vibe" of the score is in my opinion more jazzy than symphonic, and as @CraigMooreOHMSS says, it has plenty of frenetic brass (in the Stan Kenton style which inspired Barry in those early works). The OHMSS score continues that brassy style, though it also flirts with a more symphonic sound in Journey to Blofeld's Hideaway. DAF is clearly a very loungey score. I think Barry didn't start progressing in a definitive way toward a symphonic sound until TMWTGG.
Speaking of YOLT, compare it with MR: The latter makes significantly wider, more detailed use of the whole range of orchestral sounds, with more elaborate instrumentation, whereas YOLT is a bit more simple and sparse in its arrangements. Also, by the time of MR, Barry was making his compositions a bit more complex, and using less repetition. This is consistent with the nature of a symphony, given its length and the opportunity said length provides to develop musical ideas extensively.
Plus he has history in getting rerecording a classic theme right.
I've mentioned this before, but I really feel it's time for the jazz influence to make its way back into Bond. Barry abandoned it in the early 70's (I think TMWTGG was the last film to have that influence) and I think it really defined some of the best and most memorable hooks of the past (including Lalo Schifrin's famous MI tune).
I think jazz just really suits the Bond world.
Still, he´s not on the level Tyler.
I've already stated that I'd like to give Murray Gold an opportunity. Or, Joe Kraemer. He's not as famous as others, not as popular, but I've loved everything he's done so far. Plus, he's shown that he can take an iconic theme an make it work.
OK, I've gone back in timey wimey and listened to this
and I'm not getting Bond at all from it. Any got examples of any other tracks he's done that are Bond friendly?
I approve.
Oh yes please!
I liked a fair bit of David Arnold’s tracks, but like the Brosnan movies he got noisy in the finales.
You're right, no good action pieces…
Desplat
Marianelli
Pemberton
Tell me more…
Regarding Gold, I keep insisting: the last minute or so of this track would fit a bond flick like a glove
Pemberton has brilliant ideas, but has yet to produce a whole score that is at least interesting and does not fall asleep throughout.
A few good ideas or tracks do not make a good composer. But unfortunately it has become common that a film soundtrack contains a few good tracks and a lot of garbage.
That last bit, the bit that I just bolded is my problem with Brian Tyler precisely. I find that he has a something to create main themes or specifical tracks, but then he can't back it up. I like his Iron Man theme, for instance, but I don't like the entirety of his score for the film. (I love his F1 theme, despite not being love at first sight)
Desplat is brilliant at everything he does. Not only quieter bits. The action pieces for Valerian, Monument's Men (the finale), Deadly Hallows part 2 (the magnificent Statues), The Ghost Writer (chase on the Ferry is a fine chase track) are pretty damn good if you ask me.
Regarding Pemberton, he certainly has ideas. And I don't like all of them, I didn't like his score for King Arthur for instance. But, he is capable of bringing good action cues and substance together. He did that with UNCLE, he did that with Ocean's 8 (not brilliant, but still a good jazzy score, respecting the franchise's style).
That seems to have levelled out lately, though. The only thing I really enjoyed from him in the last couple of years was THE MUMMY. His other action efforts are often drowned in dubstep textures and manipulated electronic sound effects, e.g. CRIMINAL, NOW YOU SEE ME. This is on account of his experimentation under his other alias, Madsonik. The lines between the two are sometimes blurred.
His work from Frailty all the way up, to say, Fast Five, is ace. Iron Man 3 is also pretty great. I'd be happy to hear what he could do for Bond if he reined in those recent stylistic traits.