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2. Martin
3. Arnold
4. kamen - LTK soundtrack improved over time for me.
5. Hamlisch - Simply for the Bond77 theme.
6. Newman
7. Conti -FYEO Ok at times then terrible.
8. Serra - Read that the better themes in GE were written by a different composer, found the soundtrack quite dull at times.
Agreed. Newman is the better composer I guess but he just doesn't have the passion for the Bond style that Arnold has. That alone puts Arnold out in front for me.
Also agreed about Eric Serra, @StirredNotShaken. Not the best Bond score and definitely has it's weaknesses but far from the abomination many claim it to be.
2) Martin - Simply stated, the best non-Barry Bond score.
3) Hamlisch - I really don't feel too guilty about this pleasure although I don't think I'd be blaring it at stoplights.
4) Arnold - He's a tough one to rank, that's for sure. He has a much larger body of work than many of the "one and done" composers. That is a detriment to him however. If I could compile my favorite tracks from all of his Bond scores and make a "Pachazo Best Of Compilation" then he would rank at number two on this list. I cannot forget the times that he has left me scratching my head though. I also cannot forget the times where he has completely lost me. A roller coaster, this one.
5) Conti - Some great moments in here but also some really bizarre choices. Overall it works but I'm glad that he only did one.
6) Newman - Nothing terribly offensive but nothing truly memorable either. As average as it gets.
7) Kamen - I'm placing him this low because I don't feel that he did enough to differentiate his prior work to this piece.
8) Serra - There are some good moments to be found here but it's a weak effort compared to all of the others.
9) Norman - In retrospect he was like the opening band for John Barry. No one hated him but once the main act took the stage he was completely forgotten.
2nd : David Arnold
3rd : George Martin
4th : Marvin Hamlisch
5th : Eric Serra
6th : Thomas Newman
7th : Michael Kamen
8th : Bill Conti
2. Arnold: I've always had trouble with his scores. There are some tracks that are just all over the place, but there's also many good one's. Concerning his Brosnan-era scores: Weren't most film scores around that time very much like that? Most of what I remember from 90s/ early 00s scores was just that - they were all over the place.
3. Conti: I have a soft spot for 70s/80s music and for FYEO. There is too much disco on some tracks, but overall there is some good music here. The "Submarine"- track is one of my best memories from FYEO.
4. Hamlisch: I really found this score perfect for TSWLM. Bond 77 is one of the best non-Barry tracks.
5. Martin: I really like this score. Very much a time period piece, just like Conti's and Hamlisch's scores, but I think that is why I remember these three scores so well. There's not many scores (Bond and non-Bond) I can say the same about.
6. Newman: I've listened a lot to this score; maybe even more than some of Barry's. The trouble is that it just don't win me over. I need to remember tracks to really enjoy the score, and there's just two or three songs that stuck. I have no doubt if he does one more, it will be more Bondian, but for now, I just can't rank him top five.
7. Kamen: Same problem as with Newman: good effort, but nothing I really can remember. Too American?
8. Serra: I've never liked this. Everything I remember from this score is hollow dark sounds.
9. Norman: The score has actually stopped me from seeing Dr. No several times. I usually just go straight to FRWL and continue from there.
Sorry if I hurt your feelings, and you shouldn't take it personally as it should be no surprise to anyone. I've been laughing at any and everyone who feels the way you do around here for 5 years, and I will be again at the next person too. In your case, you made some very strong assumptions and statements in defending the indefensible, yes of course you can have your opinion and I will explain my position with plenty of facts to "back my smack". If you have any further issue, please, feel free to flag my post and register your complaint with the mods. Meanwhile, here's my list for any and everyone to like or dislike, or laugh at for that matter.
1. John Barry- Along with Miklos Rosza, I firmly agree with every opinion that John Barry Prendergast is the greatest film composer of all time and as I'm fond of saying, the Mozart of his time. He's an immortal whose music will be relevant as long as human society exists. Then. Now. Forever.
2. George Martin- he may not have a songwriting credit for the infamous and classic title song, but I can't imagine anyone else stepping into Barry's void and producing what he did here. Everything from the funky urban vibe to the eerie strings thematically fits the movie to the tee and he uses Barry's methods of weaving in the title song and one or two others he composed. As @chrisisall states, original yet very Bondian and I don't think any composer has yet managed this most difficult feat as well as Martin.
3. David Arnold- as folks have been pointing out, DA is an acknowledged disciple of Barry and considered him his mentor. While he has produced some terrific scores that have been very Bondian (TND, CR, QOS), his experiments with techno in an effort to establish his own style of Bondian sound have not quite worked out and both the TWINE and DAD soundtracks make that impression. Kudos for his excellent efforts but he is no more at Barry's level than anyone else. He finally started to hone in on something with CR and QOS, using the techno more sparingly and being smarter about it's use, and if indeed the rumors of EON being sour on Thomas Newman are true, we may see him return sooner than later. I would be equally interested in seeing how he's grown as a composer now that he's had some time to reflect on what he's done and how he could improve or change his direction.
4. Michael Kamen- I understand as a musician and composer why some see him as a generic 80's action kind of composer and that his big, bombastic sound in LTK differed little from his other efforts such as the "Die Hard" series. But what differentiates Kamen from the others we'll get to next is that like Martin and Arnold, he was also a fan of Bond and Barry and he not only understood what kind of sound Bond fans wanted to hear, he was also highly enthusiastic about the opportunity. His use of flamenco styled guitar really matches the Latin flavor of the adventure, and when he turns the London Philharmonic loose on the Bond theme- wow!
5. Thomas Newman- this starts the run of composers for whom scoring a Bond film was more of a job and less a labor of love. This gets proven to be especially true in his case when you notice the pronounced lack of the Bond theme and are told that he was not going to include the title song anywhere in his soundtrack until it was suggested that he should do these things. Technically Newman is a pro's pro and his use of techno/electronica is much advanced over Arnold's, but in respect to content a focused listen to his SF soundtrack reveals that he thought he too could reinvent the Bond sound and that's why this effort mostly doesn't match up with Martin, Arnold, and Kamen in understanding that the Bond sound is what people truly want. Or should if they truly understand anything about Barry's legacy for these films. I think he gets that now, and I'd expect better of him next time, if there is a next time.
6. Marvin Hamlisch- other than crafting a timeless title theme, Hamlisch shows proper respect for Barry in making use of it thematically within the film. He puts a modern for the time disco spin on the Bond theme in "Bond 77" to match the atmosphere of the current social climate. I give him credit for the attempt, but the disco and his keyboard use here are an acquired taste. Some like it, but if you hate disco it's annoying as all hell.
7. Monty Norman- as stated, he wrote the timeless Bond theme but it's Barry's orchestration and later use that breathed life into the notes. Otherwise the soundtrack is unremarkable and often not very good.
8. Bill Conti- when you revel in the glory of "Gonna Fly Now" like I do as a native of the Philadelphia suburbs, you realize that Conti is capable of greatness. Some of the things he does are very good such as the submarine scene and the climb up to St. Cyril's. The title song gets use. Otherwise it's more a disaster than not. The gunbarrel theme is nearly identical to Martin's, and his choice of instruments seem very out of place as disco and the brass/keyboard sounds were by then passe and old news. It fails on many levels, but not as much as what was to come in 1995.
9. Eric Serra- Severely underrated? Nope. Unfairly criticized? Please! In Jon Burlingame's book about Bond music, Serra states that he was given little to no direction from the producers. Rather than going with music that fit the Bondian style, he figures he can do what he wants and this soundtrack becomes the giant, toilet clogging dump of the entire series. I'm sure Serra would have done a lot of things differently and better in hindsight, because in all fairness he is a much better composer than this effort shows, but this soundtrack is still unacceptable and far below his own standards. So many things are wrong for the movie and antithetical to the Bond legacy. Pastiche please! The gun barrel theme is too radical and does not work. No use of the superior title theme (the best music in the entire film) anywhere. I wish Bono and Edge had done the soundtrack, unlike Serra they were Bond fans who weren't looking to do anything but pay their own tribute to Barry and the Bond legacy. Sparing use of the Bond theme that actually has to be rewritten for the tank chase by John Altman. So many atonal and dark sounds that do not fit despite claims to the contrary. The orchestration regarding the strings anywhere in the film is all wrong and his romantic themes sound like elevator muzak. No heart, no soul, no passion. More fitting for the likes of Bourne and "La Femme Nikita" and a huge mistake. The ONLY thing that Serra does well is in the PTS where you hear the Bond theme on timpani drums, this really works as far as originality but after that it is what it is. So, @StirredNotShaken, these are clear reasons why most people are highly critical of this soundtrack and why they hate it. No one hates this sonic abortion because they hate Serra- they just hate his work in this particular film. Like most of the very, very few who like this work such as yourself, there is very little if any factual basis in either musical theory nor history to back up this opinion. So I don't see where you've made any case for anything you've written other than you think you've made one, and think you speak for many who don't share your opinion because it fits your view. Feel free to rebut me if you wish, and I will seriously try to be on my best behavior in my response.
Warmest regards,
Sir Henry
1) John Barry, of course
2) David Arnold
3) Thomas Newman.
4) Bill Conti. Yes, I know I'm in the minority here, but I loved his score.
5) George Martin
6) Marvin Hamlisch
7) Michael Kamen (loses point because his score is a bit too similar to his Lethal Weapon and Die Hard scores)
8) Eric Serra
9) Burt Bacharach (not Bondian, I know, but funny score)
And waaaaaay down at the bottom : Michel Legrand.
EDIT : Oooops, I forgot Monty Norman. I put him between Martin and Hamlisch. Granted, he created the Bond Theme, but it was John Barry who turned it into a hit. And his music was too descriptive for my taste. Case in point : the tarentula scene. That's guaranteed to make an audience laugh every time.
Another reason I think Serra's score was much better than people have made it out to be. Again, I'm not saying every piece was a fucking opus, but what the hell is wrong with this?
I actually LIKE the score, a lot better than the Seventies disco scores. I really don't get all the hate on this. It's not my favourite, but it's SO far from the worst IMHO.
As for my Rank.
1.John Barry
2.David Arnold
3.Eric Serra
4.Michael Kamen
5.George Martin
6.Thomas Newman
7.Bill Conti
8.Marvin Hamlisch
Yes I sort of got off topic. :))
2. George Martin
3. David Arnold
4. Marvin Hamlisch
5. Michael Kamen
6. Thomas Newman
7. Monty Norman
8. Bill Conti
9. Eric Serra
2. Marvin Hamlisch
3. Thomas Newman
4. George Martin
5. Bill Conti
5. David Arnold
7. Monty Norman
8. Michael Kamen
9. Eric Serra
2 Thomas Newman (Burt Bacharach goes here if we count him)
3 Michael Kamen
4 David Arnold
5 George Martin
6 Marvin Hamlisch
7 Monty Norman
8 Bill Conti
9 Eric Serra
10 Michel Legrand
2. Eric Serra
3. David Arnold
4. Michael Kamen
5. Marvin Hamlisch
6. Bill Conti
7. George Martin
8. Monty Norman
9. Thomas Newman
2. George Martin
3. Marvin Hamlisch
4. Bill Conti
5. David Arnold (Craig years)
6. Thomas Newman (SF)
7. Eric Serra
8. Michael Kamen
9. Monty Norman
10. Michel Legrand
11. Thomas Newman (SP)
12. David Arnold (Brosnan years)
I like the distinction you introduce between Arnold (CR, QOS) and Arnold (TND, TWINE, DAD). I think it's nothing if not fair to assert that his later work feels more mature, more dramatically balanced and less chaotic. He definitely brought the "x factor" to the 90s Bond, but for every ten seconds of solid cool Bond stuff, he also delivered minutes of trite, deafening and out-of-control, dissonant turmoil.
CR, I feel, is where he started to treat his Bond music as a useful narrative tool and less as an expression of his own fanboyish excitement.
While not my first choice, I'm open to him returning for B25 because I think the decade+ away may motivate him to bring something even better to the table.
2. David Arnold
3. George Martin
4. Michael Kamen
5. Eric Serra
6. Bill Conti
7. Burt Bacharach
8. Marvin Hamlisch
9. Monty Norman
10. Michel Legrand
11. Thomas Newman
@bondjames
I couldn't agree more. I'm confident, in fact, that having worked in other media and for productions of a vastly smaller scale, Arnold, upon returning to Bond, could prove less complacent and more innovative than ever before. He's pushing 60 and has been away from it all long enough to have lent himself a new perspective on things. The films themselves have undergone a remarkable tone shift too, mandating a different subset of musical attitudes. Putting it bluntly, a popcorn version of John Barry's greatest hits, like what he gave us in '97, simply won't do anymore. B25 could offer him the opportunity to re-invent himself, something he had already done, albeit in smaller doses, with CR.
As for my current ranking, and taking the liberty of splitting a composer's contributions in two as suggested by @bondjames:
1) Barry (obviously)
2) Arnold (Craig era)
3) Newman (SP)
4) Kamen
5) Conti
6) Newman (SF)
7) Arnold (Brosnan era)
8) Hamlish
9) Martin
10) Serra
11) Norman
12) Legrand
Bacharach's score is an oddity. It's brilliant but so incredibly different in what it set out to do, that I hesitate to include it in this list. I can put the musical genius of Bacharach on par with Barry's, but his "Bondian" efforts are almost the opposite of what the others have tried to accomplish.
1. John Barry
2. George Martin
3. David Arnold
4. Marvin Hamlisch/Bill Conti
6. Monty Norman
7. Burt Bacharach
8. Michael Kamen
9. Eric Serra
10. Michel Legrand
11. Thomas Newman
Every score that John Barry did is wonderful. Even The Man with the Golden Gun, of which Barry thought of as his weakest (which it probably is), is better than what almost every other film composer could come up with. His most extraordinary work was probably done in the 60s, but even that is a matter of taste (my favourite is Thunderball). A magnificent genius who elevated every film. He captured the essence of the film and made his melodies stay in your head not for days, but forever.
2. David Arnold
If you need a substitute for Barry, Arnold is your guy. His first score for Tomorrow Never Dies is a great start and his peak is Casino Royale, which rivals Barry. He understands the tone and intention of the film, the characters and their relationship and he gets to the gist of what a scene is trying to convey. I wish Arnold would come back in the near future.
3. Michael Kamen
In its minimalism, Kamen's score is impressively effective; it sounds like Mexico and danger. His underscoring technique underlines the tone of the film and the Americana atmosphere; the arrangements of the gun barrel sequence and the Bond Theme are some of the coolest. A highly underrated soundtrack for a highly underrated Bond film.
4. George Martin
Very dynamic, very fresh. George Martin incorporated the title song throughout the picture in a beautiful way like very few composers besides Barry. I don't think highly of the over-scoring during the final scene with Kananga, though (when Bond is tied up), or the largely silent boat chase sequence: it's not a very well-filmed chase, so it could have needed some musical help to make it look better.
5. Monty Norman
I guess this is controversial, but I accept the verdict. Norman was ultimately a songwriter, not a film composer, and it shows. But I will always love the songs in Dr. No: "Three Blind Mice", "Jump Up", "Underneath The Mango Tree"... they were developed with Byron Lee and his band. Also, without Norman, there wouldn't be the Bond Theme.
6. Bill Conti
Conti is a brilliant composer, no doubt. Some of the For Your Eyes Only score is great, some ideas don't quite work. The disco music during the car chase is great fun, during the ski chase it becomes a bit too much for me - this is Bond, not Rocky.
I LOVE the title track sung by Sheena Easton.
7. Marvin Hamlisch
Sounds just a little too dated for me; the Bee Gee disco riffs are too prevalent and don't really fit the Bond world very well.
His title song "Nobody Does It Better" is one of the best, though.
8. Eric Serra
I think Serra is the only composer to this day (if you exclude Norman's Bond Theme) where the producers intervened in the end and decided to opt for something different, because they were so disappointed with Serra's musical choice during the St. Petersburg chase.
Some of the score is okay - like the Casino scene - , but it's almost too clichéd and there's no red thread that somehow connects the music. The techno tracks sound like they were taken from a PC game.
10. Thomas Newman
I'm sorry, I don't get it. Generic, boring and sounding like every other Hollywood movie today. Not memorable at all.
The composers of unofficial Bond films:
1. Burt Bacharach
Typical Bacharach; it's not Bondian at all, of course, yet it fits the crazy film somehow. It's fantastic 60s lounge Easy Listening, not to be taken too seriously, but composed by a bonafide musical genius.
2. Michel Legrand
The worst. SO ill-fitting for Bond and so very fitting for the atrocious film the score was composed for. Sounds like cheap 80s soft porn, at best (or at least what I imagine 80s soft porn would sound like; I don't watch porn). The title song is laughable.
Quite curious how bad the music is, given that Legrand was a very good composer.
1) Martin
2) Barry
3) Arnold (TND/DAD/CR)
4) Conti
5) Hamlisch
6) Norman
7) Kamen
8) Serra
9) Arnold (QoS/TWINE)
10) Newman
(but the blame perhaps goes more to the screenwriters/director etc. who decided to make horror movies instead of Bond movies, IMO)
George Martin - LALD is an excellent soundtrack that is unmistakebly Bond... with a groove.
Marvin Hamlisch - TSWLM doesn't contain any spectacular musical cues but it still sounds like a Bond soundtrack and the title song alone earns him third spot.
The rest range from bad to forgettable.