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Your Favorite 'One and Done' Composer...Poll

HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
edited June 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 4,399
(i am not sure if this is already a topic - forgive my laziness for not looking deep into the pages to find it if it is)

as we stand currently, John Barry and David Arnold are the only composers to grace a Bond film with their scores more than once.. John Barry has 12 films, and David Arnold has 5 (6 if he indeed comes back for Bond 23).. but what about the "other guys"? - the composers who only contributed to one Bond film... who is your favorite out the bunch that went one and done?..... i'll get the ball rolling with mine...

mine is a tough one, because for me, it's a struggle between George Martin's score to "Live And Let Die" and Bill Conti's score to "For Your Eyes Only"..... Martin's score definitely full of attitude, that reflects the title theme - and it fits right in with the Black-xploitation and gritty urban feeling the film has - as well as some nice tribal and island touches for the scenes in the Caribbean..

but even though i love the score to Live And Let Die, Bill Conti delivers a score that is (dare i say) more memorable... while Conti's might not have the "soul" of Martin's score, it has a richness and savvy - and a nice balance between upbeat synth tracks and traditional orchestrated melodies, with an occasional electric guitar riff thrown in for good measure.. for 1981, it had the best elemental hangovers from the 70s, as well as a blend of things to come from the 80s.. it's a score that i find myself usually throwing on more than the others - and one that is fun to drive to as well :)

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Comments

  • ChuckChuck
    Posts: 212
    Surely this will be an unpopular opinion, but I really liked Eric Serra's score for GoldenEye. I thought it gave the film a different feel from the others while still having an appropriate, Bondian sound to it.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Of the "one and done" group, probably Michael Kamen's LTK score for the gunbarrel alone.
  • Orbis_Non_SufficitOrbis_Non_Sufficit
    Posts: 20
    Surprisingly, I was thinking about this same thing this very afternoon. It's a very tough decision. I know I can quickly cross off Hamlisch and Kamen from the "one and only" club. While Hamlisch gave a great rendition of the Bond theme and contributed to Nobody Does it Better, the rest of the score is lacking to me. "Trip to Atlantis" just sounds... well, psychotic. Kamen's score just never stands out to me at all, except for a few tracks like "Pam" and portions of "Licence Revoked." The gunbarrel was pretty incredible, letting you know you're in for something new.

    Serra. Oh, dear. My opinion changes on him from time to time. The overture is a great piece. But the action music leaves a lot to be desired for, save for "Run, Shoot and Jump" which compliments the action on screen fairly well. The score is atmospheric, undoubtedly. "That's What Keeps You Alone" is one of my favorite pieces simply because it evokes this feeling of loss, hope and so on. However, IMO, this score pales in comparison to Conti's and Martin's which are so memorable.

    I believe I'd choose Martin's Live and Let Die. I find myself playing it far more often than the rest of the "one and only" members. The great Bond Theme on the album is just simply... badass. Obviously the title track is phenomenal and Martin integrates it well into the score itself. It's a big and brassy score compared to the disco-y feel of FYEO which is the only reason Martin overtakes Conti. It's a slight turn off to me at times to listen to on its own. Conti's gunbarrel is one of my absolutely favorites though, so he does deserve that mention.
  • RogueThunderballRogueThunderball
    Posts: 306
    I agree with @Chuck. It seems Eric Serra gets grilled for his score in GE but I've always really liked it. It has a certain tone that when you hear it you can immediately identify the film. It's different, but in a good way.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Of the "one and done" group, probably Michael Kamen's LTK score for the gunbarrel alone.
    Got to agree.


    It's an unpopular opinion, but never mind 'one and done', Kamen is my favourite Bond composer.

  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    edited June 2011 Posts: 7,582
    Maybe this should be a poll


    OK Poll attached
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited June 2011 Posts: 15,718
    The best "One and Done" composer is... Eric Serra. The most unique soundtrack in the franchise. The most Barry-esque soundtrack not from Barry - even Arnold is nowhere near Serra's score's quality. Truely one of the greatest score, musically speaking, of the franchise.
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    I would have said whoever did the score for Casino Royale...except that it was Arnold. I've not been a fan of Arnold and couldn't understand why they kept him, but his score for CR was phenomenal. Best score since Barry IMHO but unfortunately after CR Arnold went right back to his instantly forgettable and melody-less scores.

    I do love some of Kamen's score, and agree with those above who loved his gunbarrel music - it actually made me sit bolt upright in the theatre because it was so different and dramatic. At that moment I knew I was in for a treat.

    I also took a lot of heat for defending Serra when GE came out. I think the problem with him is that his bad tracks are so bad (like the music during the car race when Onatopp first appears) that it erases the goodwill generated from his other tracks. I agree with ONS above that there's a beautiful lonliness to parts of the score that fit in perfectly with BrosnanBond's "core of sadness" characterization.
  • Jazz007Jazz007 Minnesota
    Posts: 257
    Conti's score to FYEO is my favorite "one-and-done" 007 score - I love the funky electronic rhythms as well as the soft orchestral stuff that a lot of people seem to overlook.

    I will give Kamen's score to LTK an honorable mention as well - the gunbarrel music is the best of all the films especially and I think he did the James Bond theme better than anyone besides Barry!
  • LudsLuds MIA
    Posts: 1,986
    Bill Conti. I know many of my favourite Conti songs strongly borrowed from other sources for his score, but I still prefer it to the others.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited June 2011 Posts: 15,718
    I do not know what you are talking about, !thelordflasheart... CR's score is one of the musically poorest soundtrack of the entire franchise. I honestly can't 'hear' these melodies you mention, especially in tracks such as the beginning of "Blunt instrument", "CCTV", "Access Denied", or any of the tracks during the card game.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited January 2013 Posts: 13,355
    Why does @NicNac see fit to not include Monty Norman? ;-)

    I'd rank them:

    1. George Martin - Funky and quite Barry in it's own way
    2. Thomas Newman - One of the best scores in ages, since The Living Daylights in fact.
    3. Eric Serra - Very unique and all the better for it
    4. Bill Conti - A great effort but sometimes a bit too Rocky-light
    5. Monty Norman - A score out of date even for the 60's, more fit for a 30's B movie in my opinion
    6. Michael Kamen - In so many places it's not Bond enough, it's more like Die Hard
    7. Marvin Hamlisch - Just awful in every way, it doesn't help it's dated so much over the years either
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    Monty Norman added. Alter vote if need be
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    We can vote again ??
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,187
    I have to admit I prefer M. Kamen. I'm certainly not against the work of the others but Kamen's score is the best IMO. Could be that I just love the man's style, his Highlander score being my favourite bit of Kamen's work, but besides that, I believe the LKT score suits the film perfectly.
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    I mentioned the CR score as a joke because it was so different from Arnold's other attempts that I could buy that a different composer was responsible...

    DaltonCraig007 - a bit of background about what I like in Bond scores. The 12 year old me that was first introduced to Bond loved the travelogue aspects of the films, the lovely ladies, and the lush lifestyles depicted. So to me, there was an air of...romance about the films that I liked being carried over into the themes. The first Bond film I saw was GF, and I was amazed at how powerfully the score augmented the film. I loved how the title song was worked into the score, and how it was modified and repeated in several tracks (something that Barry did a lot). This gave the film a real cohesion to me, and the score was almost like an additional character. Also, with most of my music, I prefer music and melodies that are what I call "hummable". In other words, they have distinct and memorable melodies that you can hum afterwards. As a bit of a sideways example, West Side Story has several memorable, different, hummable songs. Phantom of the Opera has two. Or, compare any of the Barry title songs with something like Tomorrow Never Dies.

    The idea of the title song being integrated into the score of the Bond film was best encapsulated (by someone on alt.fan.james-bond) as the technique of leitmotif. As I said, that really ties the film together and gives it a lot of character. I loved the title song You Know My Name from CR, and found it very "hummable" with a distinctive and memorable melody (and a kick-ass, propulsive arrangement). I loved how Arnold was able to use elements of it in the chase music in both Madagascar and the Miami airport, and have both tracks similar but different. And then he was able to have a lush, romantic sweep of the melody for the establishing shot of the train to Montenegro. Beautiful. And also the powerful, confident music when Bond arrives in Miami which includes parts of You Know My Name as he approaches the Ocean Club.

    The other nice theme was Vesper's theme. Having two strong, main pieces of music that he integrated throughout the score made it much more memorable, unlike the all-over-the-place score of DAD or the how-the-hell-can-I-possibly-use-the-title-song score of QoS.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    thelordflasheart : I agree, You Know My Name is quite a catchy theme - but not a very musically complex song compared to Barry's themes... and of course Arnold was over-using the Bond theme in TND and DAD, and instead of getting all melodic (with the Bond theme not used until the end credit), Arnold this time over-used You Know My Name, as if he ran out of ideas after writing this song.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,187
    In defence of Arnold, I think the man found some good cues and suites here and there. But a few good musical bits do not a great score make. And that's the problem. Barry delivered from the first to the very last second of his scores. Arnold is like a dish that has a few good ingredients but doesn't digest too well overall.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    edited June 2011 Posts: 4,399
    i find it, for myself, unfair to compare David Arnold to John Barry... John Barry was a true gem - an oscar winner - and created unique melodies like very few could...

    I personally have no problem at all with Arnold, especially after his last 2 scores for QOS and CR... very true, that his scores lack anything memorable, or a catchy hook the way that Barry's did - but Arnold has turned out a couple beautiful pieces - it's just very spotty...

    filling the shoes of Barry is a hard one - and no matter who would've replaced him - we'd be having these same compare/contrast/better/worse arguments... much like we do with the Bond actors themselves....

    for me, unless the music is so technoized and garbage level trash (as was Arnold's score to DAD, except for 1 or 2 songs) i can live with it, until he decides to hang it up...
  • GeraldCmin6GeraldCmin6
    Posts: 25
    Definitely Michael Kamen in response to the initial thread. One of the best action film composers ever and did a great Bond score.

    In response to the later side-tracked discussion here, dare I say that I think David Arnold should be replaced for Bond 23. I loved his scores for TND and CR, but I think he's bogged down in film score cliche. Far too much electronica now, rather than letting the instruments do the work. And there are very few memorable melodies in QOS.

    I'd like to see most of the rest of the Bond team back in 23, but Arnold replaced by someone a bit more traditional (and a more offbeat choice, like perhaps Alexandre Desplat).
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    Of the "one and done" group, probably Michael Kamen's LTK score for the gunbarrel alone.
    Got to agree.


    It's an unpopular opinion, but never mind 'one and done', Kamen is my favourite Bond composer.

    Even ahead of Barry, Major?
  • namideonamideo
    edited June 2011 Posts: 6
    1. George Martin - Live and Let Die
    2. Eric Serra - GoldenEye
    3. Bill Conti - For Your Eyes Only
    4. Michael Kamen - Licence to Kill
    5. Monty Norman - Dr. No
    6. Marvin Hamlisch - The Spy Who Loved Me
  • almond1almond1
    Posts: 1
    I agree 100% with Samuel001! Exactly how I see it. Perfect.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    edited June 2011 Posts: 4,399
    In response to the later side-tracked discussion here, dare I say that I think David Arnold should be replaced for Bond 23. I loved his scores for TND and CR, but I think he's bogged down in film score cliche. Far too much electronica now, rather than letting the instruments do the work.
    I didn't think Arnold's scores for CR and QOS had that much electronic to it - and thats why i loved them over his lazy efforts on Die Another Day - it seemed like he really put an effort to have a classical score, rather than a techno driven score.. sure, some electronic hits might creep back in from time to time, but they aren't as abundant - but that is just his style... and i don't mind it - as long as it's not forced down our throats - again, like in Die Another Day

    but as i said earlier, Arnold isn't as gifted as Barry was in creating those memorable melodies, ones that really stood out from film to film... Arnold's scores kind of all run together - but he does have his gems.. "Paris & Bond" - "Kowloon Bay" - "Elektra's Theme" - "Going Down Together" (which was just a recycled track from TWINE) - "Vesper" - "City Of Lovers" and "Camile's Story" ... those tracks to me evoke so much emotion, that I am not worried about how memorable they are, or need to be - it's all about how well it plays off what is going on onscreen - but these I find to be his standout tracks..

  • JamesStockJamesStock
    Posts: 572
    George Martin all the way. It's the most "Bond" sounding score of the bunch, in my opinion. (I guess I would interpret that as the most "Barry" sounding score.) I like Kamen and Conti as well and I think while Serra's score is not so Bond-ish, it really did give the film its own vibe. The three would be my seconds. I don't mind the Hamlisch score either. As for Norman, well, I just can't stand Dr. No. No thanks.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited June 2011 Posts: 15,718
    @haserot - do you like tracks such as "CCTV" "Unauthorized Access" "Blunt Instrument" "Bond Looses it All" "Bond Wins It All" which are the most poor tracks musically, completly devoid of any memorable melodies ?

    Maybe CR doesn't have as much electronics as DAD... but my god is the CR soundtrack just filler tracks for 2 hours.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Mine would probably have to be Eric Serra. Although its not a popular opinion I always thought it suited the cold-war content of the film.

    I'm also going to defend Marvin Hamlisch's score. I couldn't care less that it's dated. It's distinctive and fits the era in which it was made.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    ^^ please carefully read my above statements.. ^^

    did I ever say that Arnold was capable of creating memorable melodies, much like Barry did? No..

    did I ever say that Arnold was an amazing composer? No..

    did I ever say i prefer Arnold's scores over Barry's or some of the previous composers? No..

    did I say that Arnold's scores kind of run together - meaning they all sound the same? Yes..

    did I say that Arnold does on occasion create a gem or 2? Yes

    I preferred the score to CR over DAD because of exactly what I said in my previous posts - DAD was nothing but rehashed themes from his previous works, but with a techno filter... it was putred, horrid, garbage.. CR at least HAD melodies in it - memorable or not, they worked in the context of the film.. on their own, they are average - except for the aforementioned tracks i stated previously..
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited June 2011 Posts: 13,355
    I'm also going to defend Marvin Hamlisch's score. I couldn't care less that it's dated. It's distinctive and fits the era in which it was made.
    Which doesn't help when Barry's scores are timeless.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    I'm not saying its better than any of Barry's work but its something different. Also, I'd argue that Bill Conti's score is just as dated but equally as enjoyable.
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