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I stepped aside from this thread for a bit. Then, over the weekend, it occurred to me, while watching the 1977 film The Deep, what all this "Barry-esque" stuff really means and why there is this deep division among Bond fans, regarding Arnold and Newman. Here is my take.
John Barry is a visceral composer. This means his music really gives you something to feel, more than something to think. It hits at the heart. This why it seems anthemic. David Arnold is a similar composer, and so when Bond fans talk about Arnold "getting Bond" or being "Barry-esque," it's really about this visceral means of composition.
Newman is a cerebral composer. His music hits at the brain. His music gives you something to think about more than to feel. In other words, Newman's music mostly makes you to SEE things; Arnold's music mostly makes me FEEL things. Both work in their own ways. Some other examples: the Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross scores are cerebral; Alexandre Desplat is visceral. Howard Shore is cerebral; John Williams is visceral. Hans Zimmer...well, he is in between most of the time and why his stuff is really divisive.
A preference for one or the other (Arnold vs Newman) really comes down to this preference of music to feel or to ponder. One is no better than the other. But the distinction is important.
What kind of musician will Romer be? I am thinking, based on his score for Maniac, that it wll be of the cerebral variety.
This is a sound assessment; I 100% agree with you @TripAces
I think you're also correct about Romer, however I'm hoping - to use your examples as a guide - that he will be the Hans Zimmer of Bond composers. Not in style or orchestration, but in terms of the line he will tread between cerebral and emotive.
I am not saying it is all cerebral. BUT...it's possible that Newman's music making you feel that way is actually through the brain--what you are thinking about.
I fully agree. That action music……...I didn't hear it better in CR and QOS. It's gripping, chillingly effective.
Two of the best tracks in both scores, too.
Though, admittedly, I'm not quite sure how much of an incorporation of the song that the Skyfall score could have had, considering so much of the track uses bass/brass lines from the James Bond theme itself. The chorus could have been used during scene transitions for sure, but I don't think the song (as good as it is) is flexible enough to be woven into action cues where it would have been distinguishable from any hints of the James Bond theme.
But I could be way off on that one.
Newman undoubtedly has some really good tracks on SF as well as SP, but he is incredibly uneven.
It would be wonderful if Romer would produce something that is not just a few good tracks, but a good soundtrack of the whole film.
You mean where Bond follows Patrice in Shanghai? He’s is never in Macao. And I’ll upfront in that I think “Shanghai Drive” is a brilliant piece. This is the kind of style I wish Arnold had indulged more in during his run (“Hamburg Break In” is a favorite of mine). Composers should never feel shy of using rhythmic electronics in their scores for a Bond film.
This is true. So I'm willing to cut Newman slack on SF, the same way I cut Arnold slack on DAD. Sometimes, the songs just don't work.
However, this lends itself to a point that I think @RC7 has made a few times - it's incredibly important that the composer work with whoever is doing the song.
I don’t like it, but until there’s a change in management among EON I’m no longer expecting to see such a collaboration actually be pushed for. They seem only content to let the music artists do their own thing.
What changed is that it shifted towards being a marketing opportunity first and tradition second. If Romer puts forward the idea of collaboration, he’ll shoot up in my estimation. The tricky thing is that the bigger the star the more creative control they want. On the one hand I wish EON would put their foot down, but I also respect that they want/need to use these channels to get in new audience members.
Guy will surprise us, I’m sure.
Though I like Newman's scores, I agree with this. I was ready for a new take on the theme much like what we got from Martin, Hamlisch, Conti, Kamen, and Serra. I don't know if the decision to use Arnold's arrangement was either EON's or Newman's, but it was underwhelming when first finding out about it with SF.
Though I will say I actually like Newman's handling of the arrangement better than Arnold's, specifically the different guitar sound.
Agreed. This sounds quite decent. I am hopeful.
True.
Of course, one can miss Barry's lyricism. I do. One can say that it is no longer a modern approach. Well, if it is true then it does not work. For me, anyway.
Hm. Not sure what to make of this. Today´s composers are pretty much all trained to emulate all kinds of styles, I´m not surprised in the least that this features orchestra. But it doesn´t do very much with me.
Anyhow, I have kind of a positive memory of his BonN soundtrack. If he doesn´t try too much to be mainstream on NTTD, I´m sure it will turn out well.
The answer is, of course, no. And why should Bond be any different to Star Wars.
The series has a musical history and legacy that will always be associated with it, and any composer coming in, needs to reflect and respect that. I'm all for moving with the times, but there simply has to be some measure of distinctive, Bond-ish sound to it.
Damn straight.