Music in SPECTRE

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  • Posts: 3,164
    Posted this in the trailer thread too: awesome little tidbit from the editor of the trailer (who's done all the Skyfall trailers and I believe the QoS theatrical too) on the OHMSS cue, when I asked him whether it was his idea:
     
    It was an early remark from Barbara which I stored, then implemented, pushed for and got!
    https://twitter.com/fit_to_fill/status/631108677462835200

    He also praised Jeff Pfeifer re: the music, and talked about how he'd hum bits that he'd want for particular parts of the trailer down the phone to Pfeifer, who'd then turn them info full orchestral pieces. A much more symbiotic process in terms of scoring/editing compared to most other film trailers.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139

    Humming the them down the phone line :))
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,341
    It was suggested by the tabloids a while ago that Adele would be teaming up with FKA Twigs for Spectre. The background was that Mendes mentioned at some stage along the production process that he would love to have FKA Twigs contribute to the soundtrack.

    Well, FKA Twigs has a new album out today called "M3LL155X" (and the music sounds accordingly). To be honest, I cannot imagine this general type of music making it into the film. While there are only five tracks on the album, the track "in time" is more mainstream, but still difficult to envision in SP. Make up your own mind.
  • edited August 2015 Posts: 11,425
    According to this, J.A.C. Redford collaborated with Adele and Epworth on the actual SKYFALL song orchestrations.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adele

    I didn't know that. I knew that Redford arranged the part of the score that references the song during the movie (when Bond arrives at the casino). That was because Newman was 'too busy' to do it himself. That's interesting to me. I wonder if there has been time/scope for Redford and Newman (I hope) to work with the songwriters more closely on Spectre. If it's Adele again, then that seems a real possibility. I am sure that everyone involved in SF must have felt the failure to properly integrate the song into the score was a massive missed opportunity.

    It's an exciting prospect.
  • dominicgreenedominicgreene The Eternal QOS Defender
    Posts: 1,756
    I hope we get to hear "La vie en Rose" one time in a Bond film.
  • Posts: 11,425
    I hope we get to hear "La vie en Rose" one time in a Bond film.


    Any particular reason?
  • dominicgreenedominicgreene The Eternal QOS Defender
    Posts: 1,756
    Getafix wrote: »
    I hope we get to hear "La vie en Rose" one time in a Bond film.


    Any particular reason?

    Would be a nice homage to Vesper and the CR novel.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I hope there's a lot of this in SPECTRE's score.
  • Murdock wrote: »
    I hope there's a lot of this in SPECTRE's score.

    Quite possibly Henry Mancini's most memorable work. ;)
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    Murdock wrote: »
    I hope there's a lot of this in SPECTRE's score.

    Quite possibly Henry Mancini's most memorable work. ;)

    Even better than Monty Norman's Pink Panther theme. :))
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    I've just remembered that SP will be the first Bond film not to feature Derek Watkins.
  • edited August 2015 Posts: 11,425
    I knew there was a dispute over who wrote the Bond theme but this is getting ridiculous.

    For me it's precisely within the context of the film that I find Newman's SF soundtrack utterly underwhelming.

    I think it is a very average movie score. It could have been written for pretty much an middle of the road Hollywood action/thriller. That would be fine, in the appropriate context, But it's supposed to be a Bond movie, not just some generic plodding movie score.

    For me Newman's music at worst sucks the energy and life out of a scene. I find it a bit like aural cotton wool - everything is softened, dulled and levelled off into a featureless woolly musical coseyness.

    If you see Newman interviewed you can see where this comes from - he's an incredibly Mild mannered and not particualrly dynamic man. Compare him to passionate, tempestuous Barry. The music is a reflection of their personalities. One Hollywood royalty, born to privilege and frankly a bit dull and a bit bland. The other a gruff self-made Yorkshireman sometimes angry, and full of unpredictable and conflicting emotions - a fiery genius.
  • MansfieldMansfield Where the hell have you been?
    edited August 2015 Posts: 1,263
    Getafix wrote: »
    For me Newman's music at worst sucks the energy and life out of a scene. I find it a bit like aural cotton wool - everything is softened, dulled and levelled off into a featureless woolly musical coseyness.
    I used to think the same, but when I examine it more closely, I find the opposite in most scenes. Maybe I've begun to see why Mendes likes to collaborate with the guy (outside of personal reasons to which I am not aware), but it definitely seems like the two compliment each other. What do I mean by that? Mendes' action sequences are mostly lacking the energy typically found in an action/thriller. I think they are great works of cinematography, but it loses something in translation when the rate the action feels like it is occurring at with the vantage points used to film it. Many times, I feel like Newman's score increases drama or excitement in those scenes that could either look pedestrian with more bombastic tracks or even just generic action music as you seem to be dismissing it. Conversely, when the performance drama is very high, particularly with scenes between Bond and M, his music does pull energy out of the room so-to-speak.

    Overall, that probably gives the impression like his soundtrack is lackluster since it is kind of like a balancing act. Granted, there are a few "lemon" moments where the collaboration doesn't work out to balance the tone of the scene. It's not like his work in Skyfall is top of the mark in the series, which is especially true when listening to the soundtrack alone, but it is admirable in its own way with how it connects to the film.

    @Getafix I wonder how much of your disapproval of Newman comes from the part that the themes working in Skyfall just don't do it for you. It is certainly a "hypnotic" film in regards to allowing the beauty and performances take you away from a plot that on paper (as you have noted in many threads) is not as substantive to the praise it receives by many. In those regards and my take on the score above, I think it is quite serviceable to the final product of the film.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Hmm. I'm not sure a Bond score that only works on careful later analysis really counts as a success.

    may be the score has its own merits. May be it does interesting things in terms of how it responds to each scene, but that is not the same thing as saying its a successful or good score. Like SF the movie, I can see there is a lot of intelligence and 'interesting' stuff going on. But like a lot of worthy art, that doesn't make it exciting or gripping. You don't always want exiting or gripping. But in a Bond movie I think you probably do. Or at least I do.

    I am not saying Newman is untalented. He's clearly more than competent and I can certainly see why Mendes would want him for his other movies. But for Bond he just isn't cutting it IMO, at least on the basis of SF. I hope SP is better.

    I don't think Newman is suddenly going to metamorphose into someone completely different but I think he can do better. I really hope he is open to collaborating on the title song this time and considers incorporating it into his score.

  • Posts: 501
    You know my opinion about the Skyfall soundtrack. It's not like a Barry soundtrack, and it shouldn't be. Newman has his own style, and quite a different one when compared to other composers, most of which try to imitate Hans Zimmer. His style isn't one that comes to mind when talking about Bond, but that doesn't mean it can't work. For me, in Skyfall it did work. The themes for M were outstanding, the action themes match the scenes they were in, there were queues of the Bond Theme every time Bond did something Bondian, but it wasn't overused (just like John Williams' Jurassic Park theme was overused… it wasn't perfect, but it was better than the average Arnold work.

    I like Arnold's work, specially in Sherlock and his early work, but in Bond it usually didn't work for me. He was imitating more than being himself. Casino Royale was his best for me. He could've done so much more… I'd take Newman over Arnold for Bond any day.

    Just one last thing. Different doesn't mean better or worse. Just different. Newman's score definitely was different, but not for that reason was it worse. Respecting the Bond sound isn't, or at least it shouldn't be, trying to copy Barry. Each composer should bring their own sound with them and create something bondian, but of their own. The Best non-Barry scores have not tried to copy Barry: Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, even Goldeneye. This doesn't mean that I don't like Barry, I repeat, Barry is my favorite composer, and I do believe that OHMSS is one of his greatest works.
  • Lana Del Rey should be singing spectre or a bond theme at some point. What do you think, with me or against me guys.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Lana Del Rey should be singing spectre or a bond theme at some point. What do you think, with me or against me guys.

    If you put it like that, against you. Sorry.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Lana Del Rey should be singing spectre or a bond theme at some point. What do you think, with me or against me guys.

    Of course she should!! There is no-one around that is only slightly more Bond-esque than her.
    And I truly hope if she does it, she gets to be a Bond girl too.

  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    <iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vol3J-rF5wI"; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  • I hope we get to hear "La vie en Rose" one time in a Bond film.
    Already posted this in another thread a while back but this is something I quickly edited together a few months ago.

  • dominicgreenedominicgreene The Eternal QOS Defender
    Posts: 1,756
    I hope we get to hear "La vie en Rose" one time in a Bond film.
    Already posted this in another thread a while back but this is something I quickly edited together a few months ago.

    Beautiful, thanks for sharing :) The song goes extremely well with the film, its a same it hasnt been featured yet as its Bond and Vespers song.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    Getafix wrote: »
    I knew there was a dispute over who wrote the Bond theme but this is getting ridiculous.

    For me it's precisely within the context of the film that I find Newman's SF soundtrack utterly underwhelming.

    I think it is a very average movie score. It could have been written for pretty much an middle of the road Hollywood action/thriller. That would be fine, in the appropriate context, But it's supposed to be a Bond movie, not just some generic plodding movie score.

    For me Newman's music at worst sucks the energy and life out of a scene. I find it a bit like aural cotton wool - everything is softened, dulled and levelled off into a featureless woolly musical coseyness.

    If you see Newman interviewed you can see where this comes from - he's an incredibly Mild mannered and not particualrly dynamic man. Compare him to passionate, tempestuous Barry. The music is a reflection of their personalities. One Hollywood royalty, born to privilege and frankly a bit dull and a bit bland. The other a gruff self-made Yorkshireman sometimes angry, and full of unpredictable and conflicting emotions - a fiery genius.

    Well, @Getafix, you and I only sometimes agree it seems ... but this is one of them.
    I do agree with what you have written here.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Getafix wrote: »
    I knew there was a dispute over who wrote the Bond theme but this is getting ridiculous.

    For me it's precisely within the context of the film that I find Newman's SF soundtrack utterly underwhelming.

    I think it is a very average movie score. It could have been written for pretty much an middle of the road Hollywood action/thriller. That would be fine, in the appropriate context, But it's supposed to be a Bond movie, not just some generic plodding movie score.

    For me Newman's music at worst sucks the energy and life out of a scene. I find it a bit like aural cotton wool - everything is softened, dulled and levelled off into a featureless woolly musical coseyness.

    If you see Newman interviewed you can see where this comes from - he's an incredibly Mild mannered and not particualrly dynamic man. Compare him to passionate, tempestuous Barry. The music is a reflection of their personalities. One Hollywood royalty, born to privilege and frankly a bit dull and a bit bland. The other a gruff self-made Yorkshireman sometimes angry, and full of unpredictable and conflicting emotions - a fiery genius.

    Well, @Getafix, you and I only sometimes agree it seems ... but this is one of them.
    I do agree with what you have written here.

    Glad to hear we share common ground on something! I wasn't actually aware our views were so out of sync though. Anyway, at least we can agree to disagree, unlike some others!
  • DoctorKaufmannDoctorKaufmann Can shoot you from Stuttgart and still make it look like suicide.
    edited October 2015 Posts: 1,261
    Somehow offtopic: When I checked on Amazon some weeks ago to pre-order the Spectre Soundtrack, the first hit was not Thomas Newamn's score, but a CD with the title Spectre by a bizarre slowenian art rock group named "Laibach"...
    31bF2DlwdzL.jpg
    And actually this group was invited by Kim-Jong Unh for celebrating the 50th anniversary of North Korea's independence...

    I did not care for that, unless I watched John Oliver's Last Week Tonight, dealing with North Korea and Laibach:


    @-) :-S :-O

    Made me think, how this strange, fascist people from Laibach would have performed "Writing's on the Wall"... After all, they really included some renditions for "Ound of Music" in their show at North Korea... I suppose, they would have got slightly differents reviews than poor Sam Smith...
    ;) :)) =))
    And, no, I would not buy or listen to the music of Laibach... BTW, Laibach was the German name for Ljubljana, now the capital of Slovenia. Which might give one a hint about their political attitude...
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    A while ago a bunch of neo nazis with the same logic as yourself showed up at a Laibach show. The frontman told them to sod off, and wouldn t go on with the show with them in the audience. The nazis had to leave.
  • will the spectre soundtrack begin with the bond theme, and if so, does that mean the gun barrel is back at the beginning ? I'm excited to find out
  • SatoriousSatorious Brushing up on a little Danish
    Posts: 233
    For the film itself - I will always prefer new material, with the exception of the Bond theme. Even then, I want a fresh take on it (ala John Barry pre 80's - not rehashing ala Breadcrumbs/The Name's Bond).
  • AceHoleAceHole Belgium, via Britain
    edited October 2015 Posts: 1,731
    For a composer to successfully score a Bond film he needs two things

    1) Talent as an orchestral composer (lots of it)
    2) A true understanding of the character, ie 'Getting what 007 is about'

    John Barry had both of these in spades. He was (1) undeniably talented and (2) understood that you need to have both subtle and audacious cues to make the music of James Bond work, whilst weaving emotionally resonant themes into the score.

    - Eric Serra for me has some talent, but didn't 'get' Bond.

    - David Arnold understood Bond well but was lacking in the talent department imo, he didn't know how to 'do' subtle & wouldn't recognize a nuanced piece of music if it fell on him strapped to a grand piano...

    - Newman did not show any understanding of the character in his SF score, but he is undoubtedly a talented composer as it is - musically - of high quality. I just hope he brings a bit of 007 flair to the table in SP.

  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited October 2015 Posts: 23,883
    I agree on your view of Arnold @AceHole.

    I disagree on Serra however. I think he did modernize the Bond sound to some extent brilliantly (particularly on the Goldeneye Overture) but went overboard in other areas. A little more restraint (and orchestration) could have resulted in a excellent score. That film's budget was very tight, so I wonder if, like SF, that resulted in less orchestral budget as well.

    RE: Newman - the jury is still out. I think all doubters are going to be pleasantly surprised with SP since he now has the budget (which he did not have with SF) for orchestra, and he has had a song on the table since January. This score will be impressive and will draw on that opening 15s from WOTW in spades (I 100% guarantee it........that is why that 15s clip was initially released imho.....to sear that orchestration into the public's mind).
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    Serra is underrated for what he accomplished.
    He overdid in in one particular scene, the car chase at the beginning between Onatopp and Bond.
    "sounds like cans thrown down an elevator shaft" pretty much sums it up.
    For that he gets downrated too much overall.
    The Severnaya theme is beautiful.
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