11 replies to this topic

[Dan Gale]

This was the last Bond soundtrack to enter my collection (I've no desire to own the one for the 1967 Casino Royale, if such a release exists, even though it's two main songs are rather good). NSNA's reputation as a duff soundtrack preceeds itself and it was only sheer boredom that got me even looking on iTunes. I'm sure it's on CD on eBay for a lot less than the £7.99 I paid for it (yes, ha ha, I know), but I was more intrigued than desperate to hear the score in full. I'm sort of pleasantly surprised by what's included and also a little miffed. Most people would agree I'm sure, there is precious little decent music in the film itself, period, yet alone decent Bondian-music. The fact that composer Michel Legrand was not allowed to use The James Bond Theme shouldn't have meant the music would be all bad - it's a restriction David Arnold imposed upon himself (or the producers imposed on him, this is still unclear) for the first two Daniel Craig scores and there's plenty of lively, exciting stuff on those albums. But here, there isn't even an attempt at writing a recurring action theme, with way too much soft jazz, big band, tango and calipso used as filler (the latter two being acceptable as they fit the film's locations). The main theme is interwoven as an instrumental in some cues which is at least commendable (other Bond scores haven't always done this - stand up Licence to Kill and GoldenEye). What is interesting here, too me at least, is the amount of music on the CD that's not included in the final film. I know this is the director/music editor's choice ultimately and most Bond CDs have small snippets of stuff that didnt make it to the film but there's a LOT of unused music on the NSNA soundtrack album which suggests even the director didn't think much of the finished results! (Michel Legrand was apparently Sean Connery's choice, not Irvin Kershner's.) There's entire tracks that are not in the film, some of which are fine, at least no worse than the rest of the suspence and action style cues used (during the bits that aren't big band, jazz or calypso!). Track 1 is called Bond Back in Action and it's the weirdest track on the album. It isn't in the film and even if it was it's hard to see where it was supposed to go. 53 seconds long, it's almost entirely progressive-rock drums and percussion, not unlike something Goblin would have used in a Dario Argento score, with a slow build to a crescendo of explosion sound effects. I can only assume it's part of some prologue edited out of the final film.
Most of the tracks included in the film that are on the album are presented with a little extra material that's either been cut out of the film or is drowned out by dialogue. The arrangement on most of the non-genre music is very brassy with trumpets and occasionally some heavy-Jaws style strings which works but doesn't use any motifs. It's well spoken, you might say, but isn't saying anything important.
One piece of music that's missing from the album, however, is the bit where Bond and Domino escape from Palmyra by jumping - on horseback - over the battlements into the sea. There's a track on the album called The Big Escape and it features a somewhat Arabic feel with heavy tambla style drums. It's not unlike something John Williams would conjour up for Indiana Jones. It seems this was replaced by what finally made it into the film, which also sounds very brassy so this appears to be another Legrand composition. It is unique to the CD and none of it appears in the film.
Fans of the main theme - there must be one somewhere - should note that Lani Hall's theme is on here twice but never with the long Herb Alpert trumpet solo used over the end credits which remains exclusive to the movie itself.
Take this opportunity to listen again to the lyrics of Lani Hall's song. They're actually rather good: they're written from the view point of a woman (possibly the film's femme fatale character, Fatima Blush) who is determined to make a stubborn man (I assume James Bond) want her as much as she wants him. They're well written and expose the ghastly cookie cutter lyrics of Duran Duran and Aha's songs as the nonsense they really are (try writing them down and reading them allowed and figuring out what on Earth they're singing about).
What are other people's views on this soundtrack as heard away from the movie? It's not great Bond music by any stretch of the imagination, but the dramatic and action stuff isn't too bad as generic action film scores go. It's the rest of the local flavouring that lets it down, especially, as the great man said, if you don't samba.

[AMC Hornet]

If you have the DVD, watch the trailer to hear 'Bond Back in Action.'

 

I never hated the soundtrack as much as many others here do. I found the theme song and Lani Hall's vocals quite acceptable, thank you. I had procured my vinyl soundtrack - through Richard Schenkman's now-defunct US Fan Club - from 'Seven Seas Imports' and it was clearly a bootleg (the tracks titled "Fatima Blash - agent of SPECTORE" and "Death of Lalgo" were the giveaways), but I treasure it.

 

The CD was a welcome addition to my library, what with all the additional tracks. One of the originals has been altered, however - the full-length swing instrumental of the main theme has been tacked onto the end title instead of the trumpet solo that Dan Gale misses. That makes the vinyl worth keeping.

 

BTW, CR '67 is available on CD, and it's worth having if you're a completist.

[Turn]

NSNA is the missing link in my Bond soundtrack collection (well, in truth I don't have CR'67 on CD, but on vinyl). Missed my chance at it a few years ago when it was readily available on Amazon. But recalling how bad the soundtrack was in the film, I don't feel I am missing too much, although the completist in me says to get it sometime.

 

I remember trying desparetely to find a soundtrack release on vinyl when the film came out and never could. They now go for big prices on eBay when I do see them. Hey, I always enjoy the thrill of the chase.

[jrcjohnny99]

You really should own CR67; It's a much better album than NSNA and Serra's appalling 'Goldeneye' and at least equal to Conti's dull FYEO and Kamen's duller LTK...

[scissorpuppy007]

 Wasn't "Bond back in action" written with a Gunbarrel style sequence in mind? Obviously the couldn't legally have a gunbarrel, but I read once that they planned on doing something similar with a floating target sight or the letters "007" on screen with Connery walking and firing in the middle of the zero. Seeing how score was written for the sequence I wonder if the ever shot "The Walk" with Connery?

[Dan Gale]

Wasn't "Bond back in action" written with a Gunbarrel style sequence in mind? Obviously the couldn't legally have a gunbarrel, but I read once that they planned on doing something similar with a floating target sight or the letters "007" on screen with Connery walking and firing in the middle of the zero. Seeing how score was written for the sequence I wonder if the ever shot "The Walk" with Connery?

Yes, I had heard that rumour too. I've not got the NSNA bluray so I didn't know what extras were on it. If it was shot I'm sure it's lost by now along with most other out takes. This was long before such things were preserved for padding out DVDs...

[SecretAgentFan]

I like the soundtrack. And the title song is one of my favorite Bond songs.

 

I guess the hatred against Legrand´s work was totally inappropriate. People just wanted the score to sound like John Barry.

[MajorB]

Yes, it's a pleasant listen, if seldom an exciting one. And I enjoy the title song: Its juxtaposition with the opening sequence gives the action a lighter feel, so that things like the blowgun and the squealing Frisbee become almost whimsical. And I also recommend the CR67 soundtrack--it's extremely entertaining. You just have to give up all thoughts of it being a "Bond soundtrack." It's possibly the best element of the whole film. Well, maybe the second best after the women.

[Turn]

You really should own CR67; It's a much better album than NSNA and Serra's appalling 'Goldeneye' and at least equal to Conti's dull FYEO and Kamen's duller LTK...

And what may now be the most dull of the entire lot - Newman's Skyfall. I really like FYEO, while I rarely listen to LTK and am starting to like GE a little more, but all are masterpieces compared to Skyfall. Not a memorable track on the CD.

[Baccarat]

You really should own CR67; It's a much better album than NSNA and Serra's appalling 'Goldeneye' and at least equal to Conti's dull FYEO and Kamen's duller LTK...

And what may now be the most dull of the entire lot - Newman's Skyfall. I really like FYEO, while I rarely listen to LTK and am starting to like GE a little more, but all are masterpieces compared to Skyfall. Not a memorable track on the CD.

 

 

Interesting review of the NSNA soundtrack. Thanks. I'll have to check the CD out sometime.

 

As to other opinions here, there's no accounting for taste I suppose. Notwithstanding the truly awful The Experience of Love, Serra's GE soundtrack is more imaginative and memorable than any of Arnold's efforts. Likewise Conti's FYEO. I'll admit LTK is rather weak, but there is no doubting that Newman's SF is a fantastic return to form for the Bond soundtrack.

Edited by Baccarat, 03 January 2013 - 10:23 PM.

[Dan Gale]

Interesting Mr Baccarat and Mr Turn have opposing views of the Skyfall score.
I'm somewhere between you both, it not as punchy as it should be and the music is mostly only aural wallpaper or chewing gum which is barely acceptable with the film but seperated from the images, it doesn't do anything at all and mostly just flops to the floor like a skeleton-less bag of skin. Although I agree there are not any memorable tracks (not anything you'd keep humming afterwards), there are little elements of New Digs and Quartermaster that keep me replaying those two songs. But you can't hum them. They're un-hummable. Just little twittery sounds like the noises the internet used to make when it dialled up back in 1998. Eeeerk, fwoop, kkkkkkre, bding bdang etc. Say what you like about Michael Kamen, he knew it was a Bond score and rammed the surf rock guitar in our faces.
This is my current opinion and it will almost certainly change the more I listen to it.

Edited by Dan Gale, 04 January 2013 - 12:27 AM.

[Grard Bond]

I bought the Never say never again LP in the eighties in London on Picadily Circus (I belief in the His Master's Voice store???), they don't sell bootlegs I pressume?

I also have a cd of this Lp version, plus the cd with the bonus tracks.

 

The cd's of CR '67 are all somehow not in the right speed,

the original LP was an audiophile's dream and is a real collector's item this days.

The problem was that by getting the music on cd, the people of Varese Sarabande destroyed accidentaly the original mastertapes of the CR'67 score and it looked like for years there would never be an exellent release on cd, until...

 

Two years ago a double cd was released: on cd1 the complete score in best possible quality and on cd2 a remaster of the original LP in for the first time on cd the correct speed, taken from a mint vinyl.

This is the one to have!