12 replies to this topic

[Blue Eyes]

I was just looking into why John Barry didn't score GoldenEye and here's what I got;

Barry wanted proper fee, full creative control (the song), both of which he was apparently refused

And that's apparently why Serra scored GoldenEye and not Barry!

[Dunph]

Wow, I'd never thought of why Barry didn't score GoldenEye, but you can see why after the abomination that was Serra's Experience Of Love, Eon were slightly more open to welcoming Barry on board again and decided to take his demands relatively more seriously, i believe it was due to fee issues that he didn't score Tomorrow Never Dies, and thus allowed the path open for Arnold (thank God), in fact, if I'm not wrong, Barry suggested Arnold to them (which I tihnk is in the Bond Sound documentary on the A View To A Kill DVD).

[Blue Eyes]

You know, I'm not sure who I like more Arnold or Barry. They're both different. I've found that older fans tend towards Barry more. But I appreciate both their work.

But I guess it's one of the classic 'What Ifs'. What would a much older Barry do with a Bond these days?

[Blofeld's Cat]

I posed this question to the kind folks over at The John Barry Discussion Group and the, so far unrepudiated, response was that it all broke down in negotiations. Barry wanted to do the score and the song, but the producers only wanted him to do the score.

Don't know why, considering he had co-written virtually all the songs to the Bond movies he had scored anyway.

BTW, The John Barry Discussion Group is definitely worth checking out. It's about his career overall, but a big part of that career is James Bond, so there are lots of threads on that particular aspect. In addition it is frequented by Geoff Leonard who, in my opinion, is THE authority on all things Barry.

I've notice that some CBN news is quoted over there as well.

[Dmitri Mishkin]

Originally posted by Blofeld's Cat

Don't know why, considering he had co-written virtually all the songs to the Bond movies he had scored anyway.

Perhaps it was because Michael and Barbara already had U2 signed on to write the song . . . ?

As you said, Barry had co-written most of the songs to the movies anyway, meaning that he has become accustomed to having things his way. Suddenly, Eon tells him, "No, this time, you don't get to do the song." Maybe he couldn't stand the thought of another group "cramping his style." Seems to me it all worked out for the best anyway (I've even come to like Serra's score). That and I'm a huge fan of U2

... just an idea.
And thanks for the link BC, I'll check it out

[Johnson Galore]

It has become increasingly apparent that the themes are for commercial reasons only. John Barry is one of a few "artists" in the film scoring business. It is a real shame that we will probably never hear another Barry- Bond. Check out his other scores, though, because they're very good.

[marktmurphy]

He's a bit...rubbish now though, isn't he? Arnold is getting a bit repetative, but he does have a bit of life about him. Barry lost it a while back- even TLD (which I'm a big fan of thematically) feels a bit stale next to TND. I don't think Barry (in his current level of ability) would fit in with current action-heavy Bonds.
I'd rather not see 007 acompanied by the harmonica, thanks.

[BONDFINESSE 007]

i so do love barry's music, and hope one day we will see him back on a bond film i really miss his music

[rafterman]

what is wrong with Mickey G and Babs? They won't let the composers do the title songs any more and so we end up with white noise by major stars, rather than truly great songs, I mean, hell Goldfinger was Barry, why would they deny him the song?

[Johnson Galore]

Originally posted by marktmurphy
He's a bit...rubbish now though, isn't he? Arnold is getting a bit repetative, but he does have a bit of life about him. Barry lost it a while back- even TLD (which I'm a big fan of thematically) feels a bit stale next to TND. I don't think Barry (in his current level of ability) would fit in with current action-heavy Bonds.
I'd rather not see 007 acompanied by the harmonica, thanks.

Fair point. However, I don't think it's a question of ability. I think it is taste. Barry himself has kind of slagged the spy genre during his career. I think his recent choices in film scoring reflects where his taste lies today. If the Bond series returned to a less action driven, more dramatic approach, I think Barry would be perfect.

[marktmurphy]

I'm not sure- Barry seems to just write wistful, mournful, nostalgic tunes now (with harmonica, natch) and Bond, even sans action, demands a heavy dose of style over feeling and emotion. John Barry should not and cannot do Bond again, sadly.

[Daltonitus]

Times and styles change and this is reflected in the mindless action and electronic 'noise' scores of the current Bonds.

The new scores aren't that bad, it's just they don't have the classic Bond feel to them - the orchestras and the 'big' sounds.
They are...uninspired.

As for GoldenEye - they should have hired the people who did the score for the N64 game to do the film. The N64 score is clasic Bond in a modern style.

[Blox]

Blue Eyes wrote: But I guess it's one of the classic 'What Ifs'. What would a much older Barry do with a Bond these days?

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Answer: He'd write a better, more developed score than the last one sixteen years ago.

And to those who think Barry only composes dire tunes, play "Dance with Reality" from "Beyondness of Things"...

B l o x