19 replies to this topic

[freemo]

At 11:00 last night, becasue I hadn't done much Uni work in the last few days, I desided to see how long I could study without a break. At 2:00am I was still going strong, writing out notes and solving problems with no sign of tiring. I had the "James Bond: 30th Anniversary" CD playing in the background as I worked, and I noticed that "Nobody Does it Better" sounds very much like a Country and Western song, I kid you not. Listen to it again, parts like "And nobody does, it better" and "Darlin you're the best" have that real country feel to it. Am I a revolutionary ? Or is this common knowledge ? Or am I just completely nuts ?

[Hardyboy]

I don't know about that. . .maybe the song sounds a bit like country now because over the last ten years or so country has pretty well evolved into what soft rock was in 1977.

[rafterman]

you're a little crazy:) I don't think it's very country, just the word darlin' stands out, but I agree with Hardyboy...more soft rock from the 70s or modern dull country...

[Blofeld's Cat]

Err....what were you drinking/snorting/eating at the time Freemo?

Mind you, at 2AM in the morning with a head full of uni studies I'd probably think that From Russia With Love might have rap influences too.

:: BC raises his arms out and with glazed eyes says: I am a jumbo jet ::

[Predator_007]

Nobody Does It Better sounds country? Always a sign that you need sleep! Although one little observation, Carly Simon does sound a little like Shania Twain in her intonation - technical point, but one worth making ...

[1q2w3e4r]

I suggest you run to the record store and pick up a copt of Me First and the Gimme Gimme's Have a Ball Album, with members from great punk bands like No Use For A Name, Lagwagon and NoFX getting together a band as a side project that only makes covers of other songs.

Nobody Does It Better by them is an awesome, upbeat and catchy track. Definantly worth a listen. MI6 has a list of it you can listen to on their website but they got the album name wrong

[Predator_007]

Interesting ... not appropriate for this thread, so see the 'Covers' thread ....

[1q2w3e4r]

Yeah okay. I kinda thought it was appropriate in case he wasn't aware of it and might not have seen it in another thread

Thanks

[freemo]

I had the feeling that I may have been mistaken when the next song, "A View to a Kill" sounded heavy metal. My Bond CD sounded like it's never sounded before in those early hours this morning.

[Predator_007]

I wasn't being short (that other thread was really interesting) - I'm off to MI6 to see where I can hear the MP3 ...

[freemo]

I'm going to try it again late tonight and see what I think this time around.

[Jim]

The influence of the song Moonraker upon thrash metal has been oft-acknowledged

[Mister Asterix]

You know everyone's giving Freemo slack, but I could easily hear Reba or Shania singing 'Nobody Does It Better'. Of course, I could also hear them singing 'Thunderball'.

[freemo]

Listened to it again at 2am this morning. I still stand by my crazy belief. One part of the song sticks out in particular....

The way that you hold me whenever you hold me.
There's some kind of magic inside you
That keeps me from running but just keep it coming
How'd you learn to do the things you do?

[WarBird]

You might be a little crazy with so basic knowledge all in one at 2 a.m. in the morning. It doesn't sound very country like to me. Thats where the crazy comes in. The basic knowledge is where your listening to hard to the song and finding new meanings and feelings about the song. I could possible be crazy(who knows) because it's getting late and a sentences back is some parts I heard from all around places. I just relaying the meaningfull music message.

[stromberg]

It certainly has got some elements in it that are country-like, but this is something you only get when you are aware of it and you are a bit into country music. Give it some steel guitar, change those 70s drums and you get a bit closer. The country elements are in there because an American composer (Marvin Hamlisch) wrote American Music and you'll never get country music out of American composers' heads.
When you change the arrangement, one can make anything out of every song Anybody ever heard The Band's version of En Vogue's "Free Your Mind"? Or Jerry Garcia's bluegrass version of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses"?
And don't forget the men's choir version at the beginning of the end titles... BTW didn't they say that the choir in the DAD score would be the first time use of a choir in a James Bond Score?

[icecold]

Originally posted by stromberg
And don't forget the men's choir version at the beginning of the end titles... BTW didn't they say that the choir in the DAD score would be the first time use of a choir in a James Bond Score?

Well, I think when they say 'choir' they mean that creepy, dramatic, mood setting type of choir. Besides, the version of Nobody Does It Better during the end titles sounds more like a bunch of drunk sailors than a choir, IMO.

And what's all this garbage about American composers having country music in their heads and using it in films? I'd like a 'for instance' (especially the bit about Marvin Hamlisch and TSWLM.), because outside of movies with a country western theme, I've never heard of it.

[stromberg]

Ah, I asked myself how long it would take until somebody would pick that up again. Of course they meant that dramatic kind of choir, I was just kidding (but had to point that out). BTW, the "bunch of drunken sailors" is called a "shanty choir", something that has a long tradition amongst sailors. Of course it has also something to do with them being drunk, but don't tell them .

Sorry for maybe haven't expressed correctly what I meant with American composers and country music in their heads (it's a bit difficult if you have to explain stuff like that in a language of wich you are not a native speaker).
I didn't mean that they are doing this on purpose. That is something that is just stuck in their head, you can't remove it. They grew up with that music and it's a part of their every day life. They're used to compose for an American taste and so some country-esque elements, elements of their native country's traditional music can slip unwillingly into that music. Just like, for example, an African based composer would use some more drum sounds even if he doesn't want the music to sound African.
An American audience doesn't notice this most of the time, also because they are used to it and see it just as "normal" music.
It's like talking with an accent without noticing it, because everyone around you has got the same accent.

[Predator_007]

Moody choirs was done in Moonraker in the 'Flight into Space' incidental music. BTW this is IMO one of the most memorable pieces of incidental music in the Bonds. Sure, you have all the big 'important's stuff like the 007 theme, the main Bond theme etc, but Flight inot Space always sends shivers down my spine ...

[_JW_]

Don't forget all the acid rock and polka elements wonderfully disguised in "The Man With The Golden Gun" theme....