1894 replies to this topic

[marktmurphy]

I saw it again last night- it's just a very classy score. Sounds somehow more complex and mature than any other we've had for many, many years.

This might have already been answered, but was that David Arnold's Bond Theme at the end?

I was listening out and I'm not sure it is. Maybe they just used Arnold's arrangement?

[PPK_19]

Just came out of the midnight screening.

Wow.

I'm going to dive into this in more detail, but Thomas Newman absolutely knocked that out of the park. Was it what I wanted? No. Was it still great, anyways?

Absolutely.

Every moment that needs to hit, hits. Every bit of classical 'Newman' sound that you wouldn't think works, works. It's a James Bond film, and it's a James Bond score. Hands down, in my opinion, one of the best non-Barry and non-Arnold works in the franchise.

Glad you enjoyed it MattofSteel, I especially loved the music during the fight between Bond and Patrice in the Shanghai skyscraper. Really had me on the edge of my seat.

[TheSilhouette]

Two tracks that I really loved in the film were New Digs and Day Wasted. That moment where Tanner says

Spoiler

"Welcome to the new MI6", and Bond stops and is looking over the bunker,.

with the music gave me goosebumps

Edited by TheSilhouette, 08 November 2012 - 10:39 AM.

[SecretAgentFan]

It may be, it just sounded very similar - the brass, the pace, the percussion - very similar to 'Casino Royale', but why would they use David Arnold's arrangement for the final scene and not Newman?

It must be Newman's, just sounds very similar in the style they have done it.

My interpretation: David Arnold´s arrangement, the last track of CR, was the one defining the Craig era. Using it in SKYFALL at that particular moment was just like using the original arrangement during the Connery era.

[QuantumOfRoyale]

I must admit: I love Vesper´s theme, and it worked perfectly for me (am I a sappy old bastard, or what?) because it really sounds as if Barry could have written it (IMO).

But for Severine that approach would not have worked at all. Newman hits all the right notes for this film.

Very true. I will say, no matter what I've thought of each of the soundtrack's individual tracks on their own, I can safely compliment each track and say that I can see it serving as the perfect backdrop for a scene in the movie (having not yet actually seen the movie...).

[Vesper And Tracy]

It´s very difficult for me to understand why people cannot appreciate the delicate awesomeness of Newman´s score.

My dear, fine fellow...

...Kindly enlighten me as i'm seeing it again tonite and tomorrow night.

I found it very difficult to find any non-Adele/non-Barry related melody or theme last night...so, could you please share with me which precise delicate awesomeness you're refering to.

Which scenes precisely should I be waiting with bated breath for where the score is any match for the delicate awesomeness of Roger Deakins' visuals or Sam Mendes' direction?

Question:

Do you honestly think Newman did Intro To Shanghai justice, for instance?

I did.
You seem to think that only melody works as a good soundtrack...?

And...

But it seems to me that you expect a traditional approach, the John Barry-sound.

@ SecretAgentFan and marktmurphy ...

Ok so I saw SkyFall again last night and i'm warming to the score.

Just as a caveat, I normally buy the soundtrack upon release and listen to it a few days before the movie opens. In other words, I have a good idea in my brain of what i'm going to hear in the movie.

This time, however, the CD was released on Nov 6 and I saw the premiere on Nov 6. [The movie actually opens here in regular (non-IMAX) theatres on Nov 9.]

So...this time, I went in "cold". I've been so busy that I haven't had the chance to buy the CD yet...and i'm going to see the film for the 3rd time tonite (IMAX opening).

I'm warming up to the score.

I own 19 of the previous 22 EON 'original' score releases on CD (I don't have Dr No, For Your Eyes Only and License To Kill) and I even have a few of my favourites (On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live And Let Die) in extended/bonus releases....So, it's not as if I have no clue about James Bond music.

Anyway, I suspect i'll get more out of it tonight again...and, then, when I have the CD, i'll chime in further in these forums.

PS

I don't think Newman did Intro To Shanghai justice. It lacks ethnic flavour. But, then, Newman's no Barry, is he? Having said that, even Arnold's least memorable score has "Welcome To Baku" in it...and it's hauntingly beautiful and is mouth-wateringly juicy in it's ethnicity.

That's my opinion...and it's hard to disagree with people's opinions.

Cheers to you both!

Edited by Vesper And Tracy, 08 November 2012 - 02:28 PM.

[MattofSteel]

Definitely no Norman theme. But 'Breadcrumbs' works well with the scene in question and kind of sounds retro, like it. The gunbarrel sequence...well, that Bond theme rendition starts over the scenes beforehand (and that sounded new...) but then as soon as the GB hits, it's "The Name's Bond...James Bond."

I want to know why the hell the Bond theme from the Hashima sequence isn't on the album. It's positively rousing.

[Harmsway]

I have to eat crow. Newman's score works very, very well in the film.

[TheHouseholdCat]

I have to eat crow. Newman's score works very, very well in the film.

I'm glad I didn't spoil it for myself before seeing the film. Because I am only now getting into the score. In the film, it really does what it's supposed to do, it merges so well with the images on screen.

[MattofSteel]

I have to eat crow. Newman's score works very, very well in the film.

I'm not so much eating crowd as conceding that my fears were unfounded. It worked so epically well during the film - I was, literally, emotionally impacted by it - and having listened to the entire album twice today, I'm blown away. I doubted Newman, but man oh man, did he deliver.

[seawolfnyy]

I really liked the rescoring of Adele's song throughout, much in the way David Arnold did with You Know My Name. I thought the song came across better and I definitely liked having the 007 theme play more throughout than in either CR or QOS.

[mikafu]

The Endcredits mentioned David Arnold for James Bond Theme.

[gkgyver]

Of course, it's his cue that was re-recorded for the Aston Martin scene.

This might have already been answered, but was that David Arnold's Bond Theme at the end?

I was listening out and I'm not sure it is. Maybe they just used Arnold's arrangement?

They did.
As mentioned several times, they licensed Arnold's "The Name's Bond, James Bond" and rearranged and re-recorded it.

I really liked the rescoring of Adele's song throughout, much in the way David Arnold did with You Know My Name. I thought the song came across better and I definitely liked having the 007 theme play more throughout than in either CR or QOS.

Where did you hear the song other than Komodo Dragon?

[marktmurphy]

Of course, it's his cue that was re-recorded for the Aston Martin scene.

This might have already been answered, but was that David Arnold's Bond Theme at the end?

I was listening out and I'm not sure it is. Maybe they just used Arnold's arrangement?

They did.
As mentioned several times, they licensed Arnold's "The Name's Bond, James Bond" and rearranged and re-recorded it.

Which seems odd, really. It's not his recording and not really his arrangement totally. It's the Bond theme. I suppose they're just being gracious, really; even if Breadcrumbs does borrow very heavily from it.

[Vauxhall]

I noticed there is "the james bond theme" where the two helicopters come in on Silva's island. Is that on the soundtrack or is it a unreleased track?

Unreleased track.

[MattofSteel]

Unreleased, as far as we can tell. Which is a damn shame.

[marktmurphy]

But y'know- it's the Bond theme. We've heard it before!

[The Shark]

Unreleased tracks.

1. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul (Film Version) - the opening clusters (0:02 to 0:57) last a lot longer in the film, IIRC.
2. The Bloody Shot (Film Version) - French horns sound an Ab Major chord as the camera whip pans to the tunnel (should be at 4:22), missing on the album.
3. The Funeral - Second of the film's three quotes of the "M Theme."
4. Bond Enters the Office Tower - Bond enters the lobby and follows the trail of dead security guards to Patrice. A variation on the opening clusters from Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, but subtly different. Segues to Jellyfish.
5. The Elevator Stops - Gothic, Barry-esque minor chords and ominous low strings (think Bond At The Monsoon Palace from OP) as Bond climbs from under the elevator to the 67th floor. Should be between 0:44 and 0:45 on Jellyfish.
6. Circle of Life - Bond dispatches two of Severine's bodyguards with the steel briefcase, but the heavyset one tackles him, and they both fall into a pit with Komodo dragons. They fight until Bond is slammed to the ground. Only the first 30 seconds or so are missing. The rest can be found in Granborough Road from 0:32 to 1:04 and 2:00 to the end.
7. Silva's Capture - Bond takes out Silva's goons and calls in the cavalry. Features a great rendition of the Bond Theme.
8. Hydrogen Cyanide - Very effective cue, starting as M tells Silva that he'll be transferred to Belmarsh Prison, and he demands her to say his real name. IIRC, it ends when Bond enters Q's lab. It's variation on the chords heard in Someone Usually Dies, without the guitar ostinato, with stopped horns instead. The chilling electronic microtonal pitch wavering and clusters for when Silva takes off his apparatus can be also be heard at 1:37 to 1:50 in that track.
9. Temple - Silva adopts a new disguise as Metropolitan police officer at Temple Station, as Bond tries to find him in rush hour. Ends when Bond jumps onto the train.
10. Granborough Road (Film Version) - Same as the album version, except with two inserts. Tense stopped horns with interpolations of the chugging octatonic ostinato in low strings and guitars as Bond tries to find Silva amid lots of police officers. There's also low strings at the end for when Bond has Silva at gunpoint in the catacombs (one of the officially released clips).
11. She's Mine (Film Version) - I might be wrong, but I remember a longer introduction in the film for when Siva's helicopter lands.
12. The Name's Bond... James Bond (Skyfall Version) - Different from the one heard in CR, and not just in the orchestration. Features the take on the Bond theme's chords heard in You Know My Name and Adele's Skyfall (Em-C/E-A rather than Em-C/E-Cm6-5).

[Vauxhall]

That's great information, Shark. Thanks for posting. It's all really interesting to read, even for a layman like myself.

[occhile007]

The Endcredits mentioned David Arnold for James Bond Theme.

Thanks for cleared that up Cadet. Just one of things that were bugging me. lol

[Harmsway]

Unreleased tracks.

1. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul (Film Version) - the opening clusters (0:02 to 0:57) last a lot longer in the film, IIRC.
2. The Bloody Shot (Film Version) - French horns sound an Ab Major chord as the camera whip pans to the tunnel (should be at 4:22), missing on the album.
3. The Funeral - Second of the film's three quotes of the "M Theme."
4. Bond Enters the Office Tower - Bond enters the lobby and follows the trail of dead security guards to Patrice. A variation on the opening clusters from Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, but subtly different. Segues to Jellyfish.
5. The Elevator Stops - Gothic, Barry-esque minor chords and ominous low strings (think Bond At The Monsoon Palace from OP) as Bond climbs from under the elevator to the 67th floor. Should be between 0:44 and 0:45 on Jellyfish.
6. Circle of Life - Bond dispatches two of Severine's bodyguards with the steel briefcase, but the heavyset one tackles him, and they both fall into a pit with Komodo dragons. They fight until Bond is slammed to the ground. Only the first 30 seconds or so are missing. The rest can be found in Granborough Road from 0:32 to 1:04 and 2:00 to the end.
7. Silva's Capture - Bond takes out Silva's goons and calls in the cavalry. Features a great rendition of the Bond Theme.
8. Hydrogen Cyanide - Very effective cue, starting as M tells Silva that he'll be transferred to Belmarsh Prison, and he demands her to say his real name. IIRC, it ends when Bond enters Q's lab. It's variation on the chords heard in Someone Usually Dies, without the guitar ostinato, with stopped horns instead. The chilling electronic microtonal pitch wavering and clusters for when Silva takes off his apparatus can be also be heard at 1:37 to 1:50 in that track.
9. Temple - Silva adopts a new disguise as Metropolitan police officer at Temple Station, as Bond tries to find him in rush hour. Ends when Bond jumps onto the train.
10. Granborough Road (Film Version) - Same as the album version, except with two inserts. Tense stopped horns with interpolations of the chugging octatonic ostinato in low strings and guitars as Bond tries to find Silva amid lots of police officers. There's also low strings at the end for when Bond has Silva at gunpoint in the catacombs (one of the officially released clips).
11. She's Mine (Film Version) - I might be wrong, but I remember a longer introduction in the film for when Siva's helicopter lands.
12. The Name's Bond... James Bond (Skyfall Version) - Different from the one heard in CR, and not just in the orchestration. Features the take on the Bond theme's chords heard in You Know My Name and Adele's Skyfall (Em-C/E-A rather than Em-C/E-Cm6-5).

It's a shame these cues aren't available.

And I hope someone syncs up "Old Dog, New Tricks" with the appropriate scene in the film one day, just to get a sense of how that scene was originally scored.

[MattofSteel]

Great list. Hopefully we'll get them someday.

[Berni99]

Unreleased tracks.

1. Grand Bazaar, Istanbul (Film Version) - the opening clusters (0:02 to 0:57) last a lot longer in the film, IIRC.
2. The Bloody Shot (Film Version) - French horns sound an Ab Major chord as the camera whip pans to the tunnel (should be at 4:22), missing on the album.
3. The Funeral - Second of the film's three quotes of the "M Theme."
4. Bond Enters the Office Tower - Bond enters the lobby and follows the trail of dead security guards to Patrice. A variation on the opening clusters from Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, but subtly different. Segues to Jellyfish.
5. The Elevator Stops - Gothic, Barry-esque minor chords and ominous low strings (think Bond At The Monsoon Palace from OP) as Bond climbs from under the elevator to the 67th floor. Should be between 0:44 and 0:45 on Jellyfish.
6. Circle of Life - Bond dispatches two of Severine's bodyguards with the steel briefcase, but the heavyset one tackles him, and they both fall into a pit with Komodo dragons. They fight until Bond is slammed to the ground. Only the first 30 seconds or so are missing. The rest can be found in Granborough Road from 0:32 to 1:04 and 2:00 to the end.
7. Silva's Capture - Bond takes out Silva's goons and calls in the cavalry. Features a great rendition of the Bond Theme.
8. Hydrogen Cyanide - Very effective cue, starting as M tells Silva that he'll be transferred to Belmarsh Prison, and he demands her to say his real name. IIRC, it ends when Bond enters Q's lab. It's variation on the chords heard in Someone Usually Dies, without the guitar ostinato, with stopped horns instead. The chilling electronic microtonal pitch wavering and clusters for when Silva takes off his apparatus can be also be heard at 1:37 to 1:50 in that track.
9. Temple - Silva adopts a new disguise as Metropolitan police officer at Temple Station, as Bond tries to find him in rush hour. Ends when Bond jumps onto the train.
10. Granborough Road (Film Version) - Same as the album version, except with two inserts. Tense stopped horns with interpolations of the chugging octatonic ostinato in low strings and guitars as Bond tries to find Silva amid lots of police officers. There's also low strings at the end for when Bond has Silva at gunpoint in the catacombs (one of the officially released clips).
11. She's Mine (Film Version) - I might be wrong, but I remember a longer introduction in the film for when Siva's helicopter lands.
12. The Name's Bond... James Bond (Skyfall Version) - Different from the one heard in CR, and not just in the orchestration. Features the take on the Bond theme's chords heard in You Know My Name and Adele's Skyfall (Em-C/E-A rather than Em-C/E-Cm6-5).

Wow thank you!

[Double-0-Seven]

Without having to go through the many pages of this thread, I was just wondering. I know Arnold's arrangement of the Bond theme was used but rescored by Thomas Newman. Good move as I rather like that arrangement and the scene it accompanied was perfect. However, I read somewhere else that there's a track that is Arnold. Is there any truth to this or was it simply a misinterpretation that it was Arnold's arrangement was used?

[The Shark]

Without having to go through the many pages of this thread, I was just wondering. I know Arnold's arrangement of the Bond theme was used but rescored by Thomas Newman. Good move as I rather like that arrangement and the scene it accompanied was perfect. However, I read somewhere else that there's a track that is Arnold. Is there any truth to this or was it simply a misinterpretation that it was Arnold's arrangement was used?

They licensed Arnold's The Name's Bond... James Bond for Breadcrumbs and the final scene/end credits, but both were re-worked by Newman.

[Double-0-Seven]

Thanks for the reply. That's what I thought. The one review I read of the score made it seem like Arnold actually contributed to the score, but I assumed they just meant his arrangement.

[marktmurphy]

Yeah; they definitely are re-recordings, then? They didn't sound quite the same to me.

[The Shark]

More than just re-recordings. The notes are different too, not just when/where/who recorded it.

[marktmurphy]

More than just re-recordings. The notes are different too, not just when/where/who recorded it.

Yeah- the final one plays around quite a bit more. Which is why I'm surprised they needed to credit Arnold- it's just... the bond theme.

I've got to admit- I thought Arnold was fine, but after Skyfall I'm not sure they should go back. His work seems so simplistic in comparison.

[x007AceOfSpades]

I love Newman's score! Second favorite behind Kamen's score for LTK. I really would like Newman to come back and do another.