pixrox1 Review of The Bond Sound: The Music of 007

The Bond Sound: The Music of 007 (2000 Video)

Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, and John Williams wrote music scores . . .

[10/10 · 2 August 2014]

. . . but Monty Norman, John Barry, Marvin Hamlisch, Bill Conti, Michael Kamen, and David Arnold--each of whom are interviewed here for THE BOND SOUND--write tunes for flicks which most people prefer to such "highbrow" fare as GONE WITH THE WIND, PSYCHO, and JAWS. Though the Bond score composers and the female Bond singers (such as Shirley Bassey, Nancy Sinatra, Carly Simon, and Sheena Easton, all chiming in here) appear to be a hearty bunch, male singers for Bond features seem to be laboring under a curse worse than that of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. For instance, Louis Armstrong died right after completing his work for ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, the BeeGees died off soon after inspiring the score for THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, and the title song for A VIEW TO A KILL was the final tune recorded by Duran Duran before the break-up of that band. In all, the first 19 Bonds are covered here: DR. NO (1:29), FROM RUSS1A WITH LOVE (2:28), GOLDFINGER (3:05), THUNDERBALL (4:33), YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (4:46), ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (5:54), DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (7:24), LIVE AND LET DIE (8:16), THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (8:38), THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (8:54), MOONRAKER (10:38), FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (11:22), OCTOPU$$Y (12:43), A VIEW TO A KILL (12:58), THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (13:56), LICENSE TO KILL (14:25), GOLDENEYE (14:44), TOMORROW NEVER DIES (15:08), and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (16:03). Also featured here is the original "James Bond Theme" guitarist, the aptly named Vic Flick.