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As far as I'm concerned, my criteria centers directly on the quality of the music.


Up until now you have expressed your disappointment in the Barry Bond scores as centering around the scarcity of the Bond theme in his scores and his lack of "recaps." His scores are full of interesting, catchy and dynamic themes. That's why so many of us love them.

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We're sorta in a circular argument/discussion here, because what you call the "Bond sound" and the "007" theme may not be what I call them. It's tough to do the dum-dum-da-da over the internet.


I think you made your point. You like the Bond theme. You want to hear it more in a score. That seems to define the Bond sound for you. My point has been that the "Bond sound" is NOT defined by that one tune. It is defined by ALL the music that Barry has written for the Bond films, including the Bond theme. It is the sound that the producers preferred and wanted to keep. Obviously, they, and the millions who have bought Barry's Bond albums, have been quite happy with that sound. It is the sound that David Arnold imitates and which keeps him employed by the Bond producers (because time has proven that the Bond sound is as important as the other Bond elements that define a Bond picture). It is a sound so identifiable that it can be spoofed without using the Bond theme. I mentioned this earlier -- listen to the Bond sound in the Austin Powers films or THE INCREDIBLES.

To keep things straight, "007" is the name of a specific cue Barry wrote for FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE. The famous guitar riff is in what is known as the Bond theme.

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I don't know how you can defend these short little scores that really don't blossom fully.


Do you mean "scores" or "cues?" Either way, Barry's scores and cues are no longer or shorter than necessary to fulfill the needs of a particular motion picture. In that sense he hasn't done anything any different from other filmmusic composers.

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I'm not sure what you mean about the Bond sound existing before the theme (whoever wrote it).


BEAT GIRL has cues that sound like they came from a Bond film.

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Barry's scores (the ones I've listened to, anyway) are short and lethargic by comparison, almost giving notice that he's whipping through the tracks just to get them finished.


I find many of Barry's other scores, mostly the later ones, like DANCES WITH WOLVES and OUT OF AFRICA to be lethargic. Actually, I would call them majestic or elegiacal but they are of a deliberately slow tempo.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Barry often composed in counterpoint to the screen action. It's a legitimate approach to scoring and seems to have worked quite well in the Bond films for a couple or so decades.

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Just listened to You Only Live Twice this afternoon. Not a very good score, despite having one of the better opening songs (that Barry recaps three times in an 11-track score). There is just a hint of the Bond theme at the beginning of one track, and then Barry diverts into something different. This score is worse than TLD or OHMSS.

I'm reserving judgment on FRWL and Goldfinger until I can find and listen to the scores.


I think it's clear that Barry can't please you with his Bond scores. By your earlier posts on what you need to hear in a Bond score then GOLDFINGER is right out because it doesn't feature the Bond theme even once in its entirety. The Barry Bond scores are held in high regard by the soundtrack collecting community and other film composers so I am perplexed by their failure to please you. I can understand not liking one or two of them or not liking a few cues here and there, but the total dismissal of these masterful and exciting scores is suprising.