Let the celebration begin! The summer hiatus is over… wait a minute, aren’t we already 26 days into Autumn?! Anyway, it’s great to be back, and what a great time of the year to make my triumphant return. Two of the biggest scores of the year have come across my desk in the last few days (big thanks to Sony Music Masterworks) and I have decided that SKYFALL would be the first of the two I would feature on the program as 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of James Bond on the silver screen. Dr. No, starring Sean Connery, made its debut on October 5th, 1962.
Nine separate composers have tackled a James Bond film score and the newest member to the club is Thomas Newman (American Beauty, Road To Perdition, The Shawshank Redemption.) Newman was brought on board for this 23rd Bond outing by his frequent collaborator Sam Mendes who is in the director’s chair this time around. During this special episode of Cinematic Sound Radio, we will be featuring over 30 minutes of music from Thomas Newman’s highly entertaining new score to SKYFALL.
To round out the program you will have the opportunity to hear some of my favourite cues and tracks from some of my favourite James Bond scores including THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, TOMORROW NEVER DIES and CASINO ROYALE all composed by David Arnold. You will also hear music from A VIEW TO A KILL, ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE, MOONRAKER, GOLDFINGER, THUNDERBALL and THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS by John Barry. I will also sneak in a few tracks from LICENCE TO KILL by Michael Kamen and John Altman’s arrangement of Monty Norman’s classic James Bond theme from the tank chase scene in GOLDENEYE!
This show is also the first recorded at the “new” Silverton Road studio. I recently moved from my cozy finished basement with my favorite posters and all my CD’s surrounding me to a 16-year-old home with an unfinished basement. Nothing inspires more than exposed concrete walls and visible insulation. Ah, no need to complain really. At least I don’t have to share the space with anyone. One day this will be a beautiful fully furnished edit suite/man cave. It could be much worse!
Anyway, enjoy the show!
NOW PLAYING: JAMES BOND | PART I
NOW PLAYING: JAMES BOND | PART II
PLAYLIST
PART I • SKYFALL (Newman) 0:00 • INTRO 5:45 • SKYFALL SUITE #1 (Newman) 11:32 • SKYFALL SUITE #2 (Newman) 25:19 • THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (Arnold) 41:07 • A VIEW TO A KILL (Barry) 48:15 • ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (Barry) 54:25 • TOMORROW NEVER DIES (Arnold) 1:03:26 • MOONRAKER (Barry) 1:18:22
PART II • CASINO ROYALE (Arnold) 0:00 • GOLDFINGER (Barry) 14:22 • LICENCE TO KILL (Kamen) 22:33 • THUNDERBALL (Barry) 33:18 • THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (Barry) 38:52 • GOLDENEYE (Norman arr. Altman) 46:39
just the other day i was thinking; i wish kamen was scoring skyfall. license to kill gets a lot of criticisms, but i think it’s a fantastic score and the release does it no justice. i also believe arnold has more than noded to kamen numerous times thru his tenure. ltk has always seemed to me like a very post-modern ‘bad acid trip’ take on mid- 60’s barry; and for those who complain about the lack of comedy in the film, kamen actually provides it a number of times if you’re paying attention.
that first cue is really impressive; the true measure of a bond score is how it sounds when you’re driving. this one’s gonna be a lot of fun!
I think Kamen’s score to Licence to Kill is criminally underrated!
yeah, and i said all of that as someone who really doesn’t ‘get’ kamen’s music a lot of the time.
Michael Kamen died in 2003 so it would be a mission impossible for him to score Skyfall. You might as well have said John Barry, JD. Anyway, from what I’ve heard I like Newman’s score for Bond.
Thanks for tuning in!
Congrats on the successful move – I’m betting you’re more than thrilled to have that behind you now.
Thanks so much for the new show! I’ve been reading mixed reviews about Newman’s score. Wanted to give it a listen, and it’s not bad at all.
Anyway, glad to have you back! I’ve had to dig back in the archives for listening material the past few weeks. =]
I’m so happy to have the move behind me. One of the worst experiences of my life! Anyway, I’m getting settled in and enjoying my little dungeon! LOL!
Skyfall doesn’t sound bad at all. It sounds like a surprisingly fun action score, considering it’s written by Thomas Newman (!) Or maybe, the suite presents the better sounding ruckus, perhaps?
Still, I think it was unfair to leave out David Arnold. I’ve only heard Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale, the latter including some personal favorite cues.
Alas, Newman’s score isn’t as awful as some hoped, and a surprise for those who know Newman as the composer that loves plucked strings and repetitive rhythms. It does still have his trademark sound, which I don’t mind, but maybe it gets tiring after a while. But the action material is quite engaging.
Good grief! What a great program! Despite the negative comments, elsewhere, Newman’s score sounds like it hits the spot in my most very humble of opinions……
Thanks Adam!
Brilliant programme you’ve got. I’m listening to the Skyfall suites as I type this, and as a long time John Barry fan (first LP I got was Ready When You are JB in 1969)I’m pretty impressed with what I’m hearing
Thank you, Bob. Glad you enjoyed the show and I’m happy that you enjoyed Skyfall.
Great show and great choice of cues (although my favourite cue from TND and one of my favourites from the series is “All In A Days Work” and I don’t like very much the JB Theme arrangement on Backseat Driver)!
Not very impressed by Skyfall, probably this might change after seing the movie.
Just two minor corrections. It is mentioned that David Arnold did the score to 4 007 movies – in fact he scored the last 5 (TND, TWINE, DAD, CR and QS). It is mentioned also that the Barry’s “007 theme” was introduced in Thunderball, while it was actualy introduced before, in From Russia With Love.
I’m happy to see you also appreciate Kamen’s score to Licence To Kill. I’m sure this score would receive more respect from the fans if the complete score was released, the album misses some of the more emotional music from that film and some great action tracks.
Thanks for the corrections!
Good stuff, shame Diamonds are Forever wasn’t done, easily the best bond sountrack!
Sorry about that!
I’m glad to have a new program, congrats on the move. Thanks for always helping me learn about new music and tracks I hadn’t heard of, including the GoldenEye Tank cue, that I was able to find on AmazonMP3!
Awesome! Glad I could introduce you to something new!
Thanks for the Skyfall preview. I’ve been anxious to hear it ever since finding out that Arnold was being replaced (one of my favorite composers).
First listen reaction–parts of it stood out, but there were far too many awkward pieces. It almost sounds like Newman is trying to emulate what an action score should sound like, using his traditional style, and it’s just delivered oddly. But I’m biased, because I really think Arnold should have been the one to score it (no offense to Newman, whose output I usually enjoy). It will probably take me a couple more listens to warm up to this, if I ever do.
Great show!