Who is the Best 007?

I know that in other threads discussing the themes, "You Know My Name" has gotten some hate, but I think its one of the better Bond themes. To me, it's one of the most quintessential Bond songs, and it harkens back to the 60s. When you hear it for the first time, even if you'd never seen Casino Royale, you just KNOW it belongs in a Bond film.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnzgdBAKyJo[/yt]

 

^ I love YKMN, but the movie version strikes me as really muddy and awkwardly mixed, like someone grabbed a 64kbps draft and dropped it in. The single/album version sounds 007* times better.


* Sorry.

 

I have no problem with either version, and the movie version's the way it is because of time (they can't play the whole theme.)

 

This is one of the better Bond themes. I can't believe people don't rag on Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" or Rita Coolidge's "All Time High". Now those, are in my bottom 5.

I know what you mean. They usually have to edit the songs in order to fit the time for the opening credits. They have to condense it. They did this with a lot of the films, ala "Licence to Kill", "Die Another Day", etc.

 

I haven't seen Niven's early work, so I can't speak to him.

Whether or not you think he's the best, Connery defined the screen version, which everyone since has been playing to or against, as the case may be. He's one of my favourites (and it certainly helps that Sean Connery is one of the most magnetic film stars of the second half of the 20th century).

Lazenby is perhaps the most frustrating actor, as he's not terrible, but he's one of the weaker parts of what is otherwise one of the best films.

Moore had his moments, but I think his period as 007 is overall kind of a dud.

Dalton's tenure prefigures Craig's, to some extent, though audiences apparently weren't quite ready for that sort of take on Bond.

I grew up in the 1990s, so Pierce Brosnan is "my" Bond, which means I have a sentimental attachment to him. Looking back, he has one absolute classic (GoldenEye), which is one of the five best Bond films; two others that I think have many strong points, but also some frustrating things (one thing that especially came across when I rewatched Tomorrow Never Dies last year is that beginning in his second outing the writers go into one-liner overkill, as the guy can often barely squeeze two lines of dialogue in between bad puns and quips); and one film that really doesn't work.

Craig is the first Bond actor to really get a sustained attempt to write serious characterization for him, which automatically makes him different from everybody else who's played the part, and he does it well. He's more low-key than his predecessors, but in the most recent film they started to bring a bit of the humour, and I think he handled it well.

 

No, it's not just time; the instrumentation is noticeably different, and the sound mix a lot muddier. The movie version also seems to be straining for a more classic brass band sound, which might be cool, except again, the mix sounds like total ass.

 

You Know My Name's the best Bond theme.

 

YNMN is not a bad Bond theme, but which would we say is the worst.

 

Die Another Day possibly?

I'd throw FYEO and All Time High in as well, maybe Licence to Kill too.

 

Cinematically, I will always vote for Sean Connery personally.

In terms of Fleming & the character? Easily Daniel Craig, and I truly believe history may establish him as one of, if not *the*, best Bond interpretation/s.

 

"Licence to Kill" sucks, but it does sample "Goldfinger", so it can't be all bad. "Die Another Day" is crap, but it's crap I kind of like. And hey, "All Time High" is great!

"For Your Eyes Only" is, to me, the clear winner-loser. Slow, drippy, and not even fun in a cheeseball way like "All Time High".

 

Daniel Craig, with Connery second...and Dalton third.

 

Yeah All Time High is at least camp which raises its quality up a notch.

I know it's not well liked but I quite like Another Way to Die. It has a raw unfinished quality that makes it a very good fit for QoS (Full disclosure, I'm one of those weird people who actually likes QoS...)

 

my favorite themesongs are probably 'you only live twice' and 'the living daylights'

least favorite: 'for your eyes only' because its dull and got used over the blondie awesomeness i posted previously, and the daniel craig ones pre-skyfall.

 

Yeah, whoever tossed the Blondie "For Your Eyes Only" in favor of the Easton must have polled a senior citizens' home common room lounge or something. Madness!

 

Also much as Sheryl Crow's song isn't awful, KD Lang's Surrender is a better title tack for TND IMO.

 

Personal favorite is "Goldfinger". What can I say, I love belting that one out in the shower.

Least favorite is probably one of the newer ones (though I've also heard them less), though I do like "Skyfall".

 

I wasn't over keen on the theme for QoS but then again perhaps part of that is down to the fact that after the high of Casino Royale I found QoS underwhelming.

 

I liked the more fast-paced opening version of it without the singing, but FRWL's ending song is one of my least favorites.