Skyfall soundtrack

[Dale Sams]

First I'd like to lobby for a section called "Star Trek (and other tv and film) music"

When I saw that Thomas Newman was doing the music, I was delighted...but after seeing the film, I thought any Newmanisms were buried under 'standard action film music'. Personally I don't think it even exceeds "Casino Royale", which at least has a few identifiable themes that resonate. I understand Newman's score was nominated (and won) some awards...maybe I should give it another go.

 

[SchwEnt]

FWIW... I own all the Bond soundtracks and have known and enjoyed them for decades.

I understand Newman is a well-regarded score composer.

But as I enjoyed many aspects while watching SF (the acting, writing, direction, cinematography, sound, etc) the one notable omission was the music. Having watched it in cinema multiple times, I cannot recall one outstanding musical moment (aside from the Bond theme during the DB5 reveal and that doesn't count).

Even thinking back now, I can't recall any music from SF aside from Adele's title song.

Every Bond should have a memorable score, even if it's a bad one. Skyfall is the only Bond I know (and I know them all) where I don't remember any particular music from the film.

Is it just me?

 

[Dale Sams]

I'm listening to some tracks now on Youtube...definitly can hear the Newmanesqueness, but overall I think they could have used a motif to tie it all up, and too much aping of Arnold in the action sequences.

 

[Starkers]

I'd agree it could have used Bonding up in places, but overall I like it, I have the CD and there's quite a few tracks I really like, especially some of the London centric ones, and Shanghai ones too.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Personally, I didn't care for it and thought it was one of the weaker Bond scores. For one thing, half the cues where CR retreads. It seemed uninspired to me.

 

[Dale Sams]

FWIW: My fave Bond soundtrack is OHMSS.

 

[SchwEnt]

^^^ OHMSS is outstanding. Excellent in the film, fantastic on its own, that's a Bond score.

 

[MickJo1701]

OHMSS is my favourite film of the series and has the finest score in my opinion too.

But as I enjoyed many aspects while watching SF (the acting, writing, direction, cinematography, sound, etc) the one notable omission was the music. Having watched it in cinema multiple times, I cannot recall one outstanding musical moment (aside from the Bond theme during the DB5 reveal and that doesn't count).

No its not just you I agree also, its a great film but it needed a David Arnold score, I really hope he's back to do the next one. I don't understand finishing the film by re-using the last cue from the end of Casino Royale either.

 

[CorporalClegg]

FWIW: My fave Bond soundtrack is OHMSS.

Mine too.

 

[JarodRussell]

I don't like the scoring of most action scenes, they sound pretty bland and generic to me, but I like the rest of the soundtrack very much.


I love John Barry's scores, especially OHMSS, AVTAK and TLD.

I also hope that David Arnold returns, and gets back to his Brosnan Bond style scoring, which was VERY Barry-esque.

 

[Starkers]

Another vote for OHMSS, and I love The Living Daylight's soundtrack.

I dunno, at times I thought Arnold overdid it "Bond goes to the loo, cue 007 riff, Bond buys a newspaper, cue 007 riff" but then he went too far the other way with Casino Royale!

But what do I know, I quite like the Goldeneye soundtrack

 

[Lonemagpie]

I'm not a newman fan so this was a little better than most of his stuff for me, but still a vast downstep from Arnold's average (though QoS was a disappointment from him) - it needs an Arnold re-score

 

[JarodRussell]

But what do I know, I quite like the Goldeneye soundtrack

I thought the soundtrack was what almost ruined the film.
GoldenEye would be the film I'd love to see/hear rescored by David Arnold.

 

[Lonemagpie]

But what do I know, I quite like the Goldeneye soundtrack

I thought the soundtrack was what almost ruined the film.
GoldenEye would be the film I'd love to see/hear rescored by David Arnold.

Me too. (and nsna)

Though the musique concrete "Goldeneye overture" is genius - the way it builds the Bond theme out of disparate elements - but it works better as a standalone piece and the actual scoring within the film is rubbish.

(This is usually about the point where I tell the story of attending an MGM press do in 1997 and asking the studio rep if Serra was doing TnD - Arnold hadn't been announced yet - and the rep said "no, he's ruining The Fifth Element for us this year.")

 

[Starkers]

Well watched Skyfall again tonight and have to say I still don't really have a major problem with soundtrack, in particular I like a lot of the motifs that revolve around M.

 

[JarodRussell]

I love the tracks "Mother" and "Skyfall" on the Skyfall soundtrack. I love the rather esoteric mood in those. That's something I can't imagine coming from Arnold, he would have scored it totally differently.


And yeah, it's kinda telling that for one of the key moments, the revelation of the DB5, they used a track from David Arnold's score from Casino Royale.

Same thing happened in GoldenEye in the tank chase. Eric Serra's score sucked for that scene, so they used a track from one of the earlier John Barry scores.

 

[Starkers]

But it isn't like Arnold composed something new, it was just another of his versions of the classic Bond theme. Maybe it was always planned to use it there (just one of many homages) or maybe Newman's score for that part was rubbish? Who knows...

 

[Lonemagpie]

And yeah, it's kinda telling that for one of the key moments, the revelation of the DB5, they used a track from David Arnold's score from Casino Royale.

It's Arnold's arrangement but not an actual track lifted from CR - it's on newman's soundtrack album so it was recorded for this movie.

Same thing happened in GoldenEye in the tank chase. Eric Serra's score sucked for that scene, so they used a track from one of the earlier John Barry scores.

no, that replacement bit was composed by John Altman, the orchestrator

 

[jbohn]

Just watched the movie again this past weekend with friends who hadn't seen it yet. They both agreed that they liked the movie very much but it was so different from past Bond movies. The consensus was that it was more of a "thriller" than a Bond action movie.

I felt that the soundtrack matched that movie style... it was more moody and electronic/orchestrated mix. There are several tracks where there is looping that builds and builds which are kind of catchy and several parts where added percussion sets it apart.

I quite like it, though not as much as Casino Royale.

 

[JarodRussell]

I'd love it if the next Bond film contained this theme:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B6JoIlSS4k&feature=player_detailpage#t=115s

It appeared in From Russia With Love, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker. This just screams James Bond to me.