Orchestra (Conductor): The City of Prague Philharmonic (Nic Raine)
Lable (Release Year): Silva America (2000) Availability: **** Rating: **** | |
What a compilation! If you are a fan of Bond music, this CD is almost a must. I have not listened to the previous volume. But judging from this one, I am pretty sure it is worth getting also. There are quite a few Bond compilations out there. However, none of them really features the score but rather the orchestral version of the main title songs, including Cincinnati Pops' "Bond and Beyond" and another London Symphony disc. Both of those are great CDs but they are different than "Bond Back In Action" in nature. "Bond Back In Action" features score music from The Man With The Golden Gun to Goldeneye, with Live and Let Die and Licence to Kill missing. In the producers note, it says "The original idea behind these albums was to present, in new digital recordings, as faithfully as possible interpretations of this music in the form of suites which incorporated some of the best "action" cues with some material that hadn't been available before." They have done exactly that. I own most of the EMI score releases of the Bond films. If you own them too, you probably agree with me that most of them have poor sonic, especially the older ones like, The Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, and Thunderball. Although, the CD features music from more a recent period, you can still hear sound improvement from old. It is awesome to hear these great Bond music delivers to your stereo with more power. The music featured is undoubtedly great and exciting. Moreover, the City of Prague Philharmonic does another great job in the performing department. You will think you are listening to the original, if not better. The only track that is not an actual score track is "Main Theme" from For Your Eyes Only. It is a pop orchestral version of the title song that Bill Conti arranged. It has also featured in the 2 other albums mentioned before. Strange enough, if I have not mistaken, "For Your Eyes Only" is the only Bond song that has an "official" pop orchestral arrangement. Too bad Conti's score is not featured. I really like the disco style even though some people don't. They used electronic instrument in The Living Daylight anyway. So why not For Your Eyes Only? Stick to the Ryko release then. The final track, "Tank Drive Around St. Petersburg" from Golden Eye is another reason why this CD is worth owning. Many people have noticed that crucial piece is not presented in the original soundtrack and have been looking for it. It is finally here for you to enjoy. So are you convinced to get this CD yet? Yes, go get it then. | |
The Man with the Golden Gun (John Barry) *Previously Unreleased
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