From Russia With Love
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Composer: John Barry
Label (Release Year): EMI Records (1995) Availability: **** Rating: **** |
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Imagine THE James Bond theme never exists.... I can't comprehend that at all. John Barry has absolutely contributed significantly to many Bond films. (John Barry composed the James Bond Theme, NOT Monty Norman folks. The story is not short and I will not explain it here). From Russia With Love, second of the Bond series, is the first one that is completely scored by Barry. Other than the James Bond theme, Barry composed a new theme, 007, which will be the 'side-kick' of the James Bond theme in the later Bond films. Many film music and James Bond fans are probably very familiar with the 007 theme. It is not as serious as the James Bond theme. It is more of another side of James Bond: taking care of serious business in a playful way (a relaxing theme with serious percussion arrangements). From Russia With Love is a thematically strong score throughout. Other than the two themes mentioned, there are other good themes and motifs. For example, "Meeting In St. Sophia" contains a very haunting and serious motif. "The Golden Horn" is a playful tune that played over an exotic percussion rhythm. "Leila Dance" is yet another excellent piece of exotic dance music. Of course, we cannot forget the instrumental version of "From Russia With Love". The use of percussion in this score is just wonderful. Although many tracks are quite short, the the album flows really well. Tongue-in-cheek action cues plus back to back good melodies will definitely make you enjoy this album very much. The only complaint that I have about this CD is the sound quality: many hissing and distortion. Also a funny noise can be clearly heard in track 10, "From Russia With Love" (about the 1:02 mark). | |
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