Whether you agree with the original comment or not, you must admit the language is very creative lol:
"Listening to Lulu’s “The Man with the Golden Gun” is like listening to a homeless woman screeching and clawing her way to a karaoke machine off the street."
I would say great tune, poor song! The tune is a strong theme for the film, and as Tall Guy said, well used in lots of different permutations in Barry's score [probably even more in Goldfinger, though the last time I heard that score, it seemed to be as much a case of the opening phrases from the tune being used in different ways as it was the actual tune]. The song itself has crass, dumb lyrics in my opinion and is badly sung [if that not being all Lulu's fault, but then they shouldn't have used her in that case]. Though I do prefer it to some of the recent Bond efforts including the last four or five!
"Wheelhouse" is a US sporting vernacular terms to mean 'the part of the game at which the player excels the most'. So, if something is "right in his wheelhouse", it means the thing he does best, and for which he is most famous.
It's nautical jargon, meaning 'losing control of the ship'.
I wondered if the baseball term might also relate to the 'wheel' of the bat swing?
It´s a great Bond-song. I love it. TMWTGG really IS a Bond-song, while some of the later songs (Madonna, QOS) lack everything that makes a song a Bond-song. The Alice Cooper song a Bond song??? Really? This piece of garbage is about as good as Madonna´ s effort.
Barry´ s song "is utterly ridiculous"? Maybe. Depends on the way you define "ridiculous" and the way you see the Bond-films. If you consider them from a very sober and serious point of view, then they are certainly ALL "utterly ridiculous", from "Dr.No" to "Skyfall".
If you are prepared to perceive them as pure entertainment, then I don´ t know what should be wrong with the Golden Gun-song.
Apart from that: the worst Barry-song is a a million times better than the best non-Barry Bond-song. In my opinion, of course, but I´ m quite confident, that I´m not the only one who is of that opinion...
It's a great Bond-song. I love it. TMWTGG really IS a Bond-song, while some of the later songs (Madonna, QOS) lack everything that makes a song a Bond-song. The Alice Cooper song a Bond song??? Really? This piece of garbage is about as good as Madonna's effort.
As a teenager, I never tired of TMWTGG LP, song included. It wasn't Barry's best, but it was damn good Bond music and I needed the escapism. I'll allow that the Lulu song might seem bad to those who didn't learn it as kids, before their shells hardened.
For my money, QoS is the only terrible, unlistenable song in the Bond canon, and now I can say that the rejected Alice Cooper song is comparably atrocious. The rest of the canon is an amazing run.
Just to get a counter opinion here, I don't actually have a problem with any Bond song - including Quantum of Solace, which I'm listening to right now. I like the way they prove to be different expressions of artists relating to Bond's corner of the culture. Among the recent choices, I think Skyfall is a classic updating of the Bond songwriting ethos, to me one of the most successful post-Barry Bonds. And I always found Die Another Day to be pretty darn on-the-money. As the Mayor says in the Power Puff Girls, "This techno music is dope!"
Interestingly, my least favorite Bond song is actually a Barry - All Time High. But that's because it just doesn't sound like a Bond song to me. It sounds like a nice MOR song, but not a James Bond song. Sure works as an instrumental though, so it's fine too.
I don't usually post many comments here but had to chime in on this one.
LOVE the movie. LOVE Roger Moore. LOVE the John Barry score. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Lulu theme! And really love the End Titles which I believe is the only time Bond lyrics actually mention him by name- "Goodnight, Goodnight. Sleep well my dear. No need to fear. James Bond is here!"
P.S. I also kind of like "Another Way to Die". Really hated "You Know my Name" the first time I heard it in the theater but it has grown on me a bit. For me my least favorite theme is "All Time High" by a wide margin. It just has no "drama" at all which to me is a key component of any Bond song.
I also loved Lulu's theme... from the time I first heard it in the theater in the fall of 1974.
The best version I've heard of All Time High was by Pulp, on David Arnold's 007 tribute CD. Gives it the gravitas it needs... love it... you can check it out on you tube...
Say what you will about the song, Lulu was/is a babe. Maurice was a lucky bugger. Doesn't hurt that she has a hell of a voice, either. Good Bowie covers, too.
The best version I've heard of All Time High was by Pulp, on David Arnold's 007 tribute CD. Gives it the gravitas it needs... love it... you can check it out on you tube...
Interestingly, my least favorite Bond song is actually a Barry - All Time High. But that's because it just doesn't sound like a Bond song to me. It sounds like a nice MOR song, but not a James Bond song. Sure works as an instrumental though, so it's fine too.
I agree on that. While it is a beautiful Barry-song, it really doesn´t sound much like a a Bond-song. It´ s the only Barry-Bond that fails in this respect. But maybe it was on purpose, something the producers/director demanded (for a very light Roger Moore-film?)? We will probably never know. Still, a beautiful song.
By the time of Octopussy - All Time High we'd had 10 titles songs, or eleven if we include Matt Monro's From Russia With Love.
The big, bold, brassy songs were Goldfinger, Thunderball and The Man with the Golden Gun with Diamonds Are Forever and (for me: awful) Live and Let Die being borderline brassy (i.e. powerful).
The others, including Sheena Easton's For Your Eyes Only, were much more long-lined melodic and Rita Coolidge's entry in this select library is more in keeping with the majority, as opposed to the minority, of songs to that date. Only since then have the songs become far more powerful ... and, as a result, have been generally less interesting/enjoyable. John Barry's orchestration of the melody is a little less involved than, say, Diamonds Are Forever but it's very much in line with that for Moonraker.
Throughout the score, Barry did not action-fy this melody, keeping it very much a lovely, romantic tune. Only in the 45rpm B-side single release (not available, to date, on CD) is there a beefed-up arrangement. I have no problem with this ... he did the same with Moonraker and A View to a Kill ... and it suited the ageing Roger Moore.
As someone who has disliked most of pop/rock music for most of my life I've enjoyed these more melodic tunes and title songs, probably more so than those whose alternative music tastes include the pop/rock styles I've sought to avoid.
So, for me, All Time High may not be the best JB007 title song but it's far from being the worst. I just wish that there had been an alternative recording to end the OST ... oh, and a CD release of that 45rpm B-side instrumental!
It is certainly worth mentioning that "All Time High" was one of the many song options Barry presented to the producers. They chose it over other demos Barry had written.
Didn't know about the b-side single for All Time High, thanks for mentioning it. Here it is, the second half of this video (the first half, not surprisingly, the a-side). Dig the electric guitar obbligato.
Interestingly, the instrumental b-side is slower than the vocal.
Interestingly, my least favorite Bond song is actually a Barry - All Time High. But that's because it just doesn't sound like a Bond song to me. It sounds like a nice MOR song, but not a James Bond song. Sure works as an instrumental though, so it's fine too.
I agree on that. While it is a beautiful Barry-song, it really doesn´t sound much like a a Bond-song. It´ s the only Barry-Bond that fails in this respect. But maybe it was on purpose, something the producers/director demanded (for a very light Roger Moore-film?)? We will probably never know. Still, a beautiful song.
Agreed as well. I enjoy TMWTGG with Lulu, and will take it laryngitis and all, over All Time High or View to a Kill any day.
