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I've never listened to it on disc, but always felt it was weak dramatically. Its kind of an easy-listening score which relies on old movie score cliches. Legrand scores it too much like a comedy. Too light and fluffy, even in the action cues.
Of course the film itself, despite Sean Connery's presence, seemed more modeled on the Roger Moore era than the original Bond films.
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I don't think it's fair to dismiss it simply because it isn't Barry. Not his best, but the motorcycle chase bit is great. As is the music as the film introduces Fatima Blush. I'd give it 3/5 total, the CD's sound quality varies quite a lot between the bulk of the score and the ballroom part(I could've sworn I heard someone's watch alarm go off in one of the tracks)so it wouldn't even get that.
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I enjoy it. I don't know if I should bother to qualify my enjoyment with the "guilty pleasure" excuse either.
Whatever else the score does or doesn't accomplish for the the film itself, it certainly takes the listener directly smack-dab back to 1983 instantly.
I remember the film fondly as well, as it's the first James Bond film our father took us to see on the big screen, and what a treat it was for him to show us the "real" James Bond, the one HE had "grown up with."
So . . . I admit it.
Its appeal is mostly nostalgic for me, but that counts for something doesn't it?
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FYI,
I always wondered what the title song might sound like it if it was arranged like a Classic Bond title theme by John Barry or now David Arnold....
So, BSX RECORDS decided to do just that.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/main-title-song-from-never/id405462983
This recording was performed by Katie Campbell and arranged and produced by Dominik Hauser BSX RECORDS.
If you like it all the credit goes to them...
If you don't, Myself and Mr. Banning were the ones who commissioned and approved it, so the buck stops with us.
We hope you take a moment to sample it.
Ford A. Thaxton
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As it turns out, I just finished listening to the director's commentary track on the Blu-Ray earlier this afternoon.
The late Irvin Kershner doesn't mince words about the score, which he regrets and says was delivered too late in the game to dump. Instead, they moved it around within the film and fiddled until they felt it did the least damage. He also indicated that Legrand seemingly ignored the needs of the score, focussing on his song duties with comparative gusto. At one point, Steven Jay Rubin (who's moderating the commentary) prompts him about a rumor that James Horner was once considered to score the film. I can't recall what Kersh's response was to that!
Well, that story was told me to DIRECTLY by the late Jack Schwartzman when I made the deal for SILVA SCREEN RECORDS.
Let's just say that according to him, His wife, the director, himself and Mr. Connery had lunch with Mr. Horner to discuss scoring the project and afterwards it was Mr. Connery who vetoed using him, let's just say that Mr. Horner didn't make a good imipression with Mr. Connery and leave that.
Ford A. Thaxton
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Let's just say that according to him, His wife, the director, himself and Mr. Connery had lunch with Mr. Horner to discuss scoring the project and afterwards it was Mr. Connery who vetoed using him, let's just say that Mr. Horner didn't make a good imipression with Mr. Connery and leave that.
I'll bet young Horner said something like,
"Pleased to meet you Mr Connery. Have you done any films before this project?"
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