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Posted: |
Sep 14, 2006 - 10:23 AM
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By: |
ahem
(Member)
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Has anyone heard A-ha's synthrock version of THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS as heard on the STAY ON THESE ROADS album? It's got tinny, tin eared cheap digital synths, clattery dance beats and the arrangement is altered from adult contemporary to dancepop. The timeless orchestral elements are gone, as is the wailing power ballad saxaphone solo.
Barry co-wrote the track with A-ha, yet they've (most confusingly) tried to downplay all of his contributions, making the song pretty thin. Not just Barry who has been shortchanged, but also pop song producer Jason Corsaro (who engineered and co-produced Duran Duran's A VIEW TO A KILL for Bernard Edwards). Corsaro's Trevor Horn-ish melding of live rock, orcxhestral and synth elements is tossed aside, and the whole thing now happens on a high street CASIO keyboard. Corsaro and Barry played an equally significant part in the original song's success, as proved with their absence on this 1988 "improved" A-ha version.
When it hurts, it hurts.
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On the John Barry discussion board can be found an interesting thread about that topic. By the way, I've never warmed up with that terrible song.
This is what a fan of a-ha's version wrote:
It's a well known fact that there has been heavy argument between a-ha and John B[a]rry, over the Bo[n]d theme "The living Daylights" Here is some info:
a-ha are amongst artists such as Queen and Paul McCartney who are asked if they would like to perform the new James Bond song. Pål and Magne have already written the basis of a song which they feel would be suitable and send it in. This song is chosen to be used for the next James Bond film "The Living Daylights". During the recording process of the song, it becomes apparent that John Barry has a problem with not being one of the song writers and therefore replaces Magne's name in the credits for his.
"The song is actually written by Pål Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen in a-ha. John Barry wasn't involved with the production of the song. Barry was credited as a producer, but this is wrong. He never actually touched the production of the track, at all. Like Waaktaar once said in an interview: "He wanted to produce the song, but he never showed up in the studio"
Barry was angry at a-ha because they didn't want to credit him as a writer to the track, but the track had already been written a couple of months earlier by Pål Waaktaar. while on tour with a-ha .
The Royal Premiere of the James Bond film "The Living Daylights" is held in London. Charles and Diana from the Royal family attend. a-ha cannot be there as they are on tour in Japan. This does not please the Bond-folk who expected a-ha to cancel their sold-out tour to be at the premiere. John Barry takes this opportunity to speak out to the press about how difficult a-ha are to work with. The decision is made to neglect the song in the States and use another song as the title song for the U.S. version of the movie.
a-ha is still releasing albums and touring and has just released their 8 th studioalbum and has just finished a tour of Europe. The tour will continue in 2006.
http://www.johnbarry.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=333
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Posted: |
Sep 14, 2006 - 5:32 PM
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By: |
ahem
(Member)
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In my opinion, it's all a bit Monty Norman if you ask me, because the orchestral arrangement heard in the film version (and even the synth strings emulation in the STAY ON THESE ROADS version) is I think 9999999% Barry. Without Barry it would sound different, and that isn't open for debate (he even gets credited on the SOTR version). I also think Jason Corsaro's influence shouldn't be overlooked, seeing as the group only ever worked with him on that song- the accoustic element within the group was all Corsaro. Perhaps Corsaro came in because of Eon/UA (and I'm guessing Barry) after the success of his work on A VIEW TO A KILLs title track.
I always thought the excellent SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON TV sounded like it could have been a Bond song, and is closest to TLD in composition. Very Barry influenced, but not to the obvious extent of TLD.
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS was definitely a collaboration, and not the pure product of one artist. However, it makes you wonder about the whole thing seeing as Barry was recording the drum machines and synths for the score as well as the PRETENDERS songs with SWING OUT SISTERS producer Paul O'Duffy, yet A-ha were independently in the studio with ANOTHER producer, Jason Corsaro (Barry's strings added on afterwards). It's a funny one.
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