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I did not expect to enjoy this album.
But the sheer quality of the original material is definitely shining through and reorchestrated in a very entertaining manner.
A lovely tribute.
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Posted: |
Sep 26, 2022 - 6:05 AM
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By: |
danbeck
(Member)
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I liked this album for what it is. Do not expect any innovative arrangements.
The first half are basically extended and slightly faster versions of the same Barry arrangements of Moviola II.
Then the first songs of the Moore era have some of the more different arrangements with brass carring the melodies but some annoying pop beats on some tracks.
The Dalton and Brosnan tracks are generally good, with a surprisingly very listenable arrangement of Die Another Day
The Craig era has a very good arrangement of You Know My Name and the other tracks are very (maybe a bit too much) faithfull to the sound and tempo of the songs.
My track-by-track first impressions:
1) James Bond Theme: A good, if standard, recording of the bond theme with strings instead of the guitar, like Barry used for the Roger Moore era. A bit faster than the version in Moviola II and adding some unnecessary pop drums in the middle part but I still liked it.
2) From Russia With Love: A very similar recording to the version in Moviola II, but faster and extended. A good romantic version of the theme on strings.
3) Goldfinger: Again a similar arrangement to the one in Moviola II with a slightly faster tempo. An OK track.
4) Thunderball: Another arrangement similar to the one in Moviola II. A good track.
5) You Only Live Twice: Moviola II arrangement again slightly faster. A good track.
6) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: Moviola II arrangement with a faster tempo. A good track.
7) Diamonds Are Forever: Same as Moviola II with faster tempo and extended to the full song. A good track.
8) Live And Let Die: First track that was not on Moviola II. Is not bad but a bit odd with the trumpets/brass carring the main melody. I like some of the string flourishes added to the “action portion”.
9) Man With The Golden Gun: I liked this recording, fast paced with some pop drums and like LALD the melody is carried by brass.
10) The Spy Who Loved Me: Another one on which the melody is carried by trumpets/brass and with some unnecessary pop beats. Not a big fan of this version.
11) Moonraker: An interesting arrangement, with the main melody carried by flute instead of strings in the first part of the track. Some unnecessary pop beats but still a good version.
12) For Your Eyes Only. An OK version similar to the instrumental track in the soundtrack album.
13) All Time High: The first half is a lovely restrained version of the theme then on the last half it becames bigger – not a big fan of the final part but liked the first half. This is the only track that was in Moviola II on which the arrangement is different.
14) A View To A Kill: Loved this track. Its Wine With Stacey extended with lovely strings on the last part.
15) The Living Daylights: A good version of the music that resembles the soundtrack arrangements with some additions.
16) Licence To Kill: An OK version carried by strings. Not my favorite song in the series but listenable.
17) Goldeneye: I love this song but this arrangement not soo much. Unncessary pop beats added to it. Liked they used the “film version” ending.
18) Tomorrow Never Dies: Another song that was never a favorite but this arrangement is good.
19) The World Is Not Enough: A good version. The pop beats did not annoyed me that much on this one.
20) Die Another Day: Liked this version a lot. One of the worse songs in the series but this version is actually very good and listenable.
21) You Know My Name: One of my favorite songs in the series and I liked this version a lot.
22) Another Way To Die: This version is very faithfull to the original song tempo and arrangement. A good track.
23) Skyfall: A good version, similar to the sound and tempo of the original song.
24) Writing Is On The Wall: A good version, similar to the sound and tempo of the original soung.
25) No Time To Die: Most people are familiar with this track as it was released more than a year ago. A good version, again faithfull to the tempo and sound of the original song.
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Nice post!
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8) Live And Let Die: First track that was not on Moviola II. Is not bad but a bit odd with the trumpets/brass carring the main melody. I like some of the string flourishes added to the “action portion”.
danbeck, just curious - what instruments would you prefer to have carrying the melody here? I liked this version, though the brass did give it a bit of a big-band feel, maybe not quite on the money. (I haven't listened to the whole album yet.)
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Thanks, I don't know the Kunzel version, I'll hunt it up.
Four minutes later: now I've listened to it the Kunzel. I think the strings are a bit too smooth, I want sharper articulation than that. Sounded quite square in the opening, like a pastiche of Mozart. Though the arrangement is fun overall.
I can't believe I've never listened to Bond and Beyond until now. I spend too much time with Franck Pourcel's arrangements. 
(Truth be told, I find I really enjoy some of those, but if I had heard them at the time, I would have snorted and snorted!)
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Listening to it now. I'm not blown away by it, to be honest: some (such as Goldeneye) come off better than others (Licence To Kill, Live And Let Die, and Casino Royale/You Know My Name; this last one is totally outclassed by the City Of Prague recording). Right now they're actually having a decent bash at Another Way To Die (Quantum), which is one of the worst.
Even though they're markedly different, I prefer the Kunzel ones (Bond And Beyond doesn't have all of them, and has many non-Bond themes on it), which includes a roof-raising Goldfinger, and the 007 Classics CD by the Las Vegas International Philharmonic, despite its use of saxophone which makes some of the tracks just sound like lift music. (Some here might give an extra mark to that one because it doesn't credit Monty Norman!)
I'll also go back to my Frank Pourcel album (I have the CD in the car right now) despite the wild and crazy things he throws in, and the Geoff Love one for nostalgia reasons, even though they only go up to the first ten films or so. I honestly don't think I need the Bond 25 album: sure, it has instrumental versions of Spectre, Skyfall and No Time To Die but who wants those?!?
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Even though they're markedly different, I prefer the Kunzel ones (Bond And Beyond doesn't have all of them, and has many non-Bond themes on it...
Can you point out where I can find other Kunzel Bond cues not in Bond and Beyond?
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Sean Nethery: Can you point out where I can find other Kunzel Bond cues not in Bond and Beyond?
If you've got Bond and Beyond, you've got the best two Kunzel Bond tracks ("From Russia with Love" and "Live and Let Die").
I'm no fan of the big-band style Goldfinger arrangement that leads off Bond and Beyond. That exact Goldfinger arrangement is a repeat from 1986's Hollywood's Greatest Hits: Volume I. As far as I know, that is the only other Bond track from any other Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops album.
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Even though they're markedly different, I prefer the Kunzel ones (Bond And Beyond doesn't have all of them, and has many non-Bond themes on it...
Can you point out where I can find other Kunzel Bond cues not in Bond and Beyond?
Slightly ambiguous there - Kunzel didn't do all the Bond themes, and that album is the only one they're on.
I've just finished listening to the Carl Davis one and it's pretty impressive: there's an energy and zip about it that there really isn't on Bond 25. I also finished listening to the Pourcel disc in the car and it's... er... interesting?
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Ah, I misunderstood re Kunzel, thanks.
Yes, let's not replace anything else with Pourcel, but I enjoy it every time I listen. For what it is, a decent if occasionally odd light music response to the Bond phenom.
I haven't listened to the Carl Davis in a while, have to give that a go.
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Finally listening to this and it's fine. Not blown away by it but it's a pleasant listen.
One things that bugs me (and about all these orchestral interpretations of pop/rock songs) is the supposed need to have an instrument represent the lyrics. I just want a nice arrangement of the music, I don't need a trumpet pretending to be Paul McCartney plonked on top.
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I can live with that.
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