Review by William Ruhlmann
One of the signature aspects of a James Bond movie is its theme song, and, as demonstrated on this collection of those songs, there is a remarkable consistency to them. The first Bond film, 1962's Dr. No, featured Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme," a distinctive instrumental piece that has figured in every Bond picture since and that leads off the disc. But with the second entry in the series, 1963's From Russia with Love, there was a specially written title song sung by a contemporary pop artist during the opening credits. And as of the third entry, 1964's Goldfinger, that song, as often as not, would become a hit. Shirley Bassey's melodramatic performance of "Goldfinger" remains a standard for Bond themes, but, just as the films have been subtly updated through the years, so the theme songs have reflected changes in pop music. Echoes and approximations of Norman's theme turn up over and over as a basis for the songs, even though they make room for individual interpretation. For example, Gladys Knight's "License to Kill" from 1989 may be an '80s power ballad complete with synthesizer accompaniment, but it still uses familiar orchestral elements. And some of the least characteristic songs are also some of the most successful. Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" doesn't even use a film title, yet it is one of the better remembered theme songs. Many of the artists who sing the songs are pop footnotes (a-ha, Sheena Easton), but they were hot when they were asked to participate, and their performances hold up. [Originally released in 1999, the album was reissued in a 40th anniversary edition in 2002 containing three additional tracks, including Garbage's theme song for The World Is Not Enough and Moby's electronica-styled reconstruction of the original theme. It was reissued again in 2012 with Madonna's contribution to 2002's Die Another Day, Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" from 2006's Casino Royale, and Jack White and Alicia Keys' "Another Way to Die" from 2008's Quantum of Solace.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-bond-james-bond-mw0002415266
One of the signature aspects of a James Bond movie is its theme song, and, as demonstrated on this collection of those songs, there is a remarkable consistency to them. The first Bond film, 1962's Dr. No, featured Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme," a distinctive instrumental piece that has figured in every Bond picture since and that leads off the disc. But with the second entry in the series, 1963's From Russia with Love, there was a specially written title song sung by a contemporary pop artist during the opening credits. And as of the third entry, 1964's Goldfinger, that song, as often as not, would become a hit. Shirley Bassey's melodramatic performance of "Goldfinger" remains a standard for Bond themes, but, just as the films have been subtly updated through the years, so the theme songs have reflected changes in pop music. Echoes and approximations of Norman's theme turn up over and over as a basis for the songs, even though they make room for individual interpretation. For example, Gladys Knight's "License to Kill" from 1989 may be an '80s power ballad complete with synthesizer accompaniment, but it still uses familiar orchestral elements. And some of the least characteristic songs are also some of the most successful. Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" doesn't even use a film title, yet it is one of the better remembered theme songs. Many of the artists who sing the songs are pop footnotes (a-ha, Sheena Easton), but they were hot when they were asked to participate, and their performances hold up. [Originally released in 1999, the album was reissued in a 40th anniversary edition in 2002 containing three additional tracks, including Garbage's theme song for The World Is Not Enough and Moby's electronica-styled reconstruction of the original theme. It was reissued again in 2012 with Madonna's contribution to 2002's Die Another Day, Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" from 2006's Casino Royale, and Jack White and Alicia Keys' "Another Way to Die" from 2008's Quantum of Solace.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-bond-james-bond-mw0002415266
///////
Reseña de William Ruhlmann
Uno de los aspectos característicos de una película de James Bond es su tema principal, y, como se demuestra en esta colección de esas canciones, hay una notable consistencia en ellas. La primera película de Bond, Dr. No de 1962, presentaba el "Tema de James Bond" de Monty Norman, una pieza instrumental distintiva que ha figurado en todas las películas de Bond desde entonces y que se encuentra en el disco. Pero con la segunda entrada de la serie, 1963, "From Russia with Love", había una canción especialmente escrita y cantada por un artista pop contemporáneo durante los créditos de apertura. Y a partir de la tercera entrada, Goldfinger de 1964, esa canción, con frecuencia, se convertiría en un éxito. La melodramática interpretación de Shirley Bassey de "Goldfinger" sigue siendo un estándar para los temas de Bond, pero, así como las películas han sido sutilmente actualizadas a través de los años, los temas han reflejado los cambios en la música pop. Los ecos y aproximaciones del tema de Norman aparecen una y otra vez como base de las canciones, aunque dejan espacio para la interpretación individual. Por ejemplo, "License to Kill" de Gladys Knight de 1989 puede ser una balada de poder de los años 80 completa con acompañamiento de sintetizador, pero todavía utiliza elementos orquestales familiares. Y algunas de las canciones menos características son también algunas de las más exitosas. "Nobody Does It Better" de Carly Simon ni siquiera usa un título de película, pero es uno de los temas más recordados. Muchos de los artistas que cantan las canciones son notas pop a pie de página (a-ha, Sheena Easton), pero estaban calientes cuando se les pidió que participaran, y sus actuaciones se mantienen. El álbum, publicado originalmente en 1999, fue reeditado en una edición del 40º aniversario en 2002, que contenía tres temas adicionales, incluyendo el tema de Garbage para The World Is Not Enough y la reconstrucción del tema original al estilo electrónico de Moby. Se reeditó de nuevo en 2012 con la contribución de Madonna al álbum Die Another Day de 2002, la canción "You Know My Name" de Chris Cornell del Casino Royale de 2006, y "Another Way to Die" de Jack White y Alicia Keys del Quantum of Solace de 2008.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-bond-james-bond-mw0002415266
Tracklist:
1 - John Barry & His Orchestra - James Bond Theme - 1:47
2 - Matt Monro - From Russia With Love - 2:33
3 - Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger - 2:48
4 - Tom Jones - Thunderball - 3:02
5 - Nancy Sinatra - You Only Live Twice - 2:45
6 - John Barry & His Orchestra - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 2:35
7 - Louis Armstrong - We Have All The Time In The World - 3:13
8 - Shirley Bassey - Diamonds Are Forever - 2:41
9 - Paul McCartney & Wings* - Live And Let Die - 3:13
10 - Lulu - The Man With The Golden Gun - 2:34
11 - Carly Simon - Nobody Does It Better - 3:28
12 - Shirley Bassey - Moonraker - 3:08
13 - Sheena Easton - For Your Eyes Only - 3:03
14 - Rita Coolidge - All Time High - 3:02
15 - Duran Duran - A View To Kill - 3:34
16 - a-ha - The Living Daylights - 4:13
17 - Gladys Knight - Licence To Kill - 4:11
18 - Tina Turner - Goldeneye - 3:29
19 - Sheryl Crow - Tomorrow Never Dies - 4:52
20 - Garbage - The World Is Not Enough - 3:57
21 - Madonna - Die Another Day - 4:36
22 - Chris Cornell - You Know My Name - 4:01
23 - Jack White (2) And Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die - 4:23
Label: Capitol Records – 5099923 281721, MGM Music – 5099923 281721
Released: 09 Oct 2012
Genre: Jazz, Rock, Stage & Screen
Style: Soul-Jazz, Soft Rock, Pop Rock, Synth-pop
1 - John Barry & His Orchestra - James Bond Theme - 1:47
2 - Matt Monro - From Russia With Love - 2:33
3 - Shirley Bassey - Goldfinger - 2:48
4 - Tom Jones - Thunderball - 3:02
5 - Nancy Sinatra - You Only Live Twice - 2:45
6 - John Barry & His Orchestra - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 2:35
7 - Louis Armstrong - We Have All The Time In The World - 3:13
8 - Shirley Bassey - Diamonds Are Forever - 2:41
9 - Paul McCartney & Wings* - Live And Let Die - 3:13
10 - Lulu - The Man With The Golden Gun - 2:34
11 - Carly Simon - Nobody Does It Better - 3:28
12 - Shirley Bassey - Moonraker - 3:08
13 - Sheena Easton - For Your Eyes Only - 3:03
14 - Rita Coolidge - All Time High - 3:02
15 - Duran Duran - A View To Kill - 3:34
16 - a-ha - The Living Daylights - 4:13
17 - Gladys Knight - Licence To Kill - 4:11
18 - Tina Turner - Goldeneye - 3:29
19 - Sheryl Crow - Tomorrow Never Dies - 4:52
20 - Garbage - The World Is Not Enough - 3:57
21 - Madonna - Die Another Day - 4:36
22 - Chris Cornell - You Know My Name - 4:01
23 - Jack White (2) And Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die - 4:23
Label: Capitol Records – 5099923 281721, MGM Music – 5099923 281721
Released: 09 Oct 2012
Genre: Jazz, Rock, Stage & Screen
Style: Soul-Jazz, Soft Rock, Pop Rock, Synth-pop



No comments:
Post a Comment