Moonraker [Original recording remastered, Soundtrack]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

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For me, the essence of a good James Bond soundtrack has always been synonymous with the name of the composer John Barry. After his soundtrack for "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", that to "Moonraker" has had pride of place in my affections. Whether it was due to a sudden discovery or exploration of the symphonies of Bruckner or Mahler, his work for "Moonraker" is signified by many instances of low sustained brass chords.

As for the theme song, Shirley Bassey returned for her third and final vocal contribution in the opening track, her words floating in the air like the shuttle above the Earth. `I've seen your smile in a thousand dreams, ...' Why was this not a big hit?

"Space Lazer (sic) Battle" follows on this CD, a slow march with brass, snare drum and choir, as well as full strings, and some subtle electronic sounds too. The sound quality on the transfer is not as good as expected, the performance being muffled in places. "Miss Goodhead Meets Bond" is a slow version of the graceful title track; it segues into a nocturnal suspense. Repeated rising notes remind me again of Bruckner, and alas, once again the sound quality of the transfer to disc is poor, especially at the very end.

"Cable Car And Snake Fight" is full of suspense. A trumpet theme on a bed of sustained brass and strings segues into another march, again heavy on the brass and with snare drum. "Bond Lured To Pyramid" has a romantic other-worldly feel, sustained notes again in the choir. Woodwind imitate birdcalls, there are harp glissandi, and strings play an upwards figure that conveys us to heaven at the end by means of a rise of an octave.

The longest track (at six-and-a-half minutes) is the majestic "Flight Into Space". The introduction is like a Bruckner chorale. There is a marvellous trumpet call over a Bond signature riff played in the strings. When the trombones take the trumpet theme and move downwards, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end: it is a magical moment. And yet the sound quality is really bad at times, worse than my old LP. Have I been sold a pirate copy?

As you would imagine "Bond Arrives In Rio & Boat Chase" is replete with Brazilian rhythms accompanying the main Moonraker theme in an upbeat arrangement. The boat-chase theme is a reworking of one that John Barry has used before in a previous Bond movie. Brass and strings alternate between providing the main theme and providing the rhythmic accompaniment. It is very effective, and a shame it ends so early.

"Centrifuge And Corrinne Put Down" combines sustained low strings and brass, but the harp plucks ominously as the strings play faster and faster and higher and higher. The woodwinds swirl in chaos and confusion but are silenced by brass chords that indicate the deed is done. The plucked harp at the end is fatefully reminiscent. The following track is "Bond Smells A Rat" and is again quietly menacing: sustained brass and a four-note rising figure alternates with sustained woodwinds indicating the clinical atmosphere inside the lab. The ensuing death scene is very Mahlerian.

And finally we have the end-titles, a disco version of the main theme with Shirley Bassey strutting her stuff.

Alas, with only 31 minutes of music, many might scoff at purchasing this worthy CD. And the quality is really bad in places. But the music is so wonderfully atmospheric, so imaginatively composed and arranged, that I would be loathe to go without this wonderfully evocative example of a brilliant soundtrack.

A truly great film soundtrack, whimsical title track with Shirley Bassey in more restrained mood, plush strings, operatic drama with the space segments and two fantastic tracks in particular stand out: Bond Arrives In Rio and the end title with a light disco twist. Barry at his best, this ranks with his other great soundtracks like King Kong and Raise The Titanic of a similar period and musical style. Comes with a nice booklet with info on the film and music plus photos.

Although "Moonraker" is generally regarded to be one of the weaker movies in the Bond series the score is defiantly amongst it's best ! Moonraker for me would easily rank in the top 3 Barry Bond scores of all time along with "Diamonds are forever" and "The Living daylights" After taking a break from scoring "The Spy who loved me" due to being a tax exile in the UK which prevented Barry from scoring the film in London, Barry was invited back by Cubby Broccoli to score the next bond movie in "Moonraker" (this largely due to the production being based in Paris which allowed Barry to return to the series) and it's definitely one of his best Bond scores. At a lean running time of 31 mins it's a little lighter on music than some of the other Barry Bond scores but it's not about quantity it's about quality and every cue on the album is just sublime ! from the majesty of "Flight into space", the exciting "Cable car and snake fight" and the "Space lazer battle" the great music just keeps coming! Some of Barry's scores would be somewhat repetitive, repeating themes and motifs too many times but "Moonraker proves to be different and every cue is highly melodic but doesn't overuse the use of the movies theme tune or the bond theme. Shirley Bassey returns for her final Bond outing delivering a vocal on one of the most underrated Bond theme tunes in my opinion. You also get the disco version which i think actually works slightly better, the choice is yours though.

The only downside though is that this re-master isn't that good and is a lot poorer than the other Bond remasters in the series, the sound quailty can be somewhat muddy on occasions, it depends on which cue your listening to. Pretty disappointing really as some of the other one's are of a much higher quality.

John Barry's theme's and motifs are still being used as a template to this day by composer David Arnold who has scored most of the Bond movies since they returned in 1995. Truly one of England's finest film composers.

A great loss to the industry. RIP John

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5.0 out of 5 stars Space music
Whether you loved or hated Moonraker you can't deny one thing, the score for this film has to be one of John Barry's most powerful and in some parts darkest scores. Read more

Published 13 months ago by D. Lewis

5.0 out of 5 stars Moonraker might be a weak Bond film...But its soundtrack certainly isn't!
What a cracker of a soundtrack...I know that when compared to other Bond films like Dr. No, From Russia With Love, and Casino Royale that Moonraker is weak enough (I still liked... Read more

Published 22 months ago by majorvonhapen

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but slightly disappointing soundtrack
Good soundtrack that evokes the movie; however the tracks are not in the same sequence as in the movie. Also, the total sountrack duration is fairly short (about 30min).

Published on 15 April 2009 by Fcr Vincent

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