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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
One of the Best Film Soundtracks of the 1960s, 16 Nov 2003
The 1967 film CASINO ROYALE did less than big business at the box office, and it would be a decade or so before the public really learned to appreciate its charms and turn it into a cult-favorite--but even while the film was struggling in theatrical release the Burt Bacharach soundtrack was very much admired, and to my mind it remains one of the best film soundtracks of that decade.This is not the 1960s of Haight-Ashbury, Jimi Hendrix, and Grace Slick; it is instead the playboy-ish, tuxedoed-swinger 1960s: hip, sophisticated, and playful. And Bacharach not only does an over-the-top riff on the scores for the Sean Connery "Bond films," he also cleverly gives the whole pastiche a surprisingly retro feel; with such hits as "Winchester Cathedral" popular on the radio, 1920s musical idioms were all the rage in 1960s instrumental music, and Bacharach neatly filters those idioms into his "swinging spy" tone to create some truly unique musical moments. Like most good soundtracks, the music for CASINO ROYALE rings changes on a precious few themes--and in this case there are three basic ones: the "Casino Royale Theme," recorded by Herp Albert and The Tijuana Brass, which pops with a harpsichord lead-in to one of the most memorable trumpet solos going; the "Miss Moneypenny Goes for Broke" theme, which uses hard brass and percussion to create a slightly humorous, slightly sleazy tone; and the soundtrack's centerpiece: the absolutely stunning Dusty Springfield interpretation of "The Look of Love." This is a knockout piece of music with a great lyric, and Springfield's full-throated, dreamy, and super-steamy vocal is quite possibly the single best thing she ever did in her long and distinguished career. I did have a few issues with the CD, however. The selections are not in the sequence in which they are used in the film; at least one of the more memorable bits of music--the vocal for the closing titles--is not included; and the titles of the selections (and the way they are described in the otherwise amusing notes) are somewhat misleading re how they were actually used in the film. But on the whole, this is one knockout CD. If you're a fan of the film, or of Burt Bacharach, Herp Albert, or Dusty Springfield, it's also a must-have for your collection. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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