 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Composed, Arranged, and Produced by:
|
Eric Serra
|
Symphonic Parts Conducted by:
|
John Altman
|
Instruments Performed by:
|
Eric Serra
The London Studio Session Orchestra
|
Song Vocals by:
|
Tina Turner
Eric Serra
|
|
|
|
|
Release Date:
|
November 14th, 1995
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Filmtracks Editorial Review:
 |
| | Serra | |
|
Goldeneye: (Eric Serra) In 1995, the Bond franchise was finally beginning
to get some things right. The belated debut of Pierce Brosnan marked the end of
the longest lapse ever in the production of the series, and along with some
thigh crushing actresses and an intensely popular movie poster and game spinoff,
the film was a fiscal success. It paved the way for three more Bond films to
star Brosnan, ensuring the continuation of the original idea to a time that Ian
Fleming couldn't have even dreamt about. The music for Goldeneye was the
only tricky proposition. John Barry had been quoted by numerous sources that he
believed the modern 80's and 90's Bond films were nothing more than formula
immitations of the 60's Bond films (and to and extent, he is right). He declined
participation in the project, leaving The Living Daylights as his
outstanding final Bond score. The producers at M-G-M decided, and rightly so,
that they wanted to continue Barry's late Bond score push into the modern rock
and electronica sound, keeping only a faint resemblence to the 60's jazz for the
sake of continuity. The job of continuing the modernization of the Bond scores
fell on the unlikely shoulders of French synthesist Eric Serra, who was (and
still is) best known for his collaborations with French director Luc Besson on
Le Femme Nikita, The Professional, The Fifth Element, and
The Big Blue.
The move by M-G-M was greeted with resentment at first, but once fans got it
into their heads that John Barry was finished with the series anyways, they
turned curious about how Serra would tackle the project. While his fan base is
extremely loyal, their numbers in America are miniscule when compared to the
John Barry fanatics, though part of that is due to the age discrepancy between
the two men. When Goldeneye opened in the theatres, Serra's score
thrilled his fans, and even sold well to the teenage crowd in record stores.
Tina Turner, whose voice is sultry enough to carry a Bond song well, performed
the song that would circulate with moderate success around the radio stations of
America. To the mass of long-time Bond fans, Serra's score was not only a
failure in the film, but a disgrace to the Bond tradition as a whole. Fans
pounded Serra instantaneously, with some going so far as to claim his score
ruined the film. Demands for the whereabouts of John Barry poured in to film
music publications. The move towards the musical modernization of the series had
been accomplished, but Serra failed completely in his attempt to tie
Goldeneye to the franchise's past. Many industry insiders, including
those at M-G-M (a studio reknown for its poor choice of scores), scratched their
heads and were willing to give Serra the benefit of the doubt. When David Arnold
took over the series with Tomorrow Never Dies, he proved that Serra's
score was indeed not only inadequate, but a disgrace to the series. It's not
uncommon in Hollywood to hear the phrase, "Hey, make sure you guys don't pull a
'Goldeneye' with the score for your film," thus making the Goldeneye
score a mockery and a prime example of "that score you don't want for
your film."
Fans of Serra's music will argue that public perception and expectations
shouldn't be the measure of the score for Goldeneye. To an extent, some
creative liberty must be allowed, yes. But expectations in a film franchise of
this multitude and cross-generational popularity simply must be
respected, and Serra unequivocally failed to do that. The score is amatuerish in
addition to being disrespectful. The techno rhythms are simplistic and
uninteresting, forcing more of the excitement to be generated from the action on
the screen (which is something that the film marginally succeeded in
accomplishing). Serra's choice of synthesized samplings came under extreme and
warranted criticism. The use of that low toned belching sound used to musically
represent the ugly aliens in The Fifth Element is used here as a token
representation of the Russians that fight Bond. At first, it was thought to be a
joke, but these ridiculous sounds (among others) permeate Goldeneye. The
use of the Bond theme is disgracefully minimal, with only two cues in the film
making a futile attempt at its incorporation. The opening climbing scene and
infamous drive in a tank through St. Petersburg require a full statement of the
Bond theme, if even for a few short bursts, but Serra trashes the theme with a
corny and faint electronic blast of the first few notes of the theme. The
glorious tank scene, especially, was a classic missed opportunity for Serra,
whose cue for the scene locked his score forever in the category of disasterous
miscues. The other action scenes also contain underscore suitable for the
Goldeneye video game, and not the feature film.
Serra makes a futile attempt to incorporate his usual London Session Studio
Orchestra into the score to perform the tender moments for Bond. In the film,
they make four notable appearance, but are hindered by their usual lack of
inspiration and power, as well as a tepid love theme by Serra. Love themes in
the Bond films are supposed to swoop in an almost overly dramatic movement, and
are part of the Bond formula no matter how you cut it. From Russia With
Love established the power of the Bond love theme, and Barry continued it to
his final score. Serra also fails to quote the theme of the Goldeneye
theme song by Turner in his score, which is another unacceptable blunder. When
people think of the Goldeneye score in years later, it is the four note
bass plucking from the beginning of the song that goes best remembered. Even
David Arnold, who has proven himself a master at interpreting themes for a
sequel, paid tribute to this four note motif from the Goldeneye song in
the first half of Tomorrow Never Dies. The fact that Arnold found nothing
worth referencing in Serra's score for Goldeneye should not be neglected.
After Arnold led the Bond franchise into the 21st Century with a classy and
elegant combination of big jazz, Moby-inspired electronics, exotic
instrumentation, and sweeping orchestral love themes, Serra's Bond score seems
ever more like a fish out of water. Some people will continue to argue to the
very end that Serra simply produced the score he was asked to write. But too
many of the unwritten rules of Bond scores were violated by his effort (or lack
thereof), so history will be forever unkind to Eric Serra for his vastly
inappropriate score for Goldeneye. If you value any of the
traditions of James Bond music from its prime, avoid the frustration of this
album at all costs. *
 |
|
Viewer Ratings and Comments:
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
• 1. Goldeneye (4:46) --title song
• 2. The Goldeneye Overture (4:24)
• 3. Ladies First (2:44)
• 4. We Share the Same Passions (4:46)
• 5. A Little Surprise for You (2:02)
• 6. The Severnaya Suite (2:07)
• 7. Our Lady of Smolensk (1:01)
• 8. Whispering Statues (3:26)
| |
• 9. Run, Shoot, and Jump (1:05)
• 10. A Pleasant Drive through St. Petersburg (4:28)
• 11. Fatal Weakness (4:43)
• 12. That's What Keeps You Alone (3:17)
• 13. Dish out of Water (3:57)
• 14. The Scale to Hell (3:43)
• 15. Forever, James (2:01)
• 16. The Experience of Love (5:57) --song
|
Insert includes no extra information about the score or film.
|
Lyrics to "Goldeneye"
|
See reflections on the water,
More than darkness in the depths,
See him surface in every shadow,
On the wind I feel his breath,
GoldenEye, I've found his weakness,
GoldenEye, he'll do what I please,
GoldenEye, a time for sweetness,
But a bitter kiss will bring him to his knees,
You'll never know how I watched you from the shadows as a child,
You'll never know how it feels to be the one who's left left behind,
You'll never know the days, the nights, the tears, the tears I've
cried,
But now my time has come,
And time, time is not on your side.
See him move through smoke and mirrors,
Feel his presence in the crowd,
Other girls they gather round him,
If I had him I wouldn't let him out,
|
GoldenEye, not lace or leather,
Golden chains link him to the spot,
GoldenEye, I'll show him forever,
It'll take forever to see what I got,
You'll never know how I watched you from the shadows as a child,
You'll never how it feels to get so close and be denied,
Its a golden honeytrap,
I've got for you tonight,
Revenge is a kiss,
This time I won't miss,
Now I've got you in my sights,
With a GoldenEye,
Golden, GoldenEye,
With a GoldenEye,
GoldenEye...
|
|
