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Goldeneye
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Composed, Arranged, Performed, and Produced by:
Eric Serra
Symphonic Parts Conducted by:
John Altman
Performed by:
The London Studio Session Orchestra
Song Vocals by:
Tina Turner
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LABELS & RELEASE DATES
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ALBUM AVAILABILITY
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The 1995 Virgin album is regular U.S. release that has remained readily
available. The 2003 EMI/Capitol album is a mass commercial pressing that was initially
sold at a retail price of $10.
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AWARDS
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None.
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ALSO SEE
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Buy it... only if you are a collector of Eric Serra's soundtracks or
specifically appreciated the synthetic crossover sound of the score in the
context of the film.
Avoid it... if you demand any consistency in style or substance with John
Barry or David Arnold's proven styles for the franchise.
BUY IT
 | Serra |
Goldeneye: (Eric Serra) By 1995, the James Bond franchise
was finally beginning to get some things right. Shaking the legal difficulties
that kept the series from the big screen in the early 1990's, the belated debut
of Pierce Brosnan as 007 in Goldeneye marked the end of the longest lapse
ever in the production of the series. Along with a thigh crushing actress, an
intensely popular movie poster, and a noteworthy video game spin-off, the film
was a fiscal success. It paved the way for three more Bond films to star Brosnan,
ensuring the continuation of the original concept to a time that Ian Fleming
couldn't have even dreamt about. The music for Goldeneye, however, turned
out to be a tricky proposition. Franchise veteran 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 imitations of the 60's Bond films (and to and extent,
he could be right). He reportedly declined participation in Goldeneye,
leaving The Living Daylights as his outstanding conclusion to his efforts.
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 resemblance 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 naturally greeted with resentment at first, but once fans got it into
their heads that Barry was finished with the series anyways, they turned curious
about how Serra would tackle the project. After all, Michael Kamen's single Bond
score (for Timothy Dalton's departure in License to Kill), despite its
strengths in some parts, never stirred up much interest. While Serra's fan base
is extremely loyal, their numbers in America at the time were miniscule when
compared to the John Barry fanatics, though part of that was 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 a younger listening audience in record
stores. Tina Turner, whose voice is sultry enough to carry the vocal sound of the
franchise well, performed the title song that would circulate with moderate
success around the radio stations of America. To the mass of long-time Bond fans,
however, Serra's score was not only a failure in the film, but a disgrace to the
Bond tradition as a whole. Veteran viewers 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 indeed 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 renown for its poor
choice of composer assignments), 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, the young Brit proved that Serra's score was indeed
not only inadequate, but a disgrace to the series. While Arnold himself has
claimed that he didn't find the music for Goldeneye to be offensive at
all, the score still became the subject of mockery in parts of Hollywood. 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 show that. The score is amateurish in addition to being
disrespectful. Serra's techno rhythms are simplistic and uninteresting, forcing
more of the excitement to be generated solely by the action on the screen (which
is something that the film marginally succeeded in accomplishing). The composer's
choice of synthesized samplings came under extreme and warranted criticism. The
low-toned belching sound effect used to musically represent the ugly aliens in
The Fifth Element is employed here as a token representation of the
Russians. At first, it was thought to be a joke, but similarly ridiculous sounds
unfortunately 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 tank chase through St. Petersburg required full
statements of Monty Norman's 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 its progression. The glorious tank scene, especially, was a badly missed
opportunity for Serra, whose (eventually unused) cue for the scene locked his
score forever in the category of disastrous misadventures. 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 appearances, but are hindered by their usual
lack of inspiration and power, along with a tepid love theme attempted by Serra.
The love themes in the Bond films are traditionally 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 is ironically
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 even more like a fish out of water. Some 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 franchise scores were violated by his
effort (or lack thereof), so history will be forever unkind to Eric Serra for his
vastly inappropriate contribution. The contents of the 1995 Virgin and 2003
Capitol/EMI albums are the same (though the latter re-mixed the percussion as
part of its remastering), and if you value any of the traditions of James
Bond music from its prime, avoid the frustration of either album at all costs.
* @Amazon.com: CD or
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Who is this guy? Expand >> Ram - March 6, 2013, at 6:21 a.m. |
3 comments (3057 views) Newest: February 19, 2023, at 8:44 a.m. by Edmund Meinerts |
Like or loathe SlimeyDave - August 25, 2008, at 2:18 p.m. |
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1995 and 2003 Albums Tracks ▼ | Total Time: 54:33 |
1. Goldeneye - performed by Tina Turner (4:46)
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 - performed by Eric Serra (5:57)
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* not contained in the film |
The 1995 Virgin album's insert includes no extra information about the
score or film. The 2003 EMI album's insert contains the series' usual standard
of information about the score and 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...
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