So when it comes to Bond soundtracks, its difficult to draw the line.
So much of the JB style, that iconic 007 sound, comes directly from him.
Its no wonder that he accounts for half of the scores on this list.
The hard part is trying to rate 007s other composers.
How much should they be praised for imitating him or, in some cases, not?
Heres my take on the best Bond soundtracks of all time.
Exciting, symphonic and instantly hummable,From Russia With Loves score is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Barry keeps doing that same thing throughout the soundtrack, setting up expectations then knocking them down.
Oh yes, Mr Barry got rhythm and he knew how to use it.
But amid all that theres something new: a synthesizer.
Something Bond has struggled to do throughout the years is mix old and new.
Rousing symphonic stuff is all well and good, but what of the more modern instruments?
more electric guitar, to become the equally impressive Snow Job.
A soundtrack that, much like Bond at the time, was simultaneously dated and timeless.
Glang a lang a lang a lang a lang a lang…
Introductions dont come more iconic than that (except, perhaps, forYou Only Live Twice).
Amazingly, he didnt drop the ball once.
Then, Hamlisch brings in the sax.
it’s possible for you to never have too much sax.
Hamlisch wittily develops that aquatic theme into the more threatening trackThe Tanker.
Even the disco beats ofBond 77,which should be completely cringe-worthy, actually work well.
A funky take on the 007 theme?
Its not an easy task to undertake.
Compare it toFor Your Eyes Onlyfour years later, when Bill Conti had to step into Barrys shoes.
His pop-driven ideas dominated the score, sounding more tacky than trendy.
And thats saying something.
Fast forward to 1997, and Bond was in trouble.
Eric SerrasGoldenEyescore was an awkward mess, even paling in comparison to the soundtrack for the N64 game.
Who could score 007 now?
Thank goodness she did.
A lot of attention when it comes toTomorrow Never Diesgoes towards Sheryl Crows title track.
lang), to the end credits.
Its what Eric Serra wanted to do but couldnt.
He even called back Propellorheads fromShaken And Stirredto help scoreTomorrow Never Dies memorable car park sequence.
That standout track, Backseat Driver, ranks alongside Ski Chase as one of the franchises best action themes.
Electronic loops, bongos, Hammond B-3 organs and discordant vamping on the piano?
Who knew all that could ever sound like the Bond of the 60s?
And by God, he was right.
What do you do after youve comprehensively toyed with and updated Bonds legacy?
Get rid of it all together.
Dumm… dumm… dumm… dumm… becomes the livelier Ba-bum-ba-BAA Ba-bum-ba-BAA.
Rearranging that with his usual Barry-esque panache,Casino Royaleconverges into Arnolds most symphonic score.
It doesnt have the outright crazy percussion ofTomorrow Never Dies,but it doesnt need it.
The really thrilling part?
The score almost doesnt need it at all.
