[Lucien21]

Has anyone listened to the the new Bond Theme for Casino Royale.

Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave does a Bond.

http://www.tiffanyastone.com/Chris_C..._Name.lite.mp3

Ok Not as bad as the Madonna one.

It took a couple of listens, but I think it's ok.

[Giligan]

Hold on, is this the Theme or just the song from the intro credits?

[Lucien21]

The song from the opening titles is usually referred to as the theme song.

[Giligan]

Then what would one call the "dun-dududun-dun, dun-dun dun-dun dundundun, dun dun dun blah blah, blahblahblah" from the sequence when he shoots at the pistol barrel and blood drips down the screen?

[Jelena]

I think it was great!

[Lucien21]

Originally Posted by Giligan

Then what would one call the "dun-dududun-dun, dun-dun dun-dun dundundun, dun dun dun blah blah, blahblahblah" from the sequence when he shoots at the pistol barrel and blood drips down the screen?

The Theme from Dr No.

[Giligan]

So on every Bond script, the intro says "As Bond shoots at camera, Dr. No theme start playing"?

[RLacey]

The Dr No theme is generally known as the "James Bond Theme". It's not the theme tune for any of the films other than Dr No, though.

And this theme tune seems a little bland to me. It's not catchy enough for anyone to be singing it in six months' time, I suspect. It is better than Die Another Day, but that's only because DAD was terrible.

[Lee in Limbo]

Actually, the classic theme you're thinking of is (and was even in Dr. No) called 'The James Bond Theme'. This, however, is going to be the theme song for Casino Royale. Every moive has had its own distinct theme song, and then intergrated the classic James Bond Theme into the score (hopefully) as seamlessly as possible.

As well as the theme, most of the familiar little tropes we've grown accustomed to in Bond films are going to be noticeably different, simply because they are rebooting the series. Everything from the martini on up are going to be handled as if for the first time, if at all. And that gunbarrel sequence? It's part of the movie.

As for the song, I like it. I hang out online with the hardcore Bond fans (I guess I'm one of them), but I tend to be the voice of change a fair bit of the time. I hear some classic elements in Cornell's theme, and of course, Cornell's own signature style is all over it. But I also hear that bravery that the most outstanding rock acts have brought to the series over the past few decades. And I'm always thankful when they turn in another theme song that sounds nothing like the ghastly Shirley Bassey. I hear some of McCartney's take, and some of Duran Duran's take here.

Plus, with the little retro touches and the slowed down Bond theme note motif slipped in here and there, it's exactly what I've come to expect and prefer from contemporary artists recording Bond themes. All in all, a great job.

This movie is really going to open some eyes. The traditional fans are going to have to come to grips, but I think a lot of people are going to be surprised at how well done this film is going to be. Even the private screenings are going down incredibly well, and the post production on the film isn't even finished yet.

*scurries back into the closet... at least until November*

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by Lee in Limbo

And I'm always thankful when they turn in another theme song that sounds nothing like the ghastly Shirley Bassey.

Plus, with the little retro touches and the slowed down Bond theme note motif slipped in here and there, it's exactly what I've come to expect and prefer from contemporary artists recording Bond themes.

Does the motif ever actually complete? It rises chromatically, but doesn't actually fall again, does it? I could be wrong, mind you... What I don't like about this song is simply that it's not memorable enough for me to be able to hum it at a later stage.

I should point out that, since the release of some newer trailers, my interest in this film has returned - if only because it now does look like a film that isn't just another Bond film. I was annoyed before because they sacked Brosnan due to a desire to "reboot" the franchise (and boy is that phrase clichéd), but then released a first trailer that made Casino Royale look almost exactly like all the other films...

[Lee in Limbo]

I'll admit, I'm not half as interested in how well Craig plays either the modern action hero (a la Jason Statham), OR the classic Bond moments, as much as I am in how the actual espionage and assassination bits play out. I rather enjoyed Brosnan's work, but honestly, they were holding him back from doing a really serious take (fear of the Timothy Dalton factor; I quite liked Dalton, and Lazenby, for that matter).

Sadly, Pierce was never going to be allowed to play the Bond that Craig is going to get the chance to play. I'm a Brosnan fan as much for his work outside as inside the franchise (minus Remington Steel. Never cared for it), and I do think it's a rip off that he got pushed aside just when the series was going to play the way he'd always wanted it to. However, the number of people who wanted to see it just wouldn't have done it. They'd tried in The World Is Not Enough, and lots of people still complain that it was boring (personally, it's one of my favourites *shrug*).

I just hope Craig doesn't get straitjacketted into playing smarmy Mooreisms after this film gets savaged by people who don't get it, and try to write it off as a Bourne rip.

And as for the tune, the motif rises slowly, but I don't hear it descend. That's fairly common for the modern takes. The last three or four themes did similar tricks. Even Madonna's irritating tune played on the motif, without being obvious. I rather like that. Although the Garbage take amused me most.

[RLacey]

Well, the Garbage one was actually written by Arnold, wasn't it?

And I agree with you regarding Craig. And Dalton. Not Lazenby, but then I just found his fake English accent a little too over the top. It does annoy me that this looks like exactly the kind of film that Brosnan claims he always wanted to do, though.

[Lee in Limbo]

Yes, it would seem that Arnold wrote that with Don Black (lyricist). Arnold's good and he's sturdy, so I don't give him flack for not being Barry. However, his theme song writing was pretty untested (still is, really; every other theme song in his tenure was written by someone else). The song was just classy enough while still possessing some real ballsiness. I start to worry when Bond gets a little too neutered in style.

[Panthera]

Bleh, Pierce Brosnan.. something about the guy just gives me shivers (and not the good kind) I can't stand watching any movie with him.. he's just... too pretty boy or something. And I don't think he's a specially good actor..

[RLacey]

Arnold also wrote Surrender from Tomorrow Never Dies (the end credit theme), I believe. Which I thought was better than the main theme (though I also liked that)...

I wonder how much it's the singers insisting on writing their own songs rather than Arnold not being up to the task.

And I love the latest versions of the bond music generally. I'm a sucker for over-the-top orchestrations .

[Lee in Limbo]

Lots of die hard fans loved Surrender. kd lang did a marvellous job of sounding like Bassey without irritating me the way Bassey always did (Sorry, I know that irks. Just a pet peeve of mine. Never even remotely liked her three numbers). It's one of my faves too. However, I don't give Crow nearly the amount of grief other folks did over her number. I just think she owes her old band mates more credit than she gives them. Primadonna. Why'd she have to be so cute anyway?

Sorry, lost my train of thought there.

Yes, I love the work Arnold has put in. Frankly, I particularly love the fact that he favours strings over horns, an old vice of Barry's that never completely sat well with me. However, the modern orchestrations tend to get dismissed by the classic fans as being unmemorable. *shrug* Can't please everyone.

He need smore drums. *nods firmly*

[RLacey]

Originally Posted by Lee in Limbo

Yes, I love the work Arnold has put in. Frankly, I particularly love the fact that he favours strings over horns, an old vice of Barry's that never completely sat well with me. However, the modern orchestrations tend to get dismissed by the classic fans as being unmemorable. *shrug* Can't please everyone.

You see, I really don't get that. Take the opening section of Tomorrow Never Dies (Arnold's first Bond film). The bit with the missile. That opening section is made by the music, and the Barry orchestrations would never quite have managed to capture the excitement. That may be one of the reasons why, to this day, I consider that pre-credit sequence to be one of the best in the Bond movies.

On the other hand, John Barry does sweeping vistas very, very well.

[Lee in Limbo]

I also like that touch of Eastern European strings (with the magyar motif) in the TND theme. Makes the tune for me. That's Arnold's first salvo right there. You know you're getting classic Bond flavour without rehashing the old catalogue.

And yeah, when Barry had good cinematography shots to work against, he brought out some beautiful stuff. My standouts are still OHMSS and TLD. Masterpieces.

[Melanie68]

I like it. I can't explain why but it does have a retro feel to it.

[RLacey]

Just to follow up... after about half an hour of listening to it on loop, I can only remember the bit that goes "die for you...". Which is even less than I can remember of Die Another Day...

Actually, I can remember some really blatant gambling references. Which is at least in keeping with the dropping-themes-from-the-actual-film-into-the-song idea...

And it will probably grow on me. As they all do, eventually.