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Believe it or not, ROGER MOORE is almost three years older than SEAN CONNERY and was 45 when he took over the role of JAMES BOND 007 in LIVE & LET DIE. I find that surprising as Rog could have passed for at least five years younger than his age, whereas, in an interview given in 1971 to promote DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, big Tam looked at least ten years older than he actually was. Of course, time has levelled the field and they both now look as if they'd blow over in a strong wind, but let's all hope that the two actors have a good many years ahead of them, for all the cinematic enjoyment they've given us over the decades.
Anyway, to Roger goes the honour of being the longest-serving Bond so far, with a whopping seven spectacular movies under his belt. Sean also made seven Bond films, but NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN was a remake of THUNDERBALL, with a twelve year gap between it and his previous outing as 007, and wasn't an 'official' EON production. (Though Eon now own the rights to the movie.)
So, without further ado, let's take a look at all seven Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album covers from Roger's thirteen year career as BOND... JAMES BOND - shaken, but definitely not stirred. (Just had to get it in somewhere.)
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I always felt that John Barry's heart really wasn't in it when he returned to Bond after Live And Let Die. Maybe it was just that his music seemed so suited to Bond in the sixties. Not that it was bad, just not as inspired as it had been; maybe he was getting fed up with the character, like Connery.
ReplyDeleteOf the other composers, I thought that George Martin was the most successful in creating a score that felt as if it belonged in a Bond film; and having McCartney singing the theme probably helped, I suppose.
Big Tam (for years I wondered why my mother called him that) was definitely looking a bit ragged by the time of DAF, and I think it was only when he got away from Bond completely that he seemed to recover some of his youthful vigour in films like The Man Who Would Be King; contrast his appearance in that with DAF.
I think that in the later movies, GB, he was reusing little bits of familiar incidental music, which gave the impression that he was resting on his laurels a bit (which he may well have been) - but, as you say, in the '60s, his soundtracks suited Bond right down to the ground. Having said that, I did like the Moonraker music quite a lot.
ReplyDeleteHard for me to believe that when 'old man' Connery returned for Never Say Never, he was younger than I am now. Scary.
John Barry's MOONRAKER score has always been one of my favourites - "Flight Into Space" being particularly evocative. Playing it brings back memories of the astonishing reveal of Drax's space station.
ReplyDeleteBarry's other space score that year - THE BLACK HOLE - was also very memorable. In fact, taking into account Jerry Goldsmith's music for the STAR TREK and ALIEN movies, 1979 was a pretty vintage year for SF scores.
And it was Shirley Bassey's third Bond theme - let's hope she does another.
ReplyDeleteMIA is the inside of the LIVE AND LET DIE gatefold cover. It's the only one that I can recall which opened double-album-style.
ReplyDeleteMight be different in America, WS, but in Britain, the only gatefold cover for an individual Bond soundtrack album was The Spy Who Loved Me (in the original LP versions).
ReplyDeleteFascinating ! I'd love to see that, please, if you have it.
ReplyDeleteYup, got it. Will put it up when I get a chance, but it won't be for a while.
ReplyDeleteOriginally posted: 6 December 2013 18:11.
I should add that the compilation album, James Bond 10th Anniversary Collection, also had a gatefold cover, but TSWLM was the only individual soundtrack to have one.
ReplyDelete