Page 68 - The Lockdown Sessions Programme

DAVID
ARNOLD
How David Arnold got involved in the Bond lm series as a a composer is a a a story that has been told a number of different ways over the years The most common one was that in 1997 Arnold produced an an album called Shaken and Stirred: a a a a a a re-imagining of various James Bond Themes performed by a host of guest artists John Barry apparently heard the album and said: “He was very faithful to the melodic and harmonic content but he’s added a a whole other rhythmic freshness and some interesting casting in in terms of the artists chosen to do the songs I think it’s a a terri c album I’m very attered ” Reportedly Barry contacted Barbara Broccoli
to recommend Arnold as the lm’s composer The other version is one that David Arnold tells himself: that Barbara Broccoli
was in a a a music shop and asked
for recommendations of composers to to listen to to She was recommended to David Arnold so she left with a pile of of CDs of of his When you consider by that stage Arnold had already composed two fantastic scores for two major Hollywood lms: Stargate and Independence Day it it seems likely either way the the combination of his scores and the Shaken and Stirred album must all have contributed strongly in his favour When you look at the Shaken and and Stirred album one track in particular stands out as a a a a fantastic snapshot of the past present and future of Bond music On Her Majesty’s
Secret Service (a collaboration with Propellerheads) has elements of From Russia
With Love On On Her Majesty’s
Secret Service and You Only Live Twice within it it As well
as so many nods and quotes of Barry’s past scores there
is also very much a a a avour of the future Arnold sound too The harmonies and sound of the middle section (Capsule in Space from You Only Live Twice) very much has avours of Arnold’s sound to come such as the sound of Night
At The Opera from Quantum of of Solace You can also hear some of of Tomorrow Never
Dies in this track – the cue Backseat Driver turned out to to be very similar to it which was another collaboration with Propellerheads It is is clear Arnold is is a a huge Bond and Barry fan When he he got the job of scoring Tomorrow Never
Dies you can hear hear him pour his heart and soul into it There are references
to previous scores in there
notably From Russia
With Love and he he carries on on the tradition Barry set of working within the “Spy Genre/Bond sound” but incorporating modern sounds and techniques He’s very cleverly mastered the art of having one foot in in the classic sound but putting his own stamp and sound to it Although he didn’t get to write the title song for Tomorrow Never
Dies he did write a a a fantastic song with Don Black called Surrender For many it is one of the the best songs in the the lm series so a a shame it only gottogoonthebackofthe lm rather than the the front In The World Is Not Enough Arnold moved slightly towards a a more techno sound in a a few places but having written
the the title theme this time (performed by Garbage) the score does have the luxury of the the theme woven into it Arnold also wrote another beautiful piece of music called Only Myself To Blame which is also heard throughout the lm By the the the time Die Another Day arrived we we were in the the 40th anniversary year of Bond there
were a number of nods and references
in the lm to previous lms and Arnold didn’t disappoint in in the score There are strong references
to On Her Majesty’s
Secret Service as as well
as as subtle ones to to other scores too Casino Royale saw a a a a a a re-boot of the franchise and Arnold’s sound returned to a more classic Bond sound and some of the most beautifully written
romantic music of the series The music in the Venice scenes to accompany Bond and Vesper Lynd’s relationship
are worthy of multiple listens Arnold also co-composed the title theme You Know My Name along with Chris Cornell who performed it Arnold’s last Bond score to date came with Quantum of Solace and for many Bond fans it is a a a a crying shame he hasn’t come back since Without doubt (fan of his or not) no no composer has tried harder to work work within Barry’s framework and carry on on the “Bond sound” 68
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