John Barry's MOONRAKER score...

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."
-- Ian Fleming

Now, this is a signature gun, and that is an optical palm reader.

I don't believe it's John Barry's best work, but it's still one of the best things about that film. I certainly enjoy sections of it.

Thank you for the link.

ant-mac

5:30 onwards, the best part. The vastness, emptiness, loneliness of space. This idea is also used, to great effect, when the space station stops rotating, generating contrast after some truly loud, fierce chords that are heard as the structure shakes and everyone falls to the ground.

The score is not one of his string of 007 masterpieces (GF right through DAF), but it's got it's moments of Barry greatness.
None more so than the pre-title hijack sequence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFM6F22T32I&list=PL_CMcui9bVQlKbS_3aKzQI933yyB4MdrH

his string of 007 masterpieces (GF right through DAF)
Huh? Why isn't Barry's FRWL score part of this "string"? Also, with the possible exception of the TMWTGG score (which is actually somewhat lacking in variety and duration if you look at the soundtrack recording), the main cause of the interruption of this string was Barry's tax problems, leading to George Martin doing LALD (and if I may say so, in an outstanding way) and Marvin Hamlisch TSWLM (ok by me). Otherwise the MR score would also extend that string of excellence from FRWL to TLD. It's by no means worse than those you mentioned.
--
Ceterum censeo OCTOPUSSY esse delendam.

Why isn't Barry's FRWL score part of this "string"? It's a first rate score, and I'd call it better than any Bond score that came after DAF (and better than DN). So, I do think highly of it.
I just don't think it's a masterpiece that those others are. Plus, we can't consider it a purely Barry score. Lionel Bart wrote the title song (the best of any non-Barry Bond song), which Barry expertly utilized throughout the film.
But if somebody wants to place FRWL up there with those others, I won't object too strenuously. Also, with the possible exception of the TMWTGG score (which is actually somewhat lacking in variety and duration if you look at the soundtrack recording), the main cause of the interruption of this string was Barry's tax problemsI've long thought that Barry went into a period of creative doldrums in the mid 1970s. Potentially rewarding projects (TMWTGG, The Tamarind Seed, Robin And Marian, King Kong) yielded fairly lackluster results. But he did gradually start coming back with Moonraker (but again, no masterpiece).

I've long thought that Barry went into a period of creative doldrums in the mid 1970s. Potentially rewarding projects (TMWTGG, The Tamarind Seed, Robin And Marian, King Kong) yielded fairly lackluster results. But he did gradually start coming back with Moonraker (but again, no masterpiece).

His score to Moonraker suffered because the producers decided they only wanted a limited amount of music in this film this time around. He originally intended to write a 75-minute big symphonic orchestration for the film, his first for a Bond film, but he only got around to doing barely half of it, and most of it was really left for the space scenes.

Also personally I think his Kong score is great, and it's become a fan favourite as well.


"You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway". - Walt Disney

KING KONG is a fine Barry score but it simply can't touch his sublime sounding MOONRAKER. Or most of his other Bond scores for that matter.

Connery, Moore, and Brosnan! Accept NO substitutes!