Customer Reviews

Diamonds Are Forever [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A superb re-release of Barry's score. It's lucky that the albums which had elements available for remastering are, by and large, all of the best Bond scores.

Apparently, the tracks had to be kept in the original release order for contractual reasons. Anyway, in case anyone wants to make a CDR in the correct film order, here it is, matched up to my DVD,

13, 1, 14, 6, 9, 15-19, 4, 20, 3, 5, 8, 2, 11, 10, 12, 7, 21

In its original soundtrack form, on LP and later CD, John Barry's music for "Diamonds Are Forever" lost a good deal of its allure. So much of it was missing that one could not get a true feeling of what the full score was all about. This new recording from Capital/EMI/MGM is part of 40th Anniversary release of most of the 007 scores, and it is one the best so far. An attempt has been made to rescue music that is still available and previously missing on the soundtracks, in many cases restoring the full scores. This is not quite the full score, however. Music variously titled "Blofeld's Laser" seems to be missing, but that said, this is another gem for James Bond and John Barry fans. With this recording one is tempted to suggest that this is easily one of the top five 007 soundtracks. Several new tracks are listed, but note many of the "standard" cuts include never before recorded music, including the full theatrical version of the vocal "Diamonds Are Forever." There are also some alternate tracks which are quite good. A solid recording and nicely packaged. Again, the price is astounding...well done! This recording is especially worthy of the James Bond Anniversary and should, along with some of the other releases, contribute to a Bond and Barry renaissance.

Yes! For Bond's 40th anniversary, this is the definitive soundtrack for Diamonds Are Forever. And finally it is here! Not only are unreleased bonus tracks, many of cuts from the original soundtracks have been extended (restored is more like it).

Track 1: The first 10 seconds intro of the title song has always been mysteriously left out in commercial releases. Here it is restored and the quality of the remaster is FANTASTIC. You can hear the difference! The instrumentals are more distinct and lush...and Shirley Bassey's voice is as sparkling as the diamonds themselves.

TRACK 2)Bond Meets Bambi and Thumper - the music where they toss Bond into the pool is included.

TRACK 3) Moon Buggy Ride - More is included in the beginning.

TRACK 5) Death At the Whyte House - The music Bond's scaling over Las Vegas to get into Whillard's Whyte's penthouse is also added in.

TRACK 6)Diamonds Are Forever (Bond and Tiffany) - The music indicating Wint and Kidd's presence on the cruise ship and then their deaths bookend the original instrumental.

TRACK 12) To Hell With Blofeld - some new instrumentals are added in the beginning (Bond's parachuting onto Blofeld's oil rig hideout, the arrival of Wint's helicopters, for example).

Then of course, the bonus material like the theme for Wint and Kidd, the fight with Peter Franks, the Gunbarrel and the music for the pre-title sequence....you name it, it is here!

Of all the new 007 remasters, Diamonds Are Forever is one of the best in terms of extra material...the original soundtrack itself is also one of the best of the series.

One gripe is that we have to wait for Bond's 40th anniversary for this to be released. Well, better now than never.

This CD has all of the soundtrack from the movie.I was amazed at how inadequate the original release was. I can actually visualize the scene in the movie as I listened to the CD. The remastering was noticebly improved. Some CD parts include Bond dangling outside of the Whyte House, the Peter Franks fight.This CD is so complete it even includes the sound effects when the women transforms into a Gorilla at Circus Circus. To sum it up James Bond, John Barry fans should love this one,I think it is a masterpiece.

Well, finally this fantastic John Barry soundtrack gets a release it long ago deserved. We now have all the music, and I mean _all_ the music. Speaking of new extra tracks, my personal favourites are Gunbarrel and Manhunt, Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd/Bond To Holland and Slumber Inc. (that organ!...).

The quality of the remastered sound is no less than amazing, the score could have been recorded yesterday. Not even a slightest trace of hiss or any other disturbance is to be found. In fact I would go so far as to say that many of nowadays-recorded music doesn't sound remotely as good as this soundtrack does. All respect to the rerelease/remaster team.

Speaking of music, it's John Barry at his very best. Especially the pretitle sequence is great and one can but marvel at tracks like Moon Buggy Ride and 007 And Counting (which is a great variation of "Capsule In Space" from YOLT).

To conclude, this soundtrack (along with many others from the 2003 rerelease series, of course) is an essential treasure for any serious Bond and/or film music fan. BTW, the same goes - imho, that is - for rereleases of Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only and The Living Daylights, Barry's unforgettable 007 swan-song.

John Barry fans rejoyce! This new reissue of 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever" is a sparkling gem (pun intended) in the 007 crown. First of all, like all of the EMI/Capitol Bond reissues I've heard so far, the audio presentation is outstanding. As you play the album, you'll have a hard time convincing yourself that the score wasn't recorded yesterday. The sound is crisp and clear and the soundstage is quite wide. The score itself has every element that defines what James Bond is: Fantastic action cues, taught suspence, lush romantic versions of the theme song, and above all else tracks that absoultly SWING! Since most of the film takes place in Las Vegas, Barry was able to marry the elegent cool of 007 with the sounds of America's playground in ways that have yet to be topped. For proof, put on the instrumental "Diamonds Are Forver," "Q's Trick" or "Airport Source." The last track is of special note because it is one of the NINE bonus tracks added to the end of the album. If this wasn't enough, some of the tracks from the original LP have expanded playing times! It's all here...so, mix yourself a Vodka martini (Shaken, not stirred), put on your white tux and throw on "Diamonds Are Forever" as it was meant to be heard!

At long last the full complete score for Diamonds Are Forever is available. John Barry works wonders again with this magnificent score! The entire soundtrack is remastered with new tracks and additions to the original ones. Shirley Bassey performs the sweeping powerful title song, which now begins with the hit of brass as in the movie. The song charted at #57 in the U.S. Then we are thrilled with all the other tracks which have a more crisp feel to them than on the original soundtrack. Moon Buggy Ride, Death At The Whyte House and 007 and Counting are no less than stunning. To Hell With Blofeld has the infamous "007" theme by John Barry, and it sounds terrific! Gunbarrel And Manhunt and Following The Diamonds are truly exciting tracks as well. Peter Franks and Airport Source/On The Road have the loungy music, while Slumber Inc. has that crazy chorus as heard in the film. Rounding off the soundtrack is 9:00 minute long Additonal And Alternate Cues which is comprised of all the leftover music from the film. With 21 tracks and over 75 minutes of music, Diamonds Are Forever, Shirley Bassey and (of course) John Barry will leave the listener breathless and wanting more!

Whoever put together the Diamonds Are Forever soundtrack when it was originally released on vinyl record back in 1971, did a very poor job. The LP version, which runs slightly over 30 minutes, is a huge affront to those interested in John Barry's music from the film. The two major deficiencies of that soundtrack, are the lack of content, and the selection of material.

You can get about forty five minutes of content on an LP, without seriously sacrificing audio quality. So an additional 10 to 15 minutes of music could have been included on the original Diamonds soundtrack. As is evidenced by the additional tracks on this 75 minute remastered version, there was ample material available. Shortchanging the public regarding content was bad enough, but the selection of material was also another black mark. With the variety of music available, to have included essentially three versions of the Diamond Are Forever theme, is just moronic. When CD's replaced vinyl records, this oversight was not addressed, and the identical version was issued on CD. So for three decades, this vastly inferior version was all that was available.

Thankfully, the entire Bond soundtrack catalog has been remastered, and when available, extra tracks have been provided. Many of the soundtracks have been improved by quantum leaps. The 2003 version of Diamonds Are Forever, is one of them. After over thirty years, the large portion of John Barry's music that had been missing for so long, is finally available. Many of the original tracks like 'Moon Buggy RIde', and to 'To Hell With Blofeld', have additional cues, instrumentation, or a different arrangement.

The bonus tracks expand the soundtrack to more closely match the scope of the film. 'Gunbarrel, and Manhunt' is from the opening of the film, when an enraged Bond is searching for Blofeld. The light and airy 'The Whyte House' adds some of that atmospheric Vegas fun. The somber funeral march of 'Slumber Inc.' slowly builds to a white hot climax as Bond is about to be cremated. 'Peter Franks' is music featured in Bond's battle in the elevator car with Franks in Amsterdam. The final track of nine minutes of assorted cues, makes for an interesting though disjointed listen.

The 2003 remastered version of Diamonds is a massive improvement, over the sad and pitiful compilation that masqueraded as the `Original Motion Picture Soundtrack' for over thirty years. If you are a James Bond, or John Barry aficionado, and only have the original version, upgrading is well worth it. Typical for the Bond remasters, there are some nice liner notes which recap the film, and briefly cover the music. When you reflect on the situation regarding this soundtrack, it is sad that many fans of the film never had the opportunity to enjoy this music.

When the original score was released in 1971, it left out most of the best tracks in the movie. This CD re-issue fixes that. Unquestionably the best one that was missing was 'Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd' - the theme of the pair of effeminate killers & their antics with a scorpion. 'Moon Buggy Ride' is also a lively theme as 007 outraces Blofeld's thugs in an experimental NASA moon vehicle. About time the full soundtrack was released!

John Barry's complete score for "Diamonds Are Forever" is a memorable addition to the 007 catalogue, though it doesn't equal the high standards established by "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "You Only Live Twice." Nevertheless, this 1971 soundtrack far surpasses the mediocrity of Barry's "The Man With the Golden Gun." The title song by Shirley Bassey is guaranteed to ignite your stereo speakers.