Customer Reviews

Dr. No: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

If ever a movie desperately NEEDED an "upgraded" version of a soundtrack album, DR. NO (1962) is it! Only 7 of the 18 tracks on the album actually appear in the film, and most of the music in the film is not on the album! The current "soundtrack album" is more like one of those modern items that say "Music inspired by the film" (like the one Prince did for BATMAN in 1989).

Monty Norman did 2 recording sessions for the film: the first, a lightweight, bouncy & moody score rich in Jamaican styling; the second, a sombre, intense, exciting "orchestral" score in the classic "crime jazz" style. One of his compositions, "The James Bond Theme", based on his own "Good Sign Bad Sign" (from an unproduced play) turned up here and there in the score, but it was also re-recorded at the request of the producers by John Barry, and this version was so satisfying, it wound up being used at least 5 times over the course of the picture, and reappeared in every Eon Production since. The album breaks down as follows:

1)"James Bond Theme"-- by The John Barry Seven; surely the best recording of this ever made, it appears in the film's opening and closing credits; when Bond leaves the casino and arrives at his office; as Bond drives to Miss Taro's house (before he's ambushed); and when he arrives at Miss Taro's house. This recording was even reused as-is in OHMSS (the assault on Piz Gloria) and on some prints of THUNDERBALL (the end credits). For decades it was disputed whether Norman or Barry really wrote it, but it has apparently been proven in Norman's favor (and if one listens carefully, snippets of it can be heard in other pieces in the film-- none of which appear on this album, unfortunately).
2)"Kingston Calypso"-- by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires; this variation on "3 Blind Mice" is heard during the opening credits as 3 killers stroll toward their target.
18)"Love At Last"-- you have to listen VERY carefully to hear this, buried in the soundtrack as Bond makes inquiries at Strangways' club and meets Prof. Dent for the first time.
14)"Under The Mango Tree"-- vocal by Monty Norman, this is heard earlier as James follows Quarrel to Pusfella's club.
4)"Jump Up"--a really upbeat, catchy dance tune performed at Pusfella's club when James has his talk with Felix & Quarrel. Performed onscreen by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, a band who've been around since 1956 and became a huge force in Jamaican music-- still around today!
6)"Under The Mango Tree"-- sung by Diana Coupland, this is heard on the record player at Miss Taro's house while James prepares for Prof. Dent's arrival.
13)"The Island Speaks"--the most ominous, moody bit here, heard as James & Quarrel approach Crab Key Island. This is the ONLY piece from the "orchestral" session included on the album!

The rest of the tracks do not appear in the film-- not necessarily a loss, but really... "Jamaican Rock", "Audio Bongo" and "The Is Boy Chase" (3,5,15) are more irritating than anything else (and I wonder where they were intended to go?). Several tracks are alternate versions, perhaps recorded to give the producers a choice of what to use where. These include "Jamaican Jazz", an instro. version of "Jump Up" (8), while (10) is an alternate take with a different singer & lyrics; (12) and (16) are both alternates of "Kingston Calypso", one with Diana Coupland singing and the other instrumental (the latter oddly re-named "Dr. No's Fantasy"); (9) is an instro of "Under The Mango Tree". 2 more versions of this appeared in the film, a more uptempo instro at the end of the film, and the scene on the beach where Bond meets Honey, sung by Diana Coupland (dubbing Ursula Andress) and Sean Connery himself-- but neither of these appear on the album. And why isn't it "UnderNEATH The Mango Tree" (as in the lyrics and various cover versions)?
Perhaps most intriguing are (7,11,& 17), three different versions (under 3 different names) of what may well have been the original, UNUSED "James Bond Theme". "Twisting With James" (7) would have fit at the nightclub; "Dr. No's Fantasy" (11) reminds me of something from THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN; and "The James Bond Theme" (17) could have fit well in the jungle (or somewhere in the film LIVE AND LET DIE); but NONE of the 3 versions of this catchy tune turn up in the film!

In addition to the obvious mess described above, the LP only had Norman's name listed in tiny type on the back (absurd, considering he wrote ALL the music on it); there were no credits indicating "Arranged & Orchestrated by Burt Rhodes"; "Conducted by Eric Rogers"; that track 1 was "Arranged by John Barry" and recorded by the John Barry Seven; and no listings for the vocals by Diana Coupland, Byron Lee & The Dragonaires or Monty Norman! (The latter was confirmed when I visited Norman's website; on a new recording of "Mango Tree", it's obviously the same singer!) Nor was there a credit for "Album Producer: Noel Rogers", but with all that's wrong here, I'm not surprised nobody wanted to take the blame for this!

I've just put together my own "custom" version of this from tracks on the album plus the "missing" music (with dialogue) from the movie; but I would hope that some day, someone at Eon would see to it that an "official" release like that may see the light of day!

For an explosive movie, we are granted the pleasure of great music. Monty Norman gives us a song that as soon as you hear it, you know whats coming. For the 1:45 long James Bond theme, it is one of the worlds most renowned muisc ever! Other tracks are also very well, with a carribean theme. Some of the music is a little hard to hear, but it is still wonderful to listen to. Underneath the Mango Tree is a magnificent song in this collection. If any of the songs are meant just to be fillers, they are Audio bongo and Dr. No's Fantasy.
A fantastic way to start off the most popular movie series ever!...

I don't know what all these other reviewers are really [upset] about. This soundtrack captures the essence and evokes memories of the film. Isn't that what a good soundtrack is supposed to do? Fleming loved Jamaica, and the music captures some of the pre-ska essence of Jamaican music. If you think about the music in the context of that era and you might enjoy it. Personally, whenever I hear "Three Blind Mice" I'll always think about Dr. No's three blind assassins ambling up the road to the British Embassy in Jamaica to kill the local British intelligence officers, which ultimately provokes Bond's arrival. I've been listening to this soundtrack for years, and I think its pretty cool. It's got substance and soul. To the other reviewers who panned it, go buy a Steven Seagal movie soundtrack or something by John Williams. To those who are Bond afficianados, and those who want to listen to some music with a little class and dash, this soundtrack is for you.

Actually I wanted my money back after I heard the CD for the first time so I went to the store and got a full refund without any protests by the clerk. He understood my complaints, he wasn't even surprised because he knew about the flaws of this "soundtrack" and told me it wasn't the first time this happened. This so-called OST is outright fraud! I expected an original motion picture soundtrack of the first Bond-movie. Forget it! One third of the music on the CD wasn't even used in the movie. And on the other side you only hear very few of the actual movie score (mostly source music like "Underneath the mango tree" and "Jump Up" two of the few reasons to listen to this CD) and this sometimes even twice. I understand why so many Fans believe Barry did the theme, I believe it too, the Norman music on the CD was absolutely non-bond-style. And thank god that they preferred Barry for the movie, his creepy and haunting themes work out so much better for the atmosphere of the movie. But don't expect to hear ANY of them on this "OST", the Barry cues are completely missing, believe it or not. I never ever purchased a soundtrack which was so disappointing and even made me angry. Don't buy this (...)!

As a HUGE fan of 007 I spent a lot of effort in the 70's tracking down ALL the soundtracks. I'm afraid this is my 2nd-least-favorite (MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN's at the bottom for me). Never mind the controversy still going on as to whether Norman or Barry wrote "The James Bond Theme"-- the BEST VERSION EVER which appears here! It's the fact that like too many others, this album does not accurately reflect the film. And it took me years to realize why. Much of what appears here was CUT from the film when John Barry was called in at the last minute. And none of Barry's contributions appear here! ("Shocking..." --sorry, wrong film!) And I find the repetition of some tunes here irritating. It was hoped "Under the Mango Tree" would become a hit single (which is why it replaced the standard, "Maryanne", that was in the book.) At least "Jump Up" is a fun number! (But did it have to be here TWICE?)

The soundtrack to DR. NO has the best recording of the James Bond Theme. The other tracks are good too. They want to make you get up and dance. "Jump Up" is a real good dance piece.

Along with the fact that this is a great soundtrack to a great movie, this CD has a wonderful capability of cathching the atmosphere of the time in which this music came to being. I have heard it before I saw the movie and thought it was great. Your feeling, naturally, depends on what you expect from it. It is unfortunate, though, that it is not possible to hear the excerpt from "Twisting with James" at Amazon.com as this would be really representative of the CD.

Before Brosnan, before Dalton and Moore, before even Emilio Largo and Goldfinger, Dr. No debuted as a tight-budget, documentary-style thriller. The year was '62, the place Jamaica. And the music was a curious blend of Caribbean rhythms and the jazzy sounds of yesteryear. All in all, the 18 tracks on this album make for a lively, pleasurable listening experience. My two-year old daughter absolutely loves tracks 3 and 10.

The soundtrack to DR. NO is one of the most overlooked of all the James Bond CD-albums. Composer Monty Norman's calypso love melody "Under the Mango Tree" is one of the most haunting and memorable in all the James Bond films. The bulk of the music on this CD is characterized by calypso motifs but it is "The James Bond Theme" that is best remembered here. "The James Bond Theme" composed by Norman, arranged by John Barry and performed by "The John Barry Seven" set the musical sound of the entire James Bond series. This is a classic.

The Dr. No soundtrack isn't as good as the others, but the others had more of a foundation to build their music on than Dr. No. They had no idea that they were creating one of the most popular action heroes ever and music. So Dr. No should get some credit. Two and a half stars to be exact. Although I was rather disappointed in the lack of music from the film.

Pretty much the only music that is on the soundtrack that appeared in the film are tracks: 1 (The James Bond theme),2 (Kinston Calypso), 4 (Jump Up), 6 (Under The Mango Tree), 13 (The Island Speaks), & 14 (Under The Mango Tree).

Everything else was either not in the movie or was an absolutely insignificant remake of one of the songs that was in the movie. Seriously, how many versions of Under The Mango Tree and Jump Up do we need? In themselves they aren't the greatest songs.

The major downside though is the lack of music. Like the music for the swamps, or when the ship fires at Honey and James, or when Bond fights Dr. No. If this soundtrack were to be remade, and I think it should be remade, it would be easiest to just say keep tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 13,& 14, and get rid of everything else. Basically one third of the songs on this soundtrack were from the movie and the remaing two thirds were not. And what makes it even worse is that the CD is still missing a lot of music from the movie.

Minus 2 and a half stars for the missing tracks and the tracks that were not in the movie, but plus 2 and a half stars for originality, effort, and the six songs that were from the movie. If you are a die-hard James Bond music fan then you should get it, but think twice before buying it if you're just looking for a good CD.